Rhubarb Sour Cream Pie with Crumb Topping
Sour cream rhubarb pie with crumb topping is a sweet and tangy dessert that combines the unique tartness of rhubarb with the creamy richness of sour cream. The filling for this pie is made by combining diced rhubarb, sugar, sour cream, and other ingredients, and pouring the mixture into a prepared pie crust.
Then it gets topped with a crumbly streusel topping made of flour, oats, sugar, butter, and orange zest. The crumb topping provides a crunchy texture and extra sweetness that complements the tangy and tart flavors of the pie filling.
How to Make Rhubarb Cream Pie
Rhubarb with sour cream pie is very easy to make. Especially if you already have a crust ready. But if you don't have any on hand, it doesn't take long to make a pie crust either.
Wash and chop the rhubarb stems. Then mix the creamy filling and stir in the rhubarb. Pour this into a prepared (unbaked) 9" pie crust, top it with the crumbles, and bake until set.
Cool and enjoy your rhubarb pie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Or chill and enjoy it with a cup of coffee. It's great either way!
Honestly, I can't turn down a slice of rhubarb pie at any time of day. It's just so good!
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What is Rhubarb?
Rhubarb is a spring vegetable (although it's often thought of as a fruit), one of the few that is still truly seasonal. The edible part of this perennial plant is the vibrant pink or green stalk, which is almost always cooked with lots of sugar because it is very sour.
Eating raw rhubarb stalks is completely safe (the roots and leaves, however, are poisonous), although it's just as mouth-puckering as eating a lemon. But you should try a little slice the next time you're cooking with it just to experience its purest flavor. 🙂
What rhubarb tastes like though, is a question of what it tastes like when it's cooked with sugar to make it palatable. Then, it tastes pleasantly tart and adds great flavor to baked goods, jams, etc.
And I love almost any dessert made with rhubarb. It is soo yummy!
Growing Rhubarb
I've tried to grow rhubarb several times already but can't seem to keep it alive. It always looks healthy for a while, and then it suddenly dies.
But I need to do more research and try it again because I really want a patch of rhubarb.
I haven't decided yet if I should buy an established root or get seeds. But I have so many recipes for delicious rhubarb desserts, and I need a patch of rhubarb. 🙂
Can I Use Frozen Rhubarb?
Until I can get my patch of rhubarb growing (hopefully someday), I'll be happy to buy fresh rhubarb wherever I can find it. Because when spring comes around, I start craving fresh rhubarb pie.
You can, however, also make this rhubarb pie using frozen rhubarb. (Our local grocery stores don't even carry frozen rhubarb. So I have a hard time finding any rhubarb at all.)
But when using frozen rhubarb, it is recommended to thaw and drain the rhubarb and toss it with a tablespoon of flour before adding it to the pie filling.
I also have a Rhubarb Custard Pie Recipe, which is my favorite. But this Amish Sour Cream Rhubarb Pie is my daughter's favorite. So if you get to try both of my rhubarb pie recipes, let me know, in the comments below, which one was your favorite.
More Amish Pie Recipes
Here's my Flaky Pie Crust Recipe, in case you need a recipe for pie crust.
📖 Recipe Card
Amish Rhubarb Sour Cream Pie with Crumb Topping
Ingredients
- 1 c. sugar
- 3 Tbsp. cornstarch
- ½ tsp. ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp. nutmeg
- pinch of salt
- 1 c. sour cream
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 3 c. chopped fresh rhubarb (or thawed frozen rhubarb)
- 1 (9") unbaked pie crust
Crumb Topping:
- ½ c. quick-cooking oats
- ½ c. all-purpose flour
- ⅓ c. brown sugar
- ½ tsp. zested orange or lemon peel
- ⅓ c. butter (approx. 6 Tbsp.)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°.
- Combine the sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.1 c. sugar, 3 Tbsp. cornstarch, ½ tsp. ground cinnamon, ¼ tsp. nutmeg, pinch of salt
- Add the sour cream and beaten egg, and mix well.1 c. sour cream, 1 large egg, beaten
- Gently fold in the chopped rhubarb. Mix to combine.3 c. chopped fresh rhubarb (or thawed frozen rhubarb)
- Pour the rhubarb mixture into an unbaked 9" pie crust.1 (9") unbaked pie crust
- Spread the crumb mixture over the top.
- Bake in the middle (or just below the middle) of the oven, at 425°, for 15 minutes.
- Reduce the temperature to 350° and continue baking for another 40 minutes or until the topping is golden and the filling is set.
- Cool and enjoy or chill for later. Refrigerate any leftovers.
Crumb Topping:
- Combine the oats, flour, brown sugar, and zest.½ c. quick-cooking oats, ½ c. all-purpose flour, ⅓ c. brown sugar, ½ tsp. zested orange or lemon peel, ⅓ c. butter (approx. 6 Tbsp.)
- Cut in the butter, using a pastry blender or butter knives. (Or melt the butter and mix it in until crumbly. Either way works.)
- Sprinkle the crumb topping all over the top of the rhubarb mixture.
Anna
LOVE this pie so much!
~Chrissie O.
I wish you lived in Wisconsin - I'd be happy to let you dig some of mine!!! I let it go to seed (note: If you keep harvesting it, the plant will keep producing, The trick is the twist motion. That breaks off the piece, like a stalk of celery, without bringing any root with it which, in turn, stimulates the root to send out another stalk! I get rhubarb by about Memorial Day, and I harvest it almost it until the first freeze, usually into early October!); so my original rhubarb patch is now 4 rhubarb patches.
Your recipe is almost IDENTICAL to one I was gifted by my late mother-in-law! It's wonderful! But, this summer, have some fun with SAVORY rhubarb - I roll out a croissant crust or puff pastry crust and bake. Then I top with whipped cream cheese, and a mixture of (cooked!) garlic, onion, chopped rhubarb, shredded chicken, and bacon; cook until the bacon is rendered and crispy! Anyway, that gets spread on the crust and eaten like pizza. My husband LOVES it!! Another, is a Hungarian rhubarb-tomato soup. It's the perfect salt-tang combination!!! Keep the rhubarb recipes coming, dear lady!!! (And maybe ask a neighbor with an established patch if you can dig a couple of root bulbs; I wouldn't recommend harvesting it the 1st year, but let it go to seed so it grows and gets really established - from then on in, you'll be golden!!) Blessings!
Anna
Your savory rhubarb recipes sound interesting! I started a root, and it's got a shoot - here's to hoping I can keep it alive this time.
Catherine Williams Kleinwort
Nfld. Old Fashion Rhubarb Relish
Catherine Williams Kleinwort (Canada)
12 cups rhubarb (dice
3 cups onion (dice
6 cups brown sugar (1KG)
1 ¼ cups white vinegar
1 tsp. cloves
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
Put brown sugar over rhubarb & let sit for 2 hours add rest of ingredients & cook for 30 minutes. Careful of the heat so it does not stick to the bottom.
Use the heaviest pot you have & stir often.
Put in sterilized jars making sure they seal –
Water bath for 10 minutes
Excellent to put on a ham on the BBQ (or oven)
Or any other one wishes!