Rhubarb custard pie is one of the most delicious ways to eat rhubarb.  The creamy, sweet custard pairs perfectly with the tart rhubarb in this amazing rhubarb pie recipe. 

I've never been a big fan of strawberry rhubarb pie.  To my taste, strawberries are infinitely better fresh than cooked.  I don't like the texture they get in a pie.  Give me straight-up rhubarb any day. Plus, did you know that strawberry rhubarb pie actually came about through a misunderstanding?  There's a type of rhubarb called Strawberry Rhubarb because of its beautiful red color.  Strawberry rhubarb pie is clearly a mistake.  But plain rhubarb pie is a thing of wonder.  It's an old fashioned pie recipe, and it has stood the test of time.  

Rhubarb is a spring crop, but it freezes beautifully, and whenever I see it in the market, I buy a ton, chop, and freeze for use throughout the year. 

I LOVE rhubarb in any form--crisp, crumble, compote, whatnot--but especially in pie.   I made an obligatory pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving yesterday, but I also made a rhubarb custard pie.  The rest of the family can keep the pumpkin pie.  Give me tart fruit and creamy custard any day.

Love pie but not the crust?  Try making crustless rhubarb pie!

Rhubarb Custard Pie Recipe:

• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup half and half
• 2 cups rhubarb, chopped
• cold butter (about 2 Tablespoons, for dotting)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.  Line a 9" pie tin with pie dough (here's my favorite recipe), but feel free to use pre-made pie crust, too--no shame!

Place the chopped rhubarb in the lined pie tin.  The rhubarb was completely frozen at this point--no need to thaw before making the pie.  Dot with butter.

Mix together sugar, flour, nutmeg, salt, eggs, and Half and Half.  Pour over the rhubarb and butter.

Substitutes for Half and Half

Half and half is simply a commercial product that's half whole milk, half heavy cream.  You can easily substitute half a cup of milk and half a cup of cream for the one cup of half-and-half in this recipe.  I've successfully used both skim milk and 2% milk instead of whole milk, since that's what I typically have on hand.  If you're in the UK, use one cup of Single Cream instead of the half and half.

Roll out more pie dough, cut into strips, and weave over the top of the pie filling to create a lattice top crust.  Brush lightly with water and sprinkle with sugar, if you'd like.  I always like.  Particularly coarse crystals of sugar.  A coarse sanding sugar (look near the sprinkles in the cake decorating section) gives the top of the pie a lovely crunch and texture, and even a little bit of sparkle.

Bake for 50 minutes at 400 degrees.

Let cool completely before cutting and serving, so the custard has a chance to set up completely.  Otherwise you'll end up a delicious, but soupy mess.  

Can you Freeze Rhubarb Pie?

Yes, you can freeze rhubarb pie!  As a custard pie, it's best to bake it, let it cool completely, and then wrap and freeze the pie.  For more information about the best way to make and freeze all kinds of pies, check out my article on freezing pies ahead of the holidays.

Printable Rhubarb Custard Pie Recipe

Want a one page, printable version of this rhubarb pie recipe?  Click on the image below to print or download a PDF directly to your device.

Other Pie Recipes You Might Like:

Other Rhubarb Recipes You Might Like: