This triple berry plum pie has a perfectly balanced sweet-tart filling made with raspberries, blackberries, blueberries and plums baked inside a flaky, sugar coated lattice topped pastry.
This pie can be made with fresh or frozen berries and plums.
I tried this recipe when we had a house guest. It was amazing! The fruit draining first gave me doubt, but the flavor and finished product was gorgeous. I am making my second one tonight for a neighbor who saw my post on Facebook, but didn't get to try any pie (houseguest and bf devoured it!). Thank you for the wonderful recipe!
-Kelly
This pie is quite possibly my family's favorite dessert of the summer. Not just this summer. Every summer. This is especially true for my oldest daughter who loves it so much she nearly cried last week when I told her it was in the oven.
I've learned a few tricks over the years which contribute to this pie being consistently delicious. We'll talk about those in a moment. But, the real secret is to start with really good, ripe, juicy berries and plums.
Here in Colorado, that means this pie doesn't get made until around mid-June because before then you're likely to spend a small fortune for berries that taste a little bit like cardboard. I don't care how many tricks you have up your sleeve, you can't make a fruit pie taste good if the fruit itself isn't good to begin with.
BUT - you can also use frozen berries and plums to make this pie all year round. 👏👏👏
In my house that means making this pie with fresh berries and plums in the summer and with frozen fruit in the colder months. Most notably, around the holidays because who doesn't want to end a holiday meal with thick slice of really good pie???
Jump to:
Ingredients Needed to Prepare This Recipe
- Two pie crusts. My favorite recipe is Fool Proof Pie Crust, but if you have a favorite recipe, please use it. Or, use a couple of frozen prepared pie crusts.
- 6 heaping cups fresh or frozen berries, any mix of varieties. For the pie pictured here, I used raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries.
- 6 small black plums. Cut the plums in half and remove the pit. Then, cut them into ½-inch slices. There's no need to peel them.
- Lemon juice. A bit of lemon juice is essential to bringing out the fresh fruit flavor of the berries and plums.
- Granulated sugar. Just ¾ cup sugar is enough to both sweetened the triple berry plum filling and work with the tapioca and cornstarch to thicken the filling and create a gorgeous gloss.
- Quick cooking tapioca. Tapioca comes in several different forms, but the one you want to use in pies is instant (quick-cooking) tapioca.
- Cornstarch. Cornstarch works with the tapioca to thicken all that delicious fruit juice so your pie holds together when sliced.
- Salt. Obvi. Just a bit of salt helps to bring out the flavor of all the other ingredients.
- Honey. Honey adds both sweetness and flavor to this fruit pie.
- Lemon zest. A bit of lemon zest brightens the flavor of the fruit and provides a nice balance to the sweetness of the pie.
- Vanilla extract
- Good quality fruit jam or preserves - Like this Strawberry Rhubarb Jam. This ingredient is optional.
- 1 large egg
Why The Filling for this Berry Pie Includes Both Cornstarch and Tapioca
You can certainly use only tapioca or only cornstarch to thicken any kind of fruit or berry pie, but I think a combination of both gives you the best of both worlds.
- Too much cornstarch can make fruit pie filling cloudy and give it a slightly chalky taste.
- Tapioca creates a berry filling that is bright and clear, but can sometimes result in a gluey consistency.
- Combining smaller amounts of both cornstarch and tapioca is a great solution, creating a glossy, luxuriously silky filling.
Top Tip for Making the BEST Triple Berry Plum Pie
Oh Shirley Corriher, how I love you and your book Bakewise because it's overflowing with handy little tips and tricks that takes already good things (like chocolate chip cookies) and elevates them to a whole other level of delicious.
In this fabulous cookbook, I learned a fantastic method for capturing and condensing all the flavor of the fruit while creating the perfect consistency for the filling. Here's what you do...
- A few hours before you want to bake your pie, toss the berries and plums with some sugar and lemon juice.
- Pile the fruit into a colander set over a bowl and let it stand at room temperature for about 3 hours.
This does a couple of things: The sugar sweetens the fruit while the acid in the lemon juice helps the berries retain their shape. Most importantly, it draws out a lot of the juice inside the fruit, capturing it in the bowl.
Once you've collected the extra fruit juice, pour it into a saucepan and add cornstarch, tapioca, a bit more sugar, and a touch of honey. Let it simmer for a bit, which concentrates the flavors so that you end up with the most flavor-packed pie possible.
Equally important, this method allows you to thicken all that delicious fruit juice before the pie bakes, giving you much more control over the thickening process.
Bye, bye runny fruit pies.
Also, because you've only cooked the juice, and not the berries, they will (mostly) retain their shape while the pie bakes. The fruit juice is transformed into a gorgeous glossy glaze that coats the berries and plums, giving each slice a beautiful glossy luster.
What if you're using frozen fruit in this pie?
Follow the same method, adding the frozen berries and plums into a colander with the sugar and lemon juice. As the berries thaw, the juice will drain out and collect in the bowl.
Pro tip! If you happen to be using a particularly juicy batch of berries and plums, you might need to add a touch more cornstarch to achieve the right consistency.
Or, if the filling isn't getting thick, just let it simmer on the stovetop for longer. As the filling cooks, the extra liquid will evaporate.
What Kind of Berries are Best in this Pie?
This is a "mixed berry pie" for a reason. You can use whatever kind of berries you want, in whatever proportions you like.
In the pie pictured here, I used an equal amount of raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries. But, the type of berries you use, or whether you use them in equal amounts is not important.
Just use a total of 6 heaping cups of fresh or frozen berries and your pie will be fabulous.
For An Extra Layer of Flavor, Spread the Bottom Crust with Fruit Preserves
This recipe includes the instruction to spread some jam or preserves across the bottom of the pie crust before adding the fruit filling. This step is one of those "extra" kinds of things that gives each bite an even more intense fruit flavor.
There are two kinds of jam I especially love to use in this pie:
- Morello Cherry Preserves. Morello cherries are rich, tart and incredibly flavorful. If we have it in the house, it most likely means that I've made Black Forest Cake at some point in the recent past. Black Forest Cake requires ½ cup of Morello Cherry Preserves, which leaves about ½ cup of jam in the jar - just the right amount to cover the bottom crust of a fruit pie.
- Homemade Strawberry Rhubarb Jam. Every summer, I make as many batches of this jam as I have the time and ingredients for. No matter how much I make, we never have any left over by the next summer. It's just that good.
More Delicious Pie Recipes
- Sweet Cherry Crumb Pie
- Chocolate Cream Pie
- Strawberries and Cream Pie
- Triple Cherry Pie
- The Best Blueberry Pie
- Caramel Apple Pie
- Perfect Summer Peach Pie
This is so delicious! I used my own tried and true pie crust recipe, but was really excited about the new technique of thickening the liquid before baking the pie. It is definitely one of the best pies I’ve ever baked!
-Suzanne
If you give this recipe a try, let me know! Scroll down to leave a comment and rate the recipe, or take a picture and tag it #ofbatteranddough on Instagram.
Happy baking!
📖 Recipe
Triple Berry Plum Pie
This triple berry plum pie has a perfectly balanced sweet-tart filling made with raspberries, blackberries, blueberries and plums baked inside a flaky, sugar coated lattice topped pastry.
This pie can be made with fresh or frozen berries and plums.
Ingredients
- 2 prepared pie crusts. My favorite recipe: Fool Proof Pie Crust, chilled for at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator
- 6 heaping cups (35-40 ounces/ 900-1000 grams) fresh or frozen berries, any mix of varieties (for the pie pictured here, I used raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries)
- 6 small black plums, unpeeled, pitted and cut into ½-inch slices
- ¼ cup (56 grams) lemon juice
- ¾ cup + 2 tablespoons (173 grams) granulated sugar, divided (plus more for sprinkling over the top crust)
- ¼ cup (42 grams) quick cooking tapioca
- 3 tablespoon (21 grams) cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon (6 grams) table salt
- ¼ cup (84 grams) honey
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest from 1 large lemon
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup (6 ounces/ 170 grams) good quality fruit jam or preserves
- 1 large egg
Instructions
- If using fresh berries, wash the berries in cold water and let drain.
- Put the berries into a large bowl with the sliced plums and gently toss the fruit with ½ cup of the sugar and the lemon juice. Pour the fruit into a colander and set the colander over the bowl so that it catches all the juice. If using frozen berries, there is no need to thaw. The berries will thaw as they rest in the colander.
- Let the berries rest in the colandar at room temperature for 3 hours. If you think about it, gently stir the fruit in the colander every now and then to encourage as much juice as possible to drip down into the bowl. (If you forget, or are unable to stir the fruit, don't worry about it. It'll be fine.)
- Preheat the oven to 400° F (204° C).
- Remove the colander with the fruit in it from the bowl and pour the fruit juice that's collected in the bowl into a medium size saucepan. Dump the fruit into the bowl and set aside.
- Using a spice grinder or food processor, grind the tapioca into a powder. (*See note) Add the ground tapioca, remaining sugar, cornstarch, salt, honey, and lemon zest to the fruit juice in the saucepan. Whisk vigorously to combine and set it over medium-high heat.
- Cook the fruit juice mixture, stirring constantly, until the mixture comes to a boil. Boil, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes, until it's thickened to the consistency of gravy (*see note). Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.
- Pour the fruit juice mixture over the fruit. Toss gently to combine and set aside while you roll out the pie crust.
- 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.
- Spread ½ cup of fruit jam or preserves in an even layer over the bottom of the pie crust.
- Roll another portion of the dough into a large circle, about 18 inches. With a pizza wheel, fluted pizza wheel, or paring knife, cut the disk into 1 or 2-inch wide strips.
- Pour the fruit filling into the bottom crust, smoothing it into an even layer.
- Starting in the center of the pie, lay half the strips across the top of the filling in one direction. Lay the remaining strips perpendicular to the first, weaving them into the first strips to form a lattice pattern. Trim the edges of the strips so that they are even with the edge of the bottom crust.
- Fold the edges under, forming a rim around the pie that is a bit 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.
- In a small bowl, whisk the egg with 1 tablespoon of cold water. Gently brush the egg wash over the top crust with a pastry brush and sprinkle evenly with 2-3 tablespoons of sugar.
- Put the pie on a foil covered baking sheet and place in the oven. Bake for 30 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 375° F (190° C) and bake for an additional 30-40 minutes. The pie is done when the crust is a deep golden brown and the filling in the center of the pie is bubbling.
- Remove from the oven and let cool completely before slicing.
Notes
What's the best kind of jam to use in this pie?
Use any kind of jam or fruit preserves you like in this recipe. My two favorites are:
Can you leave out the plums?
Absolutely. The addition of plums in this mixed berry pie is delicious, but if you don't care for plums just leave them out. Add another 2 cups of berries in their place.
How to store leftover ground tapioca
The bowl of my food processor is kind of large, so I find it easier to grind a larger amount of tapioca at once. Store ground tapioca in a zip top bag in the cupboard, just as you would unground tapioca.
What to do if the fruit juice isn't thickening?
If you happen to be using a particularly juicy batch of berries and plums, you might need to add a touch more cornstarch to achieve the right consistency. Sprinkle in another teaspoon or two, cook for a few seconds longer, and see if that does the trick. If not, add a touch more.
Or, if the filling isn't getting thick, just let it simmer on the stovetop for longer. As the filling cooks, the extra liquid will evaporate.
Why do you recomend baking the pie on a foil covered baking sheet?
Placing the pie on a foiled covered baking sheet is super important because most of the time, some of the filling will bubble up and drip over the sides of the pie plate. The foil covered baking sheet will catch these drips, saving you from an oven of burning fruit. Covering the baking sheet with foil (or parchment paper), makes clean up super easy. Just be sure to remove the pie from the baking sheet right after baking or the foil (or parchment) will stick to the pie plate as it cools and be somewhat difficult to remove.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: ⅛ of the pieAmount Per Serving: Calories: 386Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 480mgCarbohydrates: 68gFiber: 8gSugar: 29gProtein: 4g
Natalie says
Do you have to drain the berries and plums for an entire 3 hours? I gathered ingredients, started to follow the recipe and got my family too excited.... now I may have to wait a day to cook it tomorrow...oops. I’m not sure if I have to drain for the entire 3 hours!
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Natalie! Since you left this comment last night, I'm sure you made a decision about whether or not to allow the berries and plums to drain. Not allowing the berries and plums to drain might possibly result in a runnier filling... but, that's not always a bad thing, especially when you have a happy, hungry family eating pie! But, I'd love to know what did you decide to do? If you baked the pie, how did it come out?
Kelli says
I tried this recipe when we had a house guest. It was amazing! I did not use the tapioca, but it still came out pretty thick. The fruit draining first gave me doubt, but the flavor and finished product was gorgeous. I don't do lattice very well, so it wasn't as beautiful as yours. I am making my second one tonight for a neighbor who saw my post on Facebook, but didn't get to try any pie (houseguest and bf devoured it!). Thank you for the wonderful recipe!
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Kelli! I am so happy to hear that you and your guests liked this recipe! And, you are so kind to make another one for your neighbor! The crust on my pies never looks as pretty as I'd like it to... I have a serious case of pastry envy for more than a few pie crust masters on Instagram. In the end, I figure the most important thing is that it taste good. All that work for a pretty pie and if it's good, it will be devoured quickly anyway! 🙂 Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment for me! I truly appreciate it! xo
Bird Morse says
This is so delicious! I used my own tried and true pie crust recipe, but was really excited about the new technique of thickening the liquid before baking the pie. It is definitely one of the best pies I’ve ever baked!
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi there! I am so glad you liked this recipe!!! Than you so much for taking the time to leave a comment letting me know! xo
Ellen says
I've been making pie crust for eons and mine is pretty good...but this was great! Very flaky and delicious. That said, the filling of mixed berries and plums was wonderful. I made it for a gift, but it didn't all fit into the pie plate, so I got some leftovers and put a little crust on it. My husband said it is the perfect balance of sweet and tart. Thanks, Rebecca!
Rebecca Blackwell says
I am SO happy that you (and your husband) liked this recipe Ellen! Hopefully the lucky gift recipient of your pie enjoyed it as well. Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment to let me know! xo
Rose Wilson says
This pie was a hit! I wasn't able to find the kind of tapioca that you grate, just the pretreated in a box and I had a little trouble with it being lumpy....most of it eventually cooked down clear in the oven but some small white chunks remained (luckily they looked like they could be blackberry seeds!). I also didn't have any cherry jam so I used raspberry jam and it made it quite tart! Still delicious but I would try another flavor next time!
Rebecca Blackwell says
I'm so glad your pie turned out well Rose! I love pies that are super tart - so I probably would have loved yours. 🙂 Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know! xoxo
Rhonda says
I am going to make this but with a gluten free flour. Also, I just made a Rhubarb fruit crumble recipe that called for adding balsamic vinegar! It was fabulous so going to add a Tablespoon to this recipe. I also wonder if I make the filling then freeze it for later use if that might work? Just so excited to try this. I have tons of raspberry’s and plums frozen and need to use them up!
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi there! I think adding a touch of balsamic vinegar in there is going to be delicious! I've never frozen this pie filling, so I'm not totally sure how well it would work. There's two thickeners in there - tapioca and cornstarch. Tapioca freezes well, but cornstarch doesn't and can give things a weird consistency after thawed. It's possible that the tapioca might keep that from happening... but, I'd suggest freezing a small amount first, just to test it, before trying to freeze a whole batch. If it works, will you let me know? I'm sure that's something other readers would love to know! xo
Judy says
Made this last night. With modifications, but essentially this pie. Love the combination of plums with berries. As usual I started too late to properly drain the berries, but it worked anyway. Perfectly tart. And jelly on the bottom. Yum!! This pie crust is the best. I actually had some in the freezer, made a batch a while ago and only needed half the crust. This time I only wanted a small pie so it was perfect in a smaller dish. The crust really freezes well uncooked and is ready to go on a busy day.
Rebecca Blackwell says
I'm so glad you liked this recipe Judy!!! And, I love that you just modified the recipe and made it anyway. I've been making that pie crust for at least 20 years, and it never fails me. Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment for me! xoxo
Missie Woody says
This crust is nice to work with and much more forgiving than other pie dough I have worked with! I think next time I make it I would blind bake first just to make the bottom more crisp and flaky. I am not a big fruit pie fan but my husband is and he enjoyed the plump berries!
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Missie! I am so glad you liked this pie crust - and that your husband enjoyed the pie. 🙂 I love that pie crust recipe so much because it really is soooo forgiving. Blind baking the bottom crust will help keep the bottom crust crispy - the only downside is that it's difficult to get the lattice top to attach. But - I've made this with a whole top crust (instead of the lattice strips) and that works great. Just be sure to cut slits in the top of the crust before baking it to let steam release as it bakes. Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know that you enjoyed this pie! xo
Michele says
This pie is absolutely stunning! I wish I could dig right in. The fruit combination sounds so yummy!
Claire | The Simple, Sweet Life says
This sounds so delicious and I love that it's versatile enough to use with any selection of berries. I bet the plums are a particularly tasty addition!
Amanda Mason says
I'm loving this pie recipe!! Personally - I'm leaving the plums in. Love me some plums. I also love cherries so I think I'll try adding those. Love the versatility of this recipe!!
Nicolas Hortense says
Just love seeing that cherry filling bubble out of the pastry! Looks so good!!
Ellen says
Made this as a gift. Baked some filling that didn't fit in pie plate with a crust lid and my husband declared it was a perfect mix of sweet & tart. Definitely hashtagged it for you (@tortamore). Thanks for a delicious summery pie.
Tammy says
That first shot is totally swoon-worthy!! What a stunning pie <3 I've never had a plum pie before but I'm definitely making a note to try it soon!
Aleta says
Oh, that sugared lattice crust! Please pass the fork? I love the idea of the mixed berry filling, I bet it's so tasty, my husband would be so excited if I made this for him!
Rebecca Blackwell says
Your husband called and said that I should tell you to go ahead and make this pie right away. 🙂
Danielle says
It's been a while since I decided I really wanted to make a plum pie but I was putting it off for quite a while. Your pie look so good that I have decided to finally do it. Yum.
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Danielle! Please let me know how your pie comes out! I would love to know what you think of this recipe. Happy baking! xo
Michelle says
Oh, my word!! Spreading the base with jam?? Why have I never heard of this? I'm getting right on that. I love everything about this pie, and those photos are seriously making me drool. Pinning this to make asap!
Rebecca Blackwell says
Thank you so much Michelle! The jam really does add another layer of flavor - always a good thing in my book! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment for me! xo
Elaine Benoit says
I can see why this pie is your family's favorite! It's my favorite and I haven't even tasted it yet. Talk about chockful of flavor and fruit! I can't wait to try it!
Paula Montenegro says
This is mouthwatering! I adore berries in all forms, especially pies and crumbles. Such a fabulous recipe, I can see why it's a family favorite! I bought Cookwise and was bowled over by some tips. Of course, I had to buy Bakewise too.
Jacquelyn Hastert says
Love the use of fresh berries in this delicious pie! Fresh summer berries are a favorite of mine and I can't wait to bake this pie.
Lori | The Kitchen Whisperer says
Oh my sweet word that looks amazing and is just begging for a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream! Your crust is GORGEOUS and those little baked edges where the berry juice spilled out onto the crust... so in love with this pie right now!
Rebecca Blackwell says
Thank you SO much Lori! xoxo
Brian says
Are you sure you have the correct oven temperatures advised?
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Brian! Yes - bake the pie for 20 minutes at 400 degrees then drop it down to 375 for the rest of the bake. If it looks like your crust is getting to brown, just lay a sheet of aluminum foil over the top of the pie, which should do the trick. The higher temperature at the start of the bake will help "set" the crust, preventing it from shrinking too much and also ensuring that the bottom crust will bake through. Does that answer your question?
Karly says
Putting plums in a berry pie is pure GENIUS! I am so in love with this- definitely need to try soon!
Rebecca Blackwell says
Thank you Karly! Let me know what you think after you make it. xoxo