Looking for the perfect homemade pie? Look no further than this strawberry rhubarb pie recipe! Equal parts tart and sweet, the mouthwatering filling is made without tapioca or any other complicated ingredients and is packed with juicy strawberries, tart rhubarb, and a touch of orange zest.
Even better, this pie is simple and easy to make. It’s the perfect way to use up fresh (or frozen) strawberries and rhubarb!
I’ve tried dozens of rhubarb pie recipes throughout the years, and THIS is the one I keep coming back to over and over again! In fact, this is the same recipe I made with my mom when I was young, so it’s absolutely stood the test of time!
And yes, we call it “The Best Strawberry Rhubarb Pie” because it’s THAT good. I haven’t met a person yet who doesn’t like it (save for my brother, who doesn’t like strawberries, but he’s just weird. Who doesn’t like strawberries?!!)
Did I mention this juicy homemade pie is super easy to make? It only takes a few minutes to put together and 45 minutes in the oven.
Let’s get baking!
Ingredients
This strawberry rhubarb pie recipe will make enough for a nice, big, juicy 9″ pie.
- Pie crusts – One for the bottom and one for the top. You can make your own or buy a ready-made pie crust from the store. My favorite homemade pie crust is The Pioneer Woman’s flaky crust.
- Sugar
- All-purpose flour – Use a gluten-free blend
if needed – we use King Arthur or Bob’s Red Mill.
- Orange peel
- Rhubarb
- Strawberries – Either fresh or frozen works. If you opt for frozen berries, make sure they are thawed out first, and pat them down with a paper towel so your filling isn’t watery.
- Butter
And that’s it! I told you this is a simple strawberry rhubarb pie without tapioca or other fancy ingredients.
Equipment
Besides the usual necessary tools like a mixing bowl and spoon, you’ll also need a pie plate
I also highly recommend buying a pie shield! It’s a baking essential in my kitchen and worth every penny of the $10 cost. Here’s a link to one that’s similar to mine: Norpro Silicone Pie Crust Shield
Lastly, you’ll also want a grater or zester for your orange peel!
How to make strawberry rhubarb pie
First, heat your oven to 425°F.
Meanwhile, chop your rhubarb into small pieces, then slice your strawberries.
Next, gently toss the strawberries and rhubarb together.
Place one of the pie crusts into your pie plate. Then, spoon half the strawberries and rhubarb mixture into the bottom.
In a separate bowl, stir the sugar, flour, and zested orange peel together.
Sprinkle half the flour mixture over the strawberry rhubarb that’s in the pie crust.
Now, repeat with the remaining strawberries/rhubarb and flour mixture so you have 2 layers.
Next, dot the top with the sliced butter.
Cover with the second pie crust. Pinch the edges of the crusts together, then crimp with a fork or your fingers.
Cut 3-4 slits in the top with a knife and sprinkle with a little sugar.
Then, cover the edges of the pie with a pie shield or strips of foil. This will keep the edges of the pie crust from getting too brown or burnt.
Now, bake your homemade strawberry rhubarb pie for 40-50 minutes or until the crust is just browned and juice is beginning to bubble through the slits in the top.
Allow your pie to cool, then slice and serve.
Note: If you serve the pie right away, it will likely be runnier. We often eat it that way (because my family is too impatient to let it fully cool), but if you can wait, it will thicken up a bit.
You can top with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream if desired. Or serve your fresh, homemade strawberry rhubarb pie all by itself.
Enjoy!
Storage
If you have any leftover pie, place a pie dome over the top or loosely cover it with aluminum foil. It will stay good on your counter for 1-2 days.
Tips & Tricks for the Perfect Pie
- Use fresh, in-season fruit when possible. Fresh rhubarb and ripe strawberries make for the brightest, juiciest flavor. If using frozen fruit, be sure to thaw and drain well to avoid excess liquid.
- Balance sweet and tart. Rhubarb is naturally tangy, so adjusting the sugar to your preference is key! If you love a more tart pie, reduce the sugar slightly. Prefer it sweet? Add an extra tablespoon or two.
- Thicken it up. Rhubarb and strawberries release a lot of juice. To avoid a soggy pie, it’s ideal to let the pie cool fully before slicing.
- Vent that crust! Whether you use a lattice or cut slits into the top, proper ventilation allows steam to escape and helps the filling set. Bonus: it looks beautiful too!
- Shield your crust edges. To avoid burnt edges, loosely cover the outer crust with foil or a pie shield halfway through baking.
- Check for doneness. If you’re unsure whether your pie is done or not, you can carefully poke a fork through one of the holes and test if the rhubarb is baked enough. It will be soft and juicy when done.
- Let it cool before cutting. This might be the hardest part! 😅 Let your pie cool for at least 2–3 hours to help the filling firm up for clean slices.
FAQs
Can I make this pie gluten free?
Yes!! If you’re gluten-free, like my family is, this recipe is a breeze to tweak.
- First, swap the pie crust for your favorite gluten-free version. While you can buy GF crust in stores (usually in the freezer section), I’ll often make my own just for fun. This gluten free pie crust recipe has worked well for us!
- Secondly, use your favorite GF all-purpose flour instead of regular AP flour.
- Lastly, you’ll want to lower the temperature slightly. For a gluten-free pie, heat it to 400° rather than 425°.
And that’s it! You now have a fabulous gluten free strawberry rhubarb pie recipe you can bake and enjoy!
How do you choose rhubarb?
Just like any fruit or vegetable, there are good selections of rhubarb, and there are not-so-good. It’s pretty simple to choose good rhubarb.
Look for firm, crisp stalks. If you can break it with that nice crispy sound, it’s probably a good piece of rhubarb. Limp rhubarb is a sign it’s past its prime.
One note – do not eat rhubarb leaves as they contain a toxin.
What does rhubarb taste like?
If you haven’t tried it before, you are in for a treat! Rhubarb is quite tart and has a good amount of tang to it, similar to a lemon or lime, but with a fruity undertone.
Most people find it too tart to eat raw, which is why it is often paired with fruit and baked, like this recipe!
Are you not a fan of rhubarb? I’d still encourage you to give this a try! In fact, I’ve had a couple of people tell me that while they normally can’t stand rhubarb, they loved this pie.
More Recipes with Rhubarb
Looking for even more rhubarb recipes? Here are 3 tasty desserts for you to enjoy!
The Best Strawberry Rhubarb Pie
Simple and easy to make this, this delicious old-fashioned strawberry rhubarb pie is packed with a juicy strawberry rhubarb filling and is the perfect way to use up fresh or frozen fruit.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 45 mins
- Total Time: 55 mins
- Yield: 8 1x
- Category: dessert
- Method: baking
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 2 pie crusts (use gluten-free if needed)
- 1 1/2 cups + 1 Tbsp white granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup flour (use gluten-free flour if needed)
- 1/2 tsp grated orange peel
- 2.5 cups rhubarb, chopped into ½ inch pieces
- 3–4 cups strawberries, sliced
- 3 tablespoons butter
- whipped cream, optional
Instructions
Heat the oven to 425 degrees (or 400 if gluten-free).
Place one pie crust into a 9″ pie pan.
Gently toss the sliced strawberries and rhubarb together. Spoon half into the pie crust.
In a small bowl, stir together 1 1/2 cups sugar, flour, and orange peel. Sprinkle half this mixture over the strawberry rhubarb in the pie crust. Spoon the remaining sliced strawberries and rhubarb into the pie, then sprinkle with the remaining sugar mixture.
Slice the butter into small pieces and place around the top of the pie.
Cover the pie with the top crust and seal the edges by pressing with a fork. Cut slits in the top, then sprinkle a tablespoon of sugar over the top of the pie. Cover the edges of the pie crust with foil or pie crust shield to prevent the edges from burning.
Bake for 40-50 minutes or until the crust is just browning and the juice bubbles through the slits. Cool, slice, and serve.
Enjoy with whipped cream if desired. Best served warm.
Jennifer says
Sounds delish! Haven’t had strawberry rhubarb anything since I was a kid. Must try soon. But, what do you do with the butter?
Erika says
Did I forget to write that in? Oops! I’ll go fix it now. Thanks for letting me know! You can also read the full directions at the link at the bottom, under “printable recipe.”
Meagan says
Is the butter salted or unsalted?
Going to try and make this today!
Thank you
Erika says
I use salted but you can use either for this recipe.
Jennifer | The Deliberate Mom says
My grandmother used to always make strawberry rhubarb pies. This post brought me back to my childhood. Thanks for sharing… I’m going to have to make this!
Wishing you a lovely day!
xoxo
Erika says
Thanks, Jennifer! Have a wonderful day yourself! 🙂
Heather says
I love love love rhubarb! I just talked about rhubarb custard pie last week. Would love to have you link this up with what i am eating http://www.townsend-house.com/2013/05/what-i-am-eating-30.html
Erika says
Thanks, Heather!
Mary Beth Elderton says
I have never had Strawberry Rhubarb pie. When I was a kid I wouldn’t even taste it for some reason (kids!) But I just got some rhubarb recently and had no idea what to do with it.
Erika says
Awww well now you have the perfect chance to try it! I’d love to hear what you think. It’s tangy and so good!
Jennifer says
It is very hard to come by fresh rhubarb where I live but I have tracked down frozen rhubarb. I know its not ideal but can I use frozen instead of fresh with this recipe?
Connie says
Do I need to thaw the rub. And strawberries first
Erika says
Yes you will want to thaw first.
Naomi says
Hi Erika! Thank you for the recipe, we gobbled it up before I could take a picture. Delicious and easy breezy, will make again!
Richard Lambert says
I have a bunch of rhubarb in the garden that nobody seems to want anymore. At 63 years old I am making my first pie right now using this recipe. My wife just rolled her eyes when I told her that I was going to do it.😊
Erika says
I hope it turned out delicious, Richard!
Amanda Reese says
Hi there! I saw you mentioned being able to use frozen fruit for this pie – do I need to do anything differently for it? Should I let the fruit thaw first? Thanks – looks like a delicious recipe!
Erika says
Yes, you do want to thaw it. Great question and I’ll make a note of that in the post. Enjoy!
Jean says
Can I assemble the pie and bake it the next day?
Erika says
I haven’t tried doing this but I don’t see why not.
Cheri says
I know this is an old post but the pie looks delicious. I have fresh rhubarb but frozen strawberries at the moment. With this covid 19 going on I probably won’t be able to get fresh strawberries so can I use the frozen or will it make it runnier? Also I don’t have any orange peel so what can I substitute for that? I do have some lime juice or can it be left out? I imagine it needs the acid. Thank you any help.
Christine says
Frozen strawberries would affect texture I think. Thaw and make sure it’s drained if any liquid before using. Orange peel adds flavor to this recipe. I haven’t tried any substitutes
Michaela says
I know this is a rhubarb strawberry pie. However, I do not have access to rhubarb and I have strawberries. Would the recipe work about the same? Thank you!
Erika says
I haven’t made this particular recipe with just strawberries before but you could try – I would cut back the sugar by half or so. There’s a fair amount of sugar in this recipe to counteract the tart rhubarb – if you were to use the full amount of sugar with just strawberries it would be REALLy sweet. Good luck!
JoAnn Hertzig says
Just curious as to why the filling is layered, rather than all mixed together. Making this right now!
Erika says
Hi JoAnn, good question and I’m not sure; it’s how my mom’s original recipe instructed to make it. Hope you enjoy your pie!
Rebekah says
Can I use orange zest? Is that the same thing?
Erika says
Yes you can. 🙂
Tiffany says
Have my pie baking right now. My grandmother use to make these every summer. I’m excited to dig in.
Erika says
I’m so glad! Enjoy!
JenellRae says
This pie is delicious and the orange zest is a perfect complement to brighten the flavors!! I grew up eating rhubarb pies that my mom made but they were never a fave…. I am an avid pie baker and strawberry rhubarb is normally out of my wheelhouse but it is a favorite of a friend’s husband and she asked if I would make a couple for his 50th birthday. I may have just changed my mind about this old time favorite.
Erika says
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Bryanna M says
Looks and smells amazing so far! Thank you.
Erika says
Enjoy!
Leanne says
I made this recipe with frozen Rhubarb and Strawberries from last summer’s harvest. I thawed them, then drained almost all of the juice. I kept a small amount with the fruit. I made this super easy recipe as directed and it turned out great. I LOVE the flavor that the orange zest provides! I will be definitely be making this recipe again! 😋
Erika says
I’m so glad you loved this, Leanne. Thanks for the comment!
Cj says
Yes! I’ve made this twice now. First time with fresh strawberries Second time I used frozen cherries. Absolute bomb! I like to spritz the crust with butter and sugar! Amazing pie and so easy
Erika says
I’m so glad you love it! I’ll have to try this with cherries too – yum!
Brandy Smith says
Is there someone I can use as a substitute for the orange zest?