This strawberry rhubarb pie combines juicy strawberries, tart rhubarb, and a homemade flaky all-butter pie crust for a classic spring and summer dessert. The filling bakes up thick and jammy, so every slice holds its shape beautifully. As always, letting the pie cool completely before slicing is non-negotiable for a thick, set filling.
I originally published this recipe in 2016 and have since added new photos, a video tutorial, and more success tips, including an optional stovetop step that helps guarantee a thick pie filling.
Sweet strawberries and tart rhubarb are the ultimate spring pie duo, and this updated strawberry rhubarb pie recipe gets the balance just right. With a flaky all-butter pie crust and a thick, jammy filling that slices beautifully, this is the kind of classic fruit pie that’s worth the wait.
The filling uses strawberries, rhubarb, a touch of orange juice, and just enough cornstarch to keep the pie from turning soupy, which is a common issue with strawberry rhubarb pie. If you’ve ever had a strawberry rhubarb pie turn into a runny mess when you slice it, follow this recipe to prevent that from ever happening again.
Why You’ll Love This Strawberry Rhubarb Pie
- Perfectly balanced sweet-tart flavor from fresh strawberries and rhubarb
- Thick, jammy filling that slices easily
- Flaky, buttery homemade pie crust
- A wonderful make-ahead spring or summer dessert
Start With the Pie Crust
A sturdy, flaky pie crust is essential for holding the juicy filling. I like to use my all-butter pie crust, which makes enough for both a bottom and a top crust. You could also use this flaky pie crust instead, which uses a mix of butter and shortening.
Start the dough ahead of time because it needs to chill for at least 2 hours before rolling out.
Don’t want to mess with pie crust? If you have a copy of Sally’s Baking 101, see page 164 for a Simple Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble!
Ingredients That Make This Pie Work
- Fresh Rhubarb: Look for firm, crisp stalks with a deep pink or red color. Slice the rhubarb into uniform 1/2-inch pieces so it softens evenly while baking.
- Fresh Strawberries: Use ripe, flavorful strawberries and chop them into small chunks. Since strawberries release more liquid than rhubarb, I use slightly more rhubarb than strawberries for the best filling consistency.
- Sugar: I use both white and brown sugar here, for some flavor depth as well as sweetening that tart rhubarb.
- Cornstarch: Our thickening agent—absolutely essential.
- Salt: To enhance and balance all the flavors.
- Orange Juice: A splash of orange juice brightens everything up and makes the flavors pop.
- Vanilla: Vanilla adds warmth and depth. It’s a great pairing in this strawberry vanilla crisp, too.
- Butter: Dot the pie filling with small cubes of cold butter before applying the top crust. Why? It adds buttery richness and actually helps prevent the formation of bubbles on the filling’s surface.
How to Prevent a Runny Strawberry Rhubarb Pie Filling
One of the biggest challenges with homemade strawberry rhubarb pie is excess liquid. Strawberries release a lot of juice while baking, which can lead to a runny filling. This recipe uses cornstarch to help thicken the liquid as the pie bakes, creating a filling that’s juicy but sliceable.
After you combine the filling ingredients together, set it aside and roll out the pie dough for your pie dish. During this time, your filling is already working as the sugar pulls juices from the fruit.
When you’re ready to assemble your pie, if you notice a lot of juice has pooled at the bottom of the bowl with the filling, it could be that your berries were extra ripe or you prepped the filling in advance and it sat for a while. If that happens, use a slotted spoon to transfer the fruit to the pie crust, but don’t discard the juice—it’s where a lot of the cornstarch ends up, and we need it!
Instead, pour the juice from the bowl into a small saucepan. You may only have a few Tablespoons, but that juice is packed with flavor and cornstarch, so don’t waste it. Reduce the juices in a saucepan over medium-low heat, just for a few minutes until it thickens into a syrupy consistency, then let it slightly cool for about 5 minutes before pouring over the filling in the pie. Gently stir it into the filling as best you can.
This optional pre-cooking step helps activate the cornstarch before the pie goes into the oven, giving you extra insurance that the filling will thicken properly. I use this same method in my cherry pie and blueberry peach pie, and it ensures those juicy fruit fillings set up nicely.
After a few minutes on the stove, the juices will thicken quickly into a jammy, syrup-like consistency. Pour the thickened juices over the pie filling, then gently stir and toss to distribute them throughout the filling:
Lattice Pie Crust
Now it’s time to add the top crust. A lattice topping not only looks beautiful, it also allows steam to escape so the filling can thicken properly. If you’re new to working with pie dough or need a little refresher, check out my tutorial on how to lattice pie crust.
You could even skip the top crust and use the crumble topping from our blueberry crumble pie. Lots of options!
Don’t Forget the Finishing Touches
These are quick and easy steps that make a world of difference, believe me!
- Butter: Dot the filling with small cubes of butter before adding the top crust. This adds richness, helps create a more cohesive jammy filling, and even helps prevent bubbles from forming on the filling’s surface. We do the same thing when we make peach pie.
- Crimp or flute the edges: Once your lattice is assembled, you’ll want to crimp or flute the pie crust to finish it off. I fluted the pie crust in these photos.
- Egg wash: An egg wash is simply an egg mixed with milk (or water) and you use it pretty much whenever you’re baking pie dough… as well as other shaped dough, such as stromboli, homemade bagels, brioche, choux pastry, croissants, etc. Egg wash helps develop that beautiful golden sheen. Without it, the baked dough looks dull and lackluster.
- Coarse sugar: This is optional, but I love finishing sweet pies with coarse sugar because it adds a little crunch and sparkle. I usually use Sugar in the Raw or these coarse sugar sprinkles, both of which can be found in the baking aisle of major grocery stores or online.
Now your pie is ready to bake! I recommend placing a baking sheet (lined with parchment for easy cleanup) on the rack below the pie, to catch any juices that may bubble over.
Start the Pie at a High Oven Temperature
Why do some pie recipes call for an initially hot oven temperature that you eventually lower? Baking this pie at 400°F (204°C) for 20 minutes helps set the pie crust shape, and activates the cornstarch in the filling (as does heating it on the stove). After that, reduce the oven temperature down to 375°F (190°C) to continue baking the pie. We use this same trick when we make blueberry pie and triple berry pie.
How to Tell When Your Pie Is Done
The pie is done when the filling is bubbling up through the lattice and around the edges of the pie. For a more accurate test of doneness, check the pie with an instant-read thermometer; the internal temperature should reach at least 200–212°F (just about 100°C).
This might be the hardest part: you have to let it cool for several hours. During this time, the filling thickens and fully sets. If you cut into it too soon, it will be runny—no matter how well you baked it.
Success Tips for the Best Strawberry Rhubarb Pie
- Pre-cook the filling juices on the stove to activate the cornstarch and reduce the liquid.
- Don’t shorten the long cooling time because the filling needs several hours to fully set.
- Bake the pie over a baking sheet to catch any bubbling-over juices.
- Start baking at a high temperature, then reduce the oven temperature and add a pie crust shield.
If you’re lucky enough to snag a slice of this pie during rhubarb’s short season, you’ll know why it tastes extra special. Rhubarb’s entire life goal is to end up in this dessert. Bake it while you can get it!
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Strawberry Rhubarb Pie
- Prep Time: 3 hours
- Cook Time: 70 minutes
- Total Time: 7 hours
- Yield: 1 pie
- Category: Pie
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This strawberry rhubarb pie combines sweet strawberries, tart rhubarb, and a flaky buttery pie crust with a thick, jammy filling that slices beautifully. Includes plenty of success tips to help prevent a runny pie filling.
Ingredients
- All Butter Pie Crust or Homemade Pie Crust (both recipes make 2 crusts, 1 for bottom and 1 for top)
- 3 cups (about 300g) sliced rhubarb (1/2-inch pieces)
- 2 and 1/2 cups (about 380g) chopped fresh 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 (15g/ml) orange juice
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 Tablespoon (14g) cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
- egg wash: 1 large egg beaten with 1 Tablespoon (15g/ml) milk
- optional: coarse sparkling sugar, for topping
Instructions
- The crust: Prepare either pie crust recipe through step 5. The pie dough needs to chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before using.
- Make the filling: In a large bowl, stir the rhubarb, strawberries, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cornstarch, salt, orange juice, and vanilla together until thoroughly combined. Set aside.
- Roll out the chilled pie dough: On a floured work surface, roll out 1 disc 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. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the filling into the crust. If you have leftover juices in the bottom of the bowl, reserve them for the next step. Refrigerate the pie, uncovered, as you reduce the juice in the next step.
- Optional—reduce the juices: If your pie filling sat for awhile or if your strawberries are particularly juicy, a lot of liquid may pool at the bottom of the bowl. Pour the leftover liquid into a small saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the juice has slightly reduced and thickened, about 3–4 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes, then pour over the filling in the pie crust. Do your best to gently toss together with the fruit. Dot the pieces of cold butter on top of the filling. Place the pie in the refrigerator while you roll out the top crust.
- Arrange the lattice: Remove the other disc of pie dough from the refrigerator. Roll the dough into a circle 12 inches in diameter. Using a pastry wheel, sharp knife, or pizza cutter, cut the dough into strips about 1-inch wide. Carefully thread the strips over and under one another, pulling back strips as necessary to weave. See this post on How to Lattice Pie Crust for help with this step. Press the edges of the strips into the bottom pie crust edges to seal. Use kitchen shears or a small paring knife to trim off excess dough. Flute or crimp the pie crust edges.
- Using a pastry brush, lightly brush the top and edges of the pie crust with egg wash. Sprinkle the top with coarse sugar, if using. Place the pie in the refrigerator for 20–30 minutes while your oven preheats.
- Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C).
- Place the pie on the center oven rack, and place a baking sheet (lined with parchment paper for easy cleanup) on the rack beneath it, to catch any bubbling-over juices. Bake for 20 minutes. Keeping the pie in the oven, reduce the temperature to 375°F (190°C), add a pie crust shield, and bake for an additional 50 minutes or until the top crust is golden brown and the filling juices are bubbling around the edges and/or through the lattice. For a more accurate test of doneness, check the internal temperature with an instant-read thermometer; it should reach at least 200–212°F (around 100°C).
- Remove pie from the oven and place on a cooling rack. Cool for at least 4 hours before slicing and serving. The filling will be too juicy if the pie is still warm when you slice it.
- Cover leftovers tightly and store at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: There are a couple ways to make this pie ahead of time. Prepare the pie in full 1 day in advance. After the pie cools, cover tightly and keep at room temperature. 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 also freezes well for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature before serving.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Glass Mixing Bowl | Rolling Pin | 9-inch Pie Dish | Small Saucepan | Pastry Wheel or Pizza Cutter | Pastry Brush | Coarse Sparkling Sugar | Baking Sheet | Pie Crust Shield | Instant-Read Thermometer | Cooling Rack
- DIY Pie Crust Shield: You can make your own disposable pie crust shield from a piece of aluminum foil. Fold a 12-inch square of foil in half, and cut a half-circle in the center of the folded edge. When unfolded, you’ll have a foil square with a circle cut out of the center. Place it over the pie and carefully tuck the edges down around the crust.
- Pie Dish: I strongly recommend baking this pie in a glass pie dish so you can easily monitor the bottom crust’s browning. Glass pie dishes also bake pie crusts more evenly than ceramic dishes.
- Use Fresh, Not Frozen: I strongly recommend fresh strawberries and fresh rhubarb in this pie. Frozen fruit releases too much excess liquid and can lead to a soupy filling.
- Why Are We Reducing the Liquid on the Stove? If your fruit is especially ripe or juicy, don’t skip the optional stovetop reduction step (step 4). It helps activate the cornstarch and guarantees a thicker filling.
Reader Comments and Reviews
A beautiful and easy recipe, bit it wasn’t as sweet as we would have liked. I think some of the sugar got poured out with the liquid left behind in the bowl.
If I only have frozen strawberries, could you suggest how much more thickener to use?
Hi Carla, for best results, we strongly recommend using fresh strawberries in this pie. Using frozen and adding more cornstarch to thicken could make the filling rather “gummy” tasting.
Hi Sally, I’m curious about blind baking–when it’s advisable and when not? Thank you!
Hi Miss Ashley, Check out this post on how to par-bake pie crust and it will explain when we blind bake and when we don’t. Hope that’s helpful!
What a fantastic and easy recipe! Tastes like a strawberry rhubarb pie should taste, no cinnamon to change the flavor. The hint of orange juice is just enough to be perky. I did use my microplane to zest about a teaspoon ….because, why not? I only juiced about a third of an orange anyway….I used the Williams Sonoma pie crust edge mold for a decorative lattice…used the braid one, and the rope one for the outside edge. Too pretty to cut. Thank you.
This is the best and easiest recipe. I made it and it was great. My grandsons could not stop eating it. One half of the pie was gone in ten minutes. Thank you so much.
This was my first time making a pie from scratch (including the Homemade Buttery Flaky Pie Crust) and it turned out beautiful! Such flaky crust and the filling was phenomenal! This is my favorite kind of pie and now when I want a pie, I’m making it myself!!!
Excellent recipe! I’ve done strawberry rhubarb pie before and it always came out soppy, but not with this one. Perfect combination of ingredients, I just substituted regular flour for the cornstarch, and filling came out moist and delicious. Definitely all fruit pies should be cooked for at least 45-60 minutes though. Will highly recommend this one!
Looks like a great recipe! I’m going to make this recipe for my husband’s birthday- one question: about how many rhubarb stalks to 3 cups (approximately of course)?
Thanks!
Hi Samantha, it depends on the length of your stalks, but a pound of cut rhubarb yields 3 to 4 cups of chopped rhubarb.
Great pie, but could you add the metric measurements for this recipe? My favorite part of this website is that most ingredients are done properly by weight, so this one being all volumes was odd to find. Thanks!
Hi Michelle, not sure how this recipe include have metric– it’s displaying properly now.
You don’t get rhubarb here in India. So can I use apples instead? Any recommendations? Thank you!
Hi Khushi, You can replace the rhubarb with either more strawberries or the same amount of a different type of fruit.
Can I make this same recipe without the rhubarb?
Hi Katie, we 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 our taste.
Thank you. I am going to try many of your recipes 🙂 The crust was so light and fluffy and although I didn’t have strawberries, it was still a yummy pie, couldn’t wait for it to cool. Yes, it was fairly sour but I don’t mind, I sprinkled a little more sugar on top.
Hi! If I make this ahead of time, freeze it, and thaw it overnight, should I rebake it for a little bit of time to reheat it up?
Hi Riley, you certainly can reheat it if you’d like! Or, you can serve at room temperature.
What do you do with the 2 T. of butter?
After you put your filling in you cut that two tablespoons of butter and dot it on the top of the fruit Then place top crust. this is very common in fruit pies!
If I’m using mini pie/ tart pans what is my baking times?
Hi Holly, We’re unsure of the exact back time for them. Let us know if you try it this way!
Turned out PERFECT! Used garden fresh strawberries and rhubarb. I cooked the recommended time 20min at 400 then 35min at 350. I also patiently waited for it to cool. It was a perfect consistency and the cook through! Thanks:)
I have pretty much given up making pies. Never can get the pastry right. Until I tried yours with my own rhubarb and strawberries. To die for, the best pastry I have ever had. I also cooked it a bit longer. Saved the juice and cooked it yummy. Thank you so much.
Hi May, I’m so glad this turned out well for you! Enjoy!
I used half fresh and half frozen rhubarb ( 2pies), didn’t see a difference. This is the best recipe for strawberry rhubarb I’ve ever used. My husband loves it.
Oh my dear sweet jeebus, this was AMAZING! Best berry pie I’ve ever eaten. I ended up doing a crumble on top instead of the pie crust, and it was HEAVEN. Adding it to the regular rotation
Second time I’ve tried this recipe. Excellent, super, great !!!! Try and you won’t regret it.
I dust “Whip-it” heavy cream stabilizer on the bottom crust of fruit pies or flans before filling. Especially effective on baked crusts ie fruity custard flans.
Have you tried Clear-Jel or ultra-sperse instead of cornstarch?
Did not yet try the recipe but read it for info: some favour cinnamon, some orange zest/juice. My gran’s recipe from the hardscrabble 1930’s said
“ use spice if you have.”
3 m of rhubarb down,3 m to go.
I made this, using my mom’s pie crust recipe. I made the filling exactly except I’m not sure my rhubarb was ripe enough so I added a 1/4 cup of sugar. It turned out great!! It took longer to cook in my gas oven with a cookie sheet under the pie plate but not a big deal. Will make again!!
hi sally,
wondering how much tapioca can be used to substitute for cornstarch in this recipe? Thanks
Hi Paige, we recommend 1/3 cup instant tapioca instead of cornstarch.
Super fun bake! Absolutely scrumptious crust. However, I think this recipe would benefit from the filling being cooked in a saucepan first. The rhubarb was not softened enough for me so didn’t gel well with the rest of the pie. Will try again since I love rhurbarb!
I’m looking for a rhubarb only pie recipe, could I just leave out the strawberries?
Thank you!
Hi Mai, 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!
Made this pie and the pie crust as recommended – it was fantastic! The filling did boil over though, thank goodness for the baking sheet below. The pie crust was exactly as promised and this will be my ‘go to’ crust from now on, provided I have the time to chill it. Just need to plan ahead!
Noooo! Don’t throw out the juices from the filling! If you tend to forget the 3 hour setting time (ahem…) this gives you an instant dessert to help keep you from jumping the gun and cutting it too soon. Dump the juice in a small pan, cook at medium heat stirring frequently until it’s just about to boil – the last minute or so you need to stir rapidly to avoid lumpiness. Et voila, a thick strawberry-rhubarb sauce to pour over ice cream.
I’ve found this comes out better with a blind-baked crust (solves the soggy bottom problem) with streusel topping. Excess streusel can be baked in a small open dish along with the pie for the first 20 minutes, and added to the alternative dessert!
Works great with frozen rhubarb and/or strawberries.
Made the pie with streusel topping, so we’ll have it for dinner tonight. After parbaking the crust for 15 minutes, I baked the filled pie20 minutes at 400, put foil over the crust and baked at 350 for another 55 minutes, after seeing other comments below. Making the sauce with the juice shortly. I think it would be great on pancakes or French toast too.
I am going to make this in a foil pie plate for a friend and was wondering if anyone knows if I would need to adjust the baking time or temperature or even cook the filling a little bit before putting together the pie and baking?
Hi Leann, no need to change anything if baking this in a disposable pie pan. Bake time should be about the same, but keep a close eye on it. Hope your friend enjoys this pie!
I made this pie for a neighbor…he loved it! Keeping the extra juice off is such a great idea.
The reason I gave it 4 stars, was because I didn’t get any. A definite 5!!!!! Thank you
Hi. I made your s r pie. Filling was delicious, but the crust was terrible. Followed your receipt to a t, even with the chilling.pie looked absolutely beautiful, but the crust was so hard and dry. Very disappointed. Florence
Hi Florence, we’re happy to help troubleshoot the pie crust with you. Make sure you’re using enough liquid in your pie dough- most of the problems happen when not enough liquid is added. Keep your ingredients super cold, and don’t overwork the pie dough otherwise that can make it come out hard and dry as you mention – make sure that after you add the water, you’re lightly mixing everything together. You want those visible specks and swirls of butter! Hopefully this is helpful for next time. We’re glad you did enjoy the filling!
The bottom did not cook even after 55 minutes. I ended up with a soggy bottom. I followed instructions exactly and used a glass dish. Another ruined pie because of a bad recipe.
I used partially frozen rhubarb, baked it an extra 10 minutes and it came out perfect. Bottom crust cooked just fine. Put a cookie sheet on bottom shelf to catch run overs , 2 racks down from pie. Do use use an oven thermometer?
To be sure of correct temp, as it really matters. If you sat the pie on a cookie sheet it would keep the bottom of the pie crust from cooking.
Very good recipe!
Sorry your pie turned out poorly! Our experience was exactly the opposite. Maybe your oven isn’t getting hot enough? An oven thermometer might be helpful 🙂