Perfect Blueberry Pie
A blueberry pie with a filling that’s just right — juicy, not soupy, and thick enough to hold a clean slice. Make it in a cornmeal crust for the best flavor combination.
How to keep blueberry pie filling from being runny
The number one complaint about homemade blueberry pie is a filling that’s either runny and soupy or gloppy and pasty. What it comes down to is how much starch you use and how fully it cooks.
I use cornstarch because it’s widely available and holds up at high temperatures without breaking down.
I baked this pie three times, incrementally increasing the starch until I got just enough thickening to hold the berries together while keeping a nice juiciness in the filling.
How cornstarch thickens pie filling
Cornstarch gelatinizes — thickens the liquid — between 144°–180°F when mixed with water alone. But sugar raises that activation temperature, which means the filling needs to reach a full boil to gel properly. That’s actually convenient: it gives you a clear visual cue. Bake the pie until the juice at the very center is actively bubbling — not just a shimmer, actual bubbles.
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
- Pie Crust – I love cornmeal pie crust with blueberries. See the section below for a selection of pie crust recipe links.
- Blueberries – Fresh or frozen blueberries work for this recipe. If you use frozen berries there’s no need to defrost them first.
- Corn Starch – To activate the starch, the juice in the pie must come to a full boil — look for active bubbling at the center..
- Lemon & Salt – Lemon zest and juice, along with a pinch of salt enhance the blueberry flavor.
Process Photos
Here’s what the recipe process looks like at each stage. Refer to the recipe card below for measurements and exact instructions.
- Roll half the pie dough to line the pie plate.
- Roll the other half of the dough to a 12″ round. Fold it and place it in the lined pan. Refrigerate the dough for at least 30 minutes to relax the gluten.
- Toss the blueberries with the sugar, starch, salt and lemon.
- Pour the blueberries into the pie shell.
- Brush egg wash around the edges and top with the other piece of dough.
- Set the pie plate onto a baking sheet and bake on the lowest rack of the oven. The baking sheet will catch any boil over and prevent the bottom crust from baking too fast.
- Bake until the juice in the center of the pie is actively bubbling. If the top of the pie is browning too fast lightly cover it with aluminum foil.
Which is the best crust for Blueberry Pie?
I think cornmeal and blueberries are natural flavor partners. I highly recommend my Cornmeal Crust for this pie.
If you want to go more traditional, make my flaky Pie Crust or use your favorite recipe, even store bought.
If you keep a sourdough starter make Sourdough Pie crust.
Serving & Storage
Wait a good 3-4 hours before slicing the pie. I know this is the hardest step, but the filling needs to cool down enough for the filling to gel. If you cut the pie too soon the berries will spill out of the crust.
Obviously, the pie is wonderful with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream.
The pie will keep at room temperature for 2-3 days. Cover where the pie is cut to keep the filling moist.
More Fruit Pies
Blueberry Recipes
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Perfect Blueberry Pie Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 recipe Cornmeal Pie Crust
- 8 oz granulated sugar (1 cup)
- 1 ½ oz corn starch (5 tablespoons)
- ½ teaspoon table salt
- 1 lemon (zest and juice)
- 32 oz blueberries (6 cups)
- 1 egg (for egg wash)
- granulated sugar for topping
Instructions
- Roll half the dough to line a 9" deep dish pie pan.
- Roll the other half of the dough to a 12" circle. Sprinkle a little flour over the circle and fold it in half. Sprinkle with flour again and fold in half again. Wrap the folded dough and set it into the lined pie pan. Refrigerate for 1 hour before filling. The dough can be rolled up to a day ahead and refrigerated. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- In a large bowl, whisk together 8 oz granulated sugar, 1 ½ oz corn starch, ½ teaspoon table salt, finely grated zest and juice from 1 lemon. Add 32 oz blueberries and toss to evenly distribute the sugar and starch. Pour the blueberries into the pie shell.
- Brush the rim of the bottom crust with egg wash. Lay the top crust over the filling. Pinch the two crusts together to seal. Trim the excess dough and use your fingers or a fork to crimp the edges. Use the tip of a small paring knife to cut a 2" "x" in the middle of the top crust. Peel back the pieces of dough to make a vent hole.
- Brush the entire top crust of the pie with egg wash and generously sprinkle the pie with granulated sugar.
- Place the pie on a baking sheet and bake until the juices in the middle of the pie are bubbling. Make sure the juice all the way in the middle is bubbling. The juice needs to boil to activate the starch. Otherwise the filling will be runny. This takes about 1 hour.
- Remove the pie from the oven and allow to cool for at least 3 -4 hours before cutting.
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Hi Eileen, two quick questions. Firstly the photos of the pie show a lattice top but the instruction s seem to suggest a complete lid? Secondly in instruction 2, you suggest 1/4 the floured lid, wrapping it and leaving it in the base until ready to top off the pie. Do you wrap it in cling film or wax paper?
Hi Steve. You can either make the pie with a plain top or a lattice top. The same amount of dough will work for either. It’s really an aesthetic choice. Here’s a video how to make a lattice top crust. You can change the look of the lattice by cutting thinner or thicker strips of dough. When you fold the dough for the top crust you can cover it with either plastic wrap or wax paper. The wraps is just to keep it from drying out in the fridge. You can take out the folded dough and cut it into strips to make a lattice crust if you’d like or simply use it as is for a plain crust. If you make a plain crust don’t forget to cut a steam vent so you can see if the juice is bubbling in the middle (and to let out steam).
@Eileen Gray, Perfect, thank you Eileen.
Hi there! Not sure if you’ll see this, but I was wondering what your stance on using quick frozen berries for pie? I’ve read it can work if you let them thaw slightly but not all the way but was curious if you’ve tried this.
I don’t see why you couldn’t use frozen berries for this. I wouldn’t even worry about defrosting them. By the time you mix the filling and top the pie they’ll start to defrost. Just make sure to bake until the juices are bubbling all the way in the middle. It might take a few extra minutes with frozen berries.
Hi. My son’s favorite pie is blueberry. He is allergic to cornstarch so I have experimented with many different thickeners in my pies. Some pies come out too runny and others a solid mass. After reading your post and understanding that the thickener needs to come to the correct temp., it makes much more sense. Can you tell me what would be the closest substitute to corn starch or how to adjust the time/oven temp. for a different thickening agent?
Thank You!
Hi Frieda, did you click on the link in the post for the article from Fine Cooking? It’s a great article all about starch thickeners. You can use tapioca, potato starch or arrow root. When you read through the article, you’ll see that for most of the starches it is recommended to cook until the juices are bubbling.
Hi Eileen, thanks for the great recipes and tips I’ve just found you and just made the sourdough crust–it’s in the fridge. I’ve been looking for a sourdough pie crust–yipee. Went to pull out blueberries and Whoops! I have a ton of raspberries but only 1 pk of blueberries. I also have a mixed berry pkg. I can run to the store but with covid I try to make do with what I have on hand. All to ask–do you have a raspberry pie filling recipe or can I convert this one? I’m wondering if it would need more sugar and maybe not be as juicy. ? I’m a novice baker, enjoying new things. This will be my first ever pie!
I don’t specifically have a raspberry pie filling. Honestly, I think if you use the blueberries you have with some of the mixed berries you’ll get a pretty good result. Assuming the mixed berry pack doesn’t have lots of strawberries in it. Are these frozen berries? If so, I would try to eliminate the strawberries since they have so much water in them.
Hi! I got your email about the blueberry pie, went out & got all the ingredients yesterday. Made the crust last nite and refrigerated it. Finished filling, put it all together ready to bake. Time to preheat oven- uh, to what temp? Did I miss it somewhere? Had to look at several other recipes (all different temps) & guessed at 375. Which is it?
Ooops, that was quite a mistake. Thanks for the heads up. I’ve fixed it. I bake the pie at 350 but 375 will work ok.