We're highlighting one of our favorite summer fruit pairings in this delicious strawberry-rhubarb pie filling. It's a classic combination that works because the tartness of the rhubarb is perfectly balanced with the sweetness of strawberries. You can use this pie filling to make fried pies, drizzled over the top of your favorite cheesecake, yogurt and vanilla bean ice cream, or as the showstopper ingredient in a strawberry-rhubarb cream cheese pie.
For those of you who have never tasted rhubarb, it tastes a little bit like a slightly under-ripe pear and a sour apple combined. It's delicious and pairs really well with strawberries.
Easy Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie Filling Ingredients
Strawberry-Rhubarb pie filling requires just 5 basic ingredients to make. For the best flavor be sure to use the highest quality fresh summer strawberries and rhubarb you can find. Your local farmer's market is a great place to get them. Here's a glance at the ingredients in this pie filling, but you'll find the full measurements below in the recipe card.
- rhubarb
- strawberries
- pure cane sugar or granulated sugar
- key lime juice, freshly squeezed (sub regular lime juice)
- cornstarch
How to Make Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie Filling Step-by-Step
Making strawberry-rhubarb pie filling takes about 10 minutes to make once you have all of the fruit washed and sliced. Here's an overview of how to make this pie filling recipe, but you'll find detailed instructions in the recipe card below.
Step 1. Cook the fruit mixture with sugar and lime juice to release the natural juices. Remove some of the juice to a small prep bowl.
Step 2. Add cornstarch to the fruit juice and combine until no visible lumps remain.
Step 3. Add the cornstarch slurry to the fruit, heat the mixture to a boil, and cook for about 2 minutes until the mixture coats the back of a spoon.
How to Meal-Prep Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie Filling
If you have an abundance of strawberries and fresh rhubarb, you have a few options to preserve the fruit for making this pie filling later on in the year.
- You can bag and freeze the amount of chopped strawberries and rhubarb called for in the recipe and then remove them from the freezer when you want to make this pie filling.
- You can freeze the fruit, lime juice, and sugar (minus the corn starch) in the freezer. When you're ready to make the pie filling for the holidays, proceed with the instructions.
- You may can (preserve) this pie filling for long-term storage but if you do, you'll need to replace the cornstarch with Clear-Jel and follow the instructions.
Easy Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie Filling Tips & FAQ's
Rhubarb originated in China, where its roots were first harvested and dried for medicinal use.
Rhubarb is tart and tastes somewhere in between an apple and a pear (just not as sweet).
Rhubarb tends to get a little sweeter when cooked but pairs really well with sweeter fruits like strawberries and apples in baked goods and usually tastes even better with a little sugar added to the mix.
Rhubarb stalks may be harvested starting in their second growing season, so patience is key if you're planting this vegetable in your garden.
Rhubarb is technically a vegetable but is legally considered a fruit. In 1947 a New York court declared rhubarb a fruit because it's most often cooked as one in the United States (and, it's said because it was a way to save businesses (who imported these stalks) from spending additional money on taxes.
The stalks of the rhubarb are safe and delicious to eat, but if you grow your own rhubarb, be careful to avoid the leaves, because there are high levels of oxalic acid in them which make the leaves poisonous. At lower concentrations, oxalic acid isn’t harmful to most people. But the amount in rhubarb leaves can cause severe vomiting and at very high levels, it could be fatal.
Top Tips
- Adjust the amount of sugar in the strawberry-rhubarb pie filling if desired. Taste the strawberry-rhubarb mixture as it's cooking and increase the amount of sugar or lime juice to adjust for the natural sweetness and tartness of the fruit.
- If you would like to preserve the strawberry-rhubarb pie filling for longterm storage at room temperature, substitute the cornstarch called for in the recipe and use Clearjel instead. Follow the instructions provided in the packet.
Looking for More Desserts or Fruit Pie Fillings to Make?
Here are a few of our favorite cakes, cupcakes, and other sweet dessert toppers and recipes we think you might also enjoy.
- Flaky Butter and Lard Pie Crust (Easy Recipe)
- Ultimate Cherry Pie Filling Recipe (10-Minutes, Homemade)
- Sweet Cherry Crumb-Crunch Pie w/Scratch Made Cherry Pie Filling & Streusel Topping
- Crispy Southern Fried Cherry Pie (w/Best Fried Pie Dough)
- Easy Classic Cheesecake w/Biscoff Cookie Crust (+ Mini Cheesecake Option)
- Mom's Best Ever Southern Cherry Cobbler Recipe (a family favorite)
- Strawberry-Rhubarb Cream Cheese Pie (No-Bake)
- Flaky Southern Strawberry-Rhubarb Fried Pies (Best Ever Hand Pies)
Or Maybe Chocolate is More Your Style?
Let's get started!
Print📖 Recipe
Easy Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie Filling
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 3 Cups Pie Filling
- Diet: Vegan
Description
We're highlighting one of our favorite combos -- Strawberries and rhubarb in this sweet summertime pie filling recipe. We all know that strawberry and rhubarb go together like chocolate and peanut butter or mozzarella and sweet summer tomatoes. It's a classic combination that works so well together -- the tartness of the rhubarb plus the sweetness of summer strawberries makes a delicious pie filling that can be used to top your favorite no-bake cream cheese pies, cheesecakes, ice cream, or even yogurt. For those of you who have never tasted rhubarb, it tastes a little bit like a slightly under-ripe pear and a sour apple combined. It has a great flavor and deserves a spot in your kitchen while it's in season.
Ingredients
- 10 ounces rhubarb (about 2 ¾ cup), chopped or sliced (275g)
- 14 ounces strawberries (2 cups), chopped (400g)
- 1 cup pure cane sugar, or granulated sugar (200g)
- 2 teaspoons key lime juice, freshly squeezed (or regular lime juice) (12g)
- 2 tablespoon cornstarch (20g)
Instructions
- Cook the fruit mixture. Place strawberries, rhubarb, lime juice, and sugar into a saucepot and cook over medium heat just until sugar is dissolved and the fruit releases some of its juices (after just about 2 minutes of cooking). Remove from heat and pour off approximately ¼ to ½ cup of the juice mixture and place it into a small prep bowl. *At this point, you may cook the pie filling a few more minutes for a softer rhubarb around 5-7 more minutes, or until desired consistency.
- Prepare the cornstarch slurry. Add the cornstarch to the bowl with the fruit juice and use a fork or the back of a spoon to mash and stir the cornstarch into the fruit juice until no visible lumps remain; set aside.
- Add the cornstarch slurry to the fruit. Heat the fruit mixture over medium-high heat and just before it starts to boil, add the cornstarch slurry and whisk constantly as it comes to a boil. *remember a room temperature or cold slurry going into a hot liquid = NO lumps. Reduce the heat to a simmer and continue cooking on low heat until the mixture coats the back of a spoon or about 2 minutes. Remove the pie filling from the heat and pour it into canning jars to cool completely. At this point, you may use the pie filling, or screw on a lid and refrigerate it until ready to use, Enjoy!
Notes
- Adjust the amount of sugar in the strawberry-rhubarb pie filling if desired. Taste the strawberry-rhubarb mixture as it's cooking and increase the amount of sugar or lime juice to adjust for the natural sweetness and tartness of the fruit.
- Substitute lemon juice for lime juice. If you prefer your cream cheese pies to have a lemony flavor, substitute lemon juice for lime juice.
- If you would like to (preserve) the strawberry-rhubarb pie filling omit the cornstarch. Substitute the cornstarch called for in the recipe and use Clearjel instead and follow the instructions provided in the packet.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Pies + Cobblers + Crostate
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ¼ cup
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