How to Make the Best Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Make the homemade pie crust. The first part of making this strawberry rhubarb pie recipe is the homemade pie crust! The key to a successful pie crust is making sure your butter, vegetable shortening, and water are all VERY COLD!

The cold fats—butter and vegetable shortening—is what gives pie crusts that flaky texture, and the ice cold water allows the fats to stay cold and solid.

Chill the pie crust. After you're finished making the pie dough, you'll divide it up into two discs (approximately 1" thick), then tightly wrap in plastic wrap. Place them in the coldest part of your refrigerator, which is usually the very back for a minimum of 1 hour before using them in this strawberry rhubarb pie recipe.

Another good pie dough chilling tip is, after you've rolled it out and placed it into the pie plate (and finished the edges), you can place it back into the refrigerator as you make the strawberry rhubarb pie filling. This will allow the fats to stay solid and even firm up more which can help keep your pie crust from sinking down the baking process.

I must mention too that if making the pie crust is intimidating, you can definitely swap it out for store-bought pie crusts! You can usually find them next to all the cookie dough in your grocery store.

Make the strawberry rhubarb pie filling. The next part of this recipe is making the strawberry rhubarb pie filling which is incredibly easy to do! In a large mixing bowl, you'll mix together the small cut pieces of rhubarb and strawberries, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cornstarch, vanilla extract, lemon juice, and cold cubed butter until the juices form.

When you spoon the strawberry rhubarb pie filling into the pie crust, I would recommend using a slotted spoon to remove some of the excess juices which can make your pie soggy.

Bake the pie! There are two baking times and temperatures for this strawberry rhubarb pie recipe. You will first bake the pie for 15 minutes at 425ºF. Then decrease the oven temperature to 375ºF and bake for an additional 50-60 minutes. You do not need to remove the pie from the oven when you do this.

Quick Tips for Making Easy Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

• I mentioned this earlier, but make sure your butter, vegetable shortening, and water are all very cold! You can add ice cubes to your cold water to help, but just remember not to include the ice cubes.☺️
• Refrigerate your bottom pie crust after placing it in the pie plate while you make the strawberry rhubarb pie filling. It will help keep the fats solid!
• There are TWO baking times and temperatures for this strawberry rhubarb pie recipe. The first is 425ºF for 15 minutes and the second is 375ºF for 50-60 minutes.
• I always like to use a jelly roll pan or cookie sheet underneath my fruit pies just in case any juices escape during baking! You can either place it directly underneath the pie or you can place the pan on the next level below.
• 15 minutes into baking the pie, when you reduce the oven temperature,  I like to add a pie crust shield to keep the edge from getting too dark and over baking. I just bought one similar to this pie crust shield that works really well. You can also use strips of aluminum foil as well. 

How to Avoid the Soggy Bottom Pie Crust

• Go With a Metal Pie Plate. To get a non-soggy bottom blueberry crumble pie crust I recommend using a metal pie plate.
• Chill Your Pie Crust. For the best results, chill your pie crust for a minimum of 1 hour before rolling it out. After rolling it out and placing it in the pie plate, I recommend chilling it in either the refrigerator or freezer while you make the rest of the pie.
• Bake Your Pie on a Preheated Jelly Roll Pan. You can also use a baking sheet or, my preference, a baking steel (for pizza). Place the jelly roll pan on the middle rack, then preheat the oven. Once preheated, place the pie directly on top. I do this when not par or blind baking my pies!
• Egg Wash the Unbaked Bottom Pie Crust. Before adding your blueberry pie filling, brush on a thin layer of egg wash. This helps provide a barrier between the crust and the filling. Don't forget the pie crust edges!

Recommended Baking Tools

• 1, 9" Pie Plate
• Pastry Blender
• Pastry Cutter
• Rolling Pin
• Tovolo Silicone Mat
• Pie Crust Shield
• Jelly Roll Pan or Cookie Sheet. To place underneath the pie plate to catch any juice
• Covered Pie Pan Container
• Pie Crust Cutter. I used this pie crust cutter from Talisman Designs over on one of my Instagram reels and it's great for making your top pie crust look super fancy!