Rhubarb Custard Pie

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.

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.

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, all butter pie crust, or my flaky pie crust recipe.
• 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.

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

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!

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

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.

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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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