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
I’ve been making Strawberry Rhubarb Pie for years and thought it was great but, because I have had
such success with your recipes, I decided to try this one for a change. Needless to say, from now on, this is my go to recipe for Strawberry Rhubarb Pie. It was absolutely delicious. Thanks so much.
Can I make ahead and freeze
See recipe Notes for make-ahead and freezing details.
Delicious pie recipe!
Hi, I saw another person noting that she cooked the liquid from the fruit and added it to the pie filling. Is there a reason this is not a step with this s-r pie? Or how you determine which fillings to do that with and which not? I recently made your cherry pie, which included that procedure and it came out great.
Also, since it is summer and I think rhubarb is a mostly best in Spring, do you suggest adjusting the sugar to balance the tartness? It’s so great to be able to ask questions to support success before taking on a new baking project. Thank you so much for taking the time!
Hi Kate, you certainly can do it that way! We found the pie is just as tasty without that extra step, so left it out. To answer your second question, I don’t think you need to add more sugar; it should be enough even if your rhubarb is pretty tart. Hope it turns out great!
If using fresh rhubarb and frozen strawberries, would you increase the amount of cornstarch?
Hi Erin! For best results, we strongly recommend using fresh strawberries and rhubarb in this pie. Frozen will add too much moisture to the filling.
Great recipe worked out perfectly! I had none of that run over. Tasted great!
I tasted the extra liquid, and it was so very flavorful that I knew that I shouldn’t just throw it out, but should include it with the pie, so I strongly urge everyone to go ahead and cook that extra liquid down and pour it onto the pie before you put the lattice on.
This has become my goto recipe for Strawberry Rhubarb pie. I increased the corn starch from 1/4 to 1/3 cup as I found the pie a little too juicy with only a 1/4 cup.
Great recipe! I made it twice this weekend and both pies turned out amazing. I will say, the quality/age of rhubarb makes a difference. 1st time I cut the rhubarb right from a friend’s garden and it was perfectly sweet. Today at home we were craving it so went to store and purchased rhubarb. It was stringy and tougher to cut; using the same sugar/everything in the recipe, the 2nd pie turned out more tart and sour. I actually like it that way – reminds me of childhood. Guessing we were using larger, more mature stalks back then. Great recipe either way!
Hi! Am i able to use frozen rhubarb and strawberries for this recipe?
Hi Madison, For best results, we strongly recommend using fresh strawberries and rhubarb in this pie. Frozen will add too much moisture to the filling.
My freezer is filling up with this recipe…
great recipe! Had no orange juice, put in 1 tsp vanilla instead of 1/2 tsp and everyone loved it!
First off, I have to say that I have been using your recipes for the last few years and everything has been spectacular! So, thank you! I was planning on baking your strawberry rhubarb for my husband (his fave), but decided to mix it up a bit. Since we had a ton of fresh blueberries, and I had also just seen your blueberry pie recipe, I mixed the two ideas. I used your all butter crust, with almost even proportions of rhubarb (2 c.), strawberries (2 c.) and blueberries (1 3/4 c.). I used lemon juice instead of orange, with white sugar, flour, cornstarch and a dash of cinnamon, raised the temperatures just a bit and watched it closely, keeping in mind your wonderful advice in all three recipes. The results: amazing! Rave reviews from everyone, easy to serve and not at all soupy or dribbly. It worked out to be a delicious and festive Fourth of July treat for our family. We are tentatively calling it StrawRhuBlueberry Pie.
This pie was soooo delicious!! I made it for my high school friend visiting from Kentucky!! Everyone loved it!!
Can I substitute lard for shortening?
Hi Doug, we haven’t tried but, but other bakers have reported success using lard in our pie crust recipe. Let us know if you give it a try!
Loved this recipe but I am really looking for the best rhubarb pie (no strawberries). Do you have one?
Hi Pat, we haven’t tested an all-rhubarb pie, but it would need some adjustments to the amount of sugar to account for more rhubarb and no berries, because rhubarb is so tart. This recipe on allrecipes, for example, uses 4 cups of rhubarb and 1 and 1/3 cups of sugar.
For a pretty good recipe for rhubarb only pie, i have found and made this one (several times), In Midwest living i found Peoria Rhubarb Cream Pie… its pretty good and my hubby loves it almost as much as Sally’s strawberry Rhubarb pie https://www.midwestliving.com/recipe/pies/peoria-rhubarb-cream-pie/
We loved this recipe! This was my first time ever making a pie and crust from scratch, and I have to say that it wasn’t nearly as difficult as everyone makes it out to be. The only change I made – I poured the extra liquid from the rhubarb and strawberries into my pie filling, and I had no issues. (It was only a couple spoonfuls). The filling firmed up after a few hours out of the oven. Delicious!
Hi Sally & team! Would you tweak this recipe at all to turn this pie into hand pies?
Hi Rachel! You could definitely use this filling for hand pies. We recommend pre-cooking it a bit so it’s softer and easier to spoon into the hand pies. For a little guideline, here’s our apple hand pies recipe.
Strawberry Rhubarb is my favorite pie. This was a new recipe for me and I tweaked a couple things. One I used about a 1/3 tsp of orange zest because I had no orange juice. Two I used King Arthur Flour instant clearjel instead of cornstarch. The pie came out awesome, like I knew it would, because all your recipes are outstanding. The right blend of not too tart, not too sweet. The clearjel worked like a dream and the pie wasn’t runny at all. The only thing that would have made it better was me making my own crust. I didn’t have time and used Pillsbury. Good in a pinch but never as good as homemade!
Rhubarb pie is a family favorite – but looking for a strawberry-rhubarb, I tried this variation. The texture is fine, but I feel like the brown sugar and vanilla dulled the bright tang of the rhubarb – that even the orange juice couldn’t get back.
Thanjks for the great recipe! Your instructions and walk through for both the pie and the crust are very good, explaining and easy to follow. My wife loved the pie! 🙂 But i still think I need to improve.
My crust and pie bottom did not become golden brown and well cooked even though I used the exact temp settings and baked for about 55mins. Could it be that I put too much water in the dough and made it overly wet? When making it, I felt like it did not come together. So I panicked and put about 1,5x water of what recipe says.
Also my wife loves the tart and sour taste but for me it could use a bit more sugar.
It does sound like the amount of water in the crust could be the culprit. You’ll want to add just enough to get the crust to come together, so if you need more we recommend adding only a tablespoon at a time so that it doesn’t become overly wet. Thankfully that’s an easy fix for next time! Thanks so much for giving this one a try!
Great recipe, especially the use of brown suger– I never thought of that. I always make a deep dish 10″ pie; so I had to significantly adjust quantities. I used relatively speaking a little more white nad brown sugar; but that is personal preference. I suggest using tapioca: it is much more predictable and reliable than corn starch. Nonetheless I used corn starch because I forgotto buy a new box of instant tapioca. Theseare all quibbles– it was great!
In order not to discard perfectly good strawberry-rhubarb juice, I first added only 100 g sugar on the chopped rhubarb and strawberries, let them sit until the juice came out, drained it, and only then added starch and the remaining 40 g of sugar – which I think solved the common complaint about not enough sugar in this recipe. I skipped salt for the filling because it seemed unnecessary. The filling came out really mild, but in a good way, not tart, and not too sweet. Meanwhile, I mixed the filling juice with the orange juice which I already had at had for the recipe, and with water so it’s not too sweet, and it made a lovely drink.
My pie used previously frozen, thawed rhubarb that I got moisture out of before using. (We don’t have fresh rhubarb where I live.) I think it still worked out great. Overall I like this recipe a lot, but I have another recipe that I prefer because it calls for more sugar. I like pie on the sweeter side. 🙂 I could not taste any salt like other commenters have suggested.
I need your strawberry rhubarb recipe for a pie contest this weekend, and I won first prize! I’ve never won anything for baking. The judges said it was no competition hands-down I had the best pie! I also used your piecrust recipe. Thank you so much. If I could send a photo on this I would have the pie and ribbon and excepting the award. of the pie and ribbon and excepting the award!
Congratulations, Ruth! We’re so glad the pie was a hit. Feel free to send us a photo at sally@sallysbakingaddiction.com — we’d love to see it!
This recipe is perfect!! Absolutely delicious. I wish I could post a photo of how beautiful it is . We found it to be perfect amount of sweetness, but I guess can depend on the sweetness of the strawberries and rhubarb you start with.
Thought it was a bit too tart still. Or my rhubarb measurement was off!
I agree mine was sour and salty. Another recipe I have calls for 1 1/2 cups sugar.
Also too much salt can taste it. I am sad.
Sadly, I wasted all the ingredients. No where near enough sugar. Not sweet at all and sour.
What happens if you forget to put the butter inside the pie? Oops!
Hi Jeanne, it should still be okay!
I’m going to make this strawberry rhubarb pie and use your pastry crust recipe! Do you recommend blind baking the crust? I don’t see that as a step in your recipe, but I’m worried about a “soggy bottom” outcome. Thanks for your delicious recipes. You are my ‘go to’ for baking advice and inspiration. And recipes!
Hi Bette! No need to blind bake the pie crust for this recipe.