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 and triple berry 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?
Strawberry 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- to 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. The pie is done when the filling’s juices are bubbling all around the edges.
- 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 | Coarse Sprinkling Sugar
Reader Comments and Reviews
I love the recipe but the pie ended up having a soggy bottom 🙁
I did use frozen rhubarb and tried to pat the excess moisture dry…
Thanks for a fool-proof strawberry-rhubarb pie. My family gobbled it up in one sitting! Looks like I will be baking it again and again. NanFromDerbyCity
I am presently chilling the dough for two pies and I am banking on this recipe being another winner!
You’re my go to for all things cake related but today it’s all about pie!
Thanks so much for your recipes and tips
I’m going to make this pie for my fathers 75th birthday, which is a week away. I purchased fresh rhubarb from my local farmers market. I have never done this recipe before and needed your advice.
Should I freeze the rhubarb so it doesn’t spoil before next Saturday? Or bake the pie and freeze?
Hi Tracy, you can do either! If you would prefer to make the full pie ahead of time, see recipe notes for freezing instructions.
Trying this now 🙂
Any reason you don’t blind bake the crust first?
Thanks a lot! Excited!
Hi Ryan! This pie bakes long enough that par-baking the bottom crust isn’t necessary. Also, it’s often difficult to apply a top crust to a par-baked bottom crust (not impossible, just comes with it’s difficulties like filling juices seeping out and the two crusts could separate during bake time). You can certainly try par-baking it and then adding a crumble or streusel topping instead of a top crust. We love the oat crumble topping from this blueberry crumble pie if you need a suggestion.
I made this exactly as written. This pie is amazing! I am an avid baker but have never made this pie with fresh fruit. I will definitely make this again. I’ve been following your recipes for a long time now. I knew you wouldn’t let me down here!
Hi Sally, I hope all is well. If I wanted to make this into a crisp, could I use the same topping as your strawberry vanilla crisp recipe? Is there anything you would do differently with this recipe if you made it into a crisp instead of a pie? Thanks!
Hi Kat! We haven’t tested this filling as a crisp, but let us know if you do! It may be easier to adapt our Strawberry Crisp recipe by reducing the strawberries, adding rhubarb, and a touch of orange juice.
So I use frozen rhubarb and it worked great! I thawed it, drained off the extra moisture, and proceeded with the recipe. The only thing I’d do differently in the future would be to measure the rhubarb thawed and drained, vs frozen. Loved the pie! Thanks for the great recipe!
Hi Sally! I’m a big fan of strawberry rhubarb (magenta celery LOL) pie. I tried this recipe and it is wonderful, especially for not being a sloppy mess like some strawberry rhubarb pies can be! My question is, is it ok to substitute flour for cornstarch in this recipe (for those times I don’t have cornstarch on hand) & if so how much would I use?
Love your recipes, thanks so much for sharing.
Hi Sarah, flour works but it doesn’t dissolve quite as nicely in this strawberry filling. Instead, we recommend 1/3 cup instant tapioca instead of cornstarch if you have that. So glad you enjoyed this pie!
Thanks so much Lexi!
MY pie is in oven now- I see The juice running out , I guess I didn’t punch the crust together good enough , I hope some juice stays in .
Smells wonderful .
As for the rhubarb pie – the eggs and white sugar together and flour thicken up as it cools as well , I hope the brown sugar does same thing but it should . Good luck . Let me know how it turns out .
I can’t wait to try the strawberry rhubarb pie – but by the time it cools / it won’t be tonight . Lol
Thanks for the recipes .
Although I used my pie crust, I have made this pie twice. It turned out very well and was gobbled up. Do you have a recipe for just rhubarb pie? Would you leave out the strawberries and add more rhubarb?
Hi Nancy, without the sweetness and flavor of the strawberries, this pie would be quite tart. Plus, strawberries let off more moisture so it may take a bit of testing to get the filling ratios right. Let us know if you give it a try!
Hi Nancy! You should be able to use more brown sugar without making any other changes. Let us know how it goes!
The whole family agreed this is one of the best strawberry rhubarb pie recipes we’ve had! Thanks!
Delicious!!
It was my first time making pie and I followed your pie crust recipe. I think maybe I didn’t add enough water because when I rolled out the first dough it cracked like crazy and fell apart. But luckily I was able to get the second one in! So I made it with the crumble topping from your pear cranberry crumble recipe and oooooh so good!!! And the bottom pie crust ended up perfectly flakey 🙂
Thanks so much for the delicious recipe! I vow to make pie every week until I’ve mastered it hahahahah
I was disappointed with the outcome of this pie. I followed the recipe exactly, my first concern was the bottom crust not baking because of setting it on a cookie sheet. And I was correct. I’m on a mission to figure out the solution to this because the pie does bubble over everywhere, which is fine, but the cookie sheet underneath it prevents the bottom crust from baking nicely. Also I’m wondering if the cooking time was off because I followed it exactly and even left it in longer at 350 and after letting it cool completely overnight, the syrup is still cloudy and it’s not set up. It looks beautiful but the filling did not work out. I will have to search for another recipe that will turn out better for me.
Hi Dawn, Thank you for trying this recipe! If you are worried about the pie bubbling over, try putting the cookie sheet (or even a piece of aluminum foil) on the rack below the pie, instead of directly under it. This should help the bottom of the pie to bake more evenly. You can also extend the bake time if needed – just tent the top of the pie with a piece of foil if it’s getting too brown before the bottom is baked through.
This pie filling was amazing! The only thing different I did was that I mixed the fruit with the granulated sugar and orange juice and let it sit and then strained the juices off and reduced them down to 1/4 cup then added back with the other ingredients. My only issue was the crust, I baked 10 minutes more than the recipe suggested but still had a bit of a soggy bottom in the center. The crust wasn’t flaky and tender, more crispy and brittle, still tasted ok though. I may have under mixed and had too many large butter chunks still in there. I think I’ll try an all butter crust next time with this filling again.
Sally is there a difference between green rhubarb and red rhubarb? Someone gave me green stalks and said they are the same. Before I make your recipe, I want to make sure.
Looking forward to making this pie.
Thank you.
Hi Gail! Correct – rhubarb color indicates variety, not flavor. You can certainly use your green rhubarb in this pie, but it may look a little funny with the red and green in the pie. Perfectly delicious, though!
Very easy recipe to follow. Used my own pie crust but followed exact otherwise. Serving it to my dad for his birthday tonight instead of cake.
I made this pie today and it turned out SO GOOD!!! This recipe is definitely a keeper.
Love the recipe but my crust always is soggy on bottom. I add more than recipe calls for in cornstarch to firm up the juice. Last three times I made a galette and cooked on a stone. Better but love the lattice look. Any advice for better crust
Hi Jeanne, I’m happy to help! Next time you can try making your fruit/sugar mixture in step one a little bit earlier so that the berries have time to release more of their juices. When filling the pie crust be sure to leave those juices behind. If you are using frozen fruit try switching to fresh. Also, we always recommend baking pies in glass pie dishes – you will be able to see the bottom to see if it’s fully baked. There is nothing wrong with extending the bake time if needed (just tent the top of the pie with aluminum foil so it doesn’t get too brown if needed). While you could also par-bake the bottom crust we do find it difficult to attach the top lattice crust after par-baking.
I followed your recipe but added most of the juice.Next time will not.I used Tenderflake frozen pie crusts(thawed) and cooked on bottom rack.Absolutely delicious.
Thank you so much.A keeper recipe
I’m dumb and put the excess liquid in the pie. Still tasted good though! Have have leftover ingredients so maybe I’ll try again!
We really enjoyed this recipe. I made a few modifications bc I didn’t have enough strawberries so I added frozen raspberries , some orange marmalade instead of oj and I added some cinnamon. I used a frozen crust and it was just fine.
I saved the leftover juice and we might just use it to make strawberry daiquiri bc it states really good.
I found some beautiful rhubarb and strawberries at my local farmer’s market and found this recipe. Delicious! I used my own butter crust recipe and made a galette style pie just folding the edges over. I used a sieve to drain the fruit mixture after they marinated and I had a bunch of liquid left over. I didn’t want to waste it so I put it in a small pot and simmered it, it thickened and became the tastiest jam/spread and I can’t wait to put it on some buttered toast! Thanks for the recipe!
It turned out okay for the first time making this. I will need to add more sugar (way too tart), and let the mixture sit for a long time to get the liquid out as a half hour wasn’t long enough. The pie came out soggy and soupy, even after sitting for 4 hours before eating it.
I made it and pie produced a lot of liquid . What can I do differently? When I poured mixture in there was no liquid
Hi Julie, If you make the pie again try mixing up the fruit a little longer ahead of time. This will give the berries time to release some juice and then when you spoon the filling into the crust you’ll notice left over juices at the bottom of the bowl (that you can discard, or pour over ice cream!).
Do you see any issue with using store-bought pie crusts for this recipe? Thanks!
Hi Meredith, you can use a store bought pie crust here. Enjoy!
DELICOUS PIE! So easy to make, even though pies used to be intimidating for me. Now, how do I make this vegan?
Hi Lilly, so happy to hear that you loved this pie! We aren’t expert vegan bakers, but let us know if you try anything!
First ever pie and it went great! At first I was intimidated by the idea of making a pie, but it was so easy! made this twice now! My sister is requesting it for her birthday.
I do a different pie crust (because each to their own). But this pie is the bomb. I think I’ll have it for breakfast too. #sallysbakingaddition
Rhubarb is very difficult to find in Israel, but once I put my hand on it this was the first recipe I tried!
very easy to follow, and the outcome turned out amazing.
thanks!
This pie was delicious. Everyone loved it!