Easy Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Name: Easy Strawberry Rhubarb Pie
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 85 min
Ingredients: 4 cups fresh strawberries (rinsed and sliced); 3 cups fresh rhubarb (washed and chopped); 1 1/4 cup granulated sugar; 1/2 cup all-purpose flour; 2 tbsp butter ((for top of the pie)); 2 tbsp cornstarch; 1/4 cup orange juice (for dissolving cornstarch, can substitute water); 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1 butter pie crust (double crust recipe)

Published: Jul 11, 2019 · Modified: Aug 11, 2023 by Stefanie · This post may contain affiliate links.

Sweet and tart, the blend of strawberries and rhubarb are the perfect combination for this classic and easy strawberry rhubarb pie!

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Slice of strawberry rhubarb pie on a dessert plate, topped with scoop of vanilla ice cream and fresh strawberry halves.

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!

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?
🥧 Ingredients:
Substitutions and Variations
🔪 Instructions:
Tips for Making the Best Strawberry Rhubarb Pie
Making a Lattice Top
Easy Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

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.

Sliced strawberries and rhubarb in a mixing bowl.

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.

Flour mixture coating fruit in a mixing bowl next to a dish of strawberries and pie crust in a roll.

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.

Strawberry rhubarb pie filling piled in a pie crust.

Step 3: Mound the strawberry rhubarb pie filling into your prepared pie crust. Top with dots of the butter over the filling.

Dough on a cutting board with strips cut from a wavy dough wheel for the decorative top of the easy strawberry rhubarb pie.

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.

Baked strawberry rhubarb pie with lattice crust on a wooden board.

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.

Slices removed from pie plate of strawberry rhubarb pie.

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.