Rhubarb Pie Recipe

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Hi Bold Bakers!

WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS RECIPE: My sweet-tart Rhubarb Pie is one of the most delicious signs of spring. Vibrant rhubarb and just 10 simple ingredients come together in this classic rhubarb pie recipe with a luscious, fruity filling and buttery, flaky crust.

• Perfectly balanced: Tangy rhubarb and rich pastry create the ultimate spring dessert.
• Jammy filling: Rhubarb bakes down into a beautifully soft, bright, puckery filling bursting with fresh flavor.
• Flaky, sour cream crust: My easy Sour Cream Pie Crust is tender and wonderfully simple to work with.
• Great make-ahead dessert: This pie needs time to cool and set, making it perfect to bake earlier in the day or the night before. And it’s wonderfully easy—this pie is approachable for any home baker.
• Old-fashioned favorite: Rhubarb Pie is a nostalgic classic that everyone will love revisiting or enjoying for the first time.

To me, Rhubarb Pie tastes like springtime. Rhubarb’s refreshing, tart flavor brings me right back to my childhood in Ireland, and my mum’s homemade Rhubarb Crisp. I wanted to give you an easy Rhubarb Pie recipe that lets this beautiful seasonal ingredient shine inside a flaky, flavorful Sour Cream Pie Crust—it’s such a perfect pairing!

My top tip: bake the pie until the filling is actively bubbling. The heat activates the cornstarch, which thickens the filling and helps the pie set properly as it cools. After you taste this delightful pie, you’re going to want more rhubarb, so be sure to check out my Rhubarb Ginger Quick Bread, Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp, and Baked Custard with Roasted Rhubarb and Whiskey.

Table of Contents

• What is Rhubarb?
• Tools You Need
• Key Ingredients and Substitutes
• How to Make Rhubarb Pie
• Gemma’s Pro Chef Tips
• Make-Ahead and Storage Instructions
• How to Serve Rhubarb Pie
• FAQs
• More Spring and Summer Pie Recipes

What is Rhubarb?

Rhubarb is known for its long red and pink stalks and tangy, bright flavor. Though it’s botanically a vegetable, it became so popular in desserts in the UK and the U.S. in the 1800s that it earned the nickname “pie plant” for its frequent use in pies, crisps, crumbles, and jams.

Rhubarb season is spring and early summer, making the it one of the first-harvested baking ingredients of the year. Fresh rhubarb’s natural flavor sweetens and mellows when baked with sugar, which creates the signature sweet-tart flavor of rhubarb desserts. Note that only the stalks of rhubarb are edible. Rhubarb leaves should never be eaten because they contain high levels of oxalic acid.

Tools You Need

• Mixing bowls
• Measuring spoons
• Measuring cups
• Glass measuring jug
• Kitchen scale (optional)
• Pastry blender (optional)
• Spoon
• Rolling pin
• 9-inch (23-cm) pie pan
• Pastry brush
• Aluminum foil
• Baking tray

Key Ingredients and Substitutes

Sour Cream Pie Crust

All-purpose flour

• All-purpose flour provides a stable structure while still creating a tender texture.
• Substitute: You can use an equal amount of pastry flour, which more finely milled than all-purpose flour and has a slightly lower protein content.
  • Pastry flour will give you a tender result while still providing enough structure.
• If you’d like to use a gluten-free crust, use my recipe, The Flakiest Gluten-Free Pie Crust.

Salt

• Salt enhances the butter flavor.
• Don’t omit the salt—it keeps the pie crust from tasting bland.

Full-fat sour cream

• The fat and acidity in sour cream contribute to the pie crust’s tenderness and richness.
• Additionally, the sour cream adds a mild, tangy flavor.
• Importantly, full-fat sour cream makes the dough easier to handle than pie dough made with water.
• Be sure to use full-fat sour cream here for the best texture and flavor.
• Substitute: Use the same amount of full-fat Greek yogurt.

Butter

• Butter creates flakiness and crispness.
• When the cold butter melts in the oven, the resulting steam pockets make flaky layers as the crust bakes.

Rhubarb Pie Filling

Rhubarb

• Rhubarb gives this dessert a tangy, sweet flavor.
• As the rhubarb cooks, it creates a jammy, soft, juicy filling.
• You can use fresh rhubarb or frozen rhubarb here. If you use frozen, do not thaw before using.

Granulated sugar

• Granulated sugar sweetens the pie and balances the rhubarb’s tartness.
• Importantly, sugar draws out the rhubarb’s juices, creating a syrupy consistency.
• Substitute: Use the same amount of light brown sugar for a deeper flavor.

Cornstarch

• Cornstarch thickens the filling and prevents the pie from being watery.
• The cornstarch, which activates when the filling is actively bubbling, also creates a jammy, glossy consistency.

Orange zest

• Orange zest softens the rhubarb’s tartness and adds a floral note.
• Substitute: Use the same amount of lemon zest instead if you prefer.

Butter

• Butter gives the filling a rich flavor and contributes to a silky texture.
• Additionally, butter rounds out the tangy rhubarb flavor.

Egg wash

• Egg wash—one egg beaten with a tablespoon of water or milk—brushed on the crust adds a golden-brown, glossy finish.
• Substitute: You can also brush the crust with milk or cream.

Additional sugar for sprinkling

• Sprinkling additional sugar on the egg wash adds additional sweetness and some crunch.

How to Make Rhubarb Pie

Make the Sour Cream Pie Crust

1. Combine the dry ingredients: In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt.
2. Add the butter: Cut in the butter with a pastry blender (or rub in with your fingers) until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
3. Finish the dough: Working quickly, stir in the sour cream, then bring together with your hands just until a dough has formed.
4. Refrigerate dough: Wrap well with cling film and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or up to 1 day.

Make the Rhubarb Pie

5. Make the rhubarb filling: Just before assembling the pie, make the filling—combine the rhubarb, sugar, cornstarch, and orange zest in a large bowl and set aside.

6. Divide dough and roll bottom crust: Divide the dough in half and on a floured surface, roll out one portion into a ⅛-inch (3 mm) thick circle.
7. Place bottom crust in pie tin: Line a 9-inch (23 cm) pie dish with the dough and brush the edges lightly with egg wash.

8. Put the filling in the crust: Add the rhubarb filling and dot with the butter.

9. Roll out and place top crust: Roll out the second portion of dough and drape over the filling.

10. Seal and crimp crust: Press the edges together, trim to a 1-inch (2 ½ cm) overhang, then tuck under and crimp.

11. Finish crust: Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar, then cut slits in the top for venting.

12. Prepare to bake: Refrigerate the pie for 30 minutes while you preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Place a foil-lined baking tray on the middle rack in the oven to preheat.
13. Bake pie: Bake the pie on the pre-heated tray for 55-60 minutes or until the juices are bubbling and the crust is golden brown. (If the crust is browning too quickly, loosely tent with foil.)
14. Cool: Cool for at least 4 hours before slicing to allow the filling to set.

12. Chill pie: Cool for at least 4 hours before slicing to allow the filling to set. Serve at room temperature.

FULL (PRINTABLE) RECIPE BELOW! 

Gemma’s Pro Chef Tips

• Work quickly. When making pastry, always work quickly so the butter doesn’t melt. This will help the crust bake up flaky!
• Chill the crust before rolling. This helps keep the butter firm and allows the gluten to relax, making the pastry easier to handle.
• Use the full amount of sugar. The amount of sugar might look like a lot for the filling, but it’s necessary because rhubarb (like cranberries) is very tart. Even with this amount of sugar, the pie will be quite tart but deliciously so.
• Strawberry rhubarb option: If you like Strawberry Rhubarb Pie, replace 2 cups of the rhubarb with sliced strawberries, and because strawberries are juicier, increase the cornstarch to 4 tablespoons.
• Toss well. Toss the cornstarch thoroughly with the fruit to avoid lumps.
• Refrigerate before baking. Chill the assembled pie to firm up the butter and help the crust hold its shape during baking.
• Use a baking sheet. While the pie chills, preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C) and place a foil-lined baking tray on the middle rack in the oven to preheat. Bake the pie on the preheated tray to ensure a crisp bottom crust and to catch any juices that bubble up and over.
• Bake until the filling is bubbling vigorously. This will activate the cornstarch so the pie sets up properly.
• Cool before serving. Let the pie cool completely (for at least 4 hours) before slicing for clean cuts.

Make-Ahead and Storage Instructions

Make-ahead tips

• You can make the Sour Cream Pie Crust, wrap it well, and refrigerate it for up to two days.
• For more extended storage, freeze the dough for up to two months. Wrap the dough well in plastic wrap, then place it in a freezer-safe bag or container. and freeze for up to two months.
  • Defrost overnight in the fridge before using.

How to store leftovers

• Store leftovers loosely covered at room temperature overnight or refrigerate for up to 2 days.

How to Serve Rhubarb Pie

• Serve at room temperature with some whipped cream.
• For a tangier accompaniment, serve sour cream or crème fraîche with the Rhubarb Pie.
• A slice of rhubarb pie is excellent served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
• Put out a pitcher of Crème Anglaise with the pie.
• Serve with sliced strawberries or macerated strawberries.

FAQs

Can I make this pie gluten-free?

• Yes, you can make this pie gluten-free.
• Simply use my Flakiest Gluten-Free Crust instead of the Sour Cream Crust.

What other crusts would work well with this Rhubarb Pie?

• For this pie, you can use my Simple Homemade Crust, Buttermilk Pie Crust, Best All-Butter Pie Crust, and Gluten-Free Pie Crust.

How do I make sure my pie filling isn’t runny?

• To ensure the pie filling isn’t runny, use the recommended amounts of sugar and cornstarch.
• Additionally, make sure the filling is bubbling thickly.

What’s the best way to ensure that the bottom crust is crisp?

• I recommend baking the pie on a preheated baking tray.
• While the pie is chilling in the fridge, preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
  • Place a foil-lined baking tray on the middle rack in the oven to preheat.
  • Bake the pie on the preheated baking tray for a crisp, golden-brown crust.
  • Bonus—cooking on the baking tray also catches any juices that bubble up from the pie.

More Spring and Summer Pie Recipes

• Blueberry Strawberry Pie
• Raspberry Meringue Pie
• Lemon Blueberry Pie
• Raspberry Linzer Torte
• Fresh Strawberry Pie

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