Strawberry Rhubarb Pie Recipe with Flaky Golden Crust

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie with a homemade all-butter flaky crust is a delightfully sweet-and-tart dessert that nearly everyone loves.

Make this classic fruit pie in early summer with fresh strawberries and rhubarb for the best flavor. If fresh fruit isn’t available, quality frozen fruit works well too—just thaw and drain before assembling.

A scratch-made Strawberry Rhubarb Pie—especially one with an all-butter, flaky crust—always makes my mouth water. Among warm-weather fruit pies, this one ranks at the top for its contrast of bright acidity and gentle sweetness. If you love fruit pies, the strawberry-rhubarb pairing is worth making year after year.

This version is built around fresh Northwest-grown strawberries and rhubarb, but the method is flexible. The filling is cooked just enough to soften the rhubarb and meld the fruit juices, then it’s finished in a buttery pie shell with a lattice top for a classic presentation.

I first baked this pie long before I ever considered blogging. I kept the photos because the pie came out so beautifully and tasted incredible. At the time I was thrilled to finally achieve a reliably flaky pie crust—an all-butter crust that flaked instead of shrinking—and that success is still satisfying every time I make it.

What does a strawberry rhubarb pie taste like?

In short: heavenly. Strawberries add a natural sweetness and bright, juicy flavor, while rhubarb brings a bold, tart note that balances the sugar. Cooked together, both fruits turn a beautiful ruby color and create a filling that’s both tangy and mellow. The contrast between the tender filling and a crisp, buttery crust is what makes this pie so memorable.

If you’ve never tried rhubarb, it looks similar to celery but is denser and often tinted red. Raw rhubarb is very tart, so desserts that feature it require a good amount of sugar to balance the flavor. Combined with strawberries, though, the tartness becomes an asset, giving the pie depth and brightness rather than overpowering it.

Strawberry rhubarb recipes

If you enjoy the strawberry-and-rhubarb combination, try it in other forms—lemonade, jam, muffins, or crisps are all excellent ways to showcase the flavor. The same balance of sweet and tart works across many recipes.

Do you have to peel rhubarb for pie?

No. Simply trim the ends as you would with celery and chop the stalks into bite-sized pieces. The skin is thin and softens when cooked, so you don’t need to peel rhubarb before adding it to the filling.

Can you eat raw rhubarb stalks?

Rhubarb is quite firm and tart raw, so most people prefer it cooked. Once softened with sugar and heat, rhubarb becomes silky and flavorful, perfect for pies and other desserts.

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons corn starch
• 1 pound fresh rhubarb, chopped
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 pints fresh strawberries, sliced
• 2 pie crusts (homemade or store-bought)
• 2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
• 1 egg yolk, beaten (for egg wash)
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar (for sprinkling)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C).
2. Fit one pie crust into a 9-inch pie dish. Roll the second crust into a rectangle and cut into roughly 1-inch strips for a lattice top, or leave whole for a single top crust.
3. Whisk the corn starch into 1/4 cup cold water until smooth. In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, combine the corn starch mixture with the chopped rhubarb and 1 cup sugar. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the rhubarb softens and the mixture thickens, about 8–10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the sliced strawberries. Let the filling sit for 30 minutes so flavors meld and excess juices develop.
4. Pour the fruit mixture into the prepared pie shell and dot the top with pieces of butter.
5. Weave the dough strips into a lattice over the filling, or place the second crust on top and cut vents. Tuck the edges and crimp as desired. Brush the crust with the beaten egg yolk and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons granulated sugar.
6. Bake at 400°F for about 35 minutes, until the crust is golden and the filling is bubbling. After baking, turn the oven off and leave the pie inside for an additional 15 minutes to settle.
7. Remove from the oven and cool on a rack. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or at room temperature; the pie also holds up well the next day.

Nutrition

Calories: 392 kcal; Carbohydrates: 62 g; Protein: 4 g; Fat: 14 g; Saturated Fat: 5 g; Cholesterol: 31 mg; Sodium: 203 mg; Potassium: 385 mg; Fiber: 4 g; Sugar: 34 g; Vitamin A: 190 IU; Vitamin C: 74.1 mg; Calcium: 79 mg; Iron: 1.8 mg.

Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximation.

Tips and variations

• Frozen strawberries and rhubarb are a convenient substitute when fresh fruit isn’t available—thaw and drain well before using to avoid a watery filling.
• For a deeper flavor, add 1 teaspoon lemon zest or a splash of vanilla to the filling.
• To prevent a soggy bottom crust, prebake the bottom crust for 5–7 minutes or sprinkle the crust with a thin layer of breadcrumbs or ground almonds before adding the filling.
• Store leftover pie covered at room temperature for up to two days or refrigerate for up to four days.

This post was originally published in March 2015 and has been updated with additional tips and notes for clarity and ease of baking.