This easy Strawberry Rhubarb pie may just be my favorite of all! The sweetness from those fresh strawberries, along with the firmer texture and tart flavor of the rhubarb come together in the most delicious harmony of dessert goodness. This strawberry rhubarb pie recipe requires just a few simple ingredients. With just a little patience to bake and cool this dish, you will soon be digging into the best strawberry rhubarb pie you ever tasted.
You might also love our Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp, Classic Rhubarb Crisp or Strawberry Shortcake. Not a fan of fruit pies? Try this decadent chocolate cream pie recipe instead!
We also like to make this into a mini version, same flavors but cute as can be: Strawberry Rhubarb Mini Pies.
I was first introduced to this delicious pie by my mother-in-law, but it wasn’t until I started seeing rhubarb in the grocery stores…and eventually started growing it myself…that I went searching for the perfect recipe. A check-in with my mother in law revealed an easy solution: the Betty Crocker strawberry rhubarb pie recipe. I pulled out our 1950 copy of the Betty Crocker cookbook and there it was: rhubarb pie and every combination of rhubarb pie. What I discovered was that no special preparations were needed. Making strawberry-rhubarb pie was almost identical to any other fruit pie – chop the fruit, mix in sugar and flour, pop in a crust! I have adapted the recipe and added cornstarch to ensure a good set.
Jump to:
What does Rhubarb look like?
Here is a quick glance at my big leafy rhubarb plant! I bought her in a one gallon pot – she’s required no special attention. Harvest outer stalks when they’re big and to your liking. Discard the green leaves immediately as they are toxic to animals and humans! My particular variety of rhubarb has just a touch of red on the base of the stalks -the redness is a function of the variety, not an indicator of ripeness. I have noticed over the years that my plant’s stalks have more red the more mature the plant is. And here in Sacramento, rhubarb season seems to be year round.
If you’ve never cooked with rhubarb stalks before, this is a nice summary about the plant and its uses.
I use kitchen scissors to slice off 3-4 larger stalks for my pie and new leaves continue to come up from the center of the plant. Update: I’ve learned that pulling the stalks rather than cutting them off will encourage further growth. Of course, my plant is insanely out of control and needs no further encouragement. haha!
🥧 Ingredients:
- Fresh ripe strawberries – Provides the primary fruit filling with sweetness and strawberry flavor. Choose fruit at peak strawberry season when the berries have the most flavor. Sweet strawberries require less sugar in the pie and produce a much tastier pie.
- Fresh rhubarb – Adds a tart and tangy flavor that complements the strawberries in the filling.
- Granulated sugar – Sweetens the filling and balances the tartness of the fruits. The amount of sugar needed will vary depending on the flavor of the fruit.
- All-purpose flour – Acts as a thickening agent to absorb excess moisture from the fruits and prevent a runny filling.
- Butter – We add salted or unsalted butter on top of the filling before covering with the top crust. This reduces foaming and adds flavor to your pie.
- Cornstarch – Used to create a slurry with orange juice for thickening the filling and achieving the desired consistency.
- Orange juice – Dissolves the cornstarch and contributes citrus flavor while helping to thicken the filling.
- vanilla extract – for richness and flavor
- double pie crust – we love a butter pie crust, but you can also use this oil pie crust recipe or store-bought pie crust from the grocery store.
For a full list of ingredients and their measurements, 📋 please view my printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Optional Garnish:
We love a scoop of vanilla ice cream over our strawberry rhubarb pie, but here are some additional options:
- Fresh Berries: To enhance the strawberry flavor, consider adding a few fresh strawberries as a garnish. They can be whole or sliced and placed around the edges or in the center of the pie.
- Caramel Drizzle: For an indulgent touch, drizzle some brown sugar caramel sauce over the pie. The caramel’s sweetness can balance out the tartness of the fruit.
- Powdered Sugar: A light dusting of powdered sugar over the top of the cooled pie can give it an elegant and slightly sweet finish.
- Granulated Sugar: Before baking, brush the pie crust with milk, egg wash, or vodka and sprinkle with granulated sugar or turbinado sugar.
Substitutions and Variations
You can adjust the strawberry vs. rhubarb ratio. Ripe strawberries add sweetness, while the tart rhubarb can be almost sour – as you adjust their portions, you may want to adjust the sugar accordingly.
Tapioca can be used in place of the cornstarch to thicken the pie filling. Add a few tablespoons of instant tapioca or tapioca starch in with the rest of the ingredients.
Add orange zest, lemon zest, or a tablespoon of fresh lemon juice to add some zing to the pie.
🔪 Instructions:
PREP: Prepare a double crust pie crust. Use this butter pie crust recipe or this oil pie crust recipe for homemade pie crust. Use a rolling pin to roll out the bottom crust from the pie dough (roll between sheets of parchment paper or plastic wrap to prevent sticking) and arrange it in a 9″ pie pan, leaving some overhang to join with the top crust.
Step 1: Hull and dice strawberries. Wash and chop rhubarb. Measure the fruit into a large bowl. You need three cups of chopped strawberries and 2 cups of chopped rhubarb.
Step 2: Add sugar, flour, and vanilla extract to the fruit. Mix a couple tablespoons of cornstarch into a small amount of orange juice or water until it is dissolved. Pour this mixture in with the rest of the pie ingredients. A tablespoon of tapioca also works well to ensure a good set to the pie. Toss to combine the pie filling.
Step 3: Mound the strawberry rhubarb pie filling into your prepared pie crust. Top with dots of the butter over the filling.
Step 4: Roll out your top crust. Use a fluted pastry wheel or a pizza cutter to cut strips of the dough and weave a lattice crust over the top of the pie filling. You can alternately just top the pie with a solid crust. Use a sharp knife to cut slits for venting. Crimp the bottom and top pie crusts together around the edges.
Step 6: Wrap aluminum foil around the edges of the crust to protect it from overcooking while baking the pie. Bake at 425°F for 30-45 minutes. Remove the foil during the last 10-15 minutes of baking and cook until the pie is golden brown.
GARNISH/SLICE/SERVE: Cool pie completely (this can take several hours) to ensure the filling sets all the way. Slice and serve with vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream.
Tips for Making the Best Strawberry Rhubarb Pie
After making this strawberry rhubarb pie many times, I have found that every now and then, even though I’m using the same recipe, my pie filling doesn’t set. I think it probably has to do with the water content in either the strawberries or rhubarb.
I have begun adding cornstarch to the recipe also so that I never end up with a runny pie. Mix a couple tablespoons of cornstarch into a small amount of orange juice or water until it is dissolved. Pour this mixture in with the rest of the pie ingredients. A tablespoon of tapioca also works well to ensure a good set to the pie.
Adding some dabs of butter over the pie filling reduces foam and adds delicious flavor and richness.
Making a Lattice Top
Add the top crust. I like to roll out my pie crust between two sheets of parchment paper. It makes it really easy to transfer the crust onto the pie plate without tearing, not to mention easy clean-up. It also makes it easy for little helpers in the kitchen!! Lattice crusts are a little more complicated, but lots of fun and very pretty.
A lattice crust is popular for strawberry rhubarb pie and fun to do. Roll out your pie crust as you normally would. Slice the crust into even strips using a pastry cutter or pizza cutter. Place strips of dough across the pie, evenly spaced, all running parallel to each other. Then, gently fold back sections of strips to lay over the cross strips until you have a woven pie crust. You can also simply lay your cross strips right over the top of the first set of strips and create a faux lattice weave of sorts.
If you try this Easy Strawberry Rhubarb Pie or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you liked it in the 📝 comments below.
Easy Strawberry Rhubarb Pie
Ingredients
Pie Filling
- 4 cups fresh strawberries rinsed and sliced
- 3 cups fresh rhubarb washed and chopped
- 1 ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoon butter (for top of the pie)
- 2 tablespoon cornstarch
- ¼ cup orange juice for dissolving cornstarch, can substitute water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 butter pie crust double crust recipe
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Stir cornstarch into orange juice (or water) until fully dissolved.
- Combine all pie filling ingredients (except for butter) in a large bowl and mix gently to combine.
- Prepare pie crust. Roll out top and bottom crust between two sheets of waxed paper. Place bottom crust into 9" pie plate.
- Mound filling into bottom pie crust. Add dots of butter evenly over pie filling.
- Add top pie crust, cut slits for a steam vent and crimp edges to join top and bottom crust. Or, cut the top pie crust into strips and lay across the top of the pie, weaving strips over and under each other to form a lattice crust.
- Brush with milk, water, or vodka and sprinkle with granulated sugar (for a sugary crust) OR brush with a mixture of 1 egg yolk +1 tsp. water (for a shiny golden crust).
- Protect the crust with aluminum foil around the edges.
- Bake at 425 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove the aluminum foil from the crust and continue baking another 10-15 minutes until the crust is browned and the pie filling is bubbly.
- Let pie cool completely before slicing. Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
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Comments & Reviews
Janice says
I made this lovely recipe today and it turned out beautiful and tasty. I added some orange zest along with the orange juice in the recipe and the flavour was very nice. Will definitely make again
Yolanda says
Advice from old time farmer – pulling rhubarb down low off plant signals plant to start new growth. Cutting does not regenerate and promote new growth.
girlinspired says
Great advice, thank you!!
Barb says
My rhubarb & strawberries are frozen. Should I thaw & drain them before starting my pie?
I made the jam, doubled the recipe. It’s wonderful & very easy. I only had 1 box. of strawberry jello, so I used raspberry with it. Everyone thought it was great. The rhubarb was fresh but my berries were frozen. I used them as they were, no problem. I will make it again…Now on to the pie!
girlinspired says
Hi Barb! I would definitely thaw first, and drain the excess liquids. I think that would be your best bet for getting a pie that thickens and sets properly. But even if it doesn’t set, it’s still going to be deeeeelicious!! Happy baking!
Trecia says
I have made strawberry rhubarb pie for my Husband several times from the same recipe. We recently moved and I can’t find my original recipe. I found your recipe and made it tonight. He told me over and over this was the best pie I had every made. I am so glad I found it. Thank you.
Kilmer says
4 cups strawberries and 3 cups rhubarb seems like a lot for a pie
Jessica says
Thanks for the recipe! I’ve been looking for the Betty Crocker one! What size pie dish did you use?
girlinspired says
I’m going to guess a 9″ pie plate, Jessica. Have fun!
Cary says
Thanks for the recipe. My pie is in the oven this moment! Mmmm … pie for supper! 🙂
Margaret Lariviere says
Lovin’ it still waiting for it to come out of the oven. I went strawberry picking just to see how easy it would be, so far smells scrupulous. Try it
girlinspired says
Oh Margaret, now you have me anxious to make a pie, I haven’t had one yet this year….hope yours turned out delicious!
Trisha says
I love this recipe! I love this pie, too 🙂 I’ve made it twice already. The only issue I have is the crust – it’s delicious, but I can’t get it to do anything but crumble when I try to roll it out. Any tips? Should I use more/less water?
girlinspired says
Hey Trisha, You know, I have that problem with the crust sometimes, too, but it’s so simple to make, I tolerate it. Sometimes it’s fine and sometimes it’s more crumbly. The easiest way I’ve found to work with it is to roll it out between two sheets of wax paper, then peel off the top sheet and flip the round into your pie plate. Then, peel off the other sheet of wax paper. I’ll have to experiment to see if adding more or less water or oil would help – I just never want to end up with an inedible pie by rocking the boat!!!! haha!
Heidi @ handmadefrenzy.blogspot.com says
This looks so amazing!! Now to get my hands on some rhubarb 🙂
girlinspired says
Thanks Heidi! I just keep eating it! Have you checked you local grocery store for rhubarb? I never noticed mine carried it until I was looking for it! Good luck!
Heidi @ handmadefrenzy.blogspot.com says
I have seen it there actually, yes! I would love to grow some but I’ve heard our climate here isn’t very rhubarb friendly 🙁 It freezes so well, I’d love to stock up on it!
TerriSue says
Rhubarb is seasonal so grab it while you can. You can find frozen cut rhubarb in the fruit section of most grocery stores. So come winter if you have a craving you can always feed it. It’s also a beautiful plant to grow. Once you have an established bed you can have it fresh and then freeze it yourself. It’s a perennial like asparagus. once you have a bed going you are insured of rhubarb. My grandmother had a large bed of rhubarb all the time I was growing up. (She had asparagus too. It was wonderful.) Rhubarb sauce is another goody. It’s basically chopped rhubarb, a little bit of water and sugar in a pan, cooked on med. heat until mushy like applesauce. google it.
girlinspired says
Thanks Terri! So much great info! I’ll have to remember to plant rhubarb when I get my big garden going again – I took a break this year. I bet my kids would love rhubarb sauce – they were all over the pie – and I’d like to make some jam, too!
Torie says
Strawberry rhubarb jam is easy 5 cups rhubarb cut up, 3 cups sugar let set overnight then bring to a boil. Boil until rhubarb is tender , remove from heat add 1 small box strawberry jello. Put in jars while hot , let cool place in freezer
Karen says
thanks for the rhubarb jam recipe! I’m trying it out this weekend.
Marlene Brethauer says
I love strawberry rhubarb pie and for years I have used strawberry jello. Make your pie filling , put the filling in the crust and sprinkle the strawberry jello, add butter and put the top crust on. Bake, it is wonderful and so easy.
Charlene says
I have a huge rhubarb patch. The red rhubarb. I am going to make this jam this weekend. I make all different kinds of rhubarb recipes. First I’ve seen of the jam.
Diana says
Made the pie today. Delicious, when rhubarb is in season I make a pie. Yum yum
girlinspired says
Yay! I grew rhubarb this year and just made my first pie with it last week. So good.