Indulge in the satisfying fruit flavors of this cherry rhubarb pie, where sweet cherries and tangy rhubarb create a perfect balance of sweet and tart—a delightful alternative to the popular strawberry rhubarb combination.
Is there another pairing that defines spring as well as strawberry and rhubarb? Probably not. Yet strawberries aren't the only fruit that goes well with rhubarb. In fact, most fruits with a bit of sweetness have the potential to complement rhubarb just fine.
Personally, I love a good cherry pie and that's where my mind went. Sweet cherries, which are showing up in stores this time of year, are a great choice to partner with the tartness of rhubarb.
While we're talking rhubarb, if you're looking for more ideas for putting this springtime vegetable (yes, it's considered a vegetable) to use, go check out my rhubarb oat breakfast cake, rhubarb and apple chutney with pork chops, and ginger rhubarb and gin cocktail. I'll wait.
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This recipe, which I've played around with for the past year before being happy enough to post finally, is a well-balanced cherry rhubarb pie. It's not so sweet that you lose the star ingredients, yet it's not so tart either. Even those who don't typically like rhubarb will enjoy this pie.
Although you may not find as many recipes pairing cherries and rhubarb, I think it's a winning combo. Cherries, even the sweet ones, have a bit of underlying tartness that jives well with rhubarb. I also love them in my Brownies with Cherry Pie Filling, Cherry Apple Crisp and Cherry Tiramisu.
🍒Ingredients
With a crunchy almond crust, and a hint of bourbon in the filling, the ingredients in this cherry rhubarb pie are sure to satisfy.
- Almonds are ground up and baked into the crust. An excellent flavor complement to cherries and rhubarb.
- Flour for the pie crust.
- Butter makes the best pie crust, if you ask me. Which you did, right?
- Cherry jam helps make a thicker filling while adding more flavor. If you don't already have some, use whatever brand you can find.
- Sugar for sweetness. Typical granulated white sugar works fine.
- Cornstarch for thickening the filling.
- Rhubarb is a key ingredient here. If you're not growing your own, you should give it a try. It's easy and comes back every year. Otherwise, ask your friends for some from their patch or check the spring and early summer farmers market.
- Sweet cherries - You should find sweet cherries popping up in the grocery store by early summer. At least, I do here in New England.
- Lemon zest for flavor.
- Bourbon has always been my cherry pie's secret ingredient. Now you know. If you don't have some or don't want to use it, a splash of vanilla and an equal amount of water are fine.
- Cinnamon for just a hint of spice.
- Egg yolk for an egg wash to brush the crust and get a nice golden color.
- Coarse sugar (optional) to add a sprinkle of sweet crunch to the crust.
See the recipe card below for quantities.
🥧Substitutions & Variations
- Sour cherries can work in this pie if you don't mind things on the tart side. I tested it with them and enjoyed it just fine, though it may not be for everyone. In this case, you may want to increase the sugar some more.
- The almonds can be left out and replaced with an equal amount of additional flour.
- The bourbon can also be left out. (It's probably not worth going and buying a bottle if you don't already have some.) Use a couple of teaspoons of vanilla extract instead and a couple of tablespoons of water to compensate.
- Make it a gluten-free cherry rhubarb pie by using a gluten-free flour blend. I've made a few pies using this DIY blend from Minimalist Baker and they turned out well.
- I can't not make a lattice top crust with cherry pie. It just gives it that classic look. But you do you. Feel free to cover the top with a solid sheet of dough. Just make a few holes in the middle for venting.
⏲️Instructions
If you want to do some advance prep and save time, pit the cherries, chop the rhubarb, and make the pie dough 1-2 days before you bake. Keep it all in the fridge until you're ready.
Start by finely grinding the almonds in a food processor. Then add flour, salt, and butter. Process until a solid dough forms.
Divide the dough into two even pieces and put in plastic wrap or bags. Press into rounds. Pop them into the fridge while you make the filling.
Pit the cherries if you haven't already.
Cook the jam and sugar over low heat until dissolved. Combine cornstarch and bourbon and add to the pan with cinnamon, lemon zest, and salt. Cook for a couple of minutes until thickened.
Add the rhubarb and cherries to the pot and stir to coat. Let cool. Preheat the oven to 425 F.
Let one of the dough rounds warm up for a few minutes, then roll out 10-11 inches wide. You want the dough to be larger than your pie dish. Spread across your pie plate.
Pour the filling into the pie plate lined with dough. Fill just enough to reach the top of the plate. Don't overfill or it will bubble over during baking.
Spread the other round of dough over the top of the fruit. Cut or decorate the dough how you like and pinch the dough to seal the top and bottom pieces.
Beat the egg yolk with a splash of water. Brush this over the top of the pie. Place the pie dish on a baking sheet on a rack in the middle of the oven.
Bake for 20 minutes, then lower the heat to 350 and bake for another 45 - 55 minutes. The crust should be golden brown, and the filling should be bubbling in the center of the pie.
Allow the pie to cool for at least an hour after taking it out of the oven. This really helps give some time for the filling to set. Top with vanilla ice cream, if you like, and serve.
Optional: When you lower the oven temp you could sprinkle the pie with some coarse sugar for a little added sweet crunch. I'm a fan of King Arthur Baking's sparkling sugar. I pick up a jar whenever I visit their store here in Vermont.
📋Helpful Tips
Pie plates and tins can vary in size. The standard is considered 9 inches, but the few I own range from 9 to 10 inches wide and 1 to 2 inches deep. This is fine, but just know that you may end up with more or less filling and dough. Work with what you have and don't worry about it being perfect. I've never made a perfect pie.
Don't overfill the pie plate. When it comes to a pie with a fruit filling that will bubble up and get liquidy as it bakes, is that you just have to remember that you don't want to overfill your pie tin. Fill it only to the top or just below. Do not mound it up like an apple pie. It's ok to have a pie be a little less full if that's how it turns out, compared to one that bubbles over, drowns the top of your crust, and burns on the bottom of your oven.
Keep the pie dough as cold as possible throughout the process. Try to roll and handle it as little as possible. And if you need time in between steps, pop the pie or dough bak into the fridge to keep cool while you prep the next step.
Bake the pie on a baking sheet just in case it bubbles. I don't know about you, but I hate cleaning burnt stuff off the bottom of the oven.
🥄Equipment
- A pie tin or plate. A 9 - 9 ½ inch pie plate will do the job. I like glass ones. That way, you can see how much the crust has browned while it bakes.
- A rolling pin. If you don't have one handy, try a large glass bottle. I've had no problem using a wine bottle when necessary.
- A cherry pitter. If you buy and use cherries often, a cherry pitter is a game changer. I love this Oxo Good Grips Cherry Pitter. I've also used a straw to pit cherries in a pinch, so try that if you have to.
🍴Storage
If it lasts, you can store this cherry rhubarb pie covered at room temperature for up to three days. But if it's summer when you make this, and your house is warm, keep it in the fridge.
💭FAQ
The almonds in the pie crust here will help add some extra crunch and structure to the bottom crunch and help prevent a soggy bottom. It's also important to keep the pie dough as cold as possible and work it as little as you can to prevent it from getting too warm. See the tip up above. If you're wondering if you should prebake your crust here, I just don't think that's necessary.
Both can work, but I prefer cornstarch. It works quickly and you don't taste it in the pie like you often do with flour.
Hopefully, that's not the case if you follow the recipe here. That's why there's cornstarch in the filling - to help thicken things up. You also want to make sure that you've baked your pie long enough so that the filling is bubbling all the way in the middle of the pie, not just around the edges. Also, letting the pie cool completely after baking will help it to set.
☕ Pairing
This pie would go great with these beverages:
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📖 Recipe
Cherry Rhubarb Pie
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
Description
A satisfying cherry rhubarb pie made with sweet cherries and fresh rhubarb for a perfect balance of sweet and tart. A great alternative to the popular strawberry rhubarb combo.
Ingredients
For the crust:
- ½ cup almonds
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 sticks of cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
- 6 tablespoons of iced water
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tablespoon coarse sugar (optional)
For the filling:
- 2 pounds of sweet cherries
- ½ cup cherry jam
- ⅔ cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons bourbon
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
- 12 ounces rhubarb, chopped into ½ inch pieces (about 2 cups)
Instructions
- Make the crust. In a food processor, pulse the almonds until finely chopped. Add the flour, sugar, and salt and pulse a few times to combine. Add in the butter, and pulse a few times until the texture is crumbly, then add in water until a dough forms.
- Remove the dough from the processor, divide the dough in half, wrap each in plastic, and flatten them into round discs. Place in the fridge for 30 minutes to chill while you make the filling.
- For the filling, start by pitting the cherries. Set aside. In a medium-sized pot, combine the jam and sugar. Over low heat, stir until the sugar is dissolved. Whisk together the cornstarch and bourbon then add to the pot. Continue to cook until thickened. Add the pitted cherries, cinnamon, salt, zest, and rhubarb, and toss to coat. Set aside to cool.
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. While the filling cools, take one of the discs out of the fridge. Remove the plastic and place it on a lightly floured counter. Roll out with a rolling pin until about 10 inches wide. Place in your pie plate and adjust as needed. Pour in the filling.
- Roll out the second disc of dough. You can use it as a whole with a few holes for venting, cut into strips for a lattice topping, or however you prefer. Pinch or squeeze together the top and bottom crusts. Beat the egg yolk with a splash of water and brush over the dough.
- Place the pie on a baking sheet and place in the middle of the oven. Bake for 20 minutes. Lower the heat to 350 F and sprinkle with the sugar, if using. Bake another 45-55 minutes until the crust is golden and the filling is bubbling. Allow to completely cool for about an hour before serving.
Notes
The bourbon can be subbed with 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract and 1 tablespoon of water.
You may have a little extra filling and dough depending on the size of your pie plate. Cook/bake this as you like.
If you want to save some time, feel free to use a premade pie crust instead of making your own. Just skip those steps.
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 75 minutes
- Category: Desserts
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
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Steve says
Cherries and rhubarb are a great combo and go really well with the almond flavor of the crust.