Strawberry Rhubarb Custard Pie is the recipe that Teresa makes every spring from the moment the rhubarb arrives at the market and the strawberries begin appearing alongside it, because it is the most comforting and most completely nostalgic spring pie in all of her baking repertoire. She discovered years ago that adding a custard pour over the fruit rather than simply filling the shell with sweetened raw rhubarb and strawberries and hoping for the best produces something so significantly more extraordinary that she cannot imagine making it any other way.
The custard brings everything together. The eggs, sugar, milk, flour, and nutmeg whisked together and poured over the fruit produce a silky and creamy filling that holds the rhubarb and strawberries in the most beautifully cohesive and completely satisfying slice rather than letting them slide apart and collapse under the fork.
Strawberry Rhubarb Custard Pie is the most classic and completely comforting spring pie that layers fresh rhubarb and strawberries in an unbaked pie shell, pours a simple whisked custard of eggs, sugar, milk, flour, and nutmeg over the fruit, and bakes until the custard is silky and set with a beautiful strawberry jam glaze brushed over the top. Come follow us on Pinterest where we share beautiful spring pie recipes and classic baking favorites from our kitchen every single week.
Table of Contents
Why You Will Love This Strawberry Rhubarb Custard Pie Recipe
This Strawberry Rhubarb Custard Pie recipe is the spring bake that tastes like the most genuinely perfect and comforting combination of nostalgia and seasonal freshness. The custard is the element that elevates this from a simple fruit pie into something much more deeply satisfying and complete. The eggs and milk in the custard produce a silky and creamy binding that holds the tart rhubarb and sweet strawberries together into cohesive slices that hold their shape beautifully and produce the most complete and satisfying eating experience in every single fork full.
The strawberry jam glaze brushed over the top of the pie immediately after baking is the finishing touch that makes this pie look completely professional and adds a beautiful glossy sheen to the surface. Warmed briefly in the microwave and brushed evenly over the still-warm pie, it creates a lacquered surface that looks bakery-window-perfect and adds a concentrated strawberry sweetness to the top of every slice. Our Strawberry Layer Cake makes a beautifully vibrant and equally strawberry-rhubarb-season companion for a complete and stunning spring celebration dessert table.
Ingredients Needed for This Strawberry Rhubarb Custard Pie Recipe
For the Pie:
- 1 (9-inch) Unbaked Pie Shell
For the Filling:
- 3 cups Rhubarb, cut into ¼-inch slices
- 1 cup Fresh Strawberries, halved or quartered
- 1½ cups Granulated Sugar
- 3 tbsp All-Purpose Flour
- 3 large Eggs, room temperature
- 3 tbsp Whole Milk
- 1 tbsp Unsalted Butter, diced into small pieces
- ¼ tsp Fresh Nutmeg, grated
For the Glaze:
- 2 tbsp Strawberry Preserves (seedless preferred)
- ¼ tsp Water
How to Make This Strawberry Rhubarb Custard Pie Recipe
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the unbaked pie shell in a 9-inch pie plate. Set the pie plate on a parchment-lined baking sheet for easier handling and to catch any drips during baking.
In a bowl, combine the rhubarb and strawberries and mix well. Transfer this fruit mixture evenly into the prepared unbaked pie shell. Spread the fruit so it is uniformly distributed across the bottom of the crust with no large empty gaps and no overly heaped areas.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the room-temperature eggs, granulated sugar, whole milk, all-purpose flour, and freshly grated nutmeg until completely smooth and well combined with no visible flour lumps remaining. Carefully pour this custard filling over the fruit mixture in the pie shell, stopping just before it reaches the very top edge of the crust. Scatter the small diced butter pieces evenly across the top of the custard filling. The butter melts during baking and adds a richness and a subtle bronzing to the top surface of the custard, cara mia. Lightly tap and shake the baking sheet to help settle the filling and remove any air bubbles.
Transfer carefully to the preheated oven. Bake for approximately 1 hour, turning the pie halfway through the baking time for even cooking. The pie is done when the rhubarb is completely tender and the custard is fully set with no jiggling anywhere across the surface.
While the pie is in its final minutes of baking, prepare the glaze by combining the strawberry preserves and water in a small bowl. Microwave for approximately 15 seconds until warm and liquid. Brush the warm glaze evenly over the surface of the freshly baked pie using a pastry brush for the most beautiful and even lacquered finish.
Allow the pie to cool completely to room temperature and then refrigerate before serving. Chilling allows the flavors to meld completely and the custard to firm sufficiently for the most beautiful and clean slices.
How to Serve This Strawberry Rhubarb Custard Pie Recipe
Serve chilled from the refrigerator. Allow to sit at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes before serving so the flavors are fully expressed and the custard has softened very slightly from its coldest and firmest refrigerator texture. A generous dollop of freshly whipped cream alongside each slice or a scoop of vanilla ice cream makes this pie feel like the most completely and deeply comforting spring dessert experience.
The glossy strawberry jam glaze on the surface makes this pie absolutely beautiful as a centerpiece at a spring table. Bring it to the table whole and slice it at the table for the most impressive spring presentation. Our Strawberry Pound Cake makes a beautifully dense and equally strawberry-forward companion for a complete and lovely spring strawberry celebration dessert spread.
How to Store This Strawberry Rhubarb Custard Pie Recipe
Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Cover loosely with plastic wrap or foil after the pie has cooled completely. The custard filling requires refrigeration because of the eggs. This pie actually tastes even better on the second day after the flavors of the rhubarb, strawberry, and custard have had time to fully meld and deepen.
Tips to Make This Strawberry Rhubarb Custard Pie Recipe
Cut the rhubarb into consistent quarter-inch slices rather than larger or irregular pieces. Consistent sizing ensures that all the rhubarb pieces cook through to tender at the same rate during the 1-hour baking time. Large or inconsistent pieces produce a filling where some rhubarb is overcooked and mushy while other pieces are still firm and crunchy.
If the rhubarb you are using is particularly sour, which varies by variety and growing conditions, use the full 1½ cups of sugar. If the rhubarb tastes relatively mild and not aggressively tart, you can reduce the sugar by up to a quarter cup without significantly affecting the custard texture.
Helpful Notes for This Strawberry Rhubarb Custard Pie Recipe
Freshly grated nutmeg produces a significantly more fragrant and complex flavor than pre-ground nutmeg from a jar. If whole nutmeg is available, a quarter teaspoon freshly grated from the whole nut produces the most completely beautiful aromatic note in the custard. Pre-ground nutmeg still works if fresh is not available.
The strawberry preserves glaze is more than merely decorative. The warm jam seals the surface of the just-baked custard, prevents the top from drying out during cooling and refrigeration, and adds a concentrated strawberry flavor that intensifies the berry quality of every bite. Seedless preserves are strongly preferred as seeds trapped in the glaze create an unpleasant texture on the otherwise smooth custard surface.
Variation of This Strawberry Rhubarb Custard Pie Recipe
Maria made a version adding a teaspoon of pure vanilla extract to the custard alongside the nutmeg for a warmly fragrant and deeply round custard flavor that was completely extraordinary with the tart fruit. Teresa tried using raspberry preserves in place of strawberry preserves for the glaze for a more vibrant and deeply berry-forward surface that looked stunning and added a pleasantly different flavor accent to the finished pie.
For a more golden and bronzed top, dot the custard surface with small pieces of cold butter rather than room-temperature butter so the butter melts more slowly and produces larger and more visible golden patches across the surface. Our Rhubarb Custard Tart makes a beautifully elegant and equally custard-forward companion for a complete and stunning spring custard dessert celebration spread.
FAQs About This Strawberry Rhubarb Custard Pie Recipe
Do I need to pre-bake the pie shell for this recipe?
A brief 10-minute pre-bake of the pie shell before adding the fruit and custard is recommended to create a protective barrier between the crust and the wet fruit filling. Pre-baking creates a slightly firmer surface on the bottom crust that resists the moisture from the fruit filling during the full hour of baking and produces a significantly crispier base than a completely unbaked shell would deliver.
How do I know when the custard pie is fully baked?
The custard is done when there is no jiggling anywhere across the entire surface when the pie is gently shaken. The rhubarb should be completely tender when a small paring knife tip is inserted into a piece. The top should be set and lightly golden with no wet or shiny patches remaining.
Can I make this with frozen strawberries and frozen rhubarb?
Yes. Thaw both completely and drain off all excess liquid very thoroughly before combining and adding to the pie shell. Frozen fruit retains significantly more moisture than fresh and if not thoroughly drained will add too much liquid to the custard filling. If using frozen fruit, add an extra tablespoon of flour to the custard mixture to compensate for the additional moisture.
Conclusion
This Strawberry Rhubarb Custard Pie is the most comforting and completely nostalgic spring bake that brings back the warmth of every spring afternoon at a grandmother’s kitchen table through the most perfectly balanced combination of tart rhubarb, sweet strawberries, and silky golden custard in every single slice. We hope it brings the same deeply joyful and completely satisfied spring gathering to your table that it has always brought to ours. Make it, share it, and come back to tell us all about it. With all our love, Maria, Lucia, and Teresa.
Strawberry Rhubarb Custard Pie The Most Classic and Comforting Spring Pie You Will Bake
- Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes plus cooling
- Yield: 8 slices 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
The most classic and comforting Strawberry Rhubarb Custard Pie made with fresh rhubarb and strawberries in an unbaked pie shell covered with a silky poured custard of eggs granulated sugar whole milk flour and fresh nutmeg baked 1 hour until set then brushed with a warm strawberry jam glaze for the most beautiful glossy finish. A completely easy and deeply satisfying spring pie.
Ingredients
1 9-inch Unbaked Pie Shell
3 cups Rhubarb cut into 1/4-inch slices
1 cup Fresh Strawberries halved or quartered
1 1/2 cups Granulated Sugar
3 tbsp All-Purpose Flour
3 large Eggs room temperature
3 tbsp Whole Milk
1 tbsp Unsalted Butter diced into small pieces
1/4 tsp Fresh Nutmeg grated
2 tbsp Strawberry Preserves seedless for glaze
1/4 tsp Water
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Place pie shell in 9-inch pie plate on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
2. Combine rhubarb and strawberries. Transfer evenly into pie shell. Spread uniformly.
3. Whisk eggs, sugar, milk, flour, and nutmeg until smooth with no flour lumps.
4. Pour custard carefully over fruit stopping just before the top crust edge.
5. Scatter diced butter over custard surface.
6. Tap and shake baking sheet gently to settle filling and remove air bubbles.
7. Bake approximately 1 hour turning halfway. Pie is done when rhubarb is tender and custard fully set.
8. Combine strawberry preserves and water. Microwave 15 seconds until warm.
9. Brush glaze evenly over surface of freshly baked pie.
10. Cool completely at room temperature.
11. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Dessert, Pie
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American, Southern
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 310
- Sugar: 38g
- Sodium: 140mg
- Fat: 9g
- Saturated Fat: 4g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 52g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 5g
- Cholesterol: 82mg
Keywords: strawberry rhubarb custard pie, homemade strawberry rhubarb pie with custard, classic strawberry rhubarb pie recipe, easy spring custard pie
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