My recipe for Blueberry Pie has been on the blog for four years and while I still use my favorite Buttermilk Pie Crust recipe, I've improved the filling, adding more blueberries, less sugar and using cornstarch as a thickener to set the filling. Baked in a flaky crust, bursting with plump blueberries and phenomenal blueberry flavor, this pie is absolute perfection.
There’s a blueberry field near our house and the kids and I go there at least twice in the weeks while the blueberries are at their peak. The blueberry bushes are so full of blueberries, it's almost as easy to pick them as it is to buy them in the store and they taste ten times better. While you're picking, you can eat as many blueberries as you want for free. It's what we're waiting for all winter long.
I’ve already made lots of blueberry jam, Blueberry Sour Cream Muffins and a triple berry pie this year but this old-fashioned Blueberry Pie is our favorite summer dessert.
Making homemade pie crust is not the easiest skill to master in the kitchen, am I right? Whoever made up the saying "easy as pie" has probably only used store-bought pie shells.
I made a tutorial for you showing how to make Buttermilk Pie Crust from scratch. Buttermilk makes the dough easy to work with and the crust always comes out perfectly. It is the best and tastiest crust, so tender and flaky, I never use any other recipe for my pies.
The blueberry filling is ultra-easy to make and the addition of a little bit of lemon makes the blueberry flavor really shine through. The filling sets up beautifully, especially if you are willing to wait several hours for it to completely set. If you don't mind that the filling is still a little runny, go ahead and slice into the pie while it's still warm. (And add a scoop of ice cream!)
Here are my three tips on how to make blueberry pie filling that is not runny:
- Add cornstarch to the berries as the thickener.
- Bake the pie until the filling is bubbling through the slits in the top before taking it out of the oven. Listen for the bubbling, the filling needs to boil in order to set properly.
- Allow the pie to set overnight before slicing into it.
Happy Pie Baking!
Blueberry Pie
Ingredients
Buttermilk Pie Crust (or use your favorite pastry for a two-crust pie)
- 2 cups (280 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ⅔ cup (150 g) cold margarine cubed
- 3 tablespoons (42 g) cold butter cubed
- 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
- ⅓ cup (80 ml) buttermilk
Blueberry Pie Filling
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (40 g) cornstarch or all-purpose flour
- 6 cups (1000 g) fresh or frozen blueberries
- Zest and juice of half a lemon
- 1 tablespoon (14 g) butter
Instructions
- Make pastry for the pie crust: Stir flour and salt together in a large bowl. Using a pastry blender, knives or your fingers, cut in margarine and butter until clumps are the size of small peas. Drizzle in oil and buttermilk, stirring with a fork.
- Turn dough onto the work surface and gently bring the dough together with your hands, kneading only until you can shape it into a ball. Dough should appear somewhat rough and streaked – this ensures it will be tender and flaky. Cut the dough ball in half and wrap each half in a disk shape in plastic wrap and chill while you prepare the filling.
- Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Stir together sugar and cornstarch in a large bowl. Stir in blueberries and lemon zest.
- Roll out pastry on a well-floured surface with a floured rolling pin, rolling from the center to outside edges in all directions. Turn pastry clockwise often to make sure it isn’t sticking to surface and use more flour if necessary. When the dough circle is large enough to line the bottom and sides of the tart pan or pie plate, roll pastry around rolling pin and transfer it to the pan. Unroll pastry over pie plate or tart pan and ease it down the sides to make sure it is covering bottom and sides without being stretched. Use any excess overhanging dough to patch tears or holes as necessary.
- Fill the pastry-lined pie plate with the blueberry mixture. Drizzle lemon juice over the blueberries. Scatter small pieces of butter over the blueberries.
- Roll out the second pastry and lay it over the top of the pie and trim overhang to 1 inch (2.5 cm) if necessary. Fold edges over the edges of the bottom pastry, pinching to seal. Flute edges if desired. Cut slits in the top of the pie with a knife to release the steam while baking.
- Bake at 400°F (200°C) for 25 minutes, then reduce heat to 350°F (170°C) and continue baking for another 20 minutes, until crust is golden brown and juices from the filling are bubbling through the slits in the top.
- Cool pie in the pie plate on a wire rack for at least 2 hours. Serve warm or, to ensure the filling is perfectly set and not runny, chill overnight or allow the pie to stand at room temperature overnight before slicing. Store pie covered at room temperature for up to two days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
Nutrition
Birgit Sauer-Williams
Hallo liebe Krista,
ersteinmal, ich bin ein absoluter Fan Ihrer Rezepte habe schon etliches nachgebacken und es war immer super!!!! und es ist alles toll erklärt! Mein amerikanischer Mann futtert alles mit Genuss.. und von den Gästen gibts immer Komplimente :-))). In Deutschland habe ich immer bischen weniger Zucker genommen ;-)... (german taste buds lol )
Jetzt lebe ich seit 5 Wochen in den Staaten und möchte für meine amerikanische Familie etwas backen, da muss natürlich Zucker ran :-)))... LOL. Meine Frage ,wie groß sollte die Piebackform für den blueberry pie sein? Im Voraus vielen lieben Dank und liebe Grüße aus Texas, Birgit
Krista
Hallo Birgit! Das freut mich so sehr zu lesen! Danke für die netten Worte. Der Blueberry Pie ist eine sehr gute Wahl - ich glaube, dass er dir auch schmecken wird weil er so fruchtig ist und weder mega süß noch “gallig” schmeckt 😉 Für den Pie brauchst du eine normale Pie-Form mit einem Durchmesser von 9 oder 10 inches (23-25 cm). Ich wünsche dir alles Gute und Liebe in deiner neuen Heimat! Herzliche Grüße, Krista