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    Home » Recipes » Desserts & Sweets

    Classic Fresh Blueberry Pie

    Published: Aug 6, 2020 · Modified: Mar 19, 2023 · by Renée B. · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe   Print Recipe

    This simple, classic fresh Blueberry Pie recipe lets the blueberry flavors shine! Pairs perfectly with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a hot summer night. 

    Freshly baked blueberry pie with lattice top adorned with pastry flowers.

    There really isn't anything quite like a slice of fresh blueberry pie with a scoop of cold vanilla ice cream on a hot summer evening. 

    Our blueberry bushes yielded a bumper crop this year, and I've been freezing and baking up berries - including blueberry pies of all shapes and sizes - for a few weeks now. I'd forgotten how much I love baking with fresh blueberries!

    Jump to:
    • Blueberry Pie Filling Ingredients
    • How to Make this Pie Recipe
    • Equipment
    • Top Tips
    • FAQ
    • More Pie Recipes
    • Classic Fresh Blueberry Pie

    As I was developing this blueberry pie recipe, I compared the results against my memories of the best blueberry pie I've ever eaten; decades ago at a little boat-in family restaurant called Harmony Falls on the shore of Spirit Lake, at the foot of Mount St. Helens. (Needless to say, it's been awhile.)

    We couldn't be more pleased with this pie recipe! The filling is sweet, tart, juicy blueberry bliss; and the flaky, tender, slightly sweetened crust adds the perfect finishing touch.

    Whether it's been decades or days since you last ate a slice, this fresh blueberry pie will bring back memories of pies-gone-by like they happened yesterday. You are going to love it!

    Blueberry Pie Filling Ingredients

    Ingredients for blueberry pie filling: blueberries, tapioca, lemon, flour, spices, butter.
    • Blueberries: Use fresh or frozen berries. It is important that the berries be at room temperature.
    • Instant tapioca: Instant tapioca, also known as quick or minute tapioca, is an excellent thickening agent to use in fruit pie fillings and cobblers.
    • Sugar: Use granulated white sugar.
    • Flour: Use regular all-purpose flour. Gluten-free flour also works.
    • Lemon zest & juice: Use fresh zest. Lemon juice can be fresh, frozen, or bottled.
    • Cinnamon
    • Nutmeg: Use freshly grated nutmeg if that's an option for you.
    • Butter: Use salted butter.
    • Pie crust: Homemade or store-bought; this recipe makes enough filling for one 9-inch deep-dish pie, or two standard 9-inch pies.

    How to Make this Pie Recipe

    Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Pour fresh berries into your pie dish to measure out proper amount.

    PRO TIP: Chill pie plate in refrigerator for 30 minutes before beginning.

    Overhead shot of a large glass pie dish filled with fresh blueberries.

    Prepare the Pie Filling

    IMPORTANT: Blueberries used for filling must be room temperature.

    DO NOT use chilled berries, or your filling will take too long to cook and your pie shell will burn before the filling is done. 

    Rinse blueberries in colander. This step is NOT OPTIONAL.

    blueberries in a colander

    In a large bowl, combine berries, tapioca, sugar, flour, zest, cinnamon and nutmeg.

    You can adjust the amount of sugar based on the tartness of your berries and your personal tastes. Add up to an additional ⅓ cup sugar if your berries are very tart, or if you prefer your pies very sweet.

    Collage: Mixing pie filling ingredients together in a medium glass mixing bowl.

    Gently toss to mix. Sprinkle with lemon juice, toss one more time, and allow to sit for 15 minutes.

    Prepare Pie Crust

    While the pie filling is setting out, take the pie plate and one half of your pie dough out of the refrigerator. Roll out bottom crust and line pie dish. (Continue to chill other half of crust.)

    Put rolled bottom crust in freezer for 5 minutes before proceeding.

    You can use any pie crust you want for this pie. However, if you want to make your own dough (and I strongly encourage you to do so), my favorite, go-to sweet pie dough recipe is tender, flaky, and easy to make.

    Follow these three easy rules for successful pie crust: 

    1. Keep everything crust-related ICE COLD! That means; if you aren't using it, it should be chilling. This includes your pie dish. (DO NOT chill filling ingredients.) 
    2. Mix in the fats by hand, and leave pea to peanut-size pieces in the dough. 
    3. Do not overmix your dough. Overworking encourages the formation of gluten, which makes pastry dough tough. Pastry dough should never be a uniform color: don't try to make it so. 
    bottom pie crust draped in pie dish.

    Pie Crust PRO TIP: Cut the bottom crust larger enough so that, after you add the top crust, the bottom edge can be folded up over it and sealed, as shown in the image above. In my experience, this significantly cuts down on pie shell leakage around the edges. 

    Fill chilled pie crust with prepared filling. Sprinkle lemon juice over top of pie. Dot with butter pieces.

    Blueberry pie filling poured into an unbaked pastry crust.

    Remove dough for top crust from refrigerator. Roll out on lightly floured board. Add top crust to pie as desired. You can simply top it with a solid crust, or make it as fancy as you like.

    If you use a solid top crust, be sure to cut a few vents. If you pie dough seems saggy or too warm when you get done adding the top crust, put the whole thing back in the freezer for 5 minutes.

    Unbaked, latticed topped blueberry pie, decorated with pie dough roses.

    Bake the Pie

    Baking times will vary somewhat, depending upon your pie dish, oven, and depth of filling. Keep an eye on your pie after the first 30 minutes of baking to avoid burning.

    • 9½" Deep Dish Pie: Bake at 400° (200°C) for 45-55 minutes, or until lightly browned.
    • Standard 9" Pie: Bake at 400° (200°C) for 40-50 minutes, or until lightly browned.

    After the first 30 minutes of baking, gently lay a sheet of plain, flat aluminum foil over the top of the entire pie to avoid over-browning the top. Do not press down or otherwise form the foil: just lay it gently, like a feather.

    The pie is done when crust is light golden brown and filling is bubbly. Allow to cool completely before serving.

    Equipment

    After decades of pie-making, my recommendation for the best pie plate is either a Pyrex basic deep dish or Pyrex fluted deep-dish pie plate. The transparent Pyrex allows you to visually check the crust for doneness, and its even heat conduction yields a crisp, uniform crust. The durable Pyrex material can be cut without scratching the dish, and slices release neatly from the pan.

    Top Tips

    How to Measure Berries for a Pie

    Reality: This is how I measure berries for a pie.

    A large glass pie dish filled with fresh blueberries.

    For the purposes of this post, I weighed the berries I used so I could give an exact measurement in the recipe. (About 42 ounces for a deep dish, and 21 ounces for a standard single pie.)

    However, if you fill you pie pan(s) so that the top rounds up just a bit, you will have the exact right amount for your pie. The rest of the ingredient amounts are based making filling for one deep dish blueberry pie (as pictured here) or two standard 9-inch pies.

    Top Crust Ideas

    For the top crust, you can go as simple as you want; but it's super-easy to fancy it up.

    To make a rose and lattice pie crust top like the one in these images, simply slice a few random strips of pie dough, cut some leaves, and make five simple "4-circle" pie-dough roses. 

    Unbaked blueberry pie decorated with lattice top and pie dough roses.

    FAQ

    Why is it important to rinse blueberries before baking with them?

    As you may know, you should never rinse blueberries until you are ready to use them. Rinsing removes the "bloom," which is the waxy, silvery-white coating that appears on blueberries, grapes, and some plums. Bloom acts as a barrier against insects and bacteria, and helps to seal in the fruits' moisture. Rinsing breaks down this protection, ultimately allowing the berries to cook more efficiently.

    For the purposes of this recipe, rinsing also adds just enough liquid to the mixture to allow the tapioca to begin working its magic before the berries begin to burst during baking. Do not skip this step, or your filling may not cook correctly.

    Why does this blueberry pie recipe include both flour and tapioca as thickeners?

    Thickening the natural fruit juices from any berry is tricky, especially when the filling is cooked in the pie. (As opposed to pre-cooking the filling.) Blueberries are particularly pesky, natural pectin-wise, and it seems that some varieties gel better than others. 

    You want your pie-fruit to be thick enough to sit on a fork, but you don't want a gummy, gelatinous mess that feels weird on your tongue and totally overwhelms the fresh, natural flavors of the berries. You also need that crust to bake up nice and flaky. It's a balancing act. 

    That said, I am not a fan of cornstarch for thickening pies, and I avoid it whenever possible. Sure, thickening with cornstarch is easy, but it often results in what I can only describe as a gloppy, bouncy filling. 

    For this pie, I use my pie thickener of choice - instant tapioca, plus just a little flour and butter to seal the deal. This combination gives me the most consistent results with my blueberry pie filling, yielding a thick, juicy filling that highlights (instead of hides) all those delicious fresh berry flavors. 

    Blueberry pies, in particular, thicken a lot when they cool. Don't be concerned if your filling seems thin when you first take it out of the oven. For best results, allow pies to set up completely before cutting in. 

    45-degree shot of baked blueberry pie, decorated with pastry roses.

    The pastry roses on this pie are ridiculously easy to make, and will immediately up your pie-making game! 

    More Pie Recipes

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    Freshly baked blueberry pie with lattice top adorned with pastry flowers.
    5 from 4 votes

    Classic Fresh Blueberry Pie

    Our simple, classic fresh blueberry pie recipe lets the blueberry flavors shine! Recipe makes enough filling for one 9-inch deep-dish blueberry Pie, or two standard 9-inch pies.
    Print Pin Add to Shopping List Go to Shopping List
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: American, Comfort Food, Seasonal
    Diet: Vegetarian
    Prep Time:30 minutes minutes
    Cook Time:55 minutes minutes
    Cooling Time:1 hour hour
    Total Time:2 hours hours 25 minutes minutes
    Servings: 12 servings
    Calories: 405kcal
    Author: Renee
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Equipment

    • 1 9½-inch deep dish pie plate or 2 standard pie dishes
    • 1 Colander
    • 1 Rolling Pin

    Ingredients

    US Customary - Metric
    • 42 ounces fresh blueberries room temperature (Defrost to room temp if using frozen berries)
    • 4 tablespoons instant tapioca
    • ⅔ cup white sugar See Notes below.
    • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
    • 1½ teaspoons fresh lemon zest
    • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
    • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
    • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
    • 1 tablespoon butter cut into small pieces
    • 1 batch Sweet Pie Dough per pie (or your favorite double-crust pie dough)

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 400°F | 200°C.
      Pour fresh berries into your pie dish to measure out proper amount.
      PRO TIP: Chill pie plate in refrigerator for 30 minutes before beginning.
    • Rinse blueberries in colander. This step is NOT OPTIONAL.
    • In a large bowl, combine berries, tapioca, sugar, flour, zest, cinnamon and nutmeg.
    • Gently toss to mix. Sprinkle with lemon juice, toss one more time, and allow to sit for 15 minutes.
    • While the pie filling is setting out, take the pie plate and one half of your pie dough out of the refrigerator.
      Roll out bottom crust and line pie dish. (Continue to chill other half of crust.)
      Put rolled bottom crust in freezer for 5 minutes before proceeding.
    • Fill chilled pie crust with prepared filling.
    • Sprinkle lemon juice over top of pie. Dot with butter pieces.
    • Remove dough for top crust from refrigerator. Roll out on lightly floured board. Add top crust to pie as desired. You can simply top it with a solid crust, or make it as fancy as you like.
      If you use a solid top crust, be sure to cut a few vents.
      If you pie dough seems saggy or too warm when you get done adding the top crust, put the whole thing back in the freezer for 5 minutes.
    • Baking times will vary somewhat, depending upon your pie dish, oven, and depth of filling. Keep an eye on your pie after the first 30 minutes of baking to avoid burning.
      • 9½" Deep Dish Pie: Bake at 400° [200°C] for 45-55 minutes, or until lightly browned.
      • Standard 9" Pie: Bake at 400° [200°C] for 40-50 minutes, or until lightly browned.
      After the first 30 minutes of baking, gently lay a sheet of plain, flat aluminum foil over the top of the entire pie to avoid over-browning the top. Do not press down or otherwise form the foil: just lay it gently, like a feather.
      Pie is done when crust is light golden brown and filling is bubbly.
      Allow pie to cool completely before serving.

    Notes

    IMPORTANT: Blueberries used for filling must be room temperature. DO NOT use chilled berries, or your filling will take too long to cook and your pie shell will burn before the filling is done. 

    You can adjust the amount of sugar based on the tartness of your berries and your personal tastes. Add up to an additional ⅓ cup sugar if your berries are very tart, or if you prefer your pies very sweet. 

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1slice | Calories: 405kcal | Carbohydrates: 56g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 6mg | Sodium: 175mg | Potassium: 110mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 24g | Vitamin A: 319IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 13mg | Iron: 2mg
    This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.
    Have you tried this recipe?Mention @TheGoodHeartedWoman or tag #thegoodheartedwoman!

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    About Renée B.

    Renée is self-taught home chef with a penchant for creating healthy(ish) comfort food recipes, and adapting vintage recipes for the 21st century cook. In her spare time, she writes unfinished novels and songs about cowboys.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      5 from 4 votes

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    1. Anjali says

      August 06, 2020 at 5:21 pm

      5 stars
      I'm a huge fan of blueberry pie in the summertime! This recipe turned out great, and I loved the added touch of lemon zest -- brought out the freshness in the blueberries!

      Reply
      • Renée says

        August 06, 2020 at 7:39 pm

        Thank you! Lemon does such wonderful things for berries, doesn't it?

        Reply
    2. Jennifer says

      August 06, 2020 at 3:09 pm

      5 stars
      What a delicious pie! It was so easy to make, and your tip about rinsing the boom was right on. I forgot to do that once, and that was a mess... Gorgeous pie too! I'll be checking back for the how to on the crust roses.

      Reply
      • Renée says

        August 06, 2020 at 7:38 pm

        Glad you like it! Thanks so much for stopping by!

        Reply
    3. Jeannette says

      August 06, 2020 at 2:42 pm

      5 stars
      Wow! What an incredibly comforting recipe! I love how there's nutmeg for that extra kick of flavour and gorgeous dollops of butter on the blueberries. Such simple techniques for a better turnout!

      Reply
      • Renée says

        August 06, 2020 at 2:45 pm

        Thanks, Jeannette! Those little tricks really do add up when it comes to pie baking.

        Reply
    4. Mary says

      August 06, 2020 at 2:28 pm

      5 stars
      This pie is gorgeous! That crust design!!!

      Reply
      • Renée says

        August 06, 2020 at 2:36 pm

        Thank you, Mary! It's super easy to do! (The pie dough roses are so simple it's almost embarrassing.)

        Reply

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