Classic Blueberry Pie Recipe

This Classic Blueberry Pie has everything you could want in a homemade summer dessert. It's full of sweet, juicy berries, tucked into a flaky golden crust, and baked until it's thick, bubbly, and beautiful. Best of all, the filling always sets up nicely and isn't runny.

*This post was originally published on July 13, 2018. I thought it was due for an update, so I've reworked the recipe, added a step-by-step picture tutorial, and answered some frequently asked questions. Hopefully, you'll enjoy this blueberry pie recipe as much as I do!

Table of Contents

• Here's Why You'll Love This Recipe
• Ingredients You'll Need
• In Photos: How To Make Blueberry Pie
• Recipe Variations
• Recipe FAQ
• More Blueberry Recipes

Blueberry pie is one of the best things about summer. It's a staple for us!

I try to never let the season go by without making at least one for my family to share. We especially love it topped with cold vanilla ice cream!

We are all about pie recipes come summertime. We'll have strawberry rhubarb pie, s'mores pie, and key lime pie too, but right around mid-summer, it's all about the blueberry, baby.

I love when the filling is thick and glaze-y and full of plump, juicy blueberries. And the contrast with the flaky, buttery pastry is pure heaven!

This recipe uses an easy stovetop method to thicken the blueberry filling before baking. This trick makes the pie easier to slice and keeps the fresh blueberry flavor front and center.

You can use fresh or frozen blueberries, homemade or store-bought pie crust, and finish it with a double crust, lattice top, or crumb topping. It's flexible, pretty, and delicious.

Here's Why You'll Love This Recipe

• Simple, flavorful ingredients: This pie recipe uses wholesome, flavorful ingredients. You don't need to add anything fancy to the filling to get a ton of flavor. The star of the filling is the fresh blueberries. A touch of lemon brings out the bright fruitiness of the blueberries, while the natural pectin from apple and lemon peels thickens the filling.
• Extra-thick blueberry pie filling: The filling uses two thickening agents, so it doesn't leak everywhere when you cut into the pie. This pie filling holds its shape beautifully! Both cornstarch and natural pectin from apple cores are used to thicken the filling.
• Cooked and fresh blueberries: Half are cooked with sugar, and the other half are folded into the filling. There is no flour in the filling recipe, making this pie filling naturally gluten-free.

Ingredients You'll Need

The recipe card at the bottom of the post contains the full list of amounts. Refer to that when you're cooking.

• Blueberries: If you make this pie in season, it's always nice to use fresh blueberries. You will need 3 pints of blueberries, which is equivalent to 6 cups. If it's not blueberry season, you can use frozen blueberries. You don't even have to thaw them first!
• Sugar: Sugar both sweetens and thickens the filling. Regular white sugar is fine, or sub for another type of sweetener if you like. As long as it swaps 1:1 for granulated sugar it should work.
• Cornstarch: A colorless, odorless, and flavorless starch used to thicken the filling. Make sure you're using cornstarch, which is white and powdery, not cornmeal, which is yellow, gritty, and tastes like corn chips.
• Salt: Salt carries all the flavors and intensifies them. The end result won't taste salty, but it will make everything so much more flavorful! I like kosher salt best because it doesn't have any additives (table salt usually contains iodine, and that can leave a bitter taste), so the flavor is pure. It's also inexpensive and easy to find in a regular grocery store.
• Apple core and peel: The core, seeds, and peel of apples naturally contain pectin. Pectin is another thickener, often used in jam and jelly making.
• Lemon: Freshly squeezed lemon juice "seasons" the filling, lifting the flavor and bringing out the blueberries' fruitiness.
• Butter: A touch of butter adds richness to the filling. There are certain flavor compounds that are only carried by fats, so higher-fat foods like butter will really intensify the flavors of everything you make. I like to use unsalted butter because it lets me control the amount of salt in the dish. Different brands of butter can contain different amounts of salt, so this way you get a more consistent result. For a vegan or dairy-free blueberry pie recipe, use a plant-based butter that can substitute for dairy butter on a 1:1 basis.

In Photos: How To Make Blueberry Pie

Step 1: Prep The Filling

Toss about half the berries in a pot with sugar, cornstarch, and a pinch of salt.

The cornstarch will thicken the juices, but I have an extra layer of insurance to make sure the blueberry pie filling won't be runny.

Here's where the magic happens: Apple skins, cores, lemon peel, and seeds naturally contain pectin, which will make the filling gel beautifully. Tie them up in cheesecloth, and add them to the pot.

Step 2: Cook The Filling

Cook this mixture over medium-low heat on the stove until the berries release their juices and thicken into a syrupy consistency.

Keep in mind that this filling will continue to thicken as it cools.

Step 3: Finish The Filling

Remove the sachet of apple cores and lemon peels from the blueberry mixture once it's completely cooled.

Then stir in the rest of the berries, along with a good squeeze of lemon juice and lemon zest for "seasoning."

Step 4: Assemble The Pie

Use a rolling pin to roll out the crust 1-2 inches wider than your pie plate, then slip it inside.

You can use store-bought pie crust if you want, or my favorite homemade recipe.

It's so flaky you won't believe it! All because of my unique folding technique.

You can learn lots more about it here: Perfect Homemade Pie Crust.

Transfer the cooled filling into the bottom crust.

Dot the top with cubes of butter.

Then add your top crust (I like a lattice crust, it has natural vents for steam to escape!), brush it with egg wash, and sprinkle it with coarse sugar for extra sparkle.

Step 5: Bake

Bake the pie until the filling is bubbly and thick and the crust is golden brown.

4.54 stars (30 ratings)

Classic Blueberry Pie Recipe

This Classic Blueberry Pie has everything you could want in a homemade summer dessert. It's full of sweet, juicy berries, tucked into a flaky golden crust, and baked until it's thick, bubbly, and beautiful. Best of all, the filling always sets up nicely and isn't runny.

Servings: 10

Prep Time: 30 minutes mins

Cook Time: 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Total Time: 1 hour hr 40 minutes mins

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Ingredients

• ▢ 1 batch* Simply Perfect Homemade Pie Crust, prepared
• ▢ 3 pints (946.35 ml) fresh blueberries, or 6 cups frozen blueberries, divided
• ▢ 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
• ▢ ¼ cup (32 g) cornstarch, or ½ cup all-purpose flour or tapioca starch
• ▢ ⅛ teaspoon (0.13 teaspoon) kosher salt
• ▢ 1 apple core and peel
• ▢ peel & seeds from 1 lemon
• ▢ 2 tablespoons (1 tablespoon) lemon juice, (juice of ½ a lemon)
• ▢ 3 tablespoons (44.36 g) unsalted butter, cubed
• ▢ egg wash, (1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water)
• ▢ 1 ½ tablespoons (1.5 tablespoons) clear sparkling sugar, (optional garnish)
• ▢ 1 batch Basic Streusel Topping, (for a blueberry crumb pie)

Instructions

 

• Place half the blueberries, sugar, cornstarch (or all-purpose flour or tapioca), and salt in a small pot and toss to combine.
• Tie the apple core & peel and lemon peel & seeds in a piece of cheesecloth, and add to the pot.
• Place the pot over medium-low heat and cook, stirring, until the berries have released their juices and the mixture is syrupy.
• Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice, then allow to cool.
• When the blueberry pie filling has cooled, stir in the remaining uncooked blueberries.
• Roll half the pie dough out to about 3 inches wider than the baking dish and slip it into the pan (for an open-faced or crumb-topped pie, trim, roll, and crimp the crust).
• Transfer the filling to the unbaked bottom crust.
• Dot the filling with butter.
• For a double crust: Roll the second half of the pie dough out to about 3 inches wider than the pie pan and place it over the filling. Trim excess dough, roll & crimp the edge.
• For a lattice-top pie: Roll the second half of the pie dough out to about 3 inches wider than the pie pan. Cut into strips and arrange in a lattice pattern over the filled pie.** Trim excess dough, roll & crimp the edge.
• For a crumb-topped pie: Top with streusel crumb topping.
• For a double crust or lattice-top pie: Brush with egg wash, and sprinkle with clear sparkling sugar.
• Place the unbaked pie in the refrigerator and preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Bake the pie for 20 minutes at 425 degrees F, then lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F and bake until evenly browned and bubbling (approx. 45 to 55 minutes).
• Cool for at least 2 hours before slicing and serving.

Notes

*Use ½ batch Simply Perfect Pie Crust if making a single crust or crumb-topped pie.

• For lots more info how to make flaky pie crust, click here: Simply Perfect Homemade Pie Crust.
• For an easy tutorial on how to make a lattice-topped pie, click here: How to Make a Lattice Pie Crust.
• For my favorite crumb topping recipe, click here: Basic Streusel Crumb Topping.

Serving: 0.1pie, Calories: 208kcal, Carbohydrates: 45g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 4g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Trans Fat: 0.1g, Cholesterol: 9mg, Sodium: 32mg, Potassium: 114mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 36g, Vitamin A: 182IU, Vitamin C: 15mg, Calcium: 10mg, Iron: 0.4mg

Cuisine: American

Course: Dessert, Snack

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