This delicious double crust blueberry pie is the perfect combination of sweet and tart. The filling has a concentrated, bright fruit flavor that holds its shape when sliced.
Even better, this recipe works well with fresh or frozen blueberries, so you can make it any time of the year.
"This is definitely THE Blueberry Pie recipe to bake. Look no further. I made this blueberry pie filling several times last summer, with excellent results and many, many compliments. I've saved it to my computer, a card for my recipe box, as well as a printed copy. Thank You so much Rebecca, for sharing this amazing, mouthwatering recipe. I am so thrilled to have 5 star Blueberry Pie recipe in my recipe box!" - Claudette
Years ago, I read something in a newspaper article that has stayed with me ever since: "When you bake a pie, you are in the kitchen in the company of ghosts." - In the South, Cake or Pie for Dessert? (NY Times)
Instantly, the many pies of my childhood came to mind, most of them baked by my Mom and Grandma. Fresh Cherry Pie, Strawberry Rhubarb, Apple Pie, and Chocolate Cream Pie are the ones I remember so clearly I can practically taste them.
I think this points to one of the many reasons why I love to bake. Baking is a uniquely personal way of connecting us to our past in a tangible way.
When we carve out a few precious hours to stand in the kitchen and bake these pies, we are indeed in the company of ghosts. It's comforting and real, and connects our past to our present with precious solidity.
Baking a blueberry pie is an opportunity to remember the pies of my past and the beautiful people who baked them. And, it gives me something to pass on to my own children so they can do the same.
xo
-Rebecca
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"I made this pie for a potluck last weekend and it was gone before most people even got dinner! I was shocked! Not a slice was wasted and I got so many compliments. It is also now a continuous request that I make it for all future events." - Missie
The Best Blueberry Pie Filling
When I set about creating this recipe, I had three goals:
- I wanted it to be easy to slice and serve
- I wanted the blueberry filling to have a concentrated, bright fruit flavor with a delicious balance of sweet and tart
- I wanted the recipe to work equally well with fresh and frozen blueberries
After baking pie after pie (I know, life is rough around here), this recipe is the end result.
Every kind of fruit pie filling needs something to thicken up up all that delicious fruit juice. The most popular thickeners include cornstarch, flour, and tapioca. All three are starches with a similar thickening power but also come with different advantages and disadvantages.
- Cornstarch can make fruit pie filling cloudy and give it a slightly chalky taste
- Tapioca creates a blueberry filling that is bright and clear, but can also give it a gluey consistency
- Flour is a thickener I generally stay away from completely when making fruit pies because it tends to make the filling cloudy and pasty, and gives it a floury flavor
The solution, is to use BOTH cornstarch and tapioca. Combining small amount of each delivers the same thickening power as using only one or the other.
But because there's a smaller amount of each, we get all of their advantages without the disadvantages. The result is a blueberry pie filling that's glossy, luxuriously silky, and holds its shape when sliced.
How to Thicken Blueberry Pie Filling
Before adding the tapioca and cornstarch, it's important to get the blueberries to release some of their juice so you have something to thicken! There are several ways to do this...
In my favorite Mixed Berry and Plum Pie, I like to let the juice drain from the berries, then thicken it separately before adding the fruit back in. This method helps to keep super delicate berries like raspberries somewhat intact through the baking process.
With blueberry pie, I prefer to do something slightly different:
- Cook half of the blueberries, breaking some of them up to create a super flavorful, concentrated blueberry syrup.
- Then add the cornstarch, tapioca, and the rest of the whole, fresh blueberries.
- This allows the tapioca and cornstarch to thicken all that delicious syrup, suspending the remaining whole blueberries in sliceable pieces of pie that aren't runny.
The end result is a mixture of rich, thick blueberry filling peppered throughout with whole blueberries as opposed to a fruit filling that runs all over the place the second you slice it.
You can also use this blueberry filling in other scrumptious treats like in my Blueberry Pie Cookies.
Tips for a flaky, sugar topped crust
This recipe calls for my tried-and-true favorite pie crust, appropriately named Foolproof Pie Crust. It's the crust I've been making for over 2 decades and it is, truly, foolproof thanks to two "secret" ingredients:
- A splash of white vinegar
- 1 large egg
Vinegar interferes with the formation of gluten in flour, which tenderizes the dough. In most pie crust recipes, you must take extreme care to not overwork the dough so that you don't activate the gluten in the flour and create a tough dough.
In this recipe, the vinegar does a great job of guarding against gluten development so that you get a super tender and flaky crust every single time.
The egg in this pie crust dough makes the dough more pliable and easy to roll out. The dough is quite elastic and rarely breaks, and when it does, it's super easy to stretch and press the dough as needed to cover the inside of a pie plate or the top of a pie.
That said, if you have a favorite pie crust recipe, please use that. Pie crust is often one of those things we were talking about earlier - a tangible connection to the past.
Pro tip! Regardless of what pie crust you use, giving the top a sprinkle of sugar is a must. That gorgeous sugary top not only looks pretty, it adds a lovely sweet crunch to every single bite.
Frequently asked questions
There is no need to thaw frozen blueberries before baking this pie. Frozen blueberries will thaw perfectly well as the pie filling cooks, so there is no need to add the extra step of thawing the berries in advance.
Tapioca flour/ starch is essentially the same thing as quick-cooking tapioca pearls. The only difference is in their presentation.
In this recipe, if using tapioca pearls, grind them first in a food processor (or spice or coffee grinder). The resulting powder is essentially the same thing as tapioca flour. So, use which ever you prefer.
Absolutely! This pie will bake up just as well under a rolled crust, as pictured here, or a lattice crust. It's completely up to you. If you've never made a lattice top crust but want to give it a try, there are step-by-step photos in the post for Fresh Peach Pie that will show you how!
More popular fruit pie recipes
"These pictures had me drooling and this pie became a must-make asap! Finally got to it this past weekend and it was to die for. The berry filling was the perfect balance of gooey and fresh and the fool proof crust recipe is a dream to work with. I'll be making this all year round from here on out with the frozen wild blueberries I keep on hand all the time for smoothies." - Gina
If you give this recipe a try, let me know! Scroll down to rate this recipe and leave a comment for me.
Happy baking!
📖 Recipe
Blueberry Pie Recipe
This delicious double crust blueberry pie is the perfect combination of sweet and tart, with a bright fruit flavor that holds its shape when sliced.
Ingredients
- 1 recipe Fool Proof Pie Crust, chilled for at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator
- ¼ cup (45.5 grams) minute tapioca pearls - OR ⅓ cup (43.3 grams) tapioca flour/ starch (*see note)
- 8 cups (1520 grams) fresh or frozen blueberries
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- ¾ cup + 2 tablespoons (175 grams) granulate sugar
- 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
- ¼ cup (85 grams) honey or maple syrup
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons (25 grams) granulated sugar for sprinkling over the top crust
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (204 degrees C)
- If using tapioca pearls, add them to the bowl of a food processor (a small one works best). Or, use a spice of coffee grinder. Process until the tapioca is powdery and set aside. (*See note about the difference between tapioca pearls and tapioca flour.)
- Add 4 cups (760 grams) of the blueberries to a medium size, heavy bottom saucepan along with the lemon juice and granulated sugar.
- Set the pan over medium heat and bring to a simmer, stirring frequently. When the mixture begins to simmer, turn the heat up slightlyand cook, stirring constantly, until the juice from the mashed blueberries has thickened slightly. This will take about 8 minutes. As you stir, mash some of the berries on the side of the pan to break some of them up.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the tapioca, lemon zest, honey, cornstarch, salt, and the remaining blueberries. Let the mixture stand for 15 minutes to soften the tapioca.
- Return the saucepan to medium heat and bring the mixture to a simmer, stirring frequently. Let simmer for 3-5 minutes, until thickened. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla.
- In a small bowl, whisk the egg with 1 tablespoon of cold water and set aside.
- Remove the pie dough from the refrigerator. On a floured surface, roll out a portion of the dough to a 12-inch circle that’s about ⅛-inch thick.
- Using a large spatula, gently loosen the dough from the work top, fold it in half and then fold it in half again. It will form a triangle shape. Lift the crust and place it in a pie plate with the point of the triangle in the center of the plate. Gently unfold the dough in the pan and press into the corners gently. Leave any dough that overlaps the edges of the plate in place. (Click here for step-by-step photos of this process.)
- Pour the blueberry pie filling into the pie crust.
- Roll another portion of the pie dough into another 12-inch circle, about ⅛ inch thick. Just as you did with the bottom crust, using a large spatula, gently loosen the dough from the work top, fold it in half and then fold it in half again. Lift the crust and place it on the top of the pie with the point of the triangle in the center. Gently unfold the dough to cover the blueberry filling completely.
- Trim the edges of the crust so that you have about a half of an inch hanging over the pie plate. Fold the edges under, forming a rim around the pie that is higher than the pie plate. With one hand on the inside of the edge and one hand on the outside, use the index finger of your inside hand to push the dough between the thumb and index finger of your other hand to form a U or a V shape. Continue this crimping motion around the entire edge.
- Gently brush the egg wash over the top crust with a pastry brush and sprinkle evenly with the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar. With a sharp knife, cut 5 slits, evenly spaced to form a circle, in the top pie crust.
- Put the pie on a baking sheet (to catch any drips) and place in the oven. Bake for 30 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees F (190.5 degrees C), rotate the pie in the oven and bake for an additional 30-45 minutes. The pie is done when the crust is golden brown and the filling in the center of the pie is bubbling.
- Remove from the oven and cool completely on a wire rack, about 4-6 hours, before slicing.
Notes
What's the difference between tapioca flour and tapioca pearls?
Tapioca flour/ starch is essentially the same thing as ground quick-cooking tapioca pearls. So, use which ever you prefer.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 381Total Fat: 13gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 23mgSodium: 339mgCarbohydrates: 65gFiber: 6gSugar: 29gProtein: 4g
Janice says
This blueberry pie recipe was truly delicious. I loved how balanced the sweetness and tartness were. Plus, it is kid-approved! I would definitely make this again!
Rebecca Blackwell says
I am so happy to hear that you and your family liked this recipe, Janice!
Jane says
It's the perfect blend of sweet and tart, with a hint of lemon zest that brings out all the flavors. I love how it's not too sweet, but still has a delicious maple syrup base.
Rebecca Blackwell says
I'm so glad to hear that you like this pie recipe Jane! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment for me!
Sage Scott says
I cheated and used a store-bought pie crust, but holy cow, is this pie delicious! Blueberries are one of my favorite fruits, and I love how easy it is to make this dish with either fresh or frozen berries. Yum!
Rebecca Blackwell says
There is absolutely a time and place for store-bought pie crust! Sometimes, it's the only way to go. 🙂 So glad you liked this recipe!
Gina says
These pictures had me drooling and this pie became a must-make asap! Finally got to it this past weekend and it was to die for. The berry filling was the perfect balance of gooey and fresh and the fool proof crust recipe is a dream to work with. I'll be making this all year round from here on out with the frozen wild blueberries I keep on hand all the time for smoothies.
Rebecca Blackwell says
I am so happy to hear that you liked this recipe so much Gina! Your comment just made my whole day. Thank you so much for taking the time to write!
Claudette K. says
This is defininately "THE" Blueberry Pie recipe to bake. Look no further. I made this blueberry pie filling several times last summer, with excellent results and many, many compliments. I had misplaced this recipe at some point and could not find it this summer. Luckily, I was able to recall the basic ingredients, which I typed in, along with "blueberry pie recipe" and up it came. I recognised it to be the correct recipe as soon as I saw your photo.I am now saving it to my P.C, a card for my recipe box, as well as a printed copy. This is a wonderful pie recipe. Since saskatoons grow wild where I live, I will bake this pie with a combination of blueberries and natures "free" saskatoons, with absolutely wonderful results. Thank You so much Rebecca, for sharing this amazing, mouthwatering recipe. I am so thrilled to have 5 star Blueberry Pie recipe in my recipe box.
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Claudette! Your comment just made my whole week! I am so happy to hear that you like this recipe so much - and so glad you found it again! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment for me. I appreciate it more than I can express! xo
Rose says
Hi Rebecca! I’ve been waiting to make this pie for months, ever since mg Grandfather in law made a special request for a blueberry pie for his birthday. It’s finally time! Two questions - can I make this pie on Friday for a Saturday evening dinner? Or is that too long to wait after baking? And I loved the jam truck you put in the berry and plum pie, would that be beneficial for this pie? Thanks! (Sorry I posted this as a review initially, I blame it on my newborn)