The Baker Chick

Baking up a delicious life.

Classic Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

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As a kid, my family was really into Sam’s Club. With five kids at home, buying in bulk was the only option, and I loved going with my Dad on Saturday morning to stock up. There were the samples- oh the samples- which were usually a meal in themselves, and also much more fun and “junk-foody” than the food I normally got to eat. On our way out was the huge fish tank and the “drop the quarter into the teeny bowl and win a hot dog” game. My Dad was aces as this game- and almost always won us something- which made the whole trip that much more exciting.

I have a vivid memory of the pie display that was near the exit of the store, where I’d usually be waiting while my Dad paid for the huge cart of stuff. We never bought them because my Mom was a great baker (and I’m sure she wouldn’t have approved of the ingredient list.) But come summer I always eyed the strawberry rhubarb with loads of curiosity. What was that weird ingredient I’d never heard of? I waited for the day they sold a simply strawberry pie so I could beg my Dad to buy it, but I had no interest in whatever rhubarb was. I stuck with trying my hand (and failing) at winning free hotdogs for my sisters.

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The funniest part of all is that I now would probably call this my favorite fruit pie of all time. Why did it take me 20-some years of my life to finally try it? Food blogging opened my eyes to rhubarb as something that I used to be weirded out by, but now really and truly love. The combination between the tartness and the sweet berries is just my favorite thing. Paired with a flaky- all-butter crust, it really is summer dessert perfection.

The key to making pie with berries is figuring out a way to thicken the filling. There are lots of options, but the ones that work the best for me are instant tapioca pearls and Clear Gel. Both may take some planning to have in your kitchen I know, and in the case of this pie, I decided spur-of-the moment to make it so I used tapioca flour as thickener instead. The result was a mostly thick filling with a little bit of juiciness, but I could eat the juicy strawberry-rhubarb liquid with a spoon and I’d be a happy lady. This is one of the most simple and delicious pies I’ve ever made- and loads better than that Sam’s Club one I can guarantee!  :)

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Classic Strawberry Rhubarb Pie
Yield: 1 pie
 
Ingredients
  • 1 recipe Pie Crust
  • 3½ cups chopped rhubarb
  • 3½ cups sliced strawberries
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • ½ cup white sugar
  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • ¼ cup tapioca flour *
  • pinch of salt
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter cut into small pieces
  • heavy cream for brushing on top of crust
  • raw sugar for sprinkling
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On a well-floured counter, roll half of pie dough into a 12-inch circle and transfer to a 9-inch pie plate. (I roll the crust over my rolling pin to help me move it to the pie dish.)
  2. In a large bowl, combine the berries, rhubarb, sugars, lemon salt and tapioca flour. Pour the filling into the bottom crust. Dot with butter pieces. Roll out the top crust into a 12 inch circle, and either proceed with a lattice top, or a simple double crust. Seal the edges and crimp decoratively as desired. Brush the crust with the heavy cream and sprinkle with raw sugar.
  3. Bake for 20 minutes at 400 and then reduce temp to 350 for another 25 minutes or until the crust is golden and the filling is bubbly.
  4. Let pie cool for several hours before cutting, the filling will only thicken as it cools. (hard to be patient I know.) The pie can also be baked the night before serving.
Notes
*Other thickening options include instant tapioca or clear gel, cornstarch can be used, but the filling won't be as thick.

Recipe adapted from Smitten Kitchen
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Comments

  5. This pie looks INSANE! My grandma always makes a strawberry rhubarb crisp that is literally TO DIE FOR! So I’ve always grown up eating {and loving} rhubarb. Oh and that little plate is adorable!

    Reply

  7. Thanks to my husband I tried rhubarb a few years back after being very skeptical. I had a bad experience as a child sinking my teeth into what I thought to be a cherry pie and it actually being undercooked rhubarb! I made my first strawberry orange rhubarb pie this year and it is one of my favorites now. Yours looks incredible! I’ve got the itch to make something else rhubarb very soon!

    Reply

    • Yes exactly! With 4 sisters- we somehow managed to each go and say we were “getting one for our sister” and just have another. The best! :)

      Reply

  9. What a gorgeous pie! I loved reading your memories of those shopping trips with your father. I’ve actually never tried rhubarb and really want to! I always seem to miss it at the farmers market. Need to make sure I don’t miss it this season. So far I haven’t seen it but when I do I’ll be sure to give this pie a try!

    Reply

  10. I’ve always been skeptical about rhubarb and actually have never tried it…but I do love strawberries instead and this pie looks wonderful, so maybe it’s time to overcome my “fear” of rhubarb starting with this recipe! Also, thank you for the tips on how to make the pie filling thicker because I’ve always had little problems with too juicy fruity fillings!

    xo, Elisa

    Reply

  11. What a beautiful pie and a perfect lattice top! I especially love your photography here too! :) For my family, it was Costco. I looooved going there with my dad just for those samples! We’ve since then expanded our shopping to BJ’S, but they don’t have as much samples so Costco will always be number one for me :)

    Reply

  12. I used to love going to Sam’s Club with my dad too! I love that game-I used to try to do it at McDonald’s and I think I won an ice cream cone once and it was like Christmas morning, I was so excited.

    Anyway….I am freaked out by rhubarb. My mom loved strawberry rhubarb pie and I always thought she was a weirdo. I guess now I’ll have to try it…

    Reply

  17. This pie looks BEAUTIFUL! I was always skeptical of rhubarb until I tried it a couple of years ago and I love it now. I love the memories you share of shopping.. good ol’ Sam’s Club! I’m sure you had the same experiences there in Wisconsin as I did here in Minnesota shopping there. I could spend a whole day shopping there!

    This pie looks delicious and you make it sound much less difficult to make a pie than I always think it is :)

    Thanks Audra!

    Reply

  22. What a beautiful pie. Your story brought back memories of my childhood, where rhubarb grew in my neighbor’s yard and I could pick some from behind the garage. Got in trouble for that once as I recall. We dipped the rhubarb in sugar and ate away. Anyhow, I’d give anything to try that pie Audra. Looks delectable! And your dad really did ace that quarter-in-the-fishbowl game, didn’t he? Never saw anything quite like that!

    Reply

  30. Strawberry rhubarb is SUCH a classic for a reason! It’s seriously one of the best pies. I’ve never used ClearGel before but I’ve heard such good things about it when it comes to berry pies! It’s a need in my life.

    Reply

  35. This pie was amazing! Strawberry rhubarb pie has always been my favorite, but I never tried to actually bake one myself. I made this recipe exactly as it is here yesterday, and it turned out fabulous! Thank you so much!

    Reply

  36. Excuse my stupid question…cause I’m probably just blind. (Or I could blame it on the pain pills from oral surgery, lol!) But, where does the unsalted butter come into play in the recipe?

    Reply

      • Whew! Here I thought I was going CRAZY! ;-)

        Well, I made the pie last night without the butter, and it still tasted pretty delicious this morning! I will certainly use the butter next time thought! Thanks!

        Reply

  37. Hi Audra!

    Love, love, love your recipes! I’ve made a few things from your blog and they always get rave reviews! I just made this pie 2 weeks ago and it was to die for! However, my boyfriend isn’t crazy about rhubarb so I was wondering how many cups of strawberries you would recommend if you were to eliminate the rhubarb? Thanks!

    Reply

    • Hey Jennifer! Thanks so much for your sweet comment.

      Well- here’s the thing. The rhubarb doesn’t contain lots of water but the strawberries do. If you take the rhubarb away but add berries your pie may be quite watery. If you don’t mind- go for it! I’d say you’ll need at least 6-7 cups of sliced berries. Double the thickening agent as well- it will still be very juicy but that will help”0

      Reply

  39. My pie is in the oven now.. followed the recipe to the letter and will patiently wait for this to cool before eating. Going to eat a big slice for breakfast tomorrow morning! I’ll let you know how it turns out!

    Reply

    • So… the pie turned out beautifully and I ate one piece… one LARGE ROUND piece. This is my confession and I’m not sorry for my sin. I ate the entire pie. A weaker woman would have a stomach ache right now, but I am not that woman. A kinder woman would have shared the pie… and also, I am not that woman. Thank you for the recipe and I can’t wait to try your others!

      Reply

  41. TNow that I can actually turn out a gorgeous berry pie myself, I still find myself battling the everlasting challenge of the runny juices. Yours must be the hundredth article or recipe I’ve read on the subject, holding my breath, and believing in magic. Right after supper tonight, I’ll suit up, lay out your instructions, and go for it. If you don’t hear from me again, please believe that I always have fun trying out your advice, win or lose. P.S. This weekend, the Kroger grocery stores in Atlanta brought out their first rhubarb of the oh so brief season. I advise all my fellow pie lovers in Atlanta to make a dash for it while the supply lasts!

    Reply

    • I hope you all got the gist of my first sentence, Audra, even with the needless letter “T” added at the beginning. I must be saving up all my concentration for the big baking challenge you set me for tonight.

      Reply

  42. Darn!! Now I see the unwanted word hanging around in the sentence that I set out to repair. I really have to pull myself together before I put on my apron.

    Reply

  43. OK, I am the pie “expert” in my family and a request was put in for me to make a strawberry rubarb pie for my Aunt’s wedding. I have never made one. After a lot of research, I decided this recipe looked the best to try. I made it today for the “pie tasting experts”, and the consensus is it’s “TO DIE FOR”. Thank you sooooo much for sharing this recipe. The pressure is off to deliver perfection!!! I am humbly grateful!

    Reply

  44. My family in Slovakia makes a simple fritter with elderberry flowers too. I suggest snipping the stems with kitchen shears once the first side of the fritter starts to hold together while frying. That way, when you flip it over to cook the second side, there are no long stems and it fries more like a pancake.

    Reply

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