My friends, this is the most wonderfully festive pie to ever come out of my kitchen and an excellent addition to any Memorial Day Weekend or 4th of July events. See more Memorial Day Weekend recipes and 4th of July desserts.
First thing’s first: make sure you’re using a quality pie dough. This American flag pie, inspired by King Arthur Flour, starts with homemade pie crust. I recommend homemade simply because you have total control over the texture. This homemade pie dough makes 2 pie crusts: one crust for the bottom and one crust for the top. It’s the recipe I’ve been swearing by for years and it combines both shortening and butter to deliver the perfect blend of buttery + flaky. We’re talking layers and layers of flakes! Read my pie crust recipe for why both fats are crucial, or use this all butter pie crust if you prefer. With either one, don’t forget my pie crust mantra I’ve drilled into your head time and time again: cold cold cold.
American Flag Pie Filling
For the fillings, keep it simple. You’ll divide the pie into 1/3 and 2/3 portions. The smaller portion for the blue filling, the larger portion for the red filling. Blue filling = blueberries and blackberries. Red filling = strawberries and cherries. Want to substitute? You can use all blueberries or all blackberries, you can use all strawberries, you can use raspberries instead of cherries, you can use all cherries, etc. As long as you’ve got 1/3 blue and 2/3 red, you’re golden.
To prepare the fillings, mix cornstarch + sugar together then divide up between both bowls. Add lemon juice + almond extract to each. That’s IT. (I strongly recommend almond extract. Taste testers couldn’t stop raving about the added flavor!)
Just use a piece of aluminum foil folded over a few times to help you divide up the filling. Don’t worry, it will be removed before the pie is baked. Just like this:
REMEMBER THIS! When adding the fillings to the bottom pie dough, don’t just pour right in—rather, spoon the fillings in and leave all the extra liquid in the bowls. You don’t want all that liquid in the pie. Your fillings will be soggy and won’t set up properly. It’s a mess.
For the American flag decoration, roll out your 2nd pie dough and cut into stars and stripes. For the stars, you’ll need a cute little star cookie cutter. I used the 1.5 inch size. Anywhere around that tiny size works! For the stripes, just cut pie dough into strips. It’s that simple. And don’t forget to crimp or flute those pie crust edges! Here’s my full tutorial on how to crimp and flute pie crust, if you need a refresher.
You can absolutely use these same decorations on many different pie fillings. They work beautifully on a blueberry pie and a triple berry pie.
You can totally show off at your next summer picnic with this dessert. Don’t forget the vanilla ice cream and whipped cream for on top! Serve alongside this red, white, and blue tie dye cake for the ultimate patriotic spread.
More Festive Desserts
- Fruit Pizza
- Vanilla Sheet Cake (decorated as an American flag)
- Strawberry Shortcake
- Fresh Berry Cream Cake
- Sugar Cookies (cut into stars and decorate with red, white, and blue cookie icing!)
American Flag Pie
- Prep Time: 3 hours
- Cook Time: 55 minutes
- Total Time: 7 hours
- Yield: 8-10 servings
- Category: Pie
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
How to make a patriotic American flag pie for 4th of July and all summer picnics! It’s delicious with homemade pie crust and mixed berry pie filling.
Ingredients
- Homemade Pie Crust (my recipe makes 2 crusts; 1 for bottom and 1 for flag design)
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup (35g) cornstarch
- 1 cup (140g) blueberries
- 1 cup (100g) blackberries
- 2 cups (300g) chopped strawberries
- 2 cups (450g) halved dark sweet cherries
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract, divided
- egg wash: 1 large egg beaten with 1 Tablespoon (15ml) milk
- optional: coarse sugar for sprinkling on crust
Instructions
- The crust: Prepare my pie crust recipe through step 5.
- Make the filling: In a small bowl, stir the granulated sugar and cornstarch together. In a medium bowl, combine the blueberries and blackberries together. In a large bowl, combine the strawberries and cherries together. Stir 1/4 cup of cornstarch mixture into blueberries/blackberries. Stir remaining cornstarch mixture into strawberries/cherries. Add 1 teaspoon of lemon juice and 1/4 teaspoon of almond extract to each fruit mixture. Place in the refrigerator for a few moments as you roll out the crust.
- Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C).
- Roll out the chilled pie dough: On a floured work surface, roll out one of the discs of chilled dough (keep the other one in the refrigerator). Turn the dough about a quarter turn after every few rolls until you have a circle 12 inches in diameter. Carefully place the dough into a 9-inch pie dish. Tuck it in with your fingers, making sure it is smooth. Fold the aluminum foil several times to form a 2-inch wide strip. Place into crust, dividing it into 1/3 and 2/3 sections as pictured above.
- Spoon strawberry filling into large section, leaving any excess liquid in the bowl (you don’t want that in the filling—discard it). Spoon blueberry filling into smaller section. Again, discarding the excess liquid. Place the pie in the refrigerator until top design is ready.
- Design the flag: Remove the other disc of chilled pie dough from the refrigerator. Roll the dough into a circle that is 12 inches diameter. Using a sharp knife, pastry wheel, or pizza cutter, cut 4 strips that are 2 inches wide and 6 inches long. Using your star cookie cutter, cut 12-14 stars. Re-roll any dough scraps if needed. Remove the pie from the refrigerator, remove aluminum foil strip, and add top decor to pie. Stars over the blueberries; strips over the strawberries to form an American flag design. Use a small knife to trim off excess dough on the sides. Crimp the edges with a fork or flute the edges. (Review my how to crimp and flute pie crust tutorial if you need extra help with this step.)
- Lightly brush the pie crust with the egg wash mixture. Sprinkle with coarse sugar, if desired.
- Place the pie onto a large baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Keeping the pie in the oven, turn the temperature down to 350°F (177°C) and bake for an additional 30-35 minutes. After the first 20 minutes of bake time, I place a pie crust shield on top of the pie to prevent the edges from browning too quickly.
- Allow the pie to cool for 3 full hours at room temperature before serving. This time allows the filling to thicken up. Cover leftovers tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead / Freezing Instructions: A couple ways to make ahead of time! Make 1 day in advance– after it cools, cover tightly and keep at room temperature. The pie crust dough can also be prepared ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Baked pie also freezes well for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature before serving. Prepared fillings can also be frozen up to 3 months, thaw overnight in the refrigerator before using.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Glass Mixing Bowls | Citrus Juicer | Rolling Pin | 9×2-inch Pie Dish | Pizza Cutter or Pastry Wheel | Star Cookie Cutter (around 1.5 inches) | Pastry Brush | Pie Crust Shield
Reader Comments and Reviews
This is the BEST! So festive, very easy and tastes like a dream! What’s more American than this pie? I’m currently the most popular person at the block party! Sally hits another home run. Thanks for teaching me to be a happier baker.
Can I substitute minute tapioca for the cornstarch? I typically like that better for my fruit pies
I’m sure you can! I haven’t tested it with this particular filling.
Could you please recommend a good substitute for egg wash? We have an egg allergy in the house… thanks!
Hi Basia! Milk or heavy cream can work as well.
Hi! I want to prep this recipe ahead of time- for the fillings would it be safe to make those a day beforehand and store overnight in the fridge?
Hi Haleigh, that should work just fine to cover and store the fillings in the refrigerator. The berries may release a bit more juice during that time, so be sure to transfer just the berries (not their juice) when adding to the pie pan. Hope you enjoy this one!
This looks really cute. I’m thinking of making this as mini pies for easier sharing at work. Muffin tim sized, like how your mini pumpkin pie recipe lists for a standard muffin tin. Other than cutting the fruit and decorations smaller, shaping smaller bottom pie dough layer, and a shorter bake, do you think I will have to change anything else to make this work?
Hi Ashley, that’s how we’d approach it, too! Please let us know how it goes for you.
I loved this recipe—my pie looked beautiful! I had a little problem with it not setting up. I drained the fruit mixtures before putting them in the pie. I let the pie sit out at room temperature for 3 hours, then refrigerated it overnight so we could eat it the next day. When I cut the pie, it was just a pile of loose cherries, and there was a ton of liquid left in my pie dish.
What did I do wrong?
Hi Brooke! Sounds like your pie needed to bake for longer – you want the filling to get really bubbly as it bakes to allow the filling to come together. An easy fix for next time!
Just tried this recipe for the fourth, and it turned out absoutley so beautiful!! Such a great and patriotic dessert to bring to a family barbeque!!!
One more ? I will be making up my crust in advance for a number of these could I roll my bottom crust out after being chilled go ahead and place them in the pans and wrap and refrigerate until the day I need them ?
Hi Aaron, the pie crust can be refrigerated for up to 5 days, so yes you can do that — just make sure they are tightly covered so that they do not dry out.
Does this bake well in a disposable pie pan …should I place it on top of a sheet pan ?
Hi Aaron, We haven’t tried baking this recipe in a disposable pan but it should work just fine. If it seems very flimsy you can always place it on top of a real baking sheet in the oven. Let us know if it works!
making this for tomorrow! Love the idea! Thank you!
I’ve made this pie several times and it’s always a hit , it’s absolutely delicious and a visual treat. I’d like to make into a slab pie. Have you tried making it as a slab pie, and if so any tips? Thank you.
Hi Rosella, for a slab pie, we’d recommend following this recipe!
I was thinking of doing strawberry rhubarb for the red side. Just wondering your thoughts (if you think it will pair well with the blueberry/ blackberry) and any suggestions on if I should make any alterations on rhubarb amount or other (sugar/flavor) ingredients. Thanks!
Hi Ruby, rhubarb would be delicious! You can simply swap some of the strawberries for an equal amount of rhubarb. Hope it’s a hit!
I scrolled through the comments and did not see any mention of an allergy to almonds. Is there a possible substitute for the almond extract due to a severe allergy without a decline in the taste of the pie filling?
Hi Zoe, we’d recommend swapping with vanilla extract instead. It will still be delicious!
This was so much fun to make and my daughter loves the star and stripes detail plus pretty colors! I just made a trial run pie for 4th of July and this is definitely going to be the one! Only thing I did differently was bake the stars and stripes (made thinner – careful of breaking!) on a separate baking tray for 10 mins at 350°F (egg washed and sugar sprinkled on). Then placed them on after the pie was done baking for a cleaner look. Turned out great!
Hello! This is not the correct place to comment on your awesome Peach Cobbler recipe but I have to let you know, just like every one of your recipes , the cobbler is AMAZING!!! Perfect! Thank you for all your testing and precise directions that make every recipe a success!
Hi Sally,
I made this pie for the 4th of July for our family cookout. It was a big hit and tasted delicious! I wish I could show you a picture of my pie!! It came out just like yours. This will definitely be on my holiday baking list. Thanks!
Hey Sally,
I don’t have shortening for the homemade flaky pie crust. But I do have the ingredients to make your delicious all-butter pie crust. Can I make the all-butter pie crust instead?
Absolutely!
Hey Sally!
I can’t wait to make this recipe. Will a 10.4 inch pie dish still work or will that be too big? Thank you!
Hi Shelton, You will likely need to use a bit more than half of the dough for the bottom and either increase the filling amount slightly or have a thinner pie.
Reposting because 5 stars were supposed to be checked. We loved this pie. Thank You.
Should I do a partial blind bake on the pie crust? Going to do a practice bake using a pre-made crust and not sure if it makes a difference. Thank you.
Hi Wendy! There’s no need to blind bake the pie crust for this American Flag Pie. It bakes for long enough that the bottom crust is cooked through.
Sally ,
After receiving several 4th of July pie recipes in my inbox my daughter chose this one. I used all fresh fruit and removed pits from 2 lbs. of cherries, that look a little bit of time, (froze remaining for smoothies). I used Pillsbury frozen pie crust to save some time and other than I should’ve put the dough in the oven to set it prior to putting in the filling, the pie turned out just like the picture. I used an off set spatula to measure the strips for the width and free lanced the stars.
If the pie makes it to the next day, the color drains a little out of the cherries and strawberries, but still tastes good with Ben and Jerry’s vanilla ice cream.
I would make it again…5 stars.
So glad you chose this pie as the winner and loved it– thank you for reporting back!
Can I use just strawberries and blueberries? I have picky eaters 🙁
That would be fine– cut the strawberries into large chunks. It may be quite gooey since they are much juicier than cherries.
Do you think I could replace cherries with raspberries? I don’t have the patience to pit that many cherries lol. I mean strawberries and raspberries go well together. I’m just unsure how well raspberries do in pie.
You could, yes– the red filling will be a little extra juicy that way.
Good recipe but I very highly recommend blind baking the crust. I baked the pie for over an hour but with the amount of liquid created by the berries, the bottom of the crust was still very soggy even after this extended cooking time. I look forward to making this pie again but blind baking next time.
Hi Sally, Can you also use Frozen fruit? Or canned Cherry’s?
I don’t recommend either– too liquid-y. I recommend fresh.
This looks amazing. While I’m fairly talented as a baker, pies are my Mount Everest. They always end up being soupy/liquidity. I’ll have to try this recipe. Either I’m using too much liquid or not using a thickener. I’ll try cornstarch…usually the recipe I’ve tried only has about 2 Tbsp. of flour.
After I master my current creation (literally my creation too…doesn’t exist online) Butterscotch Blondie Cheesecake, I might have to give pies another go.
I made this for Father’s Day this weekend, and it was awesome! Everybody loved it, especially my dad! For those worried, mine was super soupy right out of the oven, but after the 3 hours mentioned in the recipe, it thickened set up!
This may sounds dumb – but does the almond extract give it any almond flavor? I can’t stand almond flavor in cakes or cookies. I’ve learned through following your blog that not all added flavors actually equal same flavor in finished product. Thanks for your (or those that have made this!) input on almond flavor in taste. Thank you for all the great recipes, tips, and ideas.
Not a dumb question at all– honestly, I don’t think it’s very much an “almond-y” flavor. It’s more like a sweet cake and amaretto flavor.
I made this pie for a bake-off at work. It turned out beautifully! I’ll keep you posted on the results!
Oh! This pie is is gorgeous! I can’t wait to try it! Could I use just two cups of blueberries instead of blackberries?
Sure can!