You know that feeling when you see the first stalks of rhubarb at the market? It’s like a switch flips and suddenly it’s officially spring. For me, it means it’s time for the one pie that tastes like sunshine after a long winter.
I’m going to walk you through how to make the absolute best strawberry rhubarb pie you’ve ever had. We’re talking a flaky, buttery crust and a filling that’s the perfect balance of sweet and tart, and most importantly, not a watery mess. This is the recipe that will make everyone ask for a second slice.
What You’ll Need
Getting your ingredients ready beforehand makes everything so much easier. I always measure everything out first, like they do on cooking shows. It really does help you feel less stressed once you start mixing.
Here’s the breakdown for the crust and that glorious filling.
For The All-Butter Pie Crust
This is my go-to crust. It’s simple, uses basic ingredients, and has never, ever let me down.
| Ingredient | Amount |
|---|---|
| All-purpose flour | 2 ½ cups |
| Granulated sugar | 1 Tablespoon |
| Salt | 1 teaspoon |
| Unsalted butter | 1 cup (2 sticks) |
| Ice water | ½ cup |
A quick note on the butter: it needs to be cold. I mean, straight from the fridge, cut into little half-inch cubes. This is the secret to a flaky crust, so don’t let it sit out on the counter.
For The Strawberry Rhubarb Filling
The magic is in the fruit. Try to get the freshest stuff you can find.
| Ingredient | Amount |
|---|---|
| Fresh rhubarb | 4 cups |
| Fresh strawberries | 3 cups |
| Granulated sugar | 1 cup |
| Light brown sugar | ¼ cup, packed |
| Cornstarch | ¼ cup |
| Lemon juice | 1 Tablespoon |
| Ground cinnamon | ½ teaspoon |
| Salt | ¼ teaspoon |
| Unsalted butter | 2 Tablespoons |
| Large egg | 1 (for egg wash) |
For the fruit prep, you’ll want the rhubarb trimmed and sliced into ½-inch pieces. For the strawberries, just hull them and slice them in half, or quarters if they’re huge.
Pro Tips for a Perfect Pie
I’ve made a lot of pies in my day, and I’ve made all the mistakes so you don’t have to. Here are a few things I’ve learned that make a huge difference.
- Beat the Soggy Bottom. A watery pie is the worst. The best way to stop this is to let your fruit sit with the sugar for a bit before you cook. This process, called macerating, pulls a ton of liquid out of the fruit. You drain that liquid, boil it down into a syrup, and then add it back to the fruit. It sounds like an extra step, but it concentrates the flavor and gets rid of that excess water. Trust me on this.
- Keep Everything Cold. I know I mentioned this with the butter, but it goes for everything when making the crust. Your butter, your water, even your hands if you can. Warm butter melts into the flour, which gives you a tough, sad crust. Cold butter creates little pockets of steam as it bakes, and those pockets are what make the crust light and flaky.
- Let The Pie Cool. No, Really. I know it’s torture to see that bubbling, beautiful pie come out of the oven and not cut into it right away. But you have to let it cool completely. And I mean completely—at least 4 hours. This gives the filling time to set up. If you cut into it while it’s warm, you’ll have a soupy river of fruit lava on your plate.
The Tools for the Job
You don’t need a bunch of fancy gadgets. A few simple kitchen tools will do the trick just fine.
| Tool | Purpose |
|---|---|
| 9-inch pie dish | Glass or ceramic is great |
| Large mixing bowls | One for crust, one for filling |
| Pastry blender or forks | For cutting in the butter |
| Rolling pin | To roll out your dough |
| Small saucepan | For reducing the fruit juice |
| Pastry brush | For the egg wash |
Possible Substitutions and Variations
Sometimes you don’t have exactly what a recipe calls for, and that’s okay. Cooking should be flexible.
- Frozen Fruit: If you can’t find fresh fruit, frozen works too. Just make sure you thaw it completely and drain off all the extra liquid before you start. You might even want to pat it dry with a paper towel.
- Thickener: Cornstarch is my favorite, but you can use an equal amount of tapioca starch. Some people use all-purpose flour, but you’d need about double the amount (½ cup), and I find it can make the filling a bit cloudy.
- Spice it Up: Not a fan of cinnamon? You can leave it out. Or you could add a little bit of orange zest (about 1 teaspoon) or a pinch of ground ginger to the filling for a different kind of warmth.
- Crust: If you’re short on time, a store-bought pie crust is totally fine. No judgment here. Just get the kind that comes in a box that you roll out yourself for the best results.
Make-Ahead Tips
Breaking up the work can make pie-making feel a lot less daunting.
The pie dough is perfect for making ahead. You can make it, form it into two discs, wrap them tightly in plastic wrap, and keep it in the fridge for up to 2 days. You can also freeze the dough discs for up to 3 months. Just let the frozen dough thaw in the fridge overnight before you try to roll it out.
You can also prepare the fruit filling (without cooking it down) a day ahead. Keep it in an airtight container in the fridge. This actually helps the flavors meld together even more.
Step-by-Step: Let’s Make This Pie
Okay, deep breath. We’re going to do this one step at a time. It’s not as hard as it looks.
Part 1: Making That Flaky Pie Crust
Step 1: In a big bowl, just whisk together the 2 ½ cups of flour, 1 tablespoon of sugar, and 1 teaspoon of salt. Simple.
Step 2: Add your cold, cubed butter to the flour mixture. Use a pastry blender or two forks to cut the butter into the flour. Keep going until it looks like coarse crumbs with some pea-sized chunks of butter still visible. (Don’t overmix it!)
Step 3: Sprinkle about 4 tablespoons of the ice water over the mixture. Use a spatula to gently bring the dough together. Keep adding more ice water, one tablespoon at a time, just until the dough holds together when you squeeze it.
Step 4: Dump the dough onto a clean counter and divide it in half. Form each half into a flat disc, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and stick it in the fridge for at least one hour. This rest is super important.
Part 2: Prepping the Delicious Filling
Step 1: In another large bowl, combine your sliced strawberries and rhubarb. Add the 1 cup of granulated sugar and the ¼ cup of brown sugar, then give it a gentle toss.
Step 2: Let that fruit mixture sit on the counter for about 45 minutes to an hour. You’ll see a lot of liquid pool at the bottom of the bowl. This is exactly what we want.
Step 3: Strain the fruit through a colander set over a saucepan. Let it drain well, but don’t press on the fruit. You should have a good amount of reddish juice in the pan.
Step 4: Put the drained fruit back in its bowl. Add the ¼ cup of cornstarch, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, ½ teaspoon of cinnamon, and ¼ teaspoon of salt. Toss gently to combine and set it aside.
Step 5: Bring the fruit juice in the saucepan to a boil over medium-high heat. Let it bubble away for 5-7 minutes, until it has thickened into a syrup and reduced by about half. Pour this hot syrup over the fruit mixture and stir to combine.
Part 3: Assembling and Baking Your Masterpiece
Step 1: Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C). Take one of your dough discs from the fridge. On a lightly floured surface, roll it out into a 12-inch circle.
Step 2: Carefully place the dough circle into your 9-inch pie dish. Trim the edges so there’s about a half-inch of overhang. Pop this in the freezer for 15 minutes to firm up.
Step 3: Pour your prepared fruit filling into the chilled pie shell. Dot the top with the 2 tablespoons of butter, cut into small pieces.
Step 4: Roll out the second dough disc into another 11- or 12-inch circle. You can either place this on top as a full crust (cut a few slits for steam to escape) or cut it into strips to make a lattice.
Step 5: To make a lattice, cut the dough into ten 1-inch-wide strips. Lay five strips vertically over the pie, spaced evenly. Fold back every other strip. Place one horizontal strip across the pie, then unfold the vertical strips over it. Now fold back the other set of vertical strips and place another horizontal strip. Repeat until you have a woven pattern. It sounds confusing, but you’ll get the hang of it.
Step 6: Trim the lattice strips to match the bottom crust’s overhang. Fold the edge of the bottom crust over the strips and crimp the edges with a fork or your fingers to seal it all up.
Step 7: In a small bowl, beat the large egg with a tablespoon of water. Brush this egg wash lightly over the lattice and the edges of the crust. Sprinkle with a little extra sugar if you want some sparkle.
Step 8: Place the pie on a baking sheet (to catch any drips!) and bake at 400°F for 20 minutes. Then, reduce the oven temperature to 375°F (190°C) and continue baking for another 35-45 minutes.
Step 9: You’ll know it’s done when the crust is a deep golden brown and the filling is thick and bubbling happily in the center.
Step 10: Let the pie cool on a wire rack for at least 4 hours before slicing. I know, I’m saying it again because it’s that important.
Let’s Talk Nutrition
Just so you know what you’re getting into, here’s a rough idea of the nutritional info per slice, assuming you cut the pie into 8 slices. This is just an estimate, of course.
| Nutrient | Amount (approx.) |
|---|---|
| Calories | 450 kcal |
| Fat | 22 g |
| Carbohydrates | 60 g |
| Sugar | 35 g |
| Protein | 5 g |
Ingredient Swaps for Different Diets
- Gluten-Free: You can make this gluten-free by swapping the all-purpose flour in the crust with a good quality measure-for-measure gluten-free flour blend. I’ve had good luck with Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Baking Flour.
- Vegan: To make this pie vegan, use a plant-based butter substitute in the crust (the kind that comes in sticks works best). For the egg wash, you can brush the top with a little bit of almond milk or melted coconut oil instead.
What to Serve it With
This pie is a star all on its own, but a scoop of good-quality vanilla bean ice cream is its classic partner for a reason. The creamy, cool vanilla is the perfect counterpoint to the warm, tart filling. A dollop of unsweetened whipped cream is also amazing.
Cooking Time Efficiency Tips
To make the process feel quicker, try to overlap your tasks.
- While the dough is chilling for that first hour, you can prep all your fruit and let it macerate.
- While the fruit is macerating, you can tidy up your kitchen space.
- While the pie is baking, you have plenty of time to wash all the bowls you used. Getting the cleanup done early is always a win.
Leftovers and Storage
If you somehow have leftovers, you can store the pie loosely covered on the counter for up to 2 days. I find the crust stays crisper this way. If you need to keep it longer, you can store it in the fridge for up to 5 days.
The best way to reheat a slice is in the oven or a toaster oven at 350°F for about 10 minutes. This will bring the crust back to life. Microwaving will just make it soggy, so try to avoid that.
Your Questions, Answered
Here are some common questions people have when making this pie.
Q1. Why did my pie filling turn out runny?
Ans: This usually happens if you don’t cook off enough of the liquid from the fruit. Boiling down the juices into a syrup is the best way to prevent this.
Q2. Do I have to peel the rhubarb?
Ans: Nope, you don’t have to. The skin on most rhubarb is thin and will soften up just fine during baking, and it adds that beautiful reddish color.
Q3. Can I use less sugar?
Ans: You can, but rhubarb is extremely tart, so you need a good amount of sugar to balance it. If you reduce it too much, the pie might be too sour for your liking.
Q4. How do I stop my crust edges from burning?
Ans: If you notice the edges are getting too dark before the center is done, you can cover them with strips of aluminum foil or a pie crust shield for the last 15-20 minutes of baking.
Wrapping Up
And there you have it. It might seem like a lot of steps, but each one is simple. Once you pull that beautiful, bubbling pie out of the oven, you’ll feel like a kitchen rockstar. The smell alone is worth all the effort.
This is more than just a recipe; it’s about creating a moment. It’s about sharing something delicious with people you care about. So give it a try. And when you do, please come back and leave a comment below. I’d love to hear how it turned out for you