Blueberry Pie

Treat Yourself to a Slice of Homemade Blueberry Pie

• It’s so quick to make! The filling comes together in seconds with only one bowl required.
• Make it with fresh or frozen berries. Let me tell you, it’s fully loaded with fresh blueberries. There’s lemon juice and zest to enhance the fruity goodness, a touch of warm spice, plus cornstarch to thicken it just enough. I love making this pie when blueberries are in season, but it’s delicious year-round with frozen berries.
• Perfect buttery pie crust. As for the crust, it’s good enough to eat by itself! But even if you make this pie with frozen blueberries and a store-bought crust, it’s still bound to be a crowd favorite.

What You’ll Need

This particular pie calls for two crusts: one for the bottom and one for the top. If you follow my recipe to make yours (linked below, which I highly recommend), you’ll be good to go. Most store-bought crusts come with two as well, but it’s best to check the package just in case. Don’t forget to scroll down to the recipe card for the full ingredient amounts.

• Pie Crust – Either a store-bought refrigerated pie crust or a homemade pie crust will work well here.
• Blueberries – Rinsed, dried, and stems removed. If blueberries are in season, you’ll definitely want to use fresh ones. The result will be unmatched! If you’re using frozen blueberries, you’ll need to thaw them first (see below).
• Sugar – Granulated sugar or brown sugar, whichever you have or prefer.
• Cornstarch – I prefer cornstarch over flour as it has more thickening power, and you don’t have to use as much. If you’re using flour to thicken the filling, you’ll need double the amount of flour as cornstarch.
• Spices – Ground cinnamon and nutmeg. You could skip the spices if you’d like, or replace them with a blend, like pumpkin pie spice.
• Lemon Zest and Juice – Freshly grated, then juiced. Bottled lemon juice will work in a pinch, but the flavor of fresh is so much better. Plus, you get the zest.
• Unsalted Butter – Cut into small pieces.
• Egg and Milk – To make an egg wash for brushing over the crust. You can substitute milk with heavy cream or water.
• Turbinado Sugar – This coarse brown cane sugar makes a lovely garnish.

Can I Use Frozen Blueberries?

Yes. If fresh blueberries are out of reach or out of season, frozen blueberries work perfectly. Simply thaw out the blueberries ahead of time and drain the liquid. Keep in mind that your pie filling may be a little bit thinner if you use frozen berries. Drying them off well after you thaw them ensures that the filling won’t be too runny.

• Prepare the crust. While the oven preheats to 400ºF, place one of the pie crusts into a 9-inch pie dish. Don’t flute or crimp the edges of the crust for now.
• Make the blueberry filling. Combine the blueberries, sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla extract in a large bowl. Gently stir them so that all of the blueberries are coated with some of the sugar and cornstarch mixture.
• Fill the crust. Pour the filling mixture into the bottom pie crust. Dot the pieces of butter on top of the filling.

• Add the top crust. Next, use a pastry wheel to cut the second pie crust into strips. To arrange it into a lattice on top of the pie, thread the strips together – over and under – to create the design. Trim the lattice as needed once it’s on the pie, then use the edge of the bottom crust to seal the two crusts together. Flute or crimp the edges as desired.
• Brush with an egg wash. In a bowl, combine the egg and milk/cream for the egg wash. Lightly brush the top of the pie crust with the wash, then sprinkle over turbinado sugar.
• Bake. Bake your blueberry pie for 20 minutes. Then, reduce the oven temperature to 350°F and continue baking for 25-35 minutes. You want the filling to be hot and bubbly. Cover the pie with a pie shield or a tented piece of aluminum foil to prevent over-browning if needed.
• Cool. Remove your blueberry pie from the oven and allow it to cool at room temperature for at least 3 hours so the filling can thicken. If you serve it warm or hot, the filling will be too thin. Once the pie reaches room temperature, it should be transferred to the fridge.

How Do I Know When my Pie is Done?

Leave your pie in the oven until the filling gets nice and bubbly. This ensures that the cornstarch is activated, and it’ll fully thicken as it cools. If you notice that the pie crust is browning faster than the filling is cooking, cover the edges with a pie shield or aluminum foil to prevent the crust from burning while it finishes baking.

Tips for the Best Homemade Blueberry Pie

• Don’t skip the lemon juice. Fresh lemon juice and zest don’t just complement the blueberry flavor – they also contain pectin, a natural starch that aids in the thickening of the filling. Don’t leave these out or try to replace them with lemon extract.
• Don’t skip the eggwash, either! If you want your top pie crust to get beautifully browned in the oven, remember to brush on the egg wash. This also helps the turbinado sugar stay in place.
• Let the pie cool completely. The cooler your pie is, the thicker the filling will be. If you’re not planning to enjoy it once it reaches room temperature, transfer it to the fridge.
• Make mixed berry pie. Want to taste another juicy berry in your pie? Go ahead and swap out half of the blueberries for strawberries, raspberries, or blackberries. You can also completely swap the blueberries for one or more of these berries, or make a cherry pie.

Serving Suggestions

Whether you want to serve your pie with a special topping or tweak the recipe to better suit your tastes, I’ve got some great suggestions.

• Add whipped cream. A dollop of fluffy homemade whipped cream is guaranteed to take any dessert to the next level. Add some to your pie to dazzle your taste buds with berries & cream delight!
• Serve with a scoop of ice cream. I certainly can’t resist a sweet slice of pie a la mode paired with a creamy scoop of vanilla ice cream. Can you?

Make-Ahead and Storage

• Refrigerate. Leftover blueberry pie should be kept covered in the refrigerator. It will stay fresh for 4-5 days. If you’d like to warm it up before you eat it, microwave individual slices for 15-20 seconds. I don’t recommend freezing your finished pie, but you can easily prepare the pie ahead of time and freeze it before you bake it, see below.
• Make it ahead. Instead of baking the assembled pie, wrap it tightly in two layers of plastic wrap and freeze it for up to 1 month. Thaw it out at room temperature for 1 hour before you bake it, increasing the cook time by about 10 minutes.

Watch How To Make It

Read Transcript

More Blueberry Recipes

• Blueberry Streusel Muffins
• Blueberry Cheesecake
• Lemon Blueberry Poke Cake
• Blueberry Crisp Recipe
• Blueberry Sauce