Old-fashioned Rhubarb Pie just might be my favorite fruit pie of all. I love the tart-sweet flavor and beautiful pink color of pure rhubarb pie filling.

In my “Perfect Pie Crust” post I end the article with a paragraph about the importance of patience in baking. You’ll see here how I didn’t take my own advice. But we learn from our mistakes, don’t we?

Scroll through the process photos to see how to make Rhubarb Pie from scratch:

a vase holding stalks of red rhubarb — Start with beautiful red rhubarb. Store them in water, like flowers, to keep the stalks crisp.

a bowl of chopped rhubarb with sugar — Toss the fruit with the sugar and let it macerate for 1/2 an hour. This will start to soften the fruit, release the juices and keep the rhubarb filling from becoming mushy.

A rolling pin and pie dough — Use the rolling pin to gently push on the cold dough. Press in one direction and then the other before rolling. Roll from the center out.

a circle of rolled pie dough — Those bits of butter in the dough will form flakes as the crust bakes.

It's important to cut a steam vent in the dough. It's also handy to see if the filling is bubbling. — It’s important to cut a steam vent in the dough. It’s also a handy window to see if the filling is bubbling.

Doesn’t the baked pie look rustic and pretty? I thought it was gorgeous and was so excited to serve it to my family.

But, because I was impatient and convinced myself the center of the filling was fully bubbling when it really wasn’t…well, keep scrolling to see what happened…

Waaat, waaaaaa. This is what happens when you don’t allow the juice to come to a boil all the way to the middle of the pie, the corn starch doesn’t activate and the filling is runny.

a pie with a slice cut and running filling spilling out — You can see how runny and cloudy the filling is. I knew right away it was not fully baked.

Remember, patience is important. This is one corner I shouldn’t have cut. Sigh, 30 years of professional baking and I still screw up…

Tips for making a great rhubarb pie:

Use rhubarb that is plump, crisp and bright red.
Macerate the chopped rhubarb to draw out the juice and to help it keep it shape while it bakes. When uncooked fruit is tossed with sugar, the sugar is drawn into the fruit and reinforces the cell walls. This helps the fruit maintain it’s shape while baking.
I like to sprinkle the top crust with a nice layer of granulated sugar. This make a sweet and crunch top crust that is perfect with the tart filling.
Make sure you bake the pie until the juice are boiling all the way to the center of the pie. When the juice are boiling, that means the cornstarch in the filling is fully activated and will thicken the juices. (Do as I say, not as I did, ha, ha.)
The pie is best the day it’s baked but can be stored at room temperature for several days.

I am obsessed with the unique flavor of rhubarb. You too? Here are a few more recipes for you to try:

If you love this recipe as much as I do please consider giving it 5 stars.

Rhubarb Pie

Name: Rhubarb Pie
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 45 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: baked goods
Ingredients: 1 recipe Perfect Pie Crust; 2.5 lbs (1.12 kg) rhubarb, cut into 1" pieces; 2 1/2 cups (1 lb 4 oz, 560g) granulated sugar; 1 teaspoon finely grated fresh lemon zest; 6 tablespoons (1.5 oz, 42g) corn starch; 1 egg for egg wash; granulated sugar for topping

Yield: 8 portions

Prep Time: 45 minutes

Baking Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes

Pure Rhubarb Pie just might be the best fruit pie of all. The filling has a tart-sweet flavor and beautiful pink color.

Ingredients

1 recipe Perfect Pie Crust
2.5 lbs (1.12 kg) rhubarb, cut into 1" pieces
2 1/2 cups (1 lb 4 oz, 560g) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon finely grated fresh lemon zest
6 tablespoons (1.5 oz, 42g) corn starch
1 egg for egg wash
granulated sugar for topping

Instructions

Prepare the crust

Make the dough according to the recipe. Let it rest at least 2 hours before rolling. Divide the dough in 1/2. Roll one piece of dough to a 12" circle. Roll the dough onto the rolling pin to transfer it to a 9" pie plate. There should be at least a 1 inch overhang of dough.
Roll the other piece of dough to a 12" circle.Sprinkle the dough with flour, fold in 1/2 then sprinkle and fold again. Place the folded dough into the lined pie plate. Cover the pie with plastic wrap and refrigerate while you prepare the filling. This can be done several hours ahead or the night before.

Filling

In a large bowl, combine the rhubarb pieces, sugar and lemon zest. Toss to combine. Allow the fruit to macerate at room temperature for 1/2 hour. Sprinkle the corn starch over the filling and toss to combine.

Assembly

While the fruit is macerating, preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
Remove the pie plate from the refrigerator and take out the folded dough. Pour the filling into the pie plate. Brush the edges of the crust with egg wash then place the top crust on the bottom. Press around the edge of the pan to adhere the two crusts
Trim the crust to even out the edges. Use your fingers or a fork to crimp the crust. Set the pie onto the parchment lined baking sheet.
Use a paring knife to cut an "X" in the center of the pie for a steam vent. Peel back the four pieces to form a opening in the center.
Brush the entire surface with egg wash and sprinkle liberally with sugar. Bake the pie on the bottom rack of the oven for about 1-1 1/2 hours.
The filling is ready when you can see it bubbling vigorously in the middle opening of the crust.
Cool at least 2 hours to allow the filling to set before slicing.

Notes

If the edges of the crust are getting too brown before the filling is ready wrap a piece of foil around the edges of the pie.

The pie will keep at room temperature for several days.

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Cindy

Monday 28th of June 2021

What is 2.5 lbs of rhubarb in cup terms? I'm cutting fresh, not using supermarket scale.

Eileen Gray

Tuesday 29th of June 2021

I would estimate about 3 cups of chopped rhubarb per pound. So about 8 cups total.

Gordon W Subject

Sunday 13th of June 2021

Awesome pie, this is my #1 favorite "PIE"followed by all the otherpies out there!! Thanks!!