Strawberry rhubarb pie is a summertime favorite, and for good reason. The tartness of the fresh rhubarb pairs beautifully with the sweet strawberries in this recipe, making it perfect to enjoy with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream on top.
The thick, jammy filling sets up perfectly and is easy to slice into big or small pieces. Plus, the flaky crust is buttery and irresistibly rich! But the best thing about this strawberry rhubarb pie recipe is how absolutely easy it is to make.
To prepare this strawberry rhubarb pie, I used my old stand-by, flakey, double-crust pastry for the top crust and bottom crust, but the recipe for the pie filling has been adapted from my cookbook, “Me, Myself and Pie”.
This is THE best pie if you’re looking for a summery treat made with in-season fresh fruit. It’s a good thing that rhubarb season and strawberry season coincide because the combination is one of our all-time favorites!
Tart rhubarb and sweet fresh strawberries are irresistible pairings in the summer. Whether we’re digging into this strawberry rhubarb pie, our strawberry rhubarb crisp or our strawberry rhubarb slab pie, we’re happy. 🙂
Why This Recipe Works
Fortunately, this easy strawberry rhubarb pie recipe is so simple to follow. The homemade pie dough is easy to work with and has a deliciously rich and buttery flavor. Simple ingredients come together for a truly delightful summertime dessert.
- Since strawberry rhubarb pie filling is very juicy and does not have a lot of pectin, it needs more thickener than even a blackberry pie.
- You can use either cornstarch or tapioca to thicken the filling but we don’t recommend flour because it dulls the flavor of the fruit.
- Baking the pie at a higher heat for the first 15 minutes helps set the bottom crust and prevents getting a soggy bottom.
- This is a delicious pie that makes the most of in-season fruit and it is simple to prepare.
- A crowd favorite that is perfect for any summer gathering.
The Ingredients
Our all-butter crust and gluten-free pie crust are perfect for fruit pies. They will give you enough dough for the top of the pie, whether you’re covering it completely or forming a beautiful lattice crust.
Depending on where you live, you may have some luck finding beautiful, large rhubarb stalks at your farmer’s market or even your local grocery store. And if you have an abundance of rhubarb in your garden, this is the perfect recipe to make use of it.
Here are the ingredients you will need for a classic strawberry rhubarb pie:
- Fresh strawberries. If you use strawberries from the Farmer’s market, they will likely be juicier and need a pinch more thickener.
- Fresh rhubarb stalks. Some varieties of rhubarb are redder so don’t get stumped on the color. Pinkish rhubarb with green streaks is just as tasty.
- Red food coloring. This is completely optional but helps brighten the red color because rhubarb tends to dull the color of the pie.
- Lemon juice. Freshly squeezed lemon juice has a brighter flavor but you can used the bottled stuff in a pinch.
- Sugar. Regular granulated sugar.
- Cornstarch or quick tapioca. Use whichever one you have on hand.
- Heavy cream. This is used to brush the top of the crust.
- Coarse sugar or sugar sprinkles. Large sugar crystals give the pie a sparkle.
How to Make Strawberry Rhubarb Pie
Pie prep is easy peasy for this one! Here is a brief overview to get an idea of what to expect. Scroll down to the printable recipe card for all the details.
- Make the pie crust
- Toss together the filling ingredients in a large bowl.
- Roll out the pie dough, place it in the dish, and add the filling.
- Bake the pie, then let the pie cool.
- Top with ice cream (a must for us!) and DIG IN. Try our strawberry basil ice cream for a unique flavor.
Combine the sliced strawberries and chopped rhubarb in a bowl. Toss the fresh fruit with lemon juice and the optional red food coloring.
Combine the dry ingredients- sugar, cornstarch, and salt- in a small bowl and whisk well. Add the sugar mixture to the fruit and toss until well coated.
Use a rolling pin to roll out some pie crust out and lay it down in the bottom of a pie plate.
Pour the fruit filling into the pie pan and dot the top of the filling with butter.
Roll out the top layer of the pie crust and place it on top of the fruit filling. Optionally, you can make a lattice top.
Trim and crimp the edges of the pie. Brush the top of the pie crust with cream and sprinkle some sugar on top. Cut vent holes in the top, then transfer the pie dish to the oven to bake the pie.
Tip: Place the pie on a baking sheet in case the juices run over when the pie bakes. If the crust starts to brown too quickly, drape a piece of aluminum foil or parchment paper on top of it.
When the strawberry rhubarb pie is done baking, you can transfer it to a wire rack to cool. Refrigerate it once it has cooled to room temperature. Serve it cold or warm but warm it up after you cut into the pie.
Recipe Tips for the Best Results
- Baking the pie at a higher temperature for the first 15 minutes will help the homemade pie crust get flaky and prevent the bottom from turning into a soggy crust.
Make sure you turn the oven temperature down after the first 15 minutes or the pie will burn. - Cook the strawberry-rhubarb pie until you see the juices start to bubble.
- Let the pie cool completely before slicing. If you want to serve a warm pie, you can warm the servings up after you slice it. If you slice into the pie before it cools, it will still be runny.
- The filling will be thick and jammy after the pie cools and sets up. If you like a juicy, syrupy filling, reduce the cornstarch to 6-1/2 tablespoons or the quick-cooking tapioca to 5 tablespoons.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can enjoy strawberry rhubarb pie hot or cold, but either way, we recommend letting the pie cool completely before slicing it to allow time for the pie filling to set and thicken. If you want a warm slice of pie served a la mode, allow the pie to cool completely, then warm each individual slice in the microwave.
Store this strawberry rhubarb pie in the refrigerator. It will keep well for at least a week. Make sure the top of the pie is wrapped well with plastic wrap. You can store individual slices in an airtight container in the fridge.
The cornstarch (or instant tapioca) will allow the pie filling to thicken. Our strawberry rhubarb pie recipe has enough cornstarch so the fruit juices in the filling end up thick and jammy (not runny) after the pie cools and sets. It’s important to allow for cooling time- a hot pie will have a runny filling.
No, there is no need to cook the rhubarb before baking this pie. Similar to apple pie, the rhubarb will cook until tender during the bake time.
The sweetness of the strawberries paired with the tartness of the rhubarb and a rich, buttery crust are the makings of the best strawberry rhubarb pie recipe!
This just might be our favorite pie of the summer and we hope you love it just as much. Happy baking!
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Some Other Recipes We Are Sure You Will Love:
Our Lemon Ricotta Tart is festive and fun! A beautiful no-bake ricotta cheesecake sits on top of a crisp shortbread crust. It is also delicious with our chocolate shortbread crust.
Blackberry Peach Pie is another classic summertime dessert. Burst with sweet flavor from the fresh fruit, this combination is especially delicious with a scoop of passion fruit ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream on top.
Apple Slab Pie is a pie for a crowd! Sweet and tangy cinnamon apples tucked inside a buttery pie crust, every bite is heavenly. This is a traditional slab pie which means it’s baked in a sheet pan to create a shallow pie that is easy to slice and serve.
Strawberry Rhubarb Pie
Ingredients
For the Pie Crust:
- 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour plus more for dusting
- 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 sticks 8 ounces cold butter, cut into cubes
- 1 teaspoon cider vinegar
- 5 tablespoons ice-cold water
For the Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie Filling:
- 3 cups strawberries (1 pound) hulled and quartered
- 4 cups fresh rhubarb cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 2-3 drops of red food coloring optional
- 1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
- 1-1/3 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup cornstarch or 6 tablespoons quick tapioca
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 tablespoon butter cut into 3-4 pieces
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- ¼ cup coarse sugar or sugar sprinkles
Instructions
For the Pie Crust:
- Mix the flour and salt in a large bowl. Add the butter and cut it in with a pastry blender until the largest pieces are the size of small peas and the mixture begins to clump on the pastry blender.
- In a small dish, mix the vinegar and 5 tablespoons of ice water together. Add the liquid to the flour mixture and stir with a fork. Squeeze a clump of dough in your hands, If it holds its shape it is just right. If it is still crumbly and doesn’t hold together easily, add another tablespoon or two of ice water until you can squeeze a handful and it holds together.
- Divide the dough in half and form each half into a flat disk. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 45 minutes
- Thirty minutes before you're ready to roll out the dough, remove it from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature to soften up a little. The rolling will be easier.
For the Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie Filling:
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Add the strawberries and rhubarb to a large bowl, add the red color if you are using it, add the lemon juice and toss to combine.
- In a small dish, add the sugar, cornstarch, and salt, and whisk together. Sprinkle the mixture over the top of the strawberry-rhubarb mixture. Fold together to coat the fruit well.
- Roll out the first pastry disk and carefully fit it into a standard 9-inch pie plate/pan.
- Spoon the fruit mixture into the prepared pie crust. Dot with the butter pieces and cover with the rolled upper crust and crimp around the edges in a decorative manner. Lightly brush the top with the cream.
- Cut vent slits in the top crust and sprinkle with the sugar. Transfer the pie to the middle rack of the oven with a baking sheet lined with parchment paper on the rack just below the rack with the pie. This will catch any drips from the pie and save an oven cleaning job.
- Bake at 400°F for 15 minutes, reduce the temperature to 375°F, and continue to bake for an additional 1 hour to 75 minutes. If the crust begins to brown too quickly, drape a piece of foil or parchment paper over the top.
- Transfer the pie from the oven to a wire rack to cool, then refrigerate and serve cold or warm the individual slices up after you slice the pie.
Notes
- Baking the pie at a higher temperature for the first 15 minutes will help the crust get flaky and prevent the bottom of the pie crust from getting soggy. Make sure you turn the oven heat down after the first 15 minutes or the pie will burn.
- Cook the pie until you see the juices start to bubble.
- Let the pie cool completely before slicing. If you want to serve a warm pie, you can warm the servings up after you slice it. If you slice into the pie before it cools, it will still be runny.
- The filling will be thick and jammy after the pie cools and sets up. If you like a juicy, syrupy filling, reduce the cornstarch to 6-1/2 tablespoons or the quick-cooking tapioca to 5 tablespoons.
Nutrition
This recipe was first published on August 21, 2015. We updated the photos and added some helpful tips. One of the original photos is below. View our Web Story here.
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