The best strawberry rhubarb pie you will ever eat. End of story.
Guuuuuuuuyyyyysss. This is a big day friends. A huge monumental day. Today is the day we talk about pie..but not just any pie. We’ve been talking about pie all week for one reason, and that reason is this….the world’s best strawberry rhubarb pie. It’s only Kevin’s favorite pie in the entire world. And pie is basically his favorite thing to eat ever. And his mom made them all the time.
NO PRESSURE.
Because I enjoy a good challenge and because I get a kick out of impressing people I ran around our little freezing town in February the year we were dating and found rhubarb. In FEBRUARY!
And I surprised him with his very favorite, very red pie on Valentine’s Day. And he proposed the next month. You can put two and two together yes?
It is my firm belief that this pie can make a man fall in love with you. I make no claims on it working on women but feel free to put it to the test and let me know your results. It’s also a useful pie to have in your arsenal when presenting unexciting propositions to the significant other in your life.
“Here honey….have some pie. Oh by the way I’d like to fly across the country darling and go to a photography conference okay?”
It even works on kids, see? Spellbound.
We’ve spent all week talking about making perfect flaky pie crust…
And tying together a perfect lattice crust…
All for one purpose.
To take the most delicious sweet strawberries and tangy tart rhubarb and cover them with sugar and tapioca and love and pour them into that perfect pie crust.
Button it up all perfect like, tuck it in the oven and win someone’s heart again.
And again.
Mom’s Famous Strawberry Rhubarb Pie
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 3 tablespoons quick cooking tapioca
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 pound rhubarb , cut in 1/2 inch pieces (about 3 cups)
- 1 cup sliced fresh strawberries
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 perfect flaky pie crust
- 1 egg for eggwash
- coarse sugar
Instructions
Prepare the Filling:
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the sugar, quick-cooking tapioca, salt, and nutmeg. Stir well to ensure the dry ingredients are evenly distributed.
- Add the rhubarb and strawberries to the bowl. Gently toss the fruit to coat it evenly with the sugar mixture. Allow the fruit mixture to stand for about 20 minutes. This resting time helps the tapioca begin to absorb the juices from the fruit, which will help thicken the filling as it bakes.
Prepare the Pie Crust:
- Roll out one half of your pie crust dough to fit a 9-inch pie plate. Carefully transfer the rolled-out dough into the pie plate, pressing it gently to fit snugly against the bottom and sides.
- Pour the prepared fruit filling into the pastry-lined pie plate, spreading it out evenly.
- Dot the filling with butter, spacing the small pieces evenly across the top.
Lattice Top Crust:
- Roll out the second half of your pie crust dough and cut it into strips (about 1/2-inch wide) for a lattice top.
- Lay half of the strips across the pie vertically, spacing them evenly.
- Fold back every other strip halfway, then lay a strip horizontally across the pie. Unfold the vertical strips over the horizontal strip. Continue this process, alternating the strips until the lattice is complete.
- Trim any excess dough from the edges and crimp the edges of the pie crust to seal.
Egg Wash and Sugar:
- Brush the lattice top with the beaten egg wash. This will give the crust a shiny, golden finish.
- If desired, sprinkle coarse sugar over the top for added texture and sweetness.
Bake the Pie:
- Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C).
- Place the pie in the preheated oven and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the filling is bubbling and the crust is golden brown and fully cooked.
- If the edges of the crust start to brown too quickly, cover them with strips of aluminum foil to prevent burning.
Cool and Serve:
- Once baked, remove the pie from the oven and allow it to cool on a wire rack. This cooling time helps the filling set further.
- Serve slices of pie warm or at room temperature with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side for a classic pairing.
Do you blind bake before adding the filling
We do not!
How do I do this with frozen strawberries and frozen rhubarb please?
Hey Geraldine! I’ve never tried it that way but I would imagine you could. I would probably strain off the sauce once the berries and rhubarb melt and cook that down a bit to reduce the liquid. Then use them in the recipe. But not 100% sure the result since I’ve never tried it. Hope that helps!
Dani
Just made this beautiful pie last night! I couldn’t find instant tapioca pudding at my grocery store, so I used a package of cook and serve tapioca instead. It came out great! It was a little too sweet for my taste, so next time i’ll cut the sugar down to a cup. Thanks for sharing!!
This is great timing for me. I just finally made my first EDIBLE pie and am emboldened to start the quest for the perfect pie. Yay pie!
Yay!!! This is a great one!
I’ve never had strawberry rhubarb pie, even though I love strawberries. Something to try this summer!
Sooo good! Sweet and tangy.
Can the pie be made without the tapioca? What does the tapioca do to the pie’s consistency?
Hi Celeste,
I would not advise doing it without the tapioca. The tapioca is the thickener that makes the pie set well otherwise it tends to be a bit runny.
Hope that helps!
Dani
Ok, thank you! 🙂 Yes, that helps explain things as I didn’t realize you used it as a thickener. Could you also substitute the 3 tbsp of tapioca for cornstarch?
That would be my initial thought as many fruit pies are thickened with cornstarch but I’ve never tested it in this recipe so can’t say for sure. I’d take a look online at what quantities other recipes have that use cornstarch with the strawberry rhubarb for an exact quantity as it may be higher than the 3 tbsp.
Great, thanks a bunch for the advice! 🙂
Your pies and ALL of your delicious cooking win hearts EVERYWHERE you go! This is an awesome post…now I will test my hand at this recipe <3 😉
Wow! I can see why that pie does magical things!
My mom would love this pie because she’s all about rhubarb!
OMG that looks So Delicious!