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Rhubarb Meringue Pie made gluten free and vegan
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5 from 9 votes

Easy Vegan Rhubarb Meringue Pie

This is a surprisingly simple Vegan and Gluten Free Rhubarb Meringue Pie. It can be made in parts so still possible for a busy baker juggling various jobs. Using my homemade eggless rhubarb curd and a delicious aquafaba meringue you'll be surprised how much this reminds you of the 70/80's classic Lemon Meringue Pie but with a seasonal rhubarb twist.
Prep Time40 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
chilling time1 hour
Total Time2 hours 5 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Vegan
Keyword: Dairy Free, Egg Free, Gluten Free, Meringue, Pastry, Rhubarb, Vegan
Servings: 10 slices
Calories: 356kcal
Author: Glutarama

Ingredients

Sweet shortcrust pastry

  • 80 g butter I use Flora plant butter
  • 20 g fat (I use Trex white vegetable fat) I use Trex vegetable fat solids
  • 200 g gluten free plain flour all purpose flour
  • 40 g dark brown sugar
  • 40 g caster sugar
  • 1 tbsp ground flaxseed
  • 3 tbsp water
  • 1 tsp psyllium husk powder (optional) optional, but does help with binding

Rhubarb curd

  • 300 g rhubarb chopped into chunks
  • 200 g caster sugar
  • 50 g cornflour/cornstarch corn starch
  • 5 tbsp water

Meringue topping

  • 100 ml aquafaba I use Oggs or drain a tin of chickpeas [see notes]
  • 100 g caster sugar
  • 2 tsp cream of tartar

Instructions

To make the pastry

  • Make your flaxseed egg by adding the flaxseed, water and psyllium husk (if using) to a small jug, stir to combine and leave.
  • Measure the gluten free flour, 'butter' and vegetable fat into a large bowl and using your fingertips or a pastry cutter work the fat into the flour until you have breadcrumbs.
  • Stir in the sugar, then add your flaxseed egg.
  • Stir the 'egg' into the breadcrumb mixture and turn out onto the kitchen surface. No need to flour the surface.
  • Bring the crumble mixture together and knead until you have a ball of pastry dough. This dough is very soft. Pop into a container and put in the fridge to chill while you make the rhubarb curd.

To make the rhubarb curd

  • Add the chopped rhubarb to a medium saucepan along with 3tbsps water. Begin to heat gently with a lid on to soften and stew the fruit.
  • Next add the caster sugar and continue to heat until all the sugar has dissolved.
  • Now remove from the heat and blend the sweet stewed rhubarb with a hand blender until pureed. Be careful not to splash yourself, this is super hot.
    TOP TIP: if you don't have a hand blender you pass this through a sieve but you'll need to use some elbow grease to do this, its tough work!
  • In a small bowl add the cornflour and 5 tablespoons of water and mix to combine, stir slowly otherwise physics gets in the way!
  • Pour in the cornflour paste into the pureed rhubarb whist stirring with a small whisk. Once all the paste has been combined with the puree, return to the heat.
  • Continue to stir on a medium heat. The rhubarb mixture will change in colour to a pastel pink and thicken quickly - you're looking for a thick porridge texture.
    NOTE: Taste to make sure it's not too sour for your liking (if it is add a little sugar at this stage and stir until it melts).
  • Remove from heat and set aside. Now you can return to making your pastry case.

To make the pastry case

  • Pre heat oven to 200°C | 180°C fan | 400°F | Gas 6
  • Remove the pastry dough from the fridge and knead for a minute. Roll out into a circle with a good thickness (just under 1cm) and line a 20cm round cake tin or fluted flan tin with the pastry. Preferably use a loose bottom so you can easily remove your pie at the end.
  • For this meringue pie I leave the pastry side untrimmed so i can trim them once blind baked for a flat/flan finish. I also prick the bottom of the case with a fork to encourage an even bake.
  • Take a large square of baking paper and screw it up in your hands. This can then be placed inside the pasty case shell and on top of that add your blind baking beads.
  • Blind bake for 10 minutes, then remove from oven, carefully take out the baking paper and baking beads and return to the oven for another 10 minutes.
    DO NOT worry if the case rises for this second bake or cracks slightly, the rhubarb curd will not seep.
  • Remove from oven, trim the edges flat whilst still hot with a serrated knife (I sue a steak knife) and leave on the side to cool slightly.

To make the meringue topping

  • Wipe the mixing bowl you plan to use with a drop or lemon juice if you have some, this ensures the bowl is grease free and encourages the very best fluffy meringue whites.
  • Pour the 100ml aquafaba into the bowl, add the 2tsp of cream of tartar and using a mixer or hand held whisk, whip for approximately 6-8mins to get a stiff bowl of fluffy white meringue.
  • Now add the caster sugar one tablespoon as a time and continue to whisk until all the sugar has been incorporated. Set aside for a minute.

To build and bake your rhubarb meringue pie

  • Return the rhubarb curd in the saucepan to the heat and bring back to almost boiling.
  • If using the grill to caramelise your meringue turn on the grill.
  • Pour the hot rhubarb curd into the slightly cooled pie case. Then add spoonful's of sweet meringue to the pie making sure all curd is covered and no longer visible. I don't tend to bother with piping the meringue but instead take a fork and draw swirl patterns in the meringue for effect.
  • Pop the meringue under the grill and watch like a hawk, rotate the pie if necessary to get an even colour.
  • Remove from grill once beautifully golden and leave on the side to cool completely.
  • Once completely cooled pop into the fridge for that final setting to take place (a minimum of 30mins)

Notes

If using a tin of chickpeas, make sure you thoroughly shake the tin to ensure all the starch is released from the contents of the tin.
You can use the leftover chickpeas to make hummus or simply to add to a salad.

Nutrition

Calories: 356kcal | Carbohydrates: 59g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 79mg | Sodium: 141mg | Potassium: 292mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 41g | Vitamin A: 362IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 87mg | Iron: 1mg