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Rhubarb Custard Pie has tart rhubarb, creamy custard and a crunchy crumb topping! It’s a rhubarb dessert you’ll make again and again!
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If you’ve been around here for awhile, you know my love for rhubarb. From Rhubarb Cookies to Rhubarb Berry Jam, I love it all!
Well, there’s just something about tart rhubarb in combination with a sweet, creamy custard that gets me every time. Though I love a classic rhubarb pie, this custard version with that buttery crumb topping (versus a double crust) will always win!
Ingredients Needed
- Pie Crust – You can use my favorite homemade recipe or a store-bought pie crust. Either way, it should fit a 9-inch pie plate. You’ll only need one as we use a crumb topping for this pie rather than a top crust.
- Brown Sugar and White Sugar
- All-Purpose Flour
- Salt
- Eggs – I used Grade A Large
- Milk – Skim, 1%, 2%, whole, almond, soy….whatever you’ve got! Heavy cream is another great option.
- Diced Rhubarb – Use fresh rhubarb or frozen (see tips below if using frozen rhubarb).
- Cinnamon – You can certainly skip the cinnamon if you don’t like the flavor, but I think it pairs really nicely with rhubarb
- Butter – I use salted butter
Preparing Rhubarb for Pie
Pick stalks from the rhubarb plant; just give them a good tug and it should fairly easily come out. Then, you’ll cut off the leaf and the very bottom (where it attached to the plant) and discard. If you get the rhubarb from the grocery store, it may or may not have the leaf on it. Clean the stalks and then dice it.
How to make Rhubarb Custard Pie
There are three main parts of the pie – the crust, the filling and the crumb topping.
Start with the Crust.
Unroll a refrigerated pie crust (or frozen or homemade) into a pie pan. Flute the edges or add whatever design around the edges you’d like. However, don’t spend too much time on it because the majority of it will be covered by crumb topping anyway!
Make the Filling.
The creamy sweet custard filling is a simple combination of sugar, flour, salt, eggs and milk.
Once those ingredients are combined, the diced rhubarb is stirred in. The pie filling is then poured into the unbaked pie shell and spread to an even layer.
Top with the Crumb Topping.
You’ll combine all of the dry ingredients and then mix in the butter until you have a coarse crumb topping. This will go over the filling and the pie is ready to be baked!
To ensure you don’t end up with a messy oven, place the pie over a baking sheet. That way, if anything overflows from the pie, it’ll land on a pan instead of baking onto the oven!
Once it’s is done (the center of the pie is set), let the pie cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes before diving in. This gives it some time to set up a bit, so it’s not a runny mess!
I love topping a slice of this pie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream!
Can I use frozen rhubarb in my pie?
Yes! And I do this often when it’s no longer peak rhubarb season. Simply thaw the rhubarb and drain the excess moisture off. (Don’t press the rhubarb, just let the water at the bottom of the bowl drain out. If it still seems quite watery, stir 1 tablespoon of flour into the rhubarb before adding it to the custard.
Frequently Asked Questions
This pie needs to be refrigerated due to the custard filling. Though I like this pie best when it’s jus slightly warm from the oven, you’ll want to let it cool to room temperature before you cover with a loose sheet of plastic wrap and refrigerate. It will stay good for up to four days.
I don’t recommend it. A custard filling tends to weep once it’s frozen and thawed, so it’s best to enjoy the delicious pie fresh!
There are a couple different reasons it could be runny.
First off, perhaps you forgot the flour or didn’t add the proper amount. The flour helps thicken the filling is super important in the texture of this rhubarb custard pie recipe. Or maybe you forgot to drain the thawed rhubarb. The extra moisture might result in a runny pie. And lastly, you got impatient and cut into the pie before it cooled off! The pie will firm up as it cools, so if you’re wanting it the perfect texture, you’ll want to wait.
The bake time will vary depending on the oven and the type of pie plate you use. When done, the center of the baked rhubarb custard pie will be set and the topping will be a nice golden brown. Grab the pie and wiggle it a bit – if the center is still runny, it’s not done. If there’s just a tiny bit of softness, that’s fine as it’ll set up once it cools.
If you notice that the topping is browning before the pie is set up, you can cover it with aluminum foil to avoid excess browning.
Other Rhubarb Recipes You’ll Love!
Rhubarb Custard Pie
Ingredients
- 1 homemade*, refrigerated or frozen pie crust
Rhubarb Custard Filling
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 3 cups diced rhubarb
Crumb Topping
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 cup butter softened
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Unroll pie crust and place in a pie plate.1 homemade*, refrigerated or frozen pie crust
- In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, flour, salt, eggs and milk; stir in the diced rhubarb.1 1/2 cups sugar, 3 tablespoons flour, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 2 eggs, 2 tablespoons milk, 3 cups diced rhubarb
- Pour the filling into the pie crust.
- In another bowl, combine the dry ingredients for the topping. Then, add the butter and stir until it's crumbly.1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup flour, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 cup butter
- Sprinkle the crumb topping over the custard filling.
- Bake the pie for 40 minutes, then cover with foil and bake an additional 10-15 minutes. The pie is done when the center of the custard filling is set (has very little jiggle).
Should it jiggle as much as a cheesecake jiggles when you first pull it out? Or even less? Is there a jiggle metric we can establish? 1 = Dry Cake and 10 = Jello Jigglers?
I love the idea of a “jiggle metric” ha!! It does jiggle some, but sets up as it cools. The one surefire way to know if the custard is cooked fully is if the internal temp of the pie is 160F or higher. Place the thermometer into the center of the pie and if it’s over 160, it’s done!
This baked up perfectly and tasted great but the crumb topping completely melted into the pie and looked nothing like the photos. I followed the recipe exactly so not sure what went wrong. I don’t particularly care how it looks since it tastes good 🙂
I’ve made this pie three times now, love it except abit too sweet. I am going to try reducing sugar and substituting other sweetneers. I like to tste more of the tartness of the rhubarb. But everyone loved this pie!