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    Home » Dessert » Pie

    Rhubarb Custard Pie

    Published: May 28, 2020 · by Elizabeth Waterson · This post may contain affiliate links, which may pay me a small commission for my referral at no extra cost to you! Thank you for supporting Confessions of a Baking Queen!

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    slice of rhubarb custard pie on a white plate with the whole pie and cup of tea in the background on a pink surface

    This simple rhubarb custard pie recipe comes together in a cinch and creates a unique pie you will fall in love with. Step-by-step photos teach you how to make this dessert recipe.

    rhubarb custard pie on a pink surface next to a cup of tea, knife, black and white linen and plates with forks

    I've always loved the combination of these two but normally they are separate, I love having rhubarb crumble and custard. So you can imagine my spark of interest upon stumbling across this pie.

    The pie is so unique, it's addicting, at first you might question if you love it but then you'll find yourself going back for more. It's not overly sweet, and the tart rhubarb against the creamy, sweet custard is perfect.

    We enjoyed this pie chilled and room temperature.

    Next time, try this blackberry pie recipe or my egg custard pie.

    slice of rhubarb custard pie half eaten on a white plate with a silver fork with the whole pie and more plates in the background on a pink surface

    Let's get to the recipe

    Jump to:
    • What is rhubarb
    • Ingredients
    • Instructions for Rhubarb Custard Pie
    • More rhubarb recipes
    • Recipe Card
    • Recipe Ratings & Comments

    What is rhubarb

    While technically considered a vegetable you'll often find rhubarb used in sweet recipes. Kind of the opposite of a tomato, which is technically a fruit but more often found in savory dishes.

    Rhubarb is very tart and sour on its own. So combining the tart rhubarb with this custard base creates a delicious flavor that is not overly sweet, meaning you can eat a few slices without feeling a sugar high! More pie for me please!

    Ingredients

    You don't need a ton of ingredients for this pie recipe.

    • Unbaked 9-Inch Pie Crust. You can use homemade or store-bought. I love Trader Joe's frozen pie crusts. Or use your favorite pie crust recipe, I love my brown butter pie crust.
    • Rhubarb. This vegetable is often used as a fruit would be in baking. You'll want to cut the stems into ½ inch pieces (roughly 3 ¼- 3 ½ cups). Frozen rhubarb should work just fine for this recipe, but do not thaw the rhubarb before using it.
    • Sugar. Just good old granulated/ caster sugar is needed for this recipe.
    • Eggs. You'll need the large size.
    • Heavy Whipping Cream. Also known as double cream this helps give the custard its thick creamy texture.
    • Fresh Orange. We'll be using the orange zest and orange juice. The slight hint of orange pairs beautifully with the rhubarb!! When zesting the orange make sure to only get the top orange layer, the white layer is bitter and doesn't hold the orange oils we are using the zest for.
    • Pure Vanilla Extract. To me most all custard desserts benefit from some vanilla extract, don't use the fake stuff.
    • Salt. Don't skip it, trust me!
    • All-Purpose Flour. Using a bit of flour helps thicken and stabilize the custard.

    Instructions for Rhubarb Custard Pie

    Roll out the unbaked pie shell and place in a 9-inch pie dish, flute edges, or use a fork to create an easy design. Place the pie dish in the freezer to chill the dough for 15 minutes. Whenever you are baking any kind of pie dough or pastry it is a good idea to chill before baking to prevent shrinkage.

    You'll notice I do not pre bake the pie crust, in my experience, and research this is not necessary.

    While pie is chilling preheat the oven to 375F/ 191C.

    three rhubarb stalks chopped into small pieces with a large knife on a wood board on a pink surface

    Chop your rhubarb, if they're thick stalks then cut in half lengthwise then chop into ⅓ inch- ½ inch pieces.

    cream, eggs, sugar, and orange zest in a large glass bowl on a pink surface

    In a large bowl whisk together the sugar, eggs, cream, orange zest and juice, vanilla, salt, and flour, mix until evenly combined. This is my favorite Microplane zester it makes zesting anything so easy!

    custard mixture in a glass bowl on a pink surface
    chopped rhubarb added to custard mixture in a glass bowl on a pink surface

    Add chopped rhubarb and mix to evenly coat all of the rhubarb.

    rhubarb custard pie filling in a glass bowl on a pink surface

    When the pie shell has chilled place it on a baking sheet then pour in the custard rhubarb mixture. The bowl will have a few streaks of custard leftover, I like to use this for the egg wash instead of cracking open a new egg.

    glass bowl with bits of custard left in the bowl with a hand holding a white pastry brush on top of a pink surface

    Just dip your pastry brush in the leftover liquid and gently brush along the crust.

    Use a spatula to press the rhubarb into an even layer.

    hand holding a pastry brush brushing the pie crust of a rhubarb custard pie before baking sitting on a cookie sheet on a pink surface

    Bake the pie for 45-55 minutes, the custard should be set and barely wiggle in the middle inch or so.

    At the 20-minute bake mark I like to rotate the pie, carefully, and if the pie crust is browning too quickly I will use 4 pieces of foil to gently cover the curst leaving the center of the pie still exposed.

    You could also use a pie shield to do this.

    rhubarb custard pie crust covered with pieces of foil on a baking sheet on a pink surface

    Let cool on a wire rack for two hours then wrap in plastic wrap and if desired chill in the fridge for 2 hours, this helps get cleaner slices.

    Serve the rhubarb custard pie, eat room temperature or chilled. 

    rhubarb custard pie missing a slice on a pink surface next to a slice of pie, cup of tea, more plates and forks, and a black and white linen

    Store any leftovers in the fridge for up to 5 days, but pie is best eaten on day 1 and 2.

    You could serve this with fresh whipped cream but I truly don't think rhubarb pie needs anything.

    I do not recommend freezing leftovers of this pie, I find most custard-based recipes do not freeze well.

    slice of rhubarb custard pie on a white plate with the whole pie and cup of tea in the background on a pink surface

    More rhubarb recipes

    For breakfast try my rhubarb muffin recipe.

    If you're looking for a warm comforting recipe try my rhubarb crumble.

    One of my all-time favorite pies, Fruits of the Forest Pie, is made with tons of fruits including rhubarb!

    I cannot wait to try this rhubarb coffee cake, my friend Sam made! Looks delicious!

    ★★★★★ Please let me know if you make this recipe by leaving a star rating and comment below!

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    Recipe Card

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    rhubarb custard pie on a pink surface next to a cup of tea, knife, black and white linen and plates with forks

    Rhubarb Custard Pie

    ★★★★★

    5 from 1 reviews

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    This simple rhubarb custard pie recipe comes together in a cinch and creates a unique pie you will fall in love with. Step-by-step photos teach you how to make this dessert recipe.

    • Total Time: 1 hour
    • Yield: 8 Slices 1x

    Ingredients

    Units Scale
    • 1 Unbaked 9-Inch Pie Crust, homemade or store-bought
    • 1lb Rhubarb, cut into ½ inch pieces (roughly 3 ¼- 3 ½ cups)*
    • 150 grams (¾ Cup) Granulated/ Caster Sugar
    • 3 Large Eggs
    • 6oz (¾ Cup) Heavy Whipping Cream
    • 1 Tablespoon Orange Zest, freshly grated
    • 3 Tablespoons Orange Juice, freshly juiced
    • 1 Teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
    • ½ Teaspoon Salt
    • 3 Tablespoons All-Purpose Flour

    Instructions

    1. Roll out pie dough and place in a 9-inch pie dish, flute edges, or use a fork to create an easy design. Place in the freezer to chill for 15 minutes.
    2. While pie is chilling preheat the oven to 375F/ 191C.
    3. In a large bowl whisk together the sugar, eggs, cream, orange zest and juice, vanilla, salt, and flour, mix until evenly combined. Add chopped rhubarb and mix to evenly coat all of the rhubarb.
    4. When the pie shell has chilled place it on a baking sheet then pour in the custard rhubarb mixture. Use a spatula to press the rhubarb into an even layer. Dip the pastry brush in the leftover custard liquid in the bowl and gently brush along the crust.
    5. Bake for 45-55 minutes, the custard should be set and barely wiggle in the middle two inches or so. Let cool on a wire rack for two hours then wrap in plastic wrap and if desired chill in the fridge for 2 hours, this helps get cleaner slices. Serve pie ever so slightly warmed or cold.  Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 5 days, but pie is best eaten on day 1 and 2.

    Equipment

    two glass pie dishes

    Glass Pie Dish

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    pie shield

    Pie Shield

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    silicone pastry brush

    Silicone Pastry Brush

    Buy Now →

    Notes

    Frozen rhubarb should work just fine for this recipe, but do not thaw the rhubarb before using it. 

    I do not recommend freezing leftovers of this pie, I find most custard-based recipes do not freeze well. 

    • Author: Elizabeth Waterson I Confessions of a Baking Queen
    • Prep Time: 10
    • Cook Time: 50
    • Category: Dessert
    • Method: Bake
    • Cuisine: American

    Keywords: rhubarb custard pie recipe, how to make rhubarb custard pie

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    1. Jim says

      December 08, 2021 at 10:43 am

      Hello there, I was wondering if the pastry needs to be blind baked before having the custard and rhubarb filling added?

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Elizabeth Waterson says

        December 08, 2021 at 11:02 am

        Hi Jim, You can blind bake it if you want- I don't normally have an issue with a soggy bottom but if you are worried I would cover it with pie weights/ dried beans/ dried rice and bake at 375 covered for 10 minutes and then uncovered with fork pricks on the bottom for 5 minutes then fill in the rest of the filling and bake. Just make sure to watch the sides of the pie crust don't burn so use foil or a pie cover. Please let me know if you have any other questions or if you try the recipe I would love to know what you think. XX Liz

        Reply
        • Jim says

          December 08, 2021 at 11:25 am

          Hi Liz, thanks for the speedy reply! Okay thanks for the tips, I've not made a pie with my current oven in a long long time and so I might blind bake it as i'm unsure about the heat distribution from the base. I saw a video on Youtube and some people mention baking on a pizza stone/pizza metal to make sure bases get some baking, so might try that approach in the future instead of blind baking to avoid any burnt edges. I will let you know how it all goes!

          I'm having to use frozen rhubarb, is there a particular reason why you should not let it defrost? Is it because all of the juices from the fruit will release?

          Reply

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    Hiya! I am Elizabeth Waterson, welcome to my treat-filled site. After spending 15 years in the restaurant industry and growing up baking, I wanted to share my love of baking with you all. My step-by-step tutorials will help you learn how to bake at home. Confessions of a Baking Queen (CBQ) has been featured in CBS LA, HuffPost Taste, BuzzFeed, Taste of Home, and more! Here you will find loads of sweet recipes with a few savory ones for good measure. Feel free to message me with any questions! Happy Baking! 

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    Hiya! I am Elizabeth Waterson, welcome to my treat-filled site. After spending 15 years in the restaurant industry and growing up baking, I wanted to share my love of baking with you all. My step-by-step tutorials will help you learn how to bake at home. Confessions of a Baking Queen (CBQ) has been featured in CBS LA, HuffPost Taste, BuzzFeed, Taste of Home, and more! Here you will find loads of sweet recipes with a few savory ones for good measure. Feel free to message me with any questions! Happy Baking! 

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