Artificial Food Coloring Free Classic Strawberry Rhubarb Pie
That gorgeous ruby-red color in this pie comes entirely from fresh strawberries and rhubarb ā no dyes, no shortcuts, just real fruit doing what it does best. Store-bought pies and packaged desserts often sneak in synthetic colorants to punch up their appearance, so making this from scratch means you know exactly what's going into every slice. The filling is a simple toss of fresh fruit, sugar, tapioca starch, lemon, and a whisper of cinnamon ā nothing artificial in sight. Tapioca starch is the quiet hero here, thickening those gorgeous fruit juices into a glossy, sliceable filling without any mystery additives. The buttery double crust is built from pantry staples you can actually pronounce, and the deep golden color it develops in the oven is pure Maillard reaction, not food coloring. Letting the pie cool fully before cutting is the one step you really can't rush ā it's what transforms the bubbling filling into something clean and perfectly set. This is the kind of dessert that looks stunning on a table and tastes even better than it looks.
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Learn more āIngredients
8 servings
For the crust
- 2 Ā½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into Ā½-inch cubes and chilled
- 6ā8 tbsp ice water
For the filling
- 3 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and quartered
- 3 cups fresh rhubarb, cut into Ā½-inch pieces
- Ā¾ cup granulated sugar
- 3 tbsp quick-cooking tapioca starch
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- Ā¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
For the egg wash
- 1 large egg
- 1 tbsp whole milk
- 1 tbsp coarse sugar, for sprinkling (optional)
Instructions
- 1
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, 1 tbsp sugar, and salt. Add the chilled butter cubes and work them into the flour using a pastry cutter or your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some pea-sized butter pieces remaining. Drizzle in ice water 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with a fork after each addition, until the dough just holds together when pressed ā it should not be wet or sticky. Divide the dough into two equal discs, wrap each in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
- 2
In a large bowl, combine the strawberries, rhubarb, 3/4 cup sugar, tapioca starch, lemon zest, lemon juice, and cinnamon. Toss until the fruit is evenly coated. Let the filling sit for 15 minutes while you roll out the dough ā the juices will begin to release and the tapioca will start to hydrate.
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