Desserts
September 21, 2026
Strawberry Rhubarb Recipes
Strawberry rhubarb recipes for spring: a 15-minute sauce, an easy crisp, and a pie filling that sets, with one simple rule for how much sugar to use.
Rhubarb season is short, so when those pink stalks show up at the market in spring, grab a couple of pounds. Tart rhubarb and sweet strawberries balance each other so well that you barely need a recipe, but a few good strawberry rhubarb recipes help: a 15-minute sauce, an easy crisp, and a pie filling that actually sets. Here's how to prep the stalks, how much sugar to use, and how to freeze extra for later.
Prepping Rhubarb
- Cut off every bit of leaf. Rhubarb leaves contain oxalic acid and should never be eaten. Only the stalks go in the pot.
- Trim the ends and rinse.
- De-string only if needed. Very thick stalks can be fibrous. Catch the strings with a paring knife and pull them off.
- Cut into ½-inch pieces so they cook at the same pace as the berries.
Look for firm stalks that snap when you bend them. Red, pink, or green all taste the same; red just looks prettier in the dish.
How Much Sugar?
This is the question that trips people up, so here's one rule for all three recipes: plan on about 2 tablespoons of sugar per cup of half-strawberry, half-rhubarb fruit, then taste. Riper berries need less. More rhubarb needs more.
| Recipe | Fruit (half and half) | Sugar |
|---|---|---|
| Sauce | 4 cups | ⅓–½ cup, to taste |
| Crisp filling | 4 cups | ⅓ cup (the topping adds more sweetness) |
| Pie filling | 5 cups | ⅔ cup |
A 15-Minute Sauce
The easiest way in. Spoon it over yogurt, pancakes, oatmeal, ice cream, or pound cake.
- 2 cups chopped strawberries
- 2 cups chopped rhubarb
- ⅓ cup sugar, plus more to taste
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- A pinch of salt
Combine everything in a saucepan over medium heat. Simmer 12–15 minutes, stirring now and then, until the rhubarb is soft and the juices look syrupy. Taste and add sugar a tablespoon at a time, up to ½ cup total. It thickens as it cools. Makes about 2 cups and keeps a week in the fridge.
An Easy Crisp
Filling:
- 4 cups strawberries and rhubarb (half and half)
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
Topping:
- ¾ cup old-fashioned oats
- ½ cup flour
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- A pinch of salt
- 5 tablespoons cold butter, cubed
- Heat the oven to 375°F and grease an 8x8 dish.
- Toss the fruit with the sugar, cornstarch, and lemon juice, then spread it in the dish.
- Mix the oats, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Rub in the butter with your fingertips until it forms clumps.
- Scatter the topping over the fruit.
- Bake 30–35 minutes, until the fruit bubbles at the edges and the top is golden.
- Let it cool 15 minutes, then serve warm with vanilla ice cream.
Prefer a printed recipe with a crumb-cake twist? The strawberry rhubarb crumble has a buttery, lemony topping.
Pie Filling That Sets
Runny pie is the classic strawberry rhubarb heartbreak. Rhubarb throws off a lot of juice, so a few things matter:
| Do this | Why |
|---|---|
| Use 4 tbsp cornstarch per 5 cups fruit | Enough to handle all that juice |
| Let the fruit sit with the sugar 15 minutes, then pour off some juice | Less liquid in the crust |
| Bake until it bubbles in the center, not just the edges | Cornstarch only thickens once it boils |
| Cool at least 3 hours before slicing | The filling sets as it cools |
For a 9-inch pie: 5 cups fruit (half and half), ⅔ cup sugar, 4 tablespoons cornstarch, 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Bake at 400°F for 20 minutes, then at 350°F for 35–45 minutes more, until bubbling in the middle. Shield the edges with foil if they brown too fast. Or follow the full strawberry rhubarb pie recipe, crust and all.
Fixing Common Problems
Too tart. Add sugar a tablespoon at a time, or swap in more strawberries.
Runny. Not enough cornstarch, or it came out of the oven before the center bubbled. Cool it completely before cutting.
Mushy. Rhubarb goes from tender to mush fast. Stop cooking when it's just soft.
How Much Rhubarb to Buy
One pound is about 3 cups chopped, or 4–6 medium stalks. For the sauce or the crisp, you'll need about 4 stalks. For a pie, about 5. Buy a little extra, since trimming takes some weight.
Freezing for Later
Wash and dry the fruit well. Cut the rhubarb into ½-inch pieces and hull and halve the strawberries. Spread everything on a sheet pan and freeze until solid, about 2 hours, then bag it. Frozen rhubarb keeps up to a year. Use it straight from frozen in sauce; for pies and crisps, thaw and drain it and add an extra tablespoon of cornstarch.
When Rhubarb Isn't Around
These strawberry desserts carry you through the rest of the year:
- Easy Strawberry Shortcake. About 40 minutes. Spoon the sauce over it for a spring twist.
- Strawberry Pretzel Salad. The potluck classic, or try the handheld strawberry pretzel salad bars.
- Fresh Strawberry Cake. About an hour, start to finish.
Cook's Tips
- Bake the pie low. Set it on a rimmed sheet pan on the lowest oven rack. The bottom crust browns better close to the heat, and the pan catches any juice that bubbles over.
- Macerate first for the sauce. Toss the fruit with sugar and let it sit 20 minutes before heating. It releases juice, so nothing scorches in the first minutes of cooking.
- Swirl leftover sauce into overnight oats or freeze it in ice cube trays for smoothies. It keeps 6 months frozen.
Rhubarb Questions
Do you need to peel rhubarb?
No. Trim the ends, remove every bit of leaf, and only de-string very thick stalks.
What's the best ratio of strawberries to rhubarb?
Half and half is classic. Go heavier on strawberries for sweeter, heavier on rhubarb for more tang.
How much sugar does rhubarb need?
About 2 tablespoons per cup of half-and-half fruit. If you're cooking rhubarb alone, start closer to ¼ cup per cup and taste.
When is rhubarb in season?
Spring into early summer, usually April through June.
Recipes in this note
