Easy Rhubarb Pie with an Oatmeal Crumble Crust

Try this Rhubarb Crumble Pie in the spring or summer! The crust is made with oatmeal and you can make it gluten-free by substituting regular flour with gluten-free oat flour! Enjoy!

Do you like rhubarb? Well, today’s your lucky day! :) Our rhubarb patch will soon be ready to pick and so I used up some that was frozen from last year to make Springtime Rhubarb Crumble Pie!

I originally found this fruit pie recipe in a church cookbook but I made some changes to make it a bit more healthy (and equally as delicious). The crumble topping is my favorite part ;) 

See my instructions at the very bottom of this post if you want to make a strawberry rhubarb pie as well.

This is one of the best pies for the spring season to bring to a potluck or a family gathering. And it is personally MY favorite pie!

Springtime Rhubarb Crumble Pie (aka Rhubarb Pie with Oatmeal Crust)

Full List of Wet and Dry Ingredients:

4 cups diced fresh rhubarb, can also use frozen*

*If frozen, let thaw and come to room temperature. Continue by draining off some of the liquid so you do not end up with a soggy pie. Then add sugar as directed under “Directions” below.

1 cup sugar

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

2 Tbsp soft whole wheat pastry flour

1 beaten egg

3/4-1 cup soft whole wheat pastry flour

1/4 tsp. salt

1 cup old-fashioned oats

1/4 cup sugar

6-8 Tbsp butter, melted*

*I often use a whole stick of butter to make the mixture “stick” a bit more. You can start with 6 Tbsp, then add more if needed

Below, I have also listed the ingredients in order of use alongside the directions, grouping them together according to when you need them.

Directions:

4 cups rhubarb, diced (see notes above if using frozen rhubarb) 
1 cup sugar (can use raw sugar if preferred)

1. Combine rhubarb and sugar in a large bowl. Cover with plastic wrap if desired and let sit for 15-20 minutes to juice things up.

Depending on how tart your rhubarb is, you may choose to add more sugar.

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 Tbsp soft whole wheat pastry flour
1 beaten egg

2. In a small bowl, stir together cinnamon, 2 T. flour and egg, and then add to the rhubarb sugar mixture.

3/4-1 cup soft whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup old-fashioned oats
1/4 cup sugar
6-8 Tbsp butter, melted*

*I often use a whole stick of butter to make the mixture “stick” a bit more.

3. Using a medium bowl, make a flour mixture with the flour, salt, oats, and sugar. Add melted butter and stir with a pastry cutter or a fork to make a crumbly mixture.

You may choose to use a food processor to make your oats finer, but I just leave mine the way they are.

4. Press 2 cups of crumble on the bottom and sides of a 9-inch pie plate to make the bottom crust.

5. Pour rhubarb mixture / pie filling into crust.

6. Make a crumb topping by adding the rest of the mixture as the top crust. 

7. Bake at 350 Fahrenheit for 45 minutes or until crust is browned and bubbling around the edges. You may want to put a baking sheet or aluminum foil underneath the pie pan in case it bubbles over. After baking, let the pie cool completely on a wire rack.

This easy dessert is delicious all by itself or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!

Note on the sugar to rhubarb ratio:

In this rhubarb crumb pie, I only use 1 cup of sugar, but some people prefer to use more if they don’t like super tart rhubarb. You can add another 1/4 cup sugar if desired, but try it without the extra the first time! It’s a great way to cut down on your sugar consumption and it also allows the sweet-tart flavor of the oats combined with the rhubarb to shine through. You can always add more sugar the next time :) 

Looking for a good strawberry rhubarb crumble pie recipe?

You can do this with my recipe by using one pint of fresh strawberries, chopped, and reducing the rhubarb to three cups. Then add the strawberry rhubarb fruit filling to the oatmeal crust as directed. 

What’s the Best Way to Prepare Rhubarb?

A friend of mine who moved to a farm with a big rhubarb plant patch asked me how to prep rhubarb for baking. So I shared these ideas with her:

• Gently pull the rhubarb from the base to detach it from the plant. You can also cut it as low to the base as possible. 
• Cut off the rhubarb leaves and discard; they are poisonous and not fit for consumption by people or animals!
• Brush the dirt off the rhurbarb stalks and store in a clean plastic bag in a dry, dark area. I store mine in the fridge.
• Within a day or two at the most, wash and chop the rhubarb stalks into bite-size pieces. Use a sharp knife, otherwise, it’s hard to cut through the rhubarb without leaving strings behind :) 
• Note: If you have large, overgrown rhubarb stalks, know that they will be a little “woody” and harder to cut through, so try not to let them get too big on the plant. Check online to see what type of rhubarb plant you have to know what size the stalks should be before harvesting. 
• Freeze the rhubarb pieces in 2 to 4 cup portions or use fresh to make your favorite rhubarb desserts.
• Once frozen, be sure to thaw your tart rhubarb completely before using it for a recipe and drain off juice as necessary so it does not make your pie shell or other dessert crust soggy. 

If you don’t have rhubarb in your garden, you can find it in the freezer section at grocery stores. However, it’s really easy to grow a rhubarb plant or transplant one from a friend into your backyard. (Even I was able to do it, and a green thumb I do not have!)

I hope this rhubarb crumble pie becomes one of your favorite homemade pies, just as it is for our family. Enjoy!