Strawberry Rhubarb Hand Pies are a delightful portable dessert for spring and summer. A sweet-tart strawberry and rhubarb filling is tucked into a buttery, flaky pie crust. Add a light glaze for color, or serve them plain and warm from the oven for a simple, irresistible treat.
Why You’ll Love These Strawberry Rhubarb Hand Pies:
- Delicious fruit filling – Strawberries and rhubarb balance each other with sweet and tart notes, making an ideal hand pie filling. Use in-season fresh fruit or frozen fruit any time of year.
- Easy to customize – Swap fresh or frozen fruit, use store-bought pie dough when short on time, double the batch, or change the cutter shape to suit your occasion.
- Portable and shareable – These individual hand pies are perfect for picnics, potlucks, barbecues, or any gathering where guests are on the move.
- Make-ahead friendly – While best baked fresh, the filling and dough can be prepared ahead. You can even assemble and freeze unbaked pies to bake later.
Ingredient Overview
The full recipe with exact measurements and instructions appears in the recipe card below. Use the table of contents to navigate.
- Strawberries and rhubarb – Fresh or frozen works. If using frozen fruit, do not thaw before chopping.
- Cold butter – Salted butter adds flavor and helps create a flaky crust; use unsalted if preferred.
- Thickener – Cornstarch or tapioca starch both work to thicken the filling without pectin.
- Pie dough – Homemade pie crust yields the best texture, but store-bought dough is a fine shortcut.
Recipe Variations and Substitutions
Dairy-free: You can try a non-dairy butter substitute in the crust, though results may vary.
Gluten-free: This recipe has not been tested with gluten-free crust, but you could experiment with a GF pie dough.
Fruit swaps: Use the same method with other fruit fillings like blueberries, cherries, or peaches to match seasonal produce.
Store-bought crust: For convenience, pre-made pie dough works well and speeds up prep.
How to Make Strawberry Rhubarb Hand Pies
Step 1: Make the pie crust. Start with cold butter and chilled water. Cut cold butter into flour and salt until the mixture is crumbly with some pea-sized pieces. Add ice-cold water one tablespoon at a time until the dough just comes together. Form into a disc, wrap tightly, and chill at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours.
Step 2: Make the strawberry rhubarb filling. In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, melt butter and add strawberries, rhubarb, vanilla, lemon juice, lemon zest, sugars, and starch. Stir to combine, cover, and cook 15 minutes without stirring. Remove from heat, stir, cool to room temperature, then chill at least 3 hours or overnight to thicken.
Step 3: Prep for assembly. Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats. Make an egg wash by beating one egg with a splash of water.
Step 4: Roll out the dough. Let chilled dough sit at room temperature 10 minutes, then roll to about 1/8″ thickness. Cut shapes with a cookie cutter or glass; each pie needs a top and a bottom. Gather scraps, chill, and re-roll as needed.
Step 5: Assemble the hand pies. Place bottom cut-outs on the prepared sheet, spoon about 1 teaspoon of chilled filling onto each, brush the edges with egg wash, then place the top piece over the filling. Press the edges to seal, crimp with a fork, brush with egg wash, and sprinkle with raw sugar if desired. Cut a small slit or vent in the top before baking.
Step 6: Freeze or bake. Bake for 15–22 minutes until golden and bubbling. If freezing, freeze assembled unbaked pies on a sheet until solid, then store airtight for up to 3 months. Bake from frozen—do not thaw—adding egg wash and sugar then baking as directed.
How to keep them from getting soggy
Do not overfill the pies and seal the edges well with egg wash. Chilling the filling before assembling also helps minimize excess moisture.
Serving and Storing
Serve warm, ideally with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. These hand pies are best the day they’re baked; the crust loses crispness by the second day. If you must store leftovers, keep them in an airtight container and reheat briefly to revive texture.
Expert Baking Tips
Oven thermometer: Use one to confirm your oven runs at the correct temperature for consistent results.
Kitchen scale: Weighing ingredients, especially flour, improves accuracy and repeatability.
Glaze: A light glaze is optional—taste both ways to decide which you prefer.
Make-ahead filling: The filling can be made up to a week ahead and refrigerated; it flavors nicely over time.
Freeze assembled pies: Freeze unbaked pies on a sheet until firm, then store in an airtight container. Bake from frozen without thawing, adding egg wash and sugar before baking.
Can I halve this recipe?
Yes. The filling recipe yields about twice what you need for the hand pies, but the extra is delicious on toast, yogurt, or ice cream.
Special Tools
- Rolling pin – for even dough thickness.
- Cookie cutters – any large cutter will work; stars, rounds, or rectangles are all fine.
- Pastry brush – for applying egg wash to seal and glaze the pies.
Give these strawberry rhubarb hand pies a try and enjoy the bright flavors of the season. Happy baking!
More Summer Dessert Recipes To Love:
Desserts & Baking
Peach Cobbler Cheesecake
Cookies
Peach Cobbler Cookies
Cake & Cupcakes
Pineapple Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Cheesecake
Black Forest Cheesecake
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Strawberry Rhubarb Hand Pies
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Ingredients
For the Strawberry Rhubarb Filling:
- 8 ounces strawberries, quartered (if using frozen, do not thaw)
- 6 ounces rhubarb, chopped (if using frozen, do not thaw)
- 1 TBSP salted butter
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1/2 cup granulated or cane sugar
- 2 TBSP packed brown sugar
- 1 tsp corn or tapioca starch
For the Pie Crust:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 3/4 sticks salted butter, cold (14 TBSP)
- 1/3 cup + 2–3 TBSP ice cold water
For Finishing:
- Raw sugar, optional, for sprinkling
- 1 large egg, for egg wash
Instructions
- Make the pie crust: Keep butter and water cold. Whisk flour and salt, cut in cold cubed butter until crumbly. Add ice water gradually until dough just comes together. Form into a disc, wrap, and chill in the fridge at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours (or freeze 30 minutes).
- Make the filling: Melt butter over medium-low heat, add strawberries, rhubarb, vanilla, lemon juice and zest, sugars, and starch. Stir, cover, and cook 15 minutes without stirring. Remove from heat, stir, cool to room temp, then chill at least 3 hours.
- Prep: Line baking sheets, preheat oven to 400°F, and make egg wash (1 egg + splash of water).
- Roll the dough: Let dough rest 10 minutes, then roll to 1/8″ thickness and cut shapes. Re-chill scraps between rollings to keep butter cold.
- Assemble: Place bottom cut-outs on a sheet, add about 1 tsp filling to each, brush edges with egg wash, top with another cut-out that has a small vent, press to seal, crimp with a fork, brush with egg wash, and sprinkle raw sugar if desired.
- Bake: Bake 15–22 minutes until golden and bubbling. Allow to cool slightly before serving.
- Serve + store: Best the day of baking with ice cream. Filling can be made up to 4 days ahead; crust can be frozen up to 2 months. Assembled unbaked pies can be frozen for up to 3 months; bake from frozen without thawing.