The old fashioned Rhubarb Pie is tangy-sweet with a classic custard-style base, it’s based on a recipe passed down from my great-grandma.
I get asked a lot from you all where or how I get the recipes that I post. A chunk of the recipes on my site I develop on my own from scratch after doing some research (Like classic monkey bread or biscoff cheesecake bars).
Other times, I just start adding things to a bowl and the result is delicious (Hello, Monster Cookie Bars, which are one of my family’s favorites).
Rhubarb Custard Pie
However, a good many of my recipes are adaptations of family recipes that have been made for years, or even decades. This recipe for old-fashioned Rhubarb Custard Pie was my great grandma’s.
Sometimes, I put a spin on old recipes or alter them to work better, but the recipe below basically straight from my grandma’s.
Old Fashioned Rhubarb Pie
Most of her recipes have bare bone instructions because the assumption was everyone knew what to with the ingredients.
Sometimes it takes me some trial and error to figure out the process for the recipe, so hopefully, I’ve included enough detail for you below 🙂
I was discussing this recipe on the phone with my mom the other day and she mentioned that my dad never complained about her not cooking like his mom.
Instead he kept telling her she needed to get his Grandma’s recipes. So it’s a lot of her recipes that have been passed down.
My mom glued all her favorite recipe cards and cuttings onto pages and put them in a three ring binder.
When I got married, one of my sisters copied all the pages of the cookbook for me and made my own binder by putting the sheets into plastic protector pages.
I love having all the family recipes in one place and I have been adding myself to it. It’s a great idea if someone is getting married in your family.
Rhubarb Pie Recipe
Anyway, this old fashioned rhubarb pie is as classic as you’ll get. Just rhubarb and a simple custard filling baked in a pie shell.
If you’re comfortable baking pies, it’s about as easy as you can get and if you’re new to baking pies, it’s a great easy one to start with.
If you love rhubarb as much as we do, check out the rhubarb streusel muffins, strawberry rhubarb cobbler, rhubarb oatmeal bars, and strawberry rhubarb crisp.
These rhubarb bars and rhubarb coffee cakes recipes are older, but just as good too!
Old Fashioned Rhubarb Pie
Ingredients
- 1 9 inch pie crust, unbaked
- 5 cups diced rhubarb cut ¼ inch thick
- 1 1/4 cup granulated sugar (you can adjusted it up or down ¼ cup to your preferred sweetness)
- 2 eggs cold
- 5/8 cup cold whole milk or ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons milk
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 F. Mix the rhubarb and sugar together. Spread in the pie crust and set aside.
- Whisk together the eggs, cold milk, flour and salt. Pour over the rhubarb. Bake at 375 F for 50-55 minutes or until filling is set.
- Cool completely before slicing. Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
Nutrition
{originally published 5/23/18 – recipe notes and photos updated 5/18/21}
Craving pie, but rhubarb isn’t your favorite? Check out a few more great springtime pie ideas:
Sweet Cherry Crumb Pie from Baker by Nature
Fresh Strawberry Pie by Together as a Family
Blueberry Crumble Pie by Saving Room for Dessert
Tricia @ Saving Room for Dessert says
What a gorgeous pie and so perfect for this time of year. I’ve never had a rhubarb custard pie – this is a must try 🙂
Maureen Ryan says
Similar recipe sent down from mother’s
side. Her recipe uses 1/2 top cinnamon and is double crust. The taste of spring !
Mary says
I’m so glad you like the pie, Maureen!
Mariah Rich says
Hello Maureen, What do you mean by 1/2 top cinnamon? The cinnamon sounds like really good addition!
Thanks☺️
Mariah
Kim says
I just found this recipe on Pinterest and want to try it, but need to clarify how much milk. It says 5/8 cup, which would be 1/2 cup + 2 T, but in parentheses it says 1/4 cup + 2 T. Which is correct? Thanks.
Mallory says
Your right. It should be 1/2 plus two tablespoons. Thanks for catching it. I will fix
Richard says
5/8 cup = 5 ozs. 8 ozs times .625 (5/8)= 5 ozs. 1 divided by 8ths = .125 x 5 = .625
1/2 cup = 4 ozs
2 (T) tablespoons = 1oz, so
4 ozs + 1 oz = 5 ozs or 5/8 cup
Sean Mahan says
There’s no way making a rhubarb pie can go wrong, every single recipe I’ve tried so far were delicious! This one seems amazing as well!
Kim says
Can I use frozen rhubarb?
Mallory says
I would think so.
Bonnie says
I used frozen and the pie was too runny. It wouldn’t even stay in the piece of a pie shape.
Mallory says
I’ve never tried it with frozen rhubarb. Some of my rhubarb recipes I have used frozen. This is what I do:
If you choose to use frozen rhubarb thaw the rhubarb first and let any excess liquid drain off. Don’t squeeze any liquid out, just drain what naturally thaws out of the rhubarb.
Paula Peterson says
You can use frozen rhubarb thaw it out and let it drain well. I also use heavy cream in place of milk a creamer custard and better tasting
Yvonne says
Can you use 2% milk?
Mallory says
Yes. that should work as well.
Shannon says
Made this pie ….. it was delicious. Everyone loved it. Was the perfect combination of sweet and sour and the custard added a nice creamy texture. Will definitely be making this again. Thanks.
Loralyn Miller says
Do you ever prebake your crust or does it not get mushy?
Sammy says
Overall it turned out well, but be advised that a pre-made “9 inch” crust will 100% overflow the second you pour in the egg mix (I found out the hard way, oops). Next time I might try splitting the filling between two pre-made crusts instead.
Jan Schott says
Try the same recipe minus the milk. Seperate the whites and yolks. Use whites for meringue after baking pie 46-60 min at 375 til bubbles. Then cover with meringue, bakes 350 for 10 min, 4” below element. And add 1/4 t nutmeg to pie…. essential.
Kristine Roberts says
Hi there. I so want to try this for my husband, who’s grandma’s rhubarb custard pie recipe is long gone. I tried to make one years ago and the rhubarb was still crispy after baking, which was a bit of a turn off. Does the rhubarb actually soften in this?
Liz Kerr says
So I followed instructions and the 5 cups of rhubarb filled the pie crust with very little room for the custard. After cooking the taste was amazing but the filling was very watery and lots of overflow. Do you have any ideas where we went off track?
Mallory says
Hmmm. What size was your pie plate? Were you using fresh or frozen rhubarb?
Connie says
I make rhubarb pie often. 1.1/2 or less sugar,, depending on the season. 1/2 cup flour .. 3 eggs..I use Pyrex 9 inch plates. Fill the crust with chopped rhubarb. Mix sugar , flour and eggs together. Pour over top of rhubarb in the crust. Perfect every time. Bake at 400 for first 15 minutes.. turn oven to 350degrees for 45 more minutes or till you see pie start to bubble . Enjoy!!!
Mabel says
This was my great grandmas recipe, no custard. Thank you!
Mary says
I’m glad you like it, Mabel!
Bryonie says
This is the best rhubarb recipe I have found. 1 cup of sugar is more than enough.
Stacie B. says
My new go to recipe for this pie!!! The recipe I have been looking for forever!!! Remind me of my grandmas! It is so goo and easy to make. I also added 2 teaspoons of vanilla and lightly sprinkled the top with cinnamon. Delicious!!!
celes wilson says
what pie pan should I be using? tradition 9inch or more of deep dish?
Diane Leah says
***** This recipe was very easy to prepare and you could taste the rhubarb when served. This will be my favorite to prepare and give away. Thank you for sharing it.
Diane
Mary says
I’m so glad you like the pie, Diane!
Gordon W. Subject says
Great recipe Mary. My mother, Mary, made our family lots of rhubarb pies, sauces, and muffins each year our patch of rhubarb yielded the tangy tasting stalks. Thank you for sharing your receipes!! May God bless your kindness and love for your fellow citizens!! Have a great day of love and blessings from our God!! Gordon W. Subject, Houston, Texas 05/31/2021
Mary says
Rhubarb season is the best, isn’t it?
Jill Frank says
Please help! My pie turned out super runny. I followed the directions to a tee with the exception I used heavy cream instead of milk. What am I doing wrong?
The pie tasted delicious, and it looked PERFECT when I pulled it out of the oven but when I cut into it, it was very soupy.
Mary says
It sounds like it wasn’t quite cooked through, Jill. Was it cool when you sliced it?
Cindy Miller says
This is the recipe that my mother-in-law gave me 50 years ago except she also added 1/4 tsp nutmeg and 1/4 tsp cinnamon!! It is delicious 😋!! Have a few family members who love it also! Now just to get my rhubarb to grow, I actually made 2 of them today!
Mary says
Cindy – I love the nostalgia and tradition that surround rhubarb. Thank you for sharing your version.
D says
5/8 cup cold whole milk ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons milk
WHAT IS THIS???? MILK IS USED IN ONE PLACE IN THIS RECIPE, WHY IS IT SPLIT UP LIKE THIS???
Mary says
That does sound a bit confusing, I will clarify it on the post as well. The recipe calls for 5/8 cup but no one has that size measuring cup so it is actually 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons which equals 5/8 cup. I hope that helps.
Raejean Detwiler says
I bake 2-3 of these pies every spring from my mother-in-law’s recipe. I only use 4 cups of rhubarb, half n half instead of milk, dot the top with butter and sprinkle nutmeg on top.
Mary says
That sounds deliciously rich, Raejean.
Vicki says
This is exactly what my Grandmother did with their fresh rhubarb. You are not kidding about bare bones recipes. You better have basic skills in the kitchen to follow them. No instructions, just a list of ingredients and the oven temperature with time to bake. Thanks for the memories!
Mary says
You are welcome, Vicki! I’m glad the pie has been a classic recipe for you.
Garry Weisflock says
Just tried the old fashioned rhubarb pie. Haven’t tried it yet, it’s still in the oven. I think you should check your measurements cause somethings wrong here. No way your going to get it all in a 9″ pie shell
Mary says
My pie pans are fairly average size, maybe slightly deep and it all fits. How much did you have leftover, Garry?
Karen P says
I looked at all the rhubarb/custard pie recipes. My Mom made one and for the life of me, couldn’t find the recipe. I revised them to this: 7 cups of rhubarb, 2 beaten eggs, 1 1/3 c sugar, 4 heaping T flour, 1/8 t cinnamon, and dotted the top with butter.
It’s now in the oven so I’m hoping it turns out good.
Mary says
I hope the result is delicious, Karen. Let me know how the recipe turns out!
Elaine says
This was a great pie. I used closer to 6 C. Rhubarb with 1 ⅓ C. Sugar. I didn’t have whole milk so used 5/8 C. 1% milk and 2 T. half and half. It worked beautifully.
Mary says
That sounds delicious, Elaine. I’m glad that you were able to adapt the recipe to work with what you had available, and that the pie turned out so well as a result. I hope you continue to enjoy the recipe, and happy baking!
Mireille Delisle says
It was OK, lacked a topping or something. Also needed a LOT longer to cook.
Mary says
While we enjoy the pie as written, I’m sure it would be tasty with a crumble topping too.
Janette says
It seems to be the general consensus today that meat is bad for you and veggies/fruit are good for you. Nothing could be further from the truth!!! I was so happy to see this recipe. Our grandmas and great-grandmas knew alot. Rhubarb iis very hard on humans because it contains alot of Oxalates. But, cooking rhubarb in milk, removes about 70% of oxalates. So excited to use this recipe when my rhubarb comes up this year!!! Thank you
Mary says
You’re welcome, Janette. I’m glad you’re enjoying the pie. Happy baking!
EVELYN says
This recipe is exactly what I remember from my own mom and grandma. Over many moves, had lost the original written down one given to me so very happy to find this. Very good! Thanks for sharing.
Mary says
I’m happy to hear that you’re enjoying the recipe, Evelyn. What a great memory.
Billiette Lund says
I used your recipe to take 2 pies to annual church bar-b-que this past Friday. Was a hit!! I used heavy cream for richer custard. Was a little runny but I think the fruit was really juicy. We’ve had a LOT of rain. That can make a difference. Will increase flour next week when I make it again for my gentleman friend! Maybe 3 eggs ??? Dunno! Thanks for sharing recipe and the story. Hello from North Dakota!
Mary says
I’m so glad the pies were a hit! Thanks for saying hi!