Fresh Strawberry Rhubarb Pie with Whipped Cream

5 from 3 votes

Fresh Strawberry Rhubarb Pie with Whipped Cream

This Strawberry Rhubarb Pie is one of my favorite spring and early summer desserts. This delicious fruit pie starts with a flaky, buttery pie crust that's filled with a thick, jammy filling made from cooked rhubarb and strawberries, with fresh strawberries folded in after the filling cools. Each bite is sweet and tart. The pie is finished with swirls of whipped cream on top.

Prep Time40

Cook Time1

Cooling Time3

Total Time3 40

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Calories: 190kcal

Author: Cheryl Norris

Equipment

Ingredients

Pie Crust

1 recipe Single Pie Crust

Strawberry Rhubarb Filling

1 pound (454 grams) fresh rhubarb sliced into 1/2-inch pieces
1 pound (454 grams) strawberries divided
1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
4 tablespoons (32 grams) cornstarch
2 tablespoons (30 ml) fresh-squeezed lemon juice

Whipped Cream Topping

1-1/2 cups (360 ml) heavy cream chilled
3 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions

Make the Pie Crust

Make the pie dough from my all-butter pie crust recipe. Make the version for the single crust pie. Chill the dough for at least 45 minutes and up to 2 days.
Flour your work surface. Roll the dough into a 13-inch circle. When rolling the dough start in the center and roll the rolling pin out toward the edge, but stop at the edge. Don't roll over the edge. Rotate the dough a quarter turn and repeat the rolling. Continue to roll and rotate until the pie dough circle is the right size.
Fold the dough in half and gently lift into a 9-inch pie plate, leaving about a 1-inch overhang around the edge. Gently unfold the dough and press it into the bottom and sides of the pie plate.
Trim the overhang to 1-inch beyond the edge of the plate. Fold the edge under itself so the edge of the dough is even with the edge of the pie plate. Crimp the dough around the edge of the plate with your fingers or seal the edges with the tines of a fork. Refrigerate the dough-lined plate for at least 1 hour.

Pre-bake the Pie Dough

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Place a half baking sheet the oven.
Line the chilled pie shell with aluminum foil. Cover the edges to prevent burning. Fill the pie plate with pie weights or raw beans.
Bake until the edges begin to turn lightly brown, 20-25 minutes. Remove the pie from the oven and remove the foil and pie weights. Place the pie back in the oven and bake the pie for another 5-10 minutes until it is light golden brown all over and the bottom is golden brown (slightly darker than the edges). Let the pie crust cool completely on a wire rack, before adding the pie filling.

Make the Strawberry Rhubarb Filling

Slice 227 grams (8 ounces) of the strawberries and place in a bowl. Wash and slice the rhubarb 1/2-inch thick. Place the rhubarb, sugar, and salt in a stainless steel saucepan and stir until the sugar coats the rhubarb. Let the mixture sit for 30 minutes. This process will begin to draw moisture from the rhubarb.
Combine the cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of lemon juice and stir until there are no lumps. If you don’t have enough lemon juice, use water.
Cook the rhubarb over medium heat, stirring frequently, until about half of the liquid is evaporated. Reduce the heat to medium-low, add the sliced strawberries, and stir continuously as the strawberries release their liquid. Cook until most of the liquid from the strawberries evaporates.
Stir the cornstarch slurry, add it to the fruit. The fruit will be cloudy. Increase the heat to medium-high and cook, stirring continuously for 2-3 minutes until the fruit mixture is shiny. If the fruit starts to stick to the pan, remove it from the heat and continue stirring. We want to cook the rhubarb-strawberry mixture until it no longer has that cornstarch taste.
Place mixture in a heat-proof bowl. Cool it to room temperature and then refrigerate it until completely chilled, about 1 hour.

Assemble the Pie

Slice the remaining strawberries in half or in quarters if larger than 1-1/2-inches. Combine with the chilled rhubarb strawberry mixture. Scrape the rhubarb-strawberry mixture into the pre-baked pie shell and refrigerate. Smooth the top with an offset spatula.
Pour the heavy cream into a mixing bowl and add the powdered sugar. In the bowl of stand mixer or with a hand mixer mix on low speed. When the cream has started to thicken increase to medium speed and mix until soft peaks form.
Pipe the whipped cream around the edges of the pie filling or you can use a spatula it over the filling. If you pipe the whipped cream around the edges you will have enough cream left over to serve with individual slices.

Storing the Pie

Without the whipped cream topping the pie can sit at room temperature for about 4 hours because of the fresh strawberries mixed into the cooked filling. With the whipped cream topping it should be kept in the refrigerator and only brought out when serving it.
To store the pie in the refrigerator for more than 1 day, cover it lightly with plastic wrap and store up to 4 days. Because of the fresh fruit in the filling, don’t freeze this pie.

Notes

Cooked & Fresh Fruit Combo: This pie uses both cooked and fresh strawberries for a thick, jammy filling with pops of juicy fruit in every bite. Let the filling cool completely before assembling.

Blind Baking Pie Crust: Use foil instead of parchment when blind baking. It molds better to the crust and protects the edges more evenly. A metal pie plate gives the crispiest results.

Choosing Rhubarb: Look for rhubarb stalks that are firm with a slight shine; these will have the best moisture content and flavor.

Fresh Strawberries: Taste your strawberries before you start making the filling. My berries were sweet, so 1 cup of sugar was just right. But if your berries are not sweet, you may want to add a little more sugar, about 1/4 cup.

Cornstarch Ratio: For a thick but soft filling, use about 1 tablespoon of cornstarch per cup of filling. Too little will make it runny; too much will turn it rubbery.

Nutrition