Vegan Rhubarb Pie

Name: Vegan Rhubarb Pie
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 90 min
Ingredients: 2 vegan pie crusts; 3 cups rhubarb ((about six stalks, chopped into 1/3rd-inch pieces, then measured)); 2 cups apples ((about two apples, chopped into 1/3rd-inch pieces)); 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract; 1 tsp ground cardamom; 1 tsp ground ginger; 1 1/4 cups sugar; 6 tablespoons all purpose flour ((or corn starch)); ¼ tsp salt; 1 tsp non-dairy milk; 1 tsp powdered sugar; 1 tsp avocado oil or any neutral oil

by Vaishali Honawar · May 23, 2024 · 24 Comments

5 from 6 votes

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Nothing says spring like a vegan rhubarb pie! The tart, ruby-red stalks are baked with apples, cardamom, ginger and sugar in a buttery, golden, flaky crust.

Rhubarb is one of spring's sweetest gifts. Although I've seen it being sold in supermarkets in winter even, these crisp, tart, ruby-red stalks are at their best this time of year, when they are in season.

Each spring, I share with you a rhubarb recipe because, well, you simply shouldn't let spring go by without eating some rhubarb. I love it in delicious desserts like this vegan rhubarb upside down cake, vegan rhubarb crisp and vegan rhubarb bread.

Another dessert I love baking up with rhubarb is a classic vegan rhubarb pie, with a sweet, slightly tart, almost jammy filling of rhubarb encased in a crisp, golden pastry crust.

If you haven't baked with rhubarb before, you might find it a bit of a mystery: it looks so much like a vegetable, after all -- it is in fact a vegetable. And is so lip-puckering sour that it's hard to see it as a dessert ingredient.

But something magical happens to rhubarb when it is subjected to high temperature in an oven: it melts into that warm, gooey goodness you have craved all through the cold days of winter.

This vegan rhubarb pie is very simple, the way I like it. I toss the sliced rhubarb with sugar and vanilla and stir in two spices that go beautifully with rhubarb: ginger and cardamom. A lattice pie top is great to show off the red filling, although that pretty filling can even stand up to an open-face pie.

Table of Contents

Why bake this seasonal pie
Ingredients
How to make vegan rhubarb pie
Top tips
Storage instructions
More scrumptious vegan pie recipes
Recipe card
Reviews

Why bake this seasonal pie

Healthy-ish. I won't pretend that anything encased in pie crust is healthy. But a fruit pie does have a better nutritional profile than, say, a vanilla cake. Besides, how great is it when you can stretch "eating the rainbow" to cover dessert? Rhubarb's deep red color comes from valuable anthocyanins that prevent inflammation and improve the health of your blood vessels. Rhubarb also has valuable nutrients and minerals, including fiber, vitamins and calcium.
Delicious. The pie is so yummy with the cardamom and ginger baked into the rhubarb and apples. The flaky crust complements that gooey filling perfectly.
Allergy-friendly. The pie is nut-free and soy-free. And vegan, of course.

Ingredients

Vegan pie crusts. Use a storebought pie crust or make your own, using my foolproof recipe.
Rhubarb. Pick slender, red, firm stalks for the best flavor, texture and color. If you can only find rhubarb stalks that are green that's okay--the color of the pie filling won't be as pretty but it'll taste great anyway.
Apples. I like adding a couple of apples to the rhubarb filling, but you can use just rhubarb for the filling. The apple helps add some complexity and I like using it, but I've baked all-rhubarb pies that are equally delicious. You can also use a pint of strawberries, raspberries or blueberries instead of apples.
Pure vanilla extract. Vanilla adds a rich sweetness that rounds out the tartness of the rhubarb.
Flour. Use all-purpose flour or corn starch to thicken the pie filling.
Sugar. I like using an unrefined sugar like turbinado sugar but any granulated sugar is fine.
Spices: Ground cardamom and ground ginger. These are two spices that I think are absolutely fantastic with rhubarb and they work wonderfully in the pie filling.
Optional wash for pie crust: non-dairy milk, oil and powdered sugar.

How to make vegan rhubarb pie

Rhubarb and apples, chopped, in glass bowl.

Place the chopped rhubarb and apples in a large bowl.

Sugar, flour, spices and vanilla added to rhubarb and apples.

Add sugar, flour, cardamon, ginger, salt and pure vanilla extract.

Mix everything until well-combined, then set aside for 15 minutes.

While the rhubarb filling sits, roll out one pie crust. Place all of the filling in the crust. Refrigerate while you roll out the top crust.

Rhubarb pie with lattice crust on baking sheet before baking.

Roll out the second crust and cut strips for a lattice top. If you don't want to make a lattice top, you can make a regular pie crust by placing the pie crust over the filling, crimping the edges with a fork and cutting four vents in the top of the crust.

Brush the pie with the optional wash, if using, and place it on a baking sheet to catch any juices that might overflow. Bake the rhubarb pie in a preheated 425-degree Fahrenheit/220-degree Celsius oven for 30 minutes, then lower heat to 375 degrees F/190 degrees C and continue baking for 30 minutes more. Cool the pie thoroughly on a rack before cutting.

Slice of vegan rhubarb pie on plate with fork.

Top tips

To skip the apples and make this an all-rhubarb pie, use two more cups of rhubarb: you need a total of five cups of rhubarb/fruit for the filling.
You can make any type of top crust for this pie: a lattice crust is my favorite because even if you don't get it perfectly right (I never do), it looks great after it bakes up. A star-studded crust like the one I use for my vegan strawberry pie, a simple, fluted crust like the one I use for my vegan peach pie, or a braided crust are all great choices for this vegan rhubarb pie. You can also bake this as an open-face pie, without a top crust.
Don't sweat about forming the perfect top crust. A pie is homey, rustic food, and it looks great anyway once it all bakes up.
Let the pie cool thoroughly before you cut it-- a rule of thumb for almost any fruit pie. This is because the fruit juices continue to thicken and gelatinize as the pie cools down. If you cut the pie when it's still warm you will likely find your plate flooded with liquids that have not had time to thicken.

Storage instructions

Refrigerate: Store the pie in the fridge for up to a week.
Freeze: Freeze the whole or sliced pie in a freezer-safe container for up to three months.
Thaw and reheat. Reheat in the oven for the best texture and flavor.

More scrumptious vegan pie recipes

Recipe card