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This Strawberry Rhubarb Pie is a winning combination of sweet strawberries, tart rhubarb and just enough sugar. It has a crumbly almond flour pie crust that pairs perfectly with the thick fruit filling!
This is an old fashioned recipe for strawberry rhubarb pie from the 1903 edition of The Settlement Cookbook. The filling is half tart rhubarb and half strawberries with a moderate amount of sugar. I always make this with peak season produce so the sweet strawberries balance the rhubarb like in this strawberry rhubarb crumble.
This makes a thicker filling due to the combination of cornstarch and an egg. In modern baking, it is an unexpected combination, but it works magnificently as long as you allow the filling to boil. This old fashioned peach pie recipe uses the same thickening method to a similar effect.
Why This is the Best Strawberry Rhubarb Pie
- Thick, flavorful filling. The combination of cornstarch and an egg make for a thick, rich and flavorful pie filling. Using cornstarch allows the strawberry rhubarb flavors to shine!
- Easy to make. The filling is stirred together and poured in to a lined pie dish. An egg sugar mixture is poured on top!
- Make with fresh or frozen fruit. This can be made with fresh or frozen fruit. If using frozen, I suggest choosing the sliced frozen strawberries and not thawing the fruit prior to baking.
Professional Tips
- Taste the filling prior to adding the egg. Strawberries and rhubarb can vary greatly in sweetness, so I always taste the filling before adding the egg. Add a little more sugar if desired or add a squeeze of lemon.
- Be sure to let the filling boil in the center. For the thickest filling, allow the filling time to boil in the center. This activates the cornstarch and cooks out the starch flavor.
- Tent the crust. The filling might need a little extra time to come to a boil without the crust over-browning. I use three pieces of foil folded around the edges. Simple and effective.
- Bake in a metal tin or glass pie dish. A metal tin or glass pie dish will allow the filling and crust to cook at the same rate. This way you have a perfectly baked pie crust and thick filling.
Ingredients Needed
- Almond Pie Crust: I use this almond flour pie crust in this recipe, but it would also be fantastic with an all butter pie crust or a Crisco pie crust. The shortening crust will have a similar crumbly texture to the almond crust.
- Strawberries: Choose in-season strawberries that smell fragrant and are red. Out of season strawberries will have less flavor and more water.
- Rhubarb: Choose rhubarb stalks that are stiff (not limp), and, ideally, are a deep pink to red color. The best, in-season, rhubarb is a dark, almost magenta red. Don’t worry, it’s all still incredibly tart!
- Cornstarch: Cornstarch is the main thickener in this pie. It will become clear and tasteless as long as you allow it to boil for at least a minute in the center. You can substitute with tapioca flour like I use in this mixed berry pie.
- Granulated Sugar: The granulated sugar is here for sweetness but also to aid in the thickening process. Sugar absorbs moisture as the filling bakes, which results in a thicker fruit filling.
- Whole Egg: The egg is an additional thickener in this pie. It makes a thicker filling than just cornstarch alone would and adds a bit of body.
- Heavy Cream
- Turbinado Sugar
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Variations & Substitutions
- Mix up the fruit! Rhubarb tastes great with more than just strawberries! I like to pair it with other naturally sweet fruits like I did in this raspberry rhubarb crumble.
- Make a streusel topped pie: Use this streusel topping to make an even easier strawberry rhubarb pie! Simply crumble on top and bake per the instructions.
- Make it vegetarian & vegan. You can simply eliminate the egg to make this pie vegan. Mix the sugar in with the fruit and cornstarch before pouring in the pie crust.
How to Make Strawberry Rhubarb Pie
Further details and measurements can be found in the recipe card below.
Rolling & latticing the dough
Step 1: Roll out both top and bottom crusts to ¼ inch thick. If it cracks, it is a little too cold. Let it sit out for 5-8 minutes. If using an all butter pie crust or this vodka pie crust, roll thinner to 1/8th inch.
Step 2: You can lattice like I did or you can just cut a few vent holes like in this peach pie. You can also just lay the strips on top of the filling without weaving, and it will still taste delicious.
If you are using the almond flour pie crust, I strongly suggest latticing on top of the filled bottom crust. This crust is more tender and does not take kindly to pre-weaving on parchment and transferring like I do in this blueberry pie, for example.
Make filling & assemble
Step 3: Preheat oven to 425F°.
Step 4: Chop both rhubarb and strawberries into ¼ inch pieces. You do not need to peel rhubarb unless it is still green.
Step 5: Combine fruit and cornstarch in a bowl and toss to coat. Pour into bottom crust (lined in pie tin) and spread out in an even layer.
Do not mound up the filling like one does with apple pie. It will not cook down, just over. You also want to make sure all the fruit bakes in the sugar/egg mixture.
Step 6: Whisk together egg and sugar until lightened, and pour over the top of the fruit.
Step 7: Cover with top crust, or lattice the crust decoratively. For more instructions on latticing see this how to lattice pie crust tutorial. Brush with heavy cream and sprinkle with turbinado or coarse sugar.
Step 8: Place dish on rimmed baking sheet and bake in pre-heated oven for 30 minutes. Reduce temperature to 325F° and bake until the filling is bubbly in the center.
If the crust is getting too dark, tent the whole top of the pie with foil or make 3 strips of foil and fold them around the edges.
Chef Lindsey’s Recipe Tip
Think of rhubarb like celery’s baking-friendly cousin. Like celery, rhubarb has strings. No one wants strings in their pie. Be sure to cut the rhubarb across the middle (not up the stalk) and no thicker than ¼ inch pieces.
How to serve this pie?
I think this pie is best served warm. Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a simple anglaise sauce. The vanilla and cream heighten the strawberries flavor and really rounds out the dish.
Frequently Asked Questions
Store covered at room temperature for 4 days, refrigerated for a week or frozen for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature and refresh (heat) in a warm oven.
Please do not dock the pie crust for this pie. The filling is liquid and will simply leak out of the holes and adhere itself to the pie dish or make it soggy.
People mix strawberry and rhubarb because the flavors are complimentary but also because rhubarb is very tart and astringent. An all strawberry pie made at peak season can be incredibly sweet. Making an all rhubarb pie is also possible but requires a considerable amount of sugar to make it palatable.
Both strawberries and rhubarb release a considerable amount of moisture as they bake or are in contact with sugar. Pies made without a proper amount of thickener or that aren’t baked long enough tend to be excessively soupy.
You only need to peel green rhubarb before baking, but I prefer to bake with rhubarb that is in peak season, which does not need to be peeled. Be sure to cut off any leaves because they are poisonous.
If you tried this recipe and loved it please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the comments below. I love hearing from you; your comments make my day!
Strawberry Rhubarb Pie
Ingredients
For the Double Almond Pie Crust:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 6 tablespoons almond flour almond meal
- 6 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup shortening cut in small pieces, cold
- 2 eggs well-beaten
- cold water
For the Pie:
- 1 ½ cups rhubarb
- 1 ½ cups strawberries
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream optional
- 2 tablespoons turbinado sugar optional
Instructions
To prepare the pie crust:
- Make sure all ingredients are either frozen or very, very cold. Mix dry ingredients and cut in shortening with a pastry blender until they are worked into the dry ingredients completely.
- Add beaten eggs with a fork just until incorporated. Add just enough water to hold dough together. I used 4 tablespoons but this will vary. You want the dough to stay in a ball, so if chunks are falling out, then add some more water. It doesn’t take as much as you think! Divide into two.
- Roll each half into a ball, place on plastic wrap, and flatten into a disk. Refrigerator for several hours or over night.
- Roll both disks out to ¼ inch thick. This dough is more fragile than my other go-to crust, so I use the rolling pin method for transferring the dough to a pan. Gently roll the dough onto the pin and unroll it over your pie dish.
- Decoratively crimp the edges, place in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes.
To prepare the pie:
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Line pie plate with pastry and place on a cookie sheet in the refrigerator.
- If rhubarb is still green, peel with a vegetable peeler. This is unnecessary if it is ripe and pink!
- Slice both rhubarb and strawberries into ¼ inch pieces.
- Place into a bowl and sprinkle mixture with cornstarch. Toss to coat.
- Whisk together egg and sugar vigorously until light and fluffy.
- Pour strawberry rhubarb mixture into the prepare pie crust. Do not mound up the filling like one does with apple pies. Pour egg mixture over the top.
- Cover with top pastry or with a lattice top, if desired. Trim off excess overhang (anything more than ½ inch over the edge) with kitchen scissors. Pinch top and bottom crust together and roll under. Crimp decoratively.
- Brush the top crust with heavy cream and generously sprinkle with turbinado sugar. This is optional but divine, so I wouldn't skip it! Chill 30 minutes.
- Bake in pre-heated oven for 30 minutes and then reduce to 325°F until the filling is bubbly. Cover the edges of the crust after 20 minutes with aluminum foil to prevent over-browning. (It will depend on your oven but about 30-45 minutes of total cook time should be enough!)
Notes
Nutrition
Before You Go
I hope you enjoyed this professional chef tested recipe. Check out our other delicious, chef-developed pie recipes! Peruse this list of the 20 Best Thanksgiving Pies for more pie inspiration or try another one of these Easy Summer Dessert Recipes!
I made this as soon as I got my hands on a fresh rhubarb batch, and it was DIVINE! A lovely, juicy, tender filling and the top was super crispy and flaky. I will make it again next weekend !!
That is wonderful to hear Ksenia! I am lucky to live in the North where rhubarb pops up in early March!!