Gluten Free Rhubarb Pie- An Easy Spring Dessert

My Gluten Free Rhubarb Pie is a showstopping Spring dessert layered with a sweet almond-infused crust, tangy rhubarb filling, and a cloud-like French meringue topping. This pie is perfectly balanced between tart and sweet. With flexible options for dairy-free and shortcut crusts, it’s a standout.

A baked pie with a golden-brown meringue topping sits on a glass plate, with part of a white cloth napkin visible in the foreground.

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Skill Level: Intermediate, the elements are individually easy but getting all 3 right can be more challenging.

Shortcut Central: You can use a store-bought pie crust, start with the pre-baking and follow the recipe for the filling and topping.

Flavor Remix: Change the filling to 50/50 strawberries and rhubarb for a strawberry rhubarb pie.

Allergy Watch: Dairy-free option when vegan butter, like Earth Balance sticks, is used. Use a standard pie crust recipe for a nut-free option or use 100% GF flour in the crust.

This pie isn’t just gluten free—I crafted it for flavor and texture at every layer. This pie recipe uses my GF Pate Sucree (sweet crust) because it is ideal for sour and tart flavors. It has slightly more sugar than the pate sablee, plus the butter is creamed, resulting in a softer crust.

You can also use my all-American gluten free pie crust recipe, which is extra flaky, but this will take longer to prepare and doesn't have a dairy-free alternative. And to be honest, I am all about ease.

Ingredient Notes

Gluten-Free Flour: Use any 1:1 flour blend with xanthan gum, like Bob's Red Mill 1:1 Flour or King Arthur Measure for Measure.
Almond Flour: Use a fine almond flour, not a coarse grind. While you can use 100% gluten free flour, the almond flour gives the tart its unique nutty flavor.
Butter: I use unsalted, skip the salt if you use regular butter. For dairy free, I like Earth Balance butter sticks.
Sugar: You might be surprised, but that powdered sugar is the traditional sugar used for sweet pie doughs. It adds a lightness, so it doesn't have the texture of a cookie. But use regular sugar for the filling.
Rhubarb: I freeze rhubarb in the spring to make this pie year-round. It doesn't have to be fresh because we cook the rhubarb down.
Cornstarch: The amount is the starting point, if the filling looks runny (especially if you added strawberries you can increase 1 Tablespoon at a time).

Bowls containing cubed butter, a whole egg, gluten-free 1:1 flour, almond flour, powdered sugar, salt, and vanilla extract arranged on a white surface—perfect ingredients for making gluten free pate sucree.

Bowls of chopped rhubarb, sugar, cornstarch, and salt, plus a whole lemon and four eggs are arranged on a white surface—everything you need to make a delicious gluten free rhubarb pie. Each ingredient is labeled with its name.

A square cake topped with whipped cream, sliced strawberries, and mint leaves on parchment paper, with plates and a serving utensil nearby.

Strawberry Shortcake

Another seasonal gluten-free recipe that pairs perfectly with rhubarb.

shortcake recipe

How to Make Gluten Free Rhubarb Pie

A step-by-step visual guide for making gluten-free rhubarb pie. You can skip to the recipe for the full written instructions.

Two images side by side: on the left, a mixing bowl with dough; on the right, dough pressed into a tart pan with fork marks.

Make the Pie Crust

This crust is made by creaming the butter. You will need to dock the dough and then chill it before baking to prevent it from shrinking in the pan.

A blue-handled pot filled with thick, light brown applesauce sits on a white surface, with a white spatula stirring the mixture.

Make the Pie Filling

Careful to temper the eggs to ensure they don't scramble.

Side-by-side images of an empty baked tart crust on the left and the same crust filled with a light brown filling on the right.

Par Bake and Fill

Par bake the chilled pie shell lined with parchment and filled with pie weights.

A hand holds a metal mixing bowl containing stiffly whipped egg whites with visible peaks on a white surface.

Make the Meringue

You can 2x the egg whites to make a larger meringue top. Be careful not to overbeat.

Two side-by-side images show a pie being topped with meringue; on the left, meringue is dolloped, and on the right, it is being spread evenly with a spoon.

Bake

Dollop on the merquinue topping and use a spoon to create swirls. Bake to a light golden brown.

A lemon meringue pie with golden-brown swirled meringue topping sits on a metal trivet against a white background.

Chill

Cool the pie at room temperature for one hour before you refrigerate it for 2 hours.

Recipe Tips

If the dough gets too warm while rolling it out, you can chill it for 5 to 10 minutes and try again.
Use dried beans if you don't have pie weights.
You can use a tart pan with a removable bottom or a standard 9-inch pie pan for this recipe.
Use room temperature eggs for each layer of the pie for the best results.
You can add a pinch of cream of tartar to the egg whites to help stabilize them.
If the meringue is browning too quickly, tent a piece of foil over it, but don't let it touch the meringue.
Want a fancier looking pie? Consider piping on the meringue like I did for this gluten-free blood orange tart.

Make Ahead and Storing

Make Ahead: You can prepare the rhubarb filling and the pie dough up to 2 days in advance. Store them separately in the refrigerator and assemble the pie the day of for the best texture.

Storing: Store any leftovers loosely covered in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Note that the meringue may soften slightly and release moisture, but the pie will still taste delicious.

Freezing: Do not freeze.

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