Blueberry Pie
A classic Blueberry Pie, made from scratch. This easy recipe features a sweet blueberry pie filling and a flaky all-butter pie crust that bakes up perfectly golden brown in the oven.
A fresh fruit pie is the epitome of summer desserts, and this blueberry pie is one of our all-time favorites. The blueberry filling is sweet and juicy, with hints of lemon and cinnamon to complement the natural sweetness of the berries. I always insist on a homemade pie crust when baking a pie, and my pie crust recipe is so simple and turns out perfect every time. The pie is finished with a sprinkle of coarse sugar for a pretty sparkle and an irresistible sweet crunch on the top crust. You’ll want to go back for a second slice!
How to Make Blueberry Pie
The steps to making a blueberry pie are:
- Make the blueberry pie filling.
- Make the pie crust.
- Assemble the pie and bake!
If making a pie from scratch seems intimidating, let me assure you that the steps are simple. The hardest part is waiting for the pie to cool before slicing into it!
Homemade Blueberry Pie Filling
The blueberry pie filling is super easy to make. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Blueberries: When fresh blueberries are in season, they make the best blueberry pie. If you don’t have access to fresh blueberries you can use frozen. Blueberries also star in this easy Blueberry Cobbler.
- Granulated Sugar: To sweeten the filling. Adjust the amount of sugar depending on how sweet or tart your berries are and how sweet you like your pie.
- Cornstarch: The cornstarch helps the filling to thicken up.
- Lemon Zest & Lemon Juice: Lemon and blueberries are a lovely pair. The lemon zest and juice brighten up the flavors in the pie filling.
- Ground Cinnamon & Salt: Just a touch of cinnamon adds flavor complexity and salt makes all of the flavors shine.
- Butter: To dot on the pie filling before baking. Dotting the pie with butter adds richness and flavor to the pie filling. You can skip this step if you prefer.
To make the filling, first wash and dry your blueberries and place them in a large bowl. (If you are using frozen blueberries, see my tips below.)
Then whisk together the dry filling ingredients: sugar, cornstarch, lemon zest, cinnamon and salt.
Pour the lemon juice over the blueberries. Then sprinkle the sugar mixture over the berries. Stir everything together gently until it’s well combined. Set the filling aside while you prepare the pie crust.
Easy Homemade Pie Crust
This blueberry pie recipe includes my favorite homemade pie crust recipe. You are going to love this all-butter pie crust! It’s flaky and tender, with rich buttery flavor.
The pie dough is incredibly easy to make and requires no chilling before rolling it out. The easiest way to make the dough is to use a food processor, but you can mix it up by hand if you prefer.
Once the dough is made, you’ll roll out one round of dough for the bottom pie crust. The other half of the pastry is for the top pie crust. You can place it on top of the pie as is, cutting some slits in the top crust to allow steam to escape. Or you can make a lattice pie crust, my favorite way to top this homemade blueberry pie.
Lattice Top Pie Crust
Making a lattice top pie crust is an easy way to give your pie a beautiful, professional look. Here’s how to do it:
- Roll out the pie dough into a 12-inch round. Then use a knife or pizza cutter to cut the round into 1/2-inch strips.
- Lay half of the strips across the pie in one direction, placing the longer strips across the center of the pie and the shorter ones closer to the edges.
- Weave the other half of the dough strips through the first set, going in the opposite direction across the pie. I find it easiest to start in the center of the pie when weaving, and pull back every other of the first set of dough strips.
Baking a Homemade Blueberry Pie
The finishing touches for the pie are:
- Egg Wash: Whisk together one egg with 1 tablespoon of milk and brush this over the top pie crust. The egg wash gives the pie crust a beautiful golden sheen.
- Coarse Sugar: I like to sprinkle some coarse turbinado sugar over the top of the pie before baking. It adds a beautiful sparkle and an extra touch of sweetness and crunch.
Blueberry pie tends to get extra juicy as it bakes, so I recommend placing a rimmed baking sheet on the rack below the pie to catch any drips of juices. You’ll want to check on the pie after it has been in the oven for a while, and loosely cover it with foil once the crust is browned to your liking to prevent further browning.
Once the pie comes out of the oven, it needs to cool for at least 3 hours before slicing and serving. While the pie cools the filling will thicken up. We love this pie served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!
Fresh or Frozen Blueberries
If you have access to fresh blueberries, they make the best pie. You can use frozen berries when fresh aren’t available. Let the frozen blueberries thaw at room temperature. Then drain off any juices that were released while thawing before adding the berries to the pie.
Storage Instructions
The baked pie can be stored on the counter for one day, or in the refrigerator, wrapped tightly with plastic wrap, for up to 5 days.
More Favorite Pie Recipes
Try one of these mouthwatering pie recipes next:
Blueberry Pie
Ingredients
Blueberry Pie Filling
- 6 cups fresh blueberries, 2 ¼ pounds or 36 ounces, see note below for frozen
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar, or up to ¾ cup if berries are on the tart side
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Pie Crust
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes, 16 tablespoons
- 6-7 tablespoons ice-cold water
Egg Wash
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon milk, or water
- coarse turbinado sugar, optional
Instructions
Make the Blueberry Pie Filling
- Wash and dry the blueberries. Place them in a large bowl.
- In a medium bowl, combine the granulated sugar, cornstarch, lemon zest, cinnamon and salt. Whisk until well combined.
- Pour the lemon juice over the blueberries. Then sprinkle the sugar mixture over the berries. Stir gently until well combined. Set aside while you prepare the pie crust.
Make the Pie Crust
- Place the flour, granulated sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. (Alternatively, the pie crust can be made by hand in a large bowl using a pastry blender or your fingers to cut in the butter.) Pulse a few times to combine the dry ingredients.
- Add the cold butter cubes and pulse 8-10 times, until the largest butter pieces are the size of small peas.
- Add 6 tablespoons of ice-cold water. Pulse just until the dough just starts to come together, adding one more tablespoon of cold water if the dough seems too dry. The dough should still look crumbly at this point, but it should hold together if you press it between your fingers.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface. Use your hands to bring the dough together into a ball and then cut the dough in half. Shape each half of the dough into a round disk. Place one disk in the refrigerator.
- On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the other dough disk into a 12-inch round and transfer it to a deep-dish pie plate. This can be easily done by wrapping the dough round around your rolling pin to help move it. Lightly fit the dough into the pie dish, but do not press it firmly into the dish or the crust may stick to the pie dish.
Assemble the Pie
- Preheat the oven to 400° F, with a rack in the center of the oven.
- Gently stir the blueberry mixture again to make sure everything is well combined and then pour it into the pie crust.
- Cut the 1 tablespoon of butter into small pieces and scatter them over the blueberry filling.
- Take the second pie dough out of the refrigerator and roll it out to a 12-inch round. You can place the dough round on top of the pie as is, or you can make a lattice-top pie crust. If you put the full dough round on top of the pie, cut a few slits in the top crust to allow steam to escape as the pie bakes.
- To make a lattice-top pie crust, cut the second dough round into ½-inch strips. Place the longest strip down the center of the pie. Reserving every other dough strip to go in the other direction on the pie, lay the strips across the pie with just a little bit of space in between each one. Then weave in strips going the opposite direction on the pie.
- Trim the overhang to be no more than ½-inch past the rim of the pie dish. Fold the edges of the pie under and then use your fingers to crimp as desired for a decorative edge.
- Make the egg wash by whisking together the egg and 1 tablespoon milk. Brush the egg wash over the pie crust. Sprinkle with coarse turbinado sugar if desired.
- Bake pie at 400° F for 20 minutes. Then place a rimmed baking sheet on the rack below the pie to catch any drips of juice and reduce the oven temperature to 350° F. Bake the pie for 40-50 minutes more, until the filling is bubbly. Check on the pie after about 30 minutes and cover it loosely with foil as needed to prevent the crust from over-browning.
- Let the pie cool for at least 3 hours before slicing and serving. As the pie cools, the filling will thicken up.
Notes
- If using frozen blueberries, thaw them and drain off juices before using.
- Pie can be stored in the refrigerator, wrapped tightly with plastic wrap, for up to 5 days.
