This bluebarb pie is essentially the love child of blueberry pie and rhubarb pie. It’s so unexpectedly incredible and tastes so uncannily intuitive, it makes us wonder why the combination isn’t more common. As far as we’re concerned, blueberry and rhubarb pie is right there alongside strawberry rhubarb pie.–David Leite

Bluebarb Pie FAQs

Why do I have to let my pie rest or cool?

Just like fresh bread, fresh-out-of-the-oven pie needs a little time. The filling needs to cool and set—cut into a hot pie and all that filling is going to make a break for it, out of the crust and into the pie plate. Also, a hot crust is a delicate crust and if you want it to stay in one piece, give it a little time to cool down.

What can I use in place of walnuts in the crumble topping?

If nut allergies are a concern, absolutely omit the walnuts and use oatmeal instead. If you simply don’t care for walnuts, try pecans or almonds in your crumble topping.

A bluebarb pie with one slice missing and two forks resting beside the pie.

Bluebarb Pie

5 / 6 votes
As well as fresh blueberries I have added dried blueberries to the mixture, which absorb some of the liquid as the pie bakes, plumping them back up.
David Leite
CourseDessert
CuisineAmerican
Servings8 servings
Calories297 kcal
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time1 hour
Total Time3 hours

Equipment

  • Pie weights or uncooked beans or rice

Ingredients 

For the crust

For the crumble topping

  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt or kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar, (or more to taste if your blueberries are unusually tart)
  • 6 tablespoons (3 oz) unsalted butter, cold, cut into small chunks
  • 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped

For the bluebarb filling

  • 1 cup fresh blueberries
  • 2 cups chopped rhubarb
  • 1/3 cup dried blueberries, (optional)
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • Softly whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, for serving (optional)

Instructions 

Make the crust

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
  • Roll out the chilled pastry and line a 9-inch pie dish with it. Prick the pastry all over with a fork.

    ☞ TESTER TIP: You'll probably need to let the crust rest at room temperature for at least 10 minutes or so before rolling to warm ever so slightly so it becomes easier to manage.

  • Cut a piece of parchment paper into a circle about twice the size of your pie dish, crumple it, uncrumple it, and place it in the pastry-lined dish with a generous handful of pie weights or uncooked beans or rice. Bake the pastry for 10 minutes.
  • Remove the parchment and baking beans or rice and bake for 5 minutes more. Remove the pastry from the oven but leave the oven turned on.

Make the crumble topping

  • In a bowl, combine the flour, salt, cinnamon, and the sugar. Add the butter and mix it with your fingertips until a crumbly mixture forms. Mix the chopped walnuts into this crumbly mixture.

Make the bluebarb filling

  • In a large bowl, stir together the fresh blueberries, rhubarb, and dried blueberries (if using) along with the sugar and 3 tablespoons of the crumble mixture. (Mixing some of the crumble mixture into the filling helps absorb the rhubarb's plentiful juices and imparts a touch of buttery gooeyness to the fruit.)
  • Pour the filling into the pre-baked pie crust and smooth it into an even layer. Place it on a rimmed baking sheet lined with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes.
  • Remove the pie from the oven and sprinkle the fruit filling with the remaining crumble mixture. Return the pie to the oven and bake until the filling is bubbling and the crumble topping is golden brown, 20 to 30 minutes.
  • Wait just a few minutes before slicing and serving so the filling isn't scalding hot. If desired, top with softly whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
Top with Cinnamon Cookbook

Adapted From

Top with Cinnamon

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Nutrition

Serving: 1 sliceCalories: 297 kcalCarbohydrates: 38 gProtein: 3 gFat: 15 gSaturated Fat: 7 gMonounsaturated Fat: 5 gTrans Fat: 1 gCholesterol: 23 mgSodium: 127 mgFiber: 3 gSugar: 18 g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Tried this recipe?Mention @leitesculinaria or tag #leitesculinaria!
Recipe © 2014 Izy Hossack. Photo © 2014 Izy Hossack. All rights reserved.


Recipe Testers’ Reviews

This bluebarb pie recipe will make any pie lover happy, whether served warm or with ice cream or even as breakfast. The blueberry and rhubarb pie recipe is extremely easy to assemble and is one of the best-tasting pies I can remember making in a long while. The pie wasn’t overly sweet. It actually had the perfect balance of sweetness and tartness. The rhubarb, which I thought would be tart, was barely detectable and paired beautifully with the blueberries and the crumble. The fruit filling had a pleasant, cooked-down, almost jam-like texture and the crumble was decadent with just the right sweetness and crunch and an almost undetectable hint of cinnamon. This was my first attempt at using fresh rhubarb and it won’t be my last.

I was in sort of a time crunch to make this pie so when I was at the store picking up ingredients I bought a 2-pack of 9-inch frozen pie shells and doubled the recipe to make 2 pies. I would recommend using a shallow versus a deep-dish pie plate for this recipe. In the end, when the pie is baked and the fruit is cooked down, the ratio of fruit to crumble is about equal. (I imagine if you wanted more fruit, you could always double the fruit mixture but keep the crumble the same and use a deeper pie dish and longer cooking time.) After I added the crumble, the pie took another 23 minutes for the topping to reach a golden brown. I saw the fruit juices bubbling and I knew it was ready to pull out of the oven. The pie wasn’t liquidy at all and needed very little cooling time, if any, before serving.

The family I delivered the warm pie to was extremely grateful and raved about how much they enjoyed it. My husband also really enjoyed the pie warm with ice cream and also at room temperature for breakfast with coffee. One of the best pies I have ever tasted. This recipe is a gem!

This bluebarb pie was delicious. It’s a perfect combination of sweet and tart. I used the dried blueberries, which added another dimension to the flavor. Unlike traditional rhubarb pie, this pie was not soupy at all. The filling set up perfectly. The baking time was perfect, too. I didn’t need any visual clues, nor did I need to cover the edge of the crust to prevent excess browning. I let the pie cool completely before serving it.

This bluebarb pie will make a nice change from your standard strawberry rhubarb pie for summer. The pie isn’t overly sweet and the addition of the chopped nuts in the crumble was welcome.

With the dried berries, the filling thickened nicely and the crumbly topping was nicely browned. The bottom crust didn’t even get soggy. The pie was pretty much done after 35 minutes baking. Since we took the pie with us to a family dinner, it was allowed to cool completely and was served at room temperature with a softly whipped cream. The only thing I noticed is that the blueberry flavor did overshadow the rhubarb a bit. Verdict? It must have been good as only the pie plate made it home.

I adored the flavors in this blueberry and rhubarb pie. I am immediately drawn to fruit pies, no matter what time of year it is, as fruit pies really highlight the ripest and best fruit of the season (not to mention they are easy to put together!). The fruit pairings you normally see with tasty spring rhubarb are raspberries or strawberries, but boy did I LOVE the combination here with blueberries.

The touch of ground cinnamon was lovely for a touch of warmth, and yes, I did use the 1/3 cup dried wild blueberries. The dried fruit really did add a pop of blueberry flavor that was really intense. The timing of the pie in the oven was perfect; it achieved a nice, flaky, lightly browned crust without me having to cover it with foil at any point and the fruit was bubbly and the rhubarb tender. I served my pie warm with a dollop of mascarpone cheese.

Initially I passed on making this bluebarb pie because to me, there is no better match than strawberry and rhubarb together. Or, for that matter, just plain old rhubarb. But it’s really difficult to achieve a crisp-bottomed crust when you are making a double-crusted pie, so I was intrigued by the combination of pie and crumble, the best of both worlds. I decided to give this a try.

Turns out this blueberry and rhubarb pie is nearly as good as strawberry-rhubarb. The combination of crisp pastry, sweet and tart fruit, and the decidedly different crisp topping won me over. I didn’t use the optional dried blueberries because I wanted to make sure the rhubarb came through.

I shared this pie with my neighbor and asked for her evaluation. Mind you, she told me that her favorite was strawberry-rhubarb, too, so she was skeptical. She gave it a 9. Here’s to open minds!




About David Leite

I count myself lucky to have received three James Beard Awards for my writing as well as for Leite’s Culinaria. My work has also appeared in The New York Times, Martha Stewart Living, Saveur, Bon Appétit, Gourmet, Food & Wine, Yankee, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, The Washington Post, and more.


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Recipe Rating




10 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    I love this recipe and have made it several times, including just last night. However, I will admit that after the first time I stopped blind baking the crust. Instead, I use a larger (10 inch?) pyrex pie pan so it doesn’t overflow, put it right on the oven rack without the pan underneath, bake it with the fruit at 425 for 10 minutes, then 350 for 35 minutes, with the crumble topping going on it for the last 25 minutes. The crust comes out fine and it’s much easier.

    1. Thanks, Amy! We’re so happy that this is in your collection of saved recipes, and so appreciate you sharing these tips with us.

  2. 5 stars
    This pie looks great. I was wondering if anyone has made this using frozen blueberries and frozen rhubarb and if anything in the recipe needed to be adjusted? Thanks!

    1. HI Christine, we tested the recipe using fresh fruits as opposed to frozen. Perhaps some of our readers have tried it with frozen? I do know that often times when I use frozen fruits in baking, tossing them with a bit of flour helps to reduce oozing and adds a bit of thickness.

      1. Frozen fruit works well. It baked and set up just fine. I did find overall that the filling was too tart and I generally do not care for sweet. I will try again with a bit more sugar in the filling.

        1. Thanks so much for letting us know, Terese. Glad you’ll make it again. I do find that there’s tremendous variability in the sweetness of both rhubarb and blueberries, so yes, sugar as needed.

      2. I doubled the fruit recipe and used frozen fruit to make a crisp instead. I adjusted the sugar and added 2 tablespoons of tapioca to the fruit mix. It turned out perfectly. It was a hit with all three generations at the table. I served it with Saskatoon ice cream.