Easy Fresh Blueberry Pie

It's so wonderful when you can take advantage of seasonal produce. At the peak of their flavor, fresh fruits and vegetables don't require a whole lot to make them taste great.

Summer's berries are particularly delicious fresh, yet they are quite perishable. That's why a recipe for berry pie is one of the best ways to preserve them. Fresh blueberry pie is one that's easy to make, and brings the sweet flavor of blueberries to your table. It's a quintessential summer dessert!

What you need

The ingredients for a blueberry pie filling recipe are straightforward: blueberries, sugar, butter, and some sort of thickener. Here I'm using Instant ClearJel, but you can use cornstarch or your favorite pie thickener.

Lemon juice and zest add a touch of tartness, plus they help the juices thicken also. Cinnamon and nutmeg lend a subtle spice to underpin the fresh blueberry flavor. Just before baking, the crust is brushed with an egg wash of egg and cream, then topped with a sprinkling of coarse sugar.

While you can use any pie crust recipe for a double crust pie you'd like (or store bought, if you prefer), I recommend my flaky all-butter pie crust using a recipe ratio of 12-8-4 flour-fat-water. That will make enough for the two crusts needed here. Or, you can replace the top crust with a crumble topping, like the one used for this Apple Crisp. Then just use a recipe for a single pie crust (using a 9-6-3 recipe ratio) for the bottom shell.

How to make a fresh blueberry pie

Step 1: Prepare the pie dough

Prepare pie dough for a double crust pie. Divide the dough in half and chill, wrapped in plastic, until ready to use.

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If you plan on freezing the whole unbaked pie, see the Pro Tip below. Otherwise, roll out one of the dough portions and ease it into the pie pan. Chill the pie shell and the remaining dough while you make the pie filling.

Step 2: Prepare the filling

In a small bowl, whisk the sugar, Instant ClearJel or cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt (photo 1). Set aside.

Step 3: Assemble the pie

Transfer the filling to the chilled unbaked pie shell. Dot butter over the top of the filling (photo 3).

Roll out the top crust. Top the pie with the crust (either whole or in the lattice). Cut slits in the top crust if you're not making a lattice top.

To weave a lattice top crust, cut the dough into strips. Lay every other strip on the pie parallel to each other with the largest strip in the middle. Turn back every other strip (photo 4).

Lay a large strip of dough cross-wise across the non-turned down strips, then straighten the turned strips. Turn down the opposite strips and place the next largest strip. This creates the over-under pattern (photo 5).

Note: I noticed the middle strip (in the lower picture) hadn't been turned down until after I took the picture. No worries, I fixed it!

Step 4: Bake the pie

Preheat the oven to 400˚F. Whisk the egg with 1 tablespoon milk or heavy cream. Brush the egg wash onto the crust, then sprinkle with coarse sugar.

Refrigerate the pie for 20 minutes or freeze for 5 minutes before baking to chill the pie dough. Place a half sheet baking pan lined with a Silpat silicone mat or parchment paper in the oven to heat for 5 minutes. This helps the bottom of the pie to cook evenly and to catch any drips.

Place the pie in the oven on the heated pan, and bake for 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350˚F and bake for another 40 to 50 minutes, or until the crust is golden and filling is bubbling. Cover the edge after 20 minutes if it's browning too fast (photo 7).

If desired, you can cut out decorative shapes from any remaining pie dough. Chill the shapes for 10 minutes, then bake them separately until golden brown. Attach the baked shapes with egg wash about 10 minutes before the end of the baking time. This way the shapes don't burn while the whole pie is baking. Note: I discovered this tip after I baked the pie shown here. Live and learn!

Step 5: Cool the pie

Remove the pie to a wire rack, and cool for 3 hours to allow the filling to set (photo 8).

To serve, reheat the pie in a 350°F oven for 5 to 10 minutes to re-crisp the crust, if desired. Leftovers can be stored wrapped in foil at room temperature for 2 to 3 days, or in the refrigerator.

To store a baked fruit pie: Freeze baked and cooled pie, well wrapped in plastic wrap and foil, for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature before serving.

Questions asked and answered

Here are some questions you might have...

Pro Tip: How to freeze an unbaked fruit pie

Did you know that you can assemble a fruit pie and freeze it to bake later? It's true! I learned about this tip on King Arthur Baking. You can, of course, freeze a pie in its pie pan, well wrapped with plastic wrap and foil, but that ties up your pie pan until that pie is baked. Instead, you can store the frozen pie without its pie pan. Here's how:

1. Start by spraying the pie pan with baking spray, then lining the bottom with parchment paper. Proceed with the recipe to prepare the pie.
2. When making the filling, add a little extra ClearJel or cornstarch to soak up any extra juices from the pie being frozen.
3. Place the assembled, unbaked pie (in its pan) in the freezer, and freeze until solid, about 2 to 3 hours.
4. Remove the pie from the freezer. Remove it from the pie pan (you can set the pan in a slightly larger pan of warm water, to thaw the underside just a bit), then peel away the parchment paper.
5. Wrap the pie in 2 layers of plastic wrap and a layer of foil, then place back in the freezer.
6. The night before you're ready to bake the pie, unwrap it and place it back in its pie pan.
7. Defrost the pie overnight in the refrigerator, covered with plastic wrap propped by a couple of toothpicks to keep it from sticking to the top crust.
8. Brush the defrosted pie with egg wash and proceed with baking as usual.

You can store the frozen, unbaked pie for several months. Note: this method works for fruit pies (perfect for apple pie!), but not egg- or milk-based fillings (like pecan pie or pumpkin pie).

The best blueberry pie recipe

With recipes for fresh blueberries, you really want that flavor to shine, and it's certainly the star here. The blueberry filling is sweet and soft, but the juices don't run all over your plate. Subtle flavors of cinnamon and nutmeg bring out the sweetness of the blueberries even more. And, that flaky all-butter pie crust is the perfect vessel to contain the filling.

This is the best blueberry pie recipe I've ever had, and I've had a fair few!

Fresh blueberry pie is so pretty when made with a lattice top decorated with fun shapes, and it's perfect for sharing. Taken to a party or picnic, it's a jaw-dropping summer dessert that will have people asking for the recipe!

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