Fresh Blueberry Pie

At a glance

What stands out: Loaded with cooked and fresh blueberries, no-bake fresh blueberry pie is a real summertime treat! Deliciously different from a baked blueberry pie, this recipe is straightforward to mix and everyone loves it.

How long it takes: only 30 minutes but allow a couple of hours for chilling
Equipment you’ll need: pie plate, saucepan
Servings: 8

Blueberry Love

Our family picked blueberries every summer. We would pack a picnic lunch and lots of snacks, and pretty much spend the day in the blueberry patch. We'll admit, our sister and we weren’t always enthusiastic pickers but mom rules, right? We would whine, “Don’t we have enough yet?” and the answer was always, “Keep picking!”

The fun started once we returned home. We all love blueberries so mom would get cooking and baking. Blueberry jam, blueberry muffins, blueberry pancakes, blueberry sauce, blueberries on our cereal and in our oatmeal, blueberries for snacks, we chowed on blueberries. Mom always froze several bags to enjoy in the winter, too.

One of our favorites is this fresh blueberry pie. It’s a special summer treat. We make it any time we can get our hands on fresh blueberries. Our mother-in-law deemed this “one of a standby pies she has ever had.” You’ll love this pie. We promise.

Fresh Blueberry Pie

Fresh and cooked blueberries combined. Fresh blueberry pie covers all the bases: crisp buttery crust, sweet cooked berries, fresh tart berries, and mounds of whipped cream. The fresh blueberries almost pop in your mouth with every bite while the cooked blueberries hold everything together.

Easier than a baked pie. This blueberry pie is one of the easiest pies you can make. It always turns out. It’s not a typical baked pie. Half of the blueberries are cooked on the stove and thickened; the other half is stirred in fresh. It is phenomenally good and a real summertime treat.

It can be a no-bake pie. It depends on what type of crust you choose. The filling is not baked.

Emily Said:

“Excellent recipe!! Our whole family loved it!”

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What goes in

• Pie Crust: There are lots of different pie crusts to choose from. You can make your own pastry pie crust or buy a frozen, refrigerated, or box crust. Graham cracker crusts or cookie crusts are great, too. It’s your choice.
• Blueberries: You’ll need six cups total: 3 cups are cooked, 3 cups are fresh. In-season summertime berries are a standby tasting.

• Granulated White Sugar: You’ll need a cup and a half of sugar.
• Cornstarch: Used as a thickener, cornstarch is a white powder made from the endosperm of corn kernels, commonly found in the baking aisle. It is naturally gluten-free.
• Butter: Unsalted butter is stirred into the filling after it’s cooked. It provides flavor and a richer mouth feel.
• Fresh Lemon Juice: A squeeze of lemon juice perks up blueberry filling.
• Whipped Cream: Optional, but we would say required. Vanilla ice cream is a good choice, too.

How it comes together

Start by preparing the pie shell you chose. You’ll need a nine inch pie plate. Because this pie isn’t baked, the pie crust has to be pre-baked and cooled. Follow the directions on the package or make the pie crust as you normally would for an unbaked pie shell. If you choose a graham cracker crust or cookie crust, you may not have to bake it.

Pie Weights

Empty pie shells often form air bubbles or shrink away from the sides of the pie plate when they are in the oven. To prevent this from happening, use pie weights inside the crust when you blind bake it. You can buy ceramic or metal pie weights or use dried beans. Our friends at Kitchn have detailed instructions.

Prep the blueberries. Rinse fresh blueberries under cold running water and sort out stems, leaves, green berries, or mushy berries. Measure out 3 cups of the blueberries that you will use for the cooked portion. Spread the remaining 3 cups of berries on a clean towel or paper towel to dry.

Cook half the berries. To cook the berries, you’ll need a good sized saucepan. Mix 3 cups of berries with sugar, a pinch of salt, and cornstarch in the pan. Pour in a half cup of water, and heat the mixture over medium heat. Bring it all to a boil, and continue to boil for 2 minutes. This is important. The berry mixture will be thick, some of the berries will begin to burst, and the filling should look clear, not cloudy. Remove the pan from the heat.

Cool. Stir in a dab of butter, and fresh lemon juice, then let the mixture cool. It’s important to let it cool down for fifteen to twenty minutes so it doesn’t “cook” the fresh berries. It doesn’t have to be chilled but it shouldn’t be boiling hot.

Add fresh blueberries. When it’s cooled, fold in the remaining 3 cups of blueberries and pour the mixture into the pie shell. Smooth out the top and chill the pie for a couple of hours until it’s firm. We know the waiting is hard but it’s worth it!

Serve. Cut the pie into wedges and enjoy! Top this fresh blueberry pie with from-scratch whipped cream. In a pinch, you could use canned whipped cream, but from-scratch is a hundred times better. From-scratch vanilla bean no churn ice cream is good, too.

Keeping leftovers

Fresh blueberry pie is definitely best the same day you make it. If you have pie left over, cover it, and store it in the refrigerator for up to two days. It cannot be frozen successfully.

• Yield: 8
• Prep: 20 minutes
• Cook: 10 minutes
• Total: 2 hours 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 refrigerated pie crust (or homemade, if you prefer)
• 6 cups fresh blueberries, divided (see note)
• 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
• 6 tablespoons cornstarch
• pinch salt
• ½ cup water
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• whipped cream (optional)

Method

1. Bake the pie crust as directed on the package for a single crust pie. Cool completely.
2. Meanwhile, wash the blueberries; drain well. Measure out 3 cups of berries and spread the remaining berries on a clean dishtowel to dry.
3. Combine 3 cups of blueberries, sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a medium to large-sized saucepan (you’ll be adding the remaining blueberries to the same pan later). Add the water and mix it in.
4. Cook blueberry mixture over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture comes to a boil, about 10 minutes. Continue to cook for 2 minutes more, or until mixture is very thick and clear, and the blueberries are beginning to burst.
5. Remove from heat; stir in butter and lemon juice. Cool slightly, about 15 to 20 minutes.
6. When cooked blueberry mixture has cooled, fold in the remaining 3 cups of berries. Pour the filling into cooled, prepared crust, smoothing the top.
7. Chill pie 2 to 3 hours to firm up the filling. To serve, cut into wedges and top with whipped cream, if desired.

Notes

Using frozen blueberries: If desired, you can use 3 cups frozen berries for the cooked portion of the recipe; however, you will still need 3 cups of fresh berries to add to the filling.

Crust options: A graham cracker crust or sugar cookie crust can be substituted for the baked pie shell.

Storage: Leftover pie should be covered and refrigerated. It will keep for a couple of days. It does not freeze well.