It’s really, really good.
I’m so happy to finally share a solid strawberry rhubarb pie recipe with you. This is actually a recipe I played around with a few days ago and while I have weeks of content stored in my drafts, I couldn’t hold off on sharing this one.
How awesome are rhubarb desserts? It’s taken me years to warm up to them. Things like strawberry rhubarb pie, rhubarb crisp, crumble, cake, the whole rhubarb shebang. To be honest, strawberry rhubarb pie never stood a chance when I was growing up. Mom always had it around and while everyone else seemed to rave about it, I couldn’t get on board with… magenta celery pie. I mean when you’re 12, you’ll pretty much convince yourself anything and if rhubarb looks like celery, I’m certainly not eating it for dessert.
MY MY MY. Look how the tables have turned. Never did I imagine myself saying the words “my favorite strawberry rhubarb pie” and never did I imagine myself writing about it on the internet because the internet ties up mom and dad’s landline and I want to be a dolphin trainer when I grow up.
Also, what is a blog?
18 years later, magenta celery pie is at the top of my list. Let’s get right into it because I have a hankering this will be your favorite recipe for strawberry rhubarb pie too. It might even make the list of your favorite spring dessert recipes.
Strawberry and rhubarb are meant to be because the sweet flavor of strawberries balances out rhubarb’s tart/sour bite. Rhubarb is fantastic in pies, crumbles, crisps, and the sort because it needs all the sugar it can get. I like to use an almost equal amount of strawberries and rhubarb in the pie filling: about 3 cups of chopped rhubarb to 2 and 1/2 cups strawberries. Strawberries let out so much juice, so I like to have a slightly lower amount.
If you’ve never cooked or baked with rhubarb before, have no fear. It’s sold in the grocery store without its leaves (they’re toxic!) and can be prepped the same way as celery. Give the stalks a good wash, cut off both ends and slice. You’ll want 1/2 inch slices for this pie.
One common issue with strawberry rhubarb pie is the whole “mushy puddle” situation. Bottom line: the filling is known to be a soupy mess. I asked around and found that instant tapioca is usually the fix. I didn’t have any tapioca in my cupboards and wasn’t about to show my face in the grocery store AGAIN that day, so cornstarch was my choice. It was perfect—every time I tried it. I didn’t have a sloppy problem when cutting into the pie using cornstarch, which is exactly what I was hoping for. To combat the mushy puddle situation, I simply spooned the filling into the crust—leaving all the pooled liquid behind.
Also in the filling: orange juice. Just a smidge of it—1 Tablespoon. It pairs so wonderfully with strawberry and rhubarb. Mom likes to use a mix of brown and white sugars, which tugs at my heart strings. All hail brown sugar’s flavor!
Also: pats of butter to make things rich, just as we do with peach pie.
I haven’t even mentioned the pie crust yet! I always use my standard pie crust recipe because it’s the best of both worlds: flaky and buttery. A mix of shortening and butter produce the absolute best texture. I won’t get into too much detail today but shortening helps create that flaky, melt-in-your-mouth texture. Butter gets us that unparalleled flavor. Make sure both of these fats are cold. When the fat melts as the pie bakes, its steam helps to separate the crust into multiple flaky layers. You won’t get that with warm butter and warm shortening.
I used a lattice pie crust topping because it’s classic and beautiful. It’s my go-to way to decorate a pie and you can also see it on top of my blueberry pie. You can also use any overhanging pie dough to crimp and flute the pie crust edges.
By the way, do you SEE those flaky layers in the crust? I want to bake 50 pies this summer just so I can eat this pie crust as much as possible.
Add coarse sugar on top for a little pie sparkle.
You can switch up the pie’s topping. Maybe you want a crumble topping like from my apple crumble pie? Go for it.
My only request is that you finish her off with a pile vanilla ice cream. There’s no other way to eat magenta celery pie, ok?
PrintStrawberry Rhubarb Pie
- Prep Time: 3 hours
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 7 hours
- Yield: 1 pie
- Category: Pie
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This recipe turned me into a strawberry rhubarb pie fanatic! The pie holds together nicely and the homemade pie crust is phenomenal.
Ingredients
- homemade pie crust (my recipe makes 2 crusts; 1 for bottom 1 for top)
- 3 cups (about 300g) sliced rhubarb (1/2 inch pieces)
- 2 and 1/2 cups (about 380g) chopped strawberries
- 1/3 cup (67g) packed light brown sugar
- 1/3 cup (67g) granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup (32g) cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 Tablespoon (15ml) orange juice
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 Tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten with 1 Tablespoon (15ml) milk
- optional: coarse sugar for garnish
Instructions
- The crust: Prepare my pie crust recipe through step 5.
- Make the filling: Stir the rhubarb, strawberries, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cornstarch, salt, orange juice, and vanilla extract together in a large bowl. Set filling aside as the oven preheats.
- Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C).
- Roll out the chilled pie dough: On a floured work surface, roll out one of the discs of chilled dough (keep the other one in the refrigerator). Turn the dough about a quarter turn after every few rolls until you have a circle 12 inches in diameter. Carefully place the dough into a 9-inch pie dish. Tuck it in with your fingers, making sure it is smooth. Spoon the filling into the crust, leaving all of the excess liquid in the bowl (you don’t want that in the filling—discard it). Dot the pieces of butter on top of the filling.
- Arrange the lattice: Remove the other disc of chilled pie dough from the refrigerator. Roll the dough into a circle that is 12 inches diameter. Using a pastry wheel, sharp knife, or pizza cutter, cut strips 1/2 – 1 inch wide. Carefully thread the strips over and under one another, pulling back strips as necessary to weave. Press the edges of the strips into the bottom pie crust edges to seal. Use a small knife to trim off excess dough. Crimp the pie crust edges with a fork, if desired. (Alternatively, you can simply cover the filling with the 12-inch pie dough circle. Cut slits in the top to form steam vents. Trim and crimp the edges. Or a crumble or streusel topping would be great.)
- Lightly brush the top of the pie crust with the egg/milk mixture. Sprinkle the top with a little coarse sugar, if desired.
- Place the pie onto a large baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Keeping the pie in the oven, turn the temperature down to 350°F (177°C) and bake for an additional 30-35 minutes. After the first 20 minutes of bake time, I place a pie crust shield on top of the pie to prevent the edges from browning too quickly.
- Allow the pie to cool for 3 full hours at room temperature before serving. This time allows the filling to thicken up. Cover leftovers tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: This a great pie to make 1 day in advance since it is so juicy – the filling will have time to set overnight. The pie crust dough can also be prepared ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Baked pie freezes well for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature before serving. Prepared filling can be frozen up to 3 months, thaw overnight in the refrigerator before using.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Glass Mixing Bowl | Rolling Pin | 9-inch Pie Dish | Pizza Cutter or Pastry Wheel | Pastry Brush | Baking Sheet | Pie Crust Shield
Just about to put in the oven. Made two pies. Can I freeze one? Would I freeze before cooking or after?
Hi Tori, freeze after baking! It freezes well for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature before serving. Enjoy!
Hi Cassie! No need to blind bake the pie crust for this recipe.
Great recipe. And, the crust recipe is a home run! I have been trying to find a great crust recipe. I think I found it. I added 1 Tablespoon white vinegar and did 1/4 cup vodka (Tito’s of course) and 1/4 cup water. I really like how the crust turned out.
The pie recipe wasn’t overly sweet. It was just right sweet/tart ratio.
Thanks for sharing your recipe!
I made this and the flavors were really good. But i cooked it as directed and it took forever to bake. It’s still a little under baked. I also didn’t add the extra butter and it was still really good. Also i tried the crust with butter and shortening, but i still prefer all shortening. My advise is to read carefully! It was kind of hard to read because of all the ads, my fault for not being thorough. I added the juices from the fruit and it was very runny. Still good though. It was a very nice pie to make that reminds you of summer.
This recipe turned out perfect. Cooked the juice, like so many others did, and added it back to the pie (why waste any of those fabulous flavors?). It holds together very well, not soupy at all. Not too sweet or tart. Having to stop myself from sitting down with a fork and eating the whole thing. Making another one tomorrow!
Great recipe! I made the pie yesterday and it turned out fantastic. I followed all the instructions plus I drained the liquid and boiled it down a bit then cooled it and added it back to the pie. I used only brown sugar for the sugars. It wasn’t too sweet or too tart. The consistency was perfect not runny at all. Thanks for the yummy recipe. Off to make just a rhubarb pie now. Cheers!
This looks delicious! I want to make it this weekend for our belated Father’s Day celebration, but I do not have cornstarch on hand and can’t get a grocery pickup before then. Oh, quarantined life. Is there another option? If I sub in flour, do I use the same amount listed for the cornstarch? Thank you!
Hi Megan, flour works but it doesn’t dissolve quite as nicely in this strawberry filling. Instead, I recommend 1/3 cup instant tapioca instead of cornstarch if you have that.
Fantastic, Sally, thank you! Followed the recipe to a T and it was so good! Such a fantastic consistency – not runny! Question – could I freeze the unbaked pie? Or would you only recommend freezing a baked pie? Thank you!
Hi Kayla, so glad you enjoyed this pie recipe! You can freeze the unbaked pie, but I find that the filling is always a bit too thin and the bottom crust stays a little soggy. It’s best to freeze the baked and cooled pie instead.
We love strawberry rhubarb pie but this one was not good. I followed the directions but it was very tart, the rhubarb was undercooked, and it was very chalky tasting from so much cornstarch. It was also runny. The pie crust was good, though.
This pie was AMAZING! For those who ended up with soupy pies despite leaving the liquid behind when filling the pie – cook it longer. I ended up baking mine for about 30 minutes longer than the recipe called for, until the liquid was bubbling at the edges as well as the center, and it was perfect!
Hi Sally! I had never made or tasted a strawberry rhubarb pie until today. My hubby found your recipe and wanted me to try it. I also made your pie crust . It was really good! I was nervous to try it because rhubarb looks weird to me, but i have to say I am now a fan. My hubs raved about it. Thank you!!
Great recipe! Thank you. To help even more with the bottom crust remaining “crusty” I take a little bit of the sugar and cornstarch mixture and sprinkle it in the bottom crust before spooning in the rest. Then I bake the pie in the lowest rack in my oven. Nice browned bottom crust and no sogginess! Thank you Sally. I LOVE your website! Can’t count the. U ver of your re pies I have tried during this pandemic. Grateful.
Just made this pie with my two daughters, 14 and 9. It turned out FANTASTIC! We even forgot to scoop the filling to avoid excess juice and it wasn’t soupy at all. It was our first time baking a pie and it couldn’t have gone better!! Thanks so much for this recipe.
This is the best version of this pie I’ve ever tasted!!! Thank you!!!!!!
I am So happy with this recipe! I made it twice with complete success. Neither gummy or soupy. Just right . Not too sweet or too tart. Just right. Pie crust recipe yielded 2 very workable crusts that made lattice work possible, plus a little left over for a small tart. Very tasty and flaky. Thank you so much. I have been making strawberry rhubarb pies for 50 years. This is the best!
I am new to baking pies but tried this one today!!!
I followed Libby’s advice and did a hard boil to make a jam with the juice that was left over. It tasted amazing and I was excited to add it back into the pie filling.
This recipe is a keeper! Thanks Sally
People – you have to consider there is ALWAYS going to be variation in how a pie comes out – that’s the nature of pie! Where you got your fruit from, how fresh it is, and your personal taste preferences will all weigh into this. No need to blame a pandemic because you weren’t happy with how it turned out. That’s baking. Made this today as I’m waiting for my first baby to arrive any day now and it was a fun way to spend a breezy June day 🙂 Waiting for it to cool now so I can dig in!!!
I’ve made this recipe 3 times now and I love it! I’m just a beginner so I use a pre made pie crust but it’s delicious and my whole family loves it!
Mine came out a soupy mess, even though I followed the directions and spooned the filling in without the liquid. It was also too sweet for my taste, but maybe with more rhubarb and much less sugar it will be tarter and less liquid.
This recipe looks amazing! One question- could I reheat the pie after giving it time to set up? Perhaps cook one day then reheat and serve the next? We want to serve it with vanilla ice cream and a semi-warm pie would be perfect…
Sure can – a warm oven for a few minutes does the trick!
I made this recipe yesterday and nearly cried when I tasted it. This is so tart it is really unpleasant. Your sugar measurements are way off when I look at similar pie recipes. We are in the middle of a pandemic and riots, and I cannot get out for supplies, so there is no chance for a do-over. When my neighbor gave me some rhubarb, I thought we were in for a real treat. I was mistaken.
Lol. Funny how so many other people have said it was too sweet. Maybe it was that rhubarb…
I made this today, and it was delicious! I do wish it was a little more tart than sweet. Could I just add a little more rhubarb and slightly less strawberries? Or maybe reduce sugar a little?
I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Eliza. Yes, either of those adjustments would work 🙂
Great recipe but a tad too sweet for me. I LOVE rhubarb – I will cut back on the sugar and nix the vanilla next time. I used grated orange peel – adds a very nice flavor.
What size pan is used? 9 inch?
Hi Maureen, I use a 9-inch pie dish for this recipe.
WHY WHY WHY would you throw out that amazing juice???? That’s like, pure pie goodness!!!
1/4 c cornstarch is quite a bit of thickener, and is combined with the macerated juices. All you have to do is drain off the liquid into a small pot, bring it to a hard boil, and let it cool. It will turn into a magical jam that can be mixed back into the filling.
You can’t dump the cornstarch directly into the pie because the filling doesn’t get hot enough for long enough to allow the chemical reactions to thicken the juice.
Voila! You now have a pie with fruit suspended in jam!
Rating the filling only, I made my secret recipe pie crust: 4 stars for the juice travesty, but loved the recipe otherwise! The mix of white and brown sugars adds depth of flavor
Hey Libby, Are you saying you took the juices, added 1/4 c cornstarch boiled it and added it to the fruit for the pie filling?
Follow the recipe directions through step 3. Strain liquid from the fruit filling with a fine strainer into a small pot. Bring juices to a hard boil, then cool until it thickens (warm to the touch but not hot). Stir this magically delicious jam back into the berries and rhubarb, fill pie, proceed with directions
I think I have mastered the pie crust (Thank you!) at my 3rd attempt but didn’t try the lattice. The pie was a little tart and I am not a big sweet fan. I am wondering if it was the strawberries or the liquid left in bowl had too much of the sugar. I will try again.
Hi Sally, I didn’t see that you have a specific strawberry pie recipe – if I made this, could I take out the rhubarb for an additional 3 c. strawberries (or a different amount?)? Hubby doesn’t like rhubarb. Thank you in advance!
Hi Mary, I haven’t successfully made an all-strawberry pie that isn’t overly runny. You can try subbing out all the rhubarb for strawberry but again– it’s always a little too runny for my taste.
Aww shoot. I was hoping you had an all-strawberry recipe because I just made one (from another site, but with your crust) and it was a soupy mess. I hope you are able to come up with one! I’ll be waiting!
I just as we speak pulled this pie from the oven and have to wait for 3 hours has a little liquid on one side but im sure it will absorb in looks yummy either way cant wait to try it probably tomorrow as it will be 1030 ish at night lol thanks for the recipe as i started growing my own rhubarb in the yard
This was my first time making a strawberry rhubarb pie. I too had childhood assumptions on “magenta celery pie”. I followed your recipe exactly. My parents said it was the best strawberry rhubarb pie that they have ever eaten! Not too sweet, not too tart, just right. It is now my favourite pie!! Thank you again for another great recipe.
Delicious!
Followed this recipe yesterday and it turned out wonderfully. I used frozen gluten free crust, which worked very well. Also, instead of tossing out the juice, I cooked it a little letting the cornstarch thicken it and it turned into a delicious jam-like spread.
I followed this recipe exactly and this is a soupy mess. Very disappointed, I was hoping it would have held together with the corn starch, but just didn’t turn out.
Hi Jacqueline, When you spoon the filling into the crust be sure your are leaving all of the excess liquid in the bowl. If you don’t want to discard it, try using it as a topping over vanilla ice cream 🙂
Saved this one! I made it twice and they came out amazing. Appreciate the tip to spoon the filling into the crust, it made a big difference with how juicy it was. I used frozen berries, I suggest you let them thaw and drain them before mixing with the rhubarb and sugars.