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This Strawberry Rhubarb Pie is made from scratch with a sweet and tart fresh strawberry and rhubarb filling and a crumbly oat topping! The perfect way to enjoy sweet strawberries and tart rhubarb this summer.
We’re using up all the fresh strawberries and rhubarbs to bake the perfect pie!
Karly’s Notes
Nothing makes me feel like more of a rockstar in the kitchen than baking pie. I swear, I instantly become a sweet old Grandma just trying to make her cranky old husband smile with a little sweet treat at the end of a hot day. <— My imagination runs wild in the kitchen.
Between our homemade chicken pot pie for dinner and our peach blueberry pie for dessert, we’ve been making a lot of pie lately.
This strawberry rhubarb pie is perfect for spring and early summer when tart rhubarb is in season. We balance out that lip puckering sourness with a bit of sugar and plenty of fresh strawberries.
We mix things up a bit and top this off with a chewy oat topping instead of the standard pie crust. It just adds a little something special to the pie – and you can save your extra ball of pie dough for your next pie baking adventure.
This strawberry rhubarb pie is the quintessential summer pie, a must make if you ask me.
♥ What We Love About This Recipe:
- Flavors: The combination of sweet strawberries and tart rhubarb is a classic! Although one is a fruit (strawberry) and the other is a vegetable (rhubarb) the two are perfect together because of that sweet and sour combo!
- Textures: You’ve got the soft, juicy strawberries with the firmer pieces of rhubarb plus the crumbly sweet oat topping. And of course, the flaky pie crust. The textures in this classic pie recipe just work!
- Vintage: This is a vintage recipe that has been made by home cooks for generations. My grandma used to make strawberry rhubarb pie every spring and I looked forward to it all year long.
Ingredient Notes:
For the crust:
Dry Ingredients – You’ll need flour, salt, white sugar, and cold butter. We prefer the flavor of butter but shortening or lard also work well.
Wet Ingredients – You’ll also need an egg, cold water, and vinegar. The cold water helps keep the butter from melting when you mix the dough together, and the vinegar promotes a more tender, flakier crust.
For the filling:
Fresh Rhubarb – You can find this in the produce section of most grocery stores. You’ll cut the rhubarb into 1/2 inch pieces for the pie filling. If you’re in the off season, look out for frozen rhubarb and just thaw and drain well before using.
Fresh Strawberries – You’ll want fresh strawberries. Locally grown are always the sweetest.
Other – You’ll also need an egg, some sugar, all-purpose flour, corn starch to help thicken up the filling, and some vanilla extract for flavor.
My Favorite Vanilla!
This is my all time favorite brand of vanilla extract! It just seems to have the best flavor of any that I’ve used and I always recommend it. Try it out!
For the crumb topping:
Oats – You can use either quick oats or rolled oats here. Either work and it really comes down to what you have on hand.
Other – You’ll also need some all-purpose flour, packed brown sugar, and cold butter.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Pie Crust:
Combine: Combine the butter, flour, salt and sugar in a large bowl with a pastry cutter until you have coarse crumbs. You could also use a food processor to do make this a bit quicker and easier.
Food Processor
We use our Breville food processor in all kinds of recipes! It makes short work of chopping veggies and many other other tasks. This is our favorite food processor because it is so heavy duty and it will last!
Wet Ingredients: Pour in the egg, water, and vinegar and stir until just combined. Knead the dough together with your hands to form a ball, but do not overwork.
Chill & Roll: Separate the dough into 2 balls and place in separate ziploc bags. Flatten into round discs and place each bag in the freezer. You’ll only need one ball of dough for this pie, so you will have extra. Roll out one ball of dough after 20 minutes in the freezer on a floured surface into a 10 inch circle.
Shape: Place the dough into the pie pan and tuck the edges under to make a neat, thick crust around the edges. Crimp the edges with a fork or your finger and place in the fridge while you prepare the strawberry rhubarb filling.
How to Make Strawberry Rhubarb Filling:
Combine: Add the dry ingredients and wet ingredients including egg, sugar, flour, corn starch, and vanilla to a large bowl and mix together until well combined.
Strawberry & Rhubarb: Chop up the rhubarb, core the strawberries and slice them into halves. Dump those into the bowl with the other filling ingredients and toss to coat.
How to Make Oatmeal Crumb Topping:
Combine: Prepare the crumb topping by mixing together the flour, sugar, oats, and butter with a pastry cutter until it forms into coarse crumbs.
Topping: The topping should have chunks of butter throughout and be crumbly.
How to Make Strawberry Rhubarb Pie:
Assemble: Pour the strawberry rhubarb filling into the prepared pie crust.
Top & Bake: Sprinkle the crumb topping over the top of the pie. Place the pie in a preheated 400 degree oven and bake for 10 minutes before reducing the heat to 350 and baking for an additional 25 to 30 minutes or until the fruit is hot and bubbly and crust is browned.
You can use a pie shield or some foil to line the edges of the crust if the begin to brown too much during baking!
Cool the pie completely on a wire rack before slicing and serving.
Freezing & Storage Instructions:
You can keep this strawberry rhubarb pie stored at room temperature in a covered container for about 2 days.
It will last longer in the refrigerator, about 4 days if well covered. Storing it in the fridge will also help thicken up the filling a bit more than storing at room temperature.
You can freeze strawberry rhubarb pie too. Let it cool completely before wrapping in plastic and then foil. It should last for up to 6 months. Let it thaw in the fridge overnight before serving cold or reheating.
Recipe FAQs:
This is mostly up to your own preference but in general you want to peel the older, thicker stalks of rhubarb as the skin is tougher and more fibrous than the smaller, more tender stalks.
They’re an excellent combination for a few reasons. The sweet strawberry complements the tart rhubarb. The textures work well together too, and so do the colors. Plus both are in season at the same time, which means it’s easy to get them both fresh!
Both strawberry and rhubarb have juice which will be released when baked but you should be adding enough corn starch to thicken it up and keep the filling from being too runny.
Make sure you use the correct amount of cornstarch and to bake the pie at the correct temperature for the filling to thicken up properly.
Strawberry Rhubarb Pie
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 1 1/2 cups cold butter cut into cubes
- 3 cups flour plus a bit more for rolling the dough
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Pinch white sugar
- 1 large egg beaten
- 5 tablespoons cold water
- 1 tablespoon vinegar
For the filling:
- 1 large egg
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 pound fresh rhubarb cut into 1/2 inch pieces
- 1 pint fresh strawberries cored and halved
For the crumb topping:
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup quick-cooking or rolled oats
- 1/2 cup cold butter cubed
Instructions
To make the crust:
- Add the butter, flour, salt, and sugar to a large bowl and work it together with a pastry cutter until you have coarse crumbs. Alternately, add these ingredients to a food processor fitted with the dough blade and pulse until you have coarse crumbs.
- Pour in the egg, water, and vinegar and stir until just combined. Use your hands to lightly knead the dough together – do not overwork the dough, just mix until it forms a cohesive ball. If you're using a food processor, it'll take just a few pulses to bring the dough together enough to start working it by hand.
- Separate the dough into 2 balls of and place in ziploc bags. Flatten into round discs.
- Place each bag in the freezer. You'll only need one ball of dough for this pie, the second should keep in the freezer for 6 months or more.
- Remove one ball of dough after 20 minutes in the freezer and roll it out on a floured surface into a 10 inch circle.
- Place the dough in the pie pan and tuck the edges under to make a neat, thick crust around the edges. Crimp the edges with your fingers or a fork.
- Place in the refrigerator until ready to fill.
To make the filling:
- In a large bowl, beat together the egg, sugar, flour, corn starch, and vanilla until well combined.
- Dump in the strawberries and rhubarb and toss to coat in the mixture.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared pie shell.
To make the crumb topping:
- In a medium bowl, cut together the flour, sugar, oats, and butter with a pastry cutter until you have coarse crumbs.
- Sprinkle over the top of the pie.
To bake the pie:
- Place the pie in a preheated 400 degree oven for 10 minutes.
- Reduce heat to 350 and bake for an additional 25-30 minutes or until the fruit is hot and bubbly and the crust is browned. Use a pie shield or foil to line the edges of the crust if it begins to brown too much during baking.
- Cool completely on a wire rack before slicing and serving.
Elena says
Classic flavor combination. The crumb topping is divine <3
Magm says
Just made this with our first batch of rhubarb from the garden and it was delicious. The crumble topping is so much yummier than the typical crust. Thank you!
Lydia says
We made this last week as a family, flour was all over the kitchen and dining room. It was so much fun. The kids loved getting dirty and having a flour fight! The dogs loved even more! So worth the extra mopping. Besides the flour fun, the pie was heaven. My oldest and I are rhubarb lovers. She likes hers plain straight out of the garden. I like mine in my great grandmas crunch/custard bars. The hubby and youngest could eat strawberries all day for the rest of their lives. It really is a match made in heaven. The homemade pie crust along with the crumble topping are just right for this pie. Thanks for keeping family cook/bake night funand yummy!
Karly says
Sounds like such a fun family night! Thanks for coming back and letting me know the pie worked out for you!
Deborah says
I haven’t had a strawberry rhubarb pie in years. But I think I have all of these ingredients on hand right now. Looks like it’s time to throw flour around the kitchen!
Joanne says
You know I never thought of it that way…but you’re right. Although I kind of love throwing flour all over my kitchen table. Makes me feel like I’m five again…until i have to clean it up. Boo. I tried calling my mother and convincing her to come do it…no luck.
Strawberry rhubarb is totally my favorite right now!
Leora says
I’ve just discovered your blog & everything looks so good! I can’t wait to try some of these recipes 🙂
DessertForTwo says
I’ve just become a believer in an egg in a pie crust. Makes a difference!
Blog is the New Black says
I’ve never tried rhubarb! That must change!
Karly says
@Blog is the New Black,
This was my first time trying rhubarb! It was REALLY good. The tartness was a nice contrast to the sweet strawberries. 🙂
Chung-Ah | Damn Delicious says
You should definitely make pies more often because this looks amazing!
Karly says
@Chung-Ah | Damn Delicious,
Thank you! 🙂
Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar says
Wowzers! This pie sounds heavenly!