Easy Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

I like a lot of different kinds of pie, but I think 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 in to the best strawberry rhubarb pie you ever tasted.

You might also love our Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp, Classic Rhubarb Crisp or Strawberry Shortcake. Not a fruit pie fan? 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:  Betty Crocker. 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.

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. I researched when to harvest rhubarb and it looks like you just take off some outer stalks when they’re big and to your liking. Discard 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.

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!

How to Bake a Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Time to get baking! Wash that beautiful rhubarb and chop it up into bite sized pieces. You need 3 cups when it’s chopped and ready to go.

Add four cups of rinsed and sliced strawberries (stems removed).

Add your sugar. About a cup. And your flour – ½-1 cup. 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.

Use a rolling pin to roll out your pie dough (this oil pie crust works nicely) and place it gently into the pie dish. No holes – we want all that juicy fruit contained in the pie!

Load in your fruit mixture. mmmmmmmm.

Add some dabs of butter over the top of the mixture. This helps reduce foam and adds some extra deliciousness.

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. Place strips 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.

Wrap aluminum foil around the edges of the crust to protect it from overcooking while baking the pie. Remove the foil during the last 10-15 minutes of baking so that it browns up evenly. Now, bake the pie!

Waaaaaiiit for it to cool. Waiting for the pie to cool to room temperature will help it to set up properly. Can’t wait? That’s okay, things will just be a little runnier – but don’t burn your mouth!

Serve up a big slice of this delicious strawberry rhubarb pie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a big squirt of whipped cream. Still my favorite after making it year after year. This is the best strawberry-rhubarb pie recipe, ever.