Here, we introduce the Strawberry Rhubarb Pie, a time-honored springtime favorite that’s truly a match made in heaven. This dessert pairs the tartness of rhubarb with the sweetness of ripe strawberries, all tucked into a golden, flaky pie crust and sprinkled with a hint of sugar. It’s simple, it’s traditional, and it’s absolutely delicious.
Why You’re Going to Love this Recipe
This pie is the ultimate dessert for a warm day: it’s bright, it’s refreshing, and it’s full of contrasting flavors that’ll make your taste buds dance. Plus, the aroma of the bubbling fruit mixture that fills your kitchen as this pie bakes is worth the effort alone. Whether you’re an experienced pie baker or a novice, this recipe is easy to follow and sure to impress.
Gather Your Ingredients
Let’s assemble our culinary cast for this sweet symphony of a Strawberry Rhubarb Pie:
Double-crust pie dough: The canvas for our masterpiece, providing a crisp, flaky package for the juicy filling. Here’s my recipe for easy pie crust by hand (no food processor needed).
Strawberries: Offering their sweet, fruity notes to balance out the tart rhubarb.
Rhubarb: The tart star of the show, creating a delightful flavor contrast with the strawberries.
Sugar: Sweetening the deal, to tame the tartness and amplify the fruitiness of our filling.
Lemon juice: A squeeze to brighten the flavors, letting the fruitiness shine.
Vanilla extract: A dash to add a hint of warm, comforting flavor amidst the fruitiness.
Cornstarch: Our thickening agent, ensuring our filling isn’t too runny and holds up beautifully when sliced.
Egg: When mixed with water, this forms our golden ticket to a beautifully browned, shiny pie crust.
Sugar for sprinkling: The finishing touch, adding a hint of sweet crunch to the top crust.
How to make Strawberry Rhubarb Pie: Step-by-Step Directions
Ready to bring this pie to life? Here’s your roadmap:
Prep and preheat: Ready your pie dough and preheat your oven, preparing for the baking journey ahead.
Mix the filling: Toss together the strawberries, rhubarb, sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla extract, creating a beautiful harmony of flavors.
Thicken the mix: Sprinkle cornstarch over the fruit mix, ensuring a beautifully thick filling.
Assemble the pie: Pour the fruit mix into your pie crust, top it with the second crust, seal it, and create vents for steam to escape. Don’t forget that egg wash and sugar sprinkle for a golden, crunchy finish!
Bake it up: First at a higher temperature to set the crust, then lower for the perfect slow bake. Keep an eye on the edges – they may need a foil shield to prevent burning.
Cool down: Allow the pie to cool on a wire rack, letting the filling set up perfectly for slicing. Patience is a virtue here, the aroma might tempt you to cut into it early!
Grab these Tools
Pie plate: A good, deep one to hold all that fruity goodness.
Rolling pin: To roll out your pie dough into perfect circles.
Large bowl: For mixing your filling.
Baking sheet & aluminum foil: The sheet catches any drips, saving your oven from a sticky mess. The foil protects your crust from browning too quickly.
Pastry brush: To apply that shiny egg wash and get your pie beautifully golden.
Wire rack: To let your pie cool and set after its oven adventure.
How to Serve it
This pie is best served slightly warm, allowing the flavors of the strawberries and rhubarb to truly shine. It pairs perfectly with a scoop of creamy vanilla ice cream, creating a divine contrast of hot and cold. Or, if you’re a purist, simply enjoy it as is, savoring every fruit-filled bite.
Make Ahead and Storage Tips
You can make your pie dough ahead of time and keep it refrigerated until you’re ready to use it. For the filling, you can prepare your strawberries and rhubarb and keep them refrigerated as well.
Once baked, the pie can be stored at room temperature, wrapped in foil, for two days. If you’ve used frozen strawberries, remember that this can extend the baking time. If you have leftovers (which is unlikely!), you can store them in the fridge to maintain freshness. Just warm it up in the oven before serving and it’ll taste as good as the day you baked it!
Strawberry Rhubarb Pie
Ingredients
- 1 batch double-crust pie dough
- 4 cups strawberries hulled and quartered (fresh or frozen)
- 1 ½ pounds rhubarb cut into 1-inch pieces (5-6 cups)
- ¾ cup sugar
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 1 egg lightly beaten with 1 tbsp water
- 1 tablespoon sugar for sprinkling
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 500°F and place a rimmed baking sheet on the lowest rack. Roll out the bottom pie crust into a 12-inch circle and transfer it to a pie plate.
- In a large bowl, toss together the strawberries, rhubarb, sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla extract.
- Sprinkle the cornstarch over the fruit mixture and toss until coated.
- Pour the fruit mixture into the unbaked pie crust bottom.
- Lay the top crust over the fruit and seal the edges with your fingers. Cut eight slits in the top to create vents. Brush the crust with egg wash and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar.
- Place the pie on the heated baking sheet and lower the oven temperature to 425°F. Bake until the top crust is golden, about 25 minutes. Rotate the baking sheet, reduce the oven temperature again to 375°F and continue to bake until juices are bubbling and crust is deep golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes longer. If crust edges are getting too dark, protect them with aluminum foil.
Notes
Transfer the pie to a wire rack and cool before serving.
The pie can be stored at room temperature, wrapped in foil, for two days.
Note that frozen strawberries will require a longer cooking time.Â
Nutrition
Calories: 354kcalCarbohydrates: 58gProtein: 5gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0.003gCholesterol: 20mgSodium: 186mgPotassium: 408mgFiber: 4gSugar: 29gVitamin A: 126IUVitamin C: 50mgCalcium: 96mgIron: 2mg
Last Updated on September 26, 2023 by Jennifer Pallian BSc, RD
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