My homemade blueberry pie is better than ever and bursting with sweet juicy blueberries that sit in a golden-brown buttery, flaky pie crust. Follow my precise baking instructions for a filling that sets perfectly and is neither runny nor soupy. From-scratch pie can be hard work, so my team and I made sure to repeatedly test this recipe so the results are completely worth your time and effort.
This slightly updated recipe produces a better-than-ever blueberry pie. Reader reviews reporting a soupy, runny filling inspired me to rework the baking instructions on my original 2016 recipe and make a slight change to the filling ingredients. My team and I tested a LOT of blueberry pies in the last few weeks. We searched for the magic trick to a perfectly flavorful, non-runny blueberry pie.
So what’s the verdict? What’s the magic trick to a perfect blueberry pie? Drumroll please…
The magic trick is: patience.
Here’s Exactly Why This Blueberry Pie Recipe Works
It turns out that you need to (1) really work the filling ingredients together, (2) bake the pie for longer than I thought, (3) embrace a bubbling juicy messy pie filling, and (4) let it cool completely in order for the filling to fully set up. Just like peach pie, blueberry pie takes several hours and is undoubtedly a delayed-gratification dessert. But I promise you, they are both worth it. Get ready for the most incredible, juicy-yet-sliceable blueberry pie experience:
6 Ingredient Filling
After I’ve scared you off about the time it takes, let me mention that blueberry pie filling is actually one of the quickest fruit pie fillings to prepare! There’s no peeling, pitting, hulling, or chopping the fruit. You do NOT need to pre-cook the filling either (a step we tested but found useless). Just rinse and pat the berries dry and then mix with sugar, flour, cornstarch, cinnamon, lemon juice, & lemon zest:
Pie Filling Success Tips:
- Use Flavorful Ingredients: You don’t need to add much to this pie filling to achieve amazing flavor. The berries are already pretty sweet on their own, so we only need to add ⅔ cup sugar. The zest and juice of a fresh lemon + a hint of cinnamon both add a subtle zing that really amplifies the natural flavor of the blueberries.
- Use 2 Thickening Ingredients: In the previous version of this recipe, I used ¼ cup of cornstarch to thicken the juicy filling, but we were still getting reader comments that their pies were turning out too runny. Taking note from my blueberry crumble pie, a reader favorite, I decided to use a mix of both cornstarch and flour. As long as you bake the pie long enough, the jammy filling sets up and thickens beautifully.
- Work the Ingredients Together: Between the flour, cornstarch, and sugar, there’s a lot of dry ingredients. To ensure there’s not too much dry powder, you may have to smash a few blueberries to help soak it all up.
Below Left: Your filling won’t bake properly if it’s this dry and powdery. Below Right: Work the ingredients together until the dry ingredients are moistened.
Assemble Your Pie
You can use your favorite pie dough recipe, but here’s why I encourage you to try mine. To make a perfect pie crust, I use a mix of shortening and butter because the two ingredients work together to make an unbeatable texture. Butter adds flavor and flakiness, while shortening’s high melting point keeps the crust tender and workable. The recipe yields 2 crusts—one for the bottom and one for the top—which is what you need for this pie. You don’t need to par-bake the crust because this pie bakes for so long.
A few topping notes:
- Lattice: I like a signature lattice pie crust design for this blueberry pie (doesn’t it just scream “state fair blue ribbon winner“?!) but decorate the pie however you’d like. Here’s my detailed How to Lattice Pie Crust video & instructions.
- Other Designs: Feel free to check out other pie crust designs.
- Crumble: Or you could try this blueberry crumble pie. Note the slight variation in the filling to make up for a very buttery topping.
Regardless of the design, be sure to crimp or flute the pie crust, too. I simply crimped the edges with a fork in the photos here.
Don’t Forget…
- To dot butter on top of the filling. Like in this cherry pie recipe, a touch of butter adds richness and helps the filling ingredients bind together.
- To brush the top dough with egg wash. Egg wash promises a crispier crust and helps develop that signature golden sheen. Without it, dough is dull and lackluster. You use egg wash on many other bakes, like apple pie, croissants, stromboli, breakfast pastries, and peach cobbler, to name a few.
Unlike the butter and egg wash, coarse sugar is an optional topping. I love adding it to sweet pies because it adds a little crunch and sparkle.
Many More Blueberry Pie Success Tips & Tricks
- Make the Pie Crust Ahead of Time. It has to chill for at least 2 hours, but it keeps well in the refrigerator for up to 5 days and the freezer for up to 3 months, so make it in advance and it will save you time on the day you actually make this pie.
- Baking Sheet on Rack Below the Pie: This pie gets pretty messy when it’s happily bubbling away for over an hour. Place a baking sheet on the bottom oven rack to catch the bubbled-over juices. If you really want to save yourself cleanup time, line it with foil first.
- Start at an Initial High Temperature: 425°F (218°C) for 25 minutes, then the remainder at 375°F (190°C). The reason for the initial hot oven burst is to set the crust and encourage the cornstarch to begin working quicker.
- Pie Crust Shield: After the first 25 minutes in the oven, when you lower the temperature, I recommend placing a pie crust shield (see Notes) on the crust’s edges to prevent it from over-browning too quickly. You can purchase a pie crust shield, but I often use aluminum foil. See the next photo.
- Bake for a Long Time: Blueberry pie takes a lot longer than some pies (like pumpkin pie and pecan pie). You want the filling to be bubbling at the surface nearly everywhere, and this takes close to 75–80 minutes total. The internal temperature in the test pies (easy to take with an instant read thermometer because of the lattice top) was around 200°F (93°C) when done. If you think about it, in order for gravies and other sauces to begin thickening, they must be boiling/simmering. Same with this blueberry pie filling.
- Cool Completely: Slicing warm will give you a soupy slice of pie. Cool for at least 4 hours at room temperature because the pie filling continues to set up as it cools.
Make a homemade pie crust shield out of a large square of aluminum foil by cutting a circle in the center of it:
There is something so soothing and satisfying about making pie from scratch and I hope you try this endlessly tested pie perfection soon. It’s perfect for summertime picnics, as part of your Father’s Day Recipes, or anytime you have fresh blueberries. Want to skip some pie drama? This blueberry cream pie, berry cobbler, or these blueberry pie bars will satisfy your berry cravings and require half the work. 😉
Recommended Tools
- Pastry blender for making pie dough.
- This is my favorite pie dish. I prefer baking pies in a glass pan so I can see the crust browning on the sides and bottom. Want to skip the pie dish? This easy mixed berry galette is always a crowd-pleaser.
- This rolling pin has held up well over several years with constant use.
- Zester for lemon zest.
- Citrus juicer for lemon juice.
- Pastry brush for the egg wash.
Homemade Blueberry Pie
- Prep Time: 3 hours
- Cook Time: 70 minutes
- Total Time: 7 hours (includes cooling)
- Yield: 8-10 servings
- Category: Pie
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
After a few additional years of testing, this is now the best blueberry pie. As the pie bakes, expect a messy, bubbly, and juicy filling. As the pie cools, the filling sets into a jammy, yet sliceable consistency. For a truly out-of-this-world summer dessert experience, serve each flavorful slice with vanilla ice cream.
Ingredients
- Homemade Pie Crust or All Butter Pie Crust (both recipes make 2 crusts, 1 for bottom and 1 for top)
- 6 cups (3 pints; about 860g) fresh blueberries*
- 2/3 cup (135g) granulated sugar*
- 1/4 cup (31g) all-purpose flour
- 2 Tablespoons (14g) cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 Tablespoons (30ml) lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 Tablespoon (14g) cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
- egg wash: 1 large egg beaten with 1 Tablespoon (15ml) milk
- optional: coarse sugar for sprinkling on crust
Instructions
- The crust: Prepare either pie crust recipe through step 5.
- Make the filling: Stir the blueberries, sugar, flour, cornstarch, cinnamon, lemon juice, and lemon zest together in a large bowl. Mix together until it’s no longer dry and powdery; burst a few blueberries if necessary to moisten. Set filling aside as the oven preheats. Filling can be covered and refrigerated for up to 24 hours if needed.
- Adjust the oven rack to the lower third position and preheat to 425°F (218°C). Place baking sheet on the bottom oven rack to catch any blueberry juices.
- 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 round pie dish. Tuck it in with your fingers, making sure it is smooth. Pour and spread filling evenly into pie dish. Dot the pieces of butter on top of the filling. Set aside at room temperature or in the refrigerator as you assemble the top pie crust.
- Arrange the lattice: Remove the other disc of chilled pie dough from the refrigerator. Roll the dough into a circle that is 12 inches diameter. Using a pastry wheel, sharp knife, or pizza cutter, cut strips of dough; in the pictured pie, I cut 10 1-inch-wide strips. Carefully thread the strips over and under one another, pulling back strips as necessary to weave. (Here’s a lattice pie crust tutorial if you need visuals.) Press the edges of the strips into the bottom pie crust edges to seal. Use a small paring knife to trim off excess dough. Flute or crimp the pie crust edges with a fork.
- Lightly brush the top of the pie crust with the egg wash. Sprinkle the top with coarse sugar, if using.
- Bake the pie at 425°F for 25 minutes; then, keeping the pie in the oven, reduce the oven temperature down to 375°F (190°C). Place a pie crust shield (see Note for homemade shield) on the edges to prevent them from over-browning. Continue baking the pie until the filling’s juices are bubbling everywhere, including in the center, 40–50 more minutes. This sounds like a long time, but under-baking the pie means a soupy filling with paste-like flour and cornstarch chunks. If you want to be precise, the internal temperature of the filling taken with an instant read thermometer should be around 200°F (93°C) when done. Tip: If needed towards the end of bake time, remove the pie crust shield and tent an entire piece of foil on top of the pie if the top looks like it’s getting too brown.
- Remove pie from the oven, place on a cooling rack, and cool for at least 4 hours before slicing and serving. Filling will be too juicy if the pie is warm when you slice it.
- Cover leftovers tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: This a great pie to make 1 day in advance, because the filling will have time to set overnight. 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. Feel free to prepare the filling 1 day in advance. See end of step 2. Baked pie freezes well for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature before serving.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Glass Mixing Bowl | Rubber Spatula or Wooden Spoon | 9-inch Pie Dish | Rolling Pin | Pastry Wheel or Pizza Cutter | Zester | Citrus Juicer | Pastry Brush | Sparkling Sugar | Pie Crust Shield | Instant Read Thermometer | Cooling Rack
- Blueberries: You need 6 cups (3 pints) of blueberries, which is about 2 lbs. (about 860g) total. I strongly suggest using fresh blueberries, not frozen. If you decide to use frozen, do not thaw first. The pie will take several more minutes in the oven if using frozen berries.
- Sugar: If your blueberries aren’t super sweet, such as in the wintertime, feel free to add another few Tablespoons of sugar. I find 2/3 cup (135g) is the perfect amount for sweet summer blueberries. You can increase to 3/4 cup (150g) if needed.
- Aluminum Foil Pie Crust Shield: You can purchase a pie crust shield or make one from aluminum foil. Cut a 14-inch square of aluminum foil. Fold in half. Cut out a 5-inch semi-circle on the folded edge. Unfold. Carefully fit the aluminum foil over the pie crust edges, securing down on the sides as best you can (careful, the pie is hot!), leaving the center of the pie exposed.
- Updated in 2022: The recipe you see above was very slightly updated in 2022 to produce a thicker, less soupy filling. The old recipe did not call for flour and instead used 1/4 cup (28g) of cornstarch. The old recipe also baked for less time (about 60 mins total), which is why the filling was often too runny. For a jammy, yet sliceable filling, bake the pie as instructed above in step 7.
The perfect blueberry pie recipe! I live in Maine, the blueberry capitol of the world and this is by far the best pie recipe ever! Thank you!
This recipe was a disappointment. The flavoring of the blueberries with the lemon juice and zest was wonderful but I found the filling too thick. I like it a tad runny so I should I make this recipe again I will omit the flour and just add the recommended cornstarch.
How do you feel about using tapioca as a filling binder for the blueberry pie? I’ve found that it works great for apple and peach pies. I’d love your thoughts.
Hi Christine, tapioca powder can be a great thickener in pies, but we haven’t tested it in the place of the flour and cornstarch mixture in this pie. Let us know if you do!
This blueberry pie is the best I ever made! I just love the way the filling sets and doesn’t run like the recipe I used to use. The extra cooking time, flour/cornstarch mixture and the instant read thermometer made all the difference in the world!!
Best! No kidding! Meat thermometer, genius!
I was planning on making this recipe but was just wondering if the zest was necessary bc i need to make this tomorrow and can’t run the the store for a lemon.
Hi Mai, the lemon juice and zest add nice addition to the natural flavor of the blueberries, so you’ll lose some flavor without it. We’d recommend grabbing one if at all possible!
My grandmother was a wonderful cook. She didn’t make pies, but she did make berry rolls, which were a sort of deconstructed pie. She said that the magic ingredient in her berry pies was lemon juice, and she told my cousin to add some even if the berries didn’t seem too sweet. (That’s what sugar was for. :^) ) The lemon adds a brightness nothing else can.
Thanks for all of your recipe’s! I’ve made many a delicious treat since finding your site. A suggestion I got from a friend of mine (a pie queen) was use tapioca pudding powder in place of any starches/flours for pies. That’s the only thing I changed in this one. Thanks again.
I really love and appreciate all of your baking recipes and advice. I made the blueberry pie as well as a pineapple/ strawberry pie ( the same recipe except with fresh pineapple and strawberry) both were fantastic! I used frozen crust due to a lack of time, they were both wonderful. I took them to the American Legion for a fund raiser. Everyone loved it!
Could you make the pie filling, cook it until thick and then bake in the crust and bake for a shorter time. Baking a pie for 70 minutes in the middle of summer doesn’t appeal to me!
Freshly picked blueberries this morning and made this pie! Was amazing and so perfect. Never made one and I will b soon again!
Such a delicious pie recipe! I made it as written and thought the flavor was great.
This worked great! Thanks for another good recipe
Carb count please
Hi Elaine, we don’t usually include nutrition information such as carb counts, as it can vary between different brands of the same ingredients. However, there are many handy online calculators where you can plug in and customize your exact ingredients/brands. Readers have found this one especially helpful. We hope you enjoy the pie if you try it!
Best blueberry pie I’ve ever made. Thank you, Sally. I’ll be making this again tomorrow.
It truly is the BEST recipe for blueberry pie! I used this recipe for a blueberry pie contest & won 1st place!! The judges commented this was the only pie where the filling held it’s shape and didn’t run out when a slice was cut. The only thing I will do differently is reduce the lemon zest a little bit. One judge did comment that although it was real good, the tartness did take away from the blueberries a bit. Let’s bake another pie!!
Congratulations on the win, Kim! That’s wonderful!
I love your pie recipes but I have blackberries and boysenberries. Can I use this blueberry pie recipe with those?
Hi Linda, you can try this pie with those berries. If they aren’t super sweet, we would use 3/4 cup (150g) sugar as mentioned in the notes.
Great pie. I had used a “ famous” pie recipe for years but decided to try a different one. I did combine all the dry ingredients first to add to blueberries along with lemon juice and zest. Also smashed about 1/3 cup to help blend ingredients.
Loved the pie. Lemon zest added a nice touch. Skipped the cinnamon. My pie shield was too tight and the sauce ended bubling to the top of the pie and discoloring it. Still tasted delicious! It’s my personal preference to have thing less sweet and my blueberry were very ripe and sweet so I think cutting to half a cup of sugar would’ve been good (but again most desserts are too sweet for me)
If I had it to do over again, I would double the sugar and eliminate the lemon juice altogether. This turned out extremely tart. I used fresh blueberries that we picked a few days earlier, and the berries were perfectly balanced between sweetness and tartness. In the pie, all I taste is tart.
Can you use frozen blueberries for this recipe
Hi Lisa! See recipe Notes: I strongly suggest using fresh blueberries, not frozen. If you decide to use frozen, do not thaw first. The pie will take several more minutes in the oven if using frozen berries.
It’s done and now the “torture” begins — waiting for it to cool! Lol! It looks beautiful and delicious! I followed your pie crust recipe with butter and vegetable shortening. Baked some scraps and they were wonderfully flaky. I did roll the dough between 2 sheets of parchment and that worked out very well for me. I have tried many other approaches, but love this one!
I do have a question. Have you ever tried bench flour, a blend of all purpose and cake flours, instead of only all purpose?
Hi Sandra! Cake flour will be a little too light for pie dough. It’s best to stick with all-purpose flour. Hope you love your pie!
This is without a doubt the BEST pie I have ever made! And I’ve been baking for a very long time! In recent years I had switched to tapioca like someone else suggested. I was determined to follow the recipe to the letter. The combination of flour and cornstarch mixed with the sugar until blended made the perfect pie! I’m giving up the tapioca… This was the best. Thanks for all the step by step hints and tips.
It was painful to wait for the pie to cool, but not only was the crust light and flaky, the pie sliced perfectly. And it looks just like your photo! THANK YOU!
Are use tapioca to thicken my blueberry pies. And only needs to bake 45 minutes and comes out perfect every time.
I followed this recipe to the letter and honestly, this was the best pie I have ever eaten. Sally, this pie was insanely delicious and bakery quality. I love the specific instructions and pictures. Thank you for making me a better pie maker.
I think the bake time is too long. The 6 cups of blueberries reduced to half the original amount Of unbaked blueberries
Just fabulous recipe!!
Wondering if you have or will do a healthier pie crust using the coconut, almond, garbanzo bean flours instead of the white? Thanks so much!!
Hi Angela, we don’t have any pie crust recipes using those flours. For best taste and texture (and so you don’t waste your time trying to adapt our pie crust recipe since it may not work properly), it may be more useful to find a recipe that is specifically formulated for those flours. Thank you!
Flavor of the filling was good, but i highly suggest blind baking the bottom crust first.
Great recipe! Can’t wait to get my family’s reaction
This pie filling was fantastic. I used a different dough recipe for what I had and it all came together so well. Juicy but not watery. Not too sweet. I will definitely make this again
Hi Sally,
I made this recipe with my own crust (very similar to yours) yesterday. Hands down, the best blueberry pie I’ve ever made. Perfect consistency and so flavorful! Only issue was the 25 minutes at 425. I’ve always started my double crust pies at 400 for 10 minutes and they don’t burn. This one burned in about 15 minutes, before I had time to cover it with foil or turn down the temperature. Do you think it would work to lower the temperature in the beginning, or for a shorter amount of time? I love your recipes, by the way! I discovered your site about eight years ago, and they’re always great.
Hi Giovanna, thank you so much for the kind comment, and for trusting my recipes all these years! Was your pie close to the top of the oven? It may have burnt because of the placement in the oven. That being said, some ovens just run hot and that’s ok. You can adjust the temperature down in the beginning, such as to 400°F (204°C). I’d still bake for 25 minutes though.
Sally, thanks for the blueberry pie recipe. After retirement baking has become a great pastime for me. I have made your chocolate cake for awhile now and decided I was ready to step it up a big notch. I have been afraid of pie pastry because of so many failures but I followed your detailed instructions to a tee and voila; easily my biggest success with a pie. Fresh inseason blueberries didnt hurt. I was a bit sceptical of adding flour to the filling but trusted your experience. Im looking forward to trying more of your recipes.
Thank you so much for this kind feedback, Christopher—we’re so glad you’ve been enjoying our recipes!