Strawberry Rhubarb Pie
intro
A nostalgic sweet-tart pie with flaky all-butter crust, balancing bright, juicy strawberries and tangy spring rhubarb in a perfectly set, jammy filling.
Ingredients
Steps
Prepare flaky crust
In a large bowl, mix 360g all-purpose flour and 1 teaspoon fine sea salt. Add 226g cold cubed unsalted butter, use your fingertips to rub butter into flour until the mixture forms coarse, pea-sized crumbs. Drizzle in 60-80ml ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing gently until the dough just clumps together. Split dough into two equal discs, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes at 4°C (39°F).
Mix fruit filling
In a large mixing bowl, combine 450g 1-inch chopped rhubarb, 400g quartered hulled strawberries, 150g granulated sugar, 24g cornstarch, 15ml fresh lemon juice, 5ml vanilla extract, and a 1g pinch of fine sea salt. Toss gently until all fruit is evenly coated in the sugar-starch mixture, then let rest for 10 minutes at room temperature to allow fruit to release natural juices.
Roll bottom crust
Preheat your oven to 200°C (400°F). Remove one chilled dough disc from the fridge, roll it on a lightly floured surface to a 30cm (12-inch) circle, 3mm (1/8-inch) thick. Carefully lift the dough and lay it into a 23cm (9-inch) glass pie dish, pressing it gently against the bottom and sides, leaving a 2.5cm (1-inch) overhang around the rim. Trim excess dough past the overhang with kitchen shears.
Assemble the pie
Pour the rested fruit filling and all collected juices into the crust-lined pie dish, spreading it into an even layer. Roll the second chilled dough disc into a 28cm (11-inch) circle, 3mm (1/8-inch) thick. Drape it over the top of the filling, then press the top and bottom crust edges together firmly to seal. Crimp the edge decoratively with your fingers or a fork, then cut 5 evenly spaced 2.5cm (1-inch) slits in the top crust to vent steam during baking.
Bake until golden
Brush the entire top crust and crimped edge with the beaten 50g egg, then sprinkle evenly with 12g coarse turbinado sugar. Place the pie on a rimmed aluminum baking sheet to catch bubbling drips, bake at 200°C (400°F) for 25 minutes, then reduce oven heat to 175°C (350°F) and bake for an additional 30-35 minutes, until the crust is deep golden brown and thick, ruby-red filling bubbles steadily through the steam slits.
Cool and set
Remove the baked pie from the oven, transfer it to a wire cooling rack, and let it cool completely for 2 full hours at room temperature before slicing. This resting period allows the cornstarch-thickened filling to set fully, preventing runny, loose slices when served.
Tips
2.Never skip the full 2-hour cooling time; the hot fruit filling continues to thicken as it cools, and slicing early will result in runny, messy slices even with the correct amount of cornstarch.
3.If the crimped crust edges brown too quickly during baking, wrap them in a narrow strip of aluminum foil after the first 25 minutes of bake time to prevent burning while the rest of the pie finishes cooking.
OMG this pie was the star of our Memorial Day cookout! I was nervous about the rhubarb being too tart but the balance with the strawberries was *chef’s kiss*. My kids begged for second slices before everyone even finished their burgers. Only note: I added an extra tbsp of cornstarch because my rhubarb was super juicy, didn’t want a runny filling!
Game changer of a recipe! I’ve been making strawberry rhubarb pie for 20 years and this crust recipe is better than my grandma’s — don’t tell her I said that 😂 Brought it to my church potluck last Sunday and the whole pan was gone in 10 minutes. The cook time was spot on for my old finicky oven, no burnt edges at all!
First time ever making a pie from scratch, picked this for my partner’s birthday because strawberry rhubarb is their absolute favorite. The difficulty level felt totally doable even for a total beginner like me, even if my lattice top looked a little wonky. Tasted SO good though, my partner cried a little when they tried it lmao. Only mishap: I forgot to dot the butter on top of the filling, oops. Still turned out great!
Has anyone tried making this with a gluten-free all purpose flour blend for the crust? My daughter has celiac so I’m always swapping flours, don’t want to waste a bunch of fresh produce if it doesn’t hold up! The flavor combo sounds perfect for our weekly family dinner this Sunday.
Made this for our backyard BBQ this weekend, served it warm with vanilla bean ice cream and everyone was raving. Was worried the medium difficulty rating meant I’d be stuck in the kitchen all afternoon, but total time was exactly what the recipe said, no surprises. 10/10 will make on repeat all summer long.
Wait I followed the recipe exactly and my filling was way too tart for my taste? I think my rhubarb was extra sour? Or maybe I picked underripe strawberries? Wondering if anyone else ran into this, I want to make it again for my office potluck next week.
Can I prep the filling a day ahead and keep it in the fridge before baking? I’m hosting a brunch next weekend and want to get as much done ahead of time as possible so I’m not scrambling when guests show up. This recipe looks like the perfect centerpiece for my menu!
I’ve made this pie three times in the last month! My grandkids request it every time they come over to visit, they say it tastes like summer in a bite. The crimped edge instructions were so easy to follow, my 7 year old granddaughter helped me crimp the crust last time and it looked so cute.
Made this in my tiny dorm kitchen with a toaster oven of all things, had to nudge the temp down 25 degrees because my toaster oven runs super hot, but it still turned out amazing. My roommates devoured half the pie before it even cooled down all the way lmao. Worth every minute of prep.
Took slices of this pie on a day hike with my friends last weekend, packed them in tupperware and they held up perfectly even after being tossed around in my backpack. The sweet-tart flavor was so refreshing after a few miles uphill, will definitely be making this for all my summer outdoor trips.
I was gonna bring my usual chocolate chip cookies to the neighborhood block party but decided to switch it up with this pie, and now I’ve got three neighbors texting me for the recipe. Zero regrets, this one’s going into my permanent rotation. Only tip: cover the crust edges with foil halfway through baking if they start browning too fast!
Cut the sugar by 1/3 cup because I prefer less sweet desserts, and it was perfect for me! The rhubarb’s tartness really shines through that way, and the strawberries add enough natural sweetness that it doesn’t feel like it’s missing anything. Such a great base recipe to tweak to your own taste preferences.
Used rhubarb from my very first garden harvest for this pie, and I’m so proud of how it turned out! The recipe was straightforward enough that I didn’t mess up my homegrown produce, which I was low-key stressed about. Tastes even better when you grew part of it yourself, 10/10 would recommend.