Berry Pie
When you have an abundance of blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, or huckleberries, this is the berry pie to make. It’s classic, with a juicy, sugar-kissed, mixed berry filling. Pair it with a flaky, all-butter crust and you have the ideal berry pie on your hands.
A good berry pie is one of those baking skills to conquer first. I love this berry pie for its simplicity, but there are some details to fixate on to make it extra special.
Why I love This Pie:
A great berry pie is classic, and there are two components to get right: the crust, and the filling. The filling for this pie is sweet enough to accent the flavors in good fruit, but not so sweet the fruit is overpowered. I’m encouraging you to make your own homemade pie crust here. It’s a complete game changer, and absolutely doable! A structured, golden, all-butter crust is the ideal contrast to a jammy, unstructured fruit pie filling like this one. I sprinkle the top pie crust with big grains of sugar just before baking to add a layer of crunch and sweetness. A detail that really takes the whole thing over the top.
What Kind of Berries are Best for Berry Pie?
You have latitude when it comes to choosing berries for berry pie. Use whatever great tasting berries you have on hand. It’s okay if they’re not “perfect” as long as the flavor is good. My rare (but absolute favorite) berry pie version is made entirely with wild huckleberries. Raspberries plus huckleberries is a winning combo. And the pie pictured here is a blend of (roughly) equal parts blueberries and blackberries. The formula is to use 2 pounds of berries total. Pick through the berries to remove any stems or molded berries.
Can I Use Frozen Berries?
Yes, you can use fruit that has been frozen in pies. Thaw to room temperature before proceeding with the recipe.
Berry Pie: Pro-tips
Here are a few pro-tips for this pie.
- Glass pie dish: Number one tip, but don’t let this hold you back from baking a pie today. If you love pie, eventually you’re going to want to score a glass pie dish. It allows you to see the base of your pie take on color as it is baking. It’s a helpful confidence builder as you’re dialing in your pie baking skills.
- Work with confidence: People are often intimidate by pie baking. I’m here to tell you that even when it is bad it is good. Just keep moving forward when you’re making a pie. Don’t give up. If you’re fighting the crust, take a minute, put it back in the refrigerator to cool, regroup, then try again.
- Fully Bake Your Pie: An underbaked pie will cause a number of problems including a doughy, unstructured crust, and undeveloped filling. If using a glass baking dish, look for the pie bottom to get golden brown and toasted color. The top should be similar. You can see that I love a deeply golden and rustic crust, and can sometimes push it a bit too far, but you get the idea! Go super toasty and golden, pale flour is no good here.
Berry Pie: Variations
My goal here is to deliver the kind of berry pie recipe that becomes a staple in your baking repertoire - delicious, reliable, and thick with bubbling berry juices. You’ll find the base recipe down below, but here are a few little tweaks I’ve noted in my notebooks over the years.
- Rye Crust: Use this all-butter flaky pie crust, but swap in 25% dark rye flour. You’ll end up with a gorgeous, rustic crust that works brilliantly in combination with berries.
- Lemon Zest Crust: Grate the zest of a lemon or two into your flour and butter as you’re making your pie crust. I don’t always have time for these little touches when making a pie, but love a little wink of lemon to level up just about any pie crust.
- Rose Geranium Sugar: A bit of a wildcard suggestion here, but I happen to have a vigorous rose geranium plant on my patio, and it pairs incredibly well with berries. The night before making your pie filling use your hands to work a few fragrant rose geranium leaves into the sugar. Kind of smash and smear it, seal it in a jar overnight, and remove the leaves before making the filling with the scented sugar the next day.
- Herb & Spice Rye Berry Pie: A version of pie I had on the site for a long time (before this update!) used the rye crust suggested above, and 2 sprigs of thyme leaves plus 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon in the filling.
To Make a Lattice Pie Crust
You don't have to make a latticed top for this pie, but you can if you like. Here's how:
Step one: Roll the pie dough top crust out into a 12 x 12 shape and cut into 1-inch thick strips (pictured above). Go for more of a square shape if possible.
Step two: Arrange 6-7 strips horizontally on a piece of parchment paper. Then, starting in the middle, working quickly with a single strip, make your strips look like this. (above) Under two, over two, under two, at 45 degree angle.
Step three: Grab another single strip and do the opposite next door. So - over two, under two, over two. Keep going working outward, alternating. When you've used all your strips transfer the crust to the refrigerator for 5 minutes or so to set a bit. You'll be able to slide it off the parchment paper into place on the pie. Trim just beyond the edge of the pie dish, crimp or seal, and proceed with the recipe.
More Pie Recipes
- Shaker Apple Pie
- Coconut Cream Pie
- Pumpkin Pie
- Vegan Samosa Shepherd’s Pie
- Deep Dish Quiche
- Vegetable Pot Pie
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Berry Pie
The above post talks through my favorite berry choices and includes a few tips, tricks and details. I’ll call most of them out here in the recipe, but they’re worth a read before you jump in. The recipe walks you through a standard double crust pie, if you’re interested in making a lattice crust, please refer to the photos in the post up above. And this is my go-to pie crust recipe. This makes a double-crusted 9-inch berry pie.
- 2 pie crusts top & bottom
- 2/3 cup / 3.5 oz / 100g natural cane sugar or brown sugar
- 1/3 cup / 1.5 oz / 45 g unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
- 2 pounds of berries
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup granulated or large grain sugar, to sprinkle on crust
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Heat the oven to 425°F with a rack in the center. Heat the oven for at least 30 minutes before baking pies - you want to make sure it’s hot and ready to go. Also, clear a space in the freezer to chill the pie before baking.
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Make the filling by combining the brown sugar, flour, and salt in large mixing bowl. Add the berries, and toss gently until well combined. Use your hand to crush just one big handful of the filling to smash some of the fruit and release juices. Toss again, enough that you don’t see any more dry sugar or flour. Set aside.
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If your pie dough has been chilling overnight allow it to sit at room temperature for a bit before rolling out - 15 minutes or so. Lightly flour your work surface and rolling pin. Roll the pie dough out, large enough to relax into your pie dish with extra dough a bit beyond the edge. As you’re rolling the dough turn the pie dough clockwise after every few passes with the rolling pin to prevent sticking. Flour more as needed.
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Transfer the dough for the bottom crust into the pie dish by gently wrapping it around your rolling pin and unrolling it across your pie dish. Coax the pie dough into place, and then press into the pan to anchor it. Roll out the top pie crust. You want to work relatively quickly at this point so your dough doesn’t warm. If you’re doing a lattice or other design, refer to the photos up above, and prepare the top crust.
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Gently pour the berry filling into the dough-lined pie dish. Drizzle with lemon juice and dot with the butter. Drape the other round of pie dough on top and trim so you have about 1-inch of dough hanging beyond the edge of the dish. Press the edges of the pie shell together to seal things, and fold the edge of the crust over or under, and crimp or pinch around the edge using a fork or pressing your thumb and forefinger of one hand into the forefinger of the other hand. Carefully place the entire pie in the freezer for 15 minutes.
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In the meantime, whisk the egg. When it is time, remove the pie from the freezer, cut a few slits in the top (unless you’ve chosen a lattice top) to allow steam to escape while the pie bakes, and gently brush with enough egg to coat all of the top crust. Sprinkle generously with sugar.
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Put the pie on a baking sheet to catch any drips and place in the oven. Dial back the heat to 375°F. You’re going to bake the pie for about an hour, but start checking on it about 45 minutes in. At this point I often spin it 180 degrees in the oven, and make note if the top of the pie is getting too dark. If so, place a sheet of aluminum foil or pie shield over it until the bottom catches up. When everything is deeply golden remove from the oven and cool on a pie rack for 2-3 hours before slicing, this helps the filling set up. If you have leftovers, you can refrigerate this pie for up to a week.
Makes one 9-inch berry pie.
Related Recipes
All-Butter Flaky Pie Crust
Most pages about pie crusts are going to point you to their “best ever” pie crust, but I’m taking a slightly different approach. I’m going to share a few of the inspirations that have impacted my pie baking over the years along with the pie dough recipe I currently use and love. Pie baking is a journey, and there are a few places I’d recommend jumping on or off along the way.
Homemade Coconut Cream Pie
There are a couple details that take this coconut cream pie to the next level. Like many versions, it is made with a homemade, flaky, all-butter pie crust filled with a creamy coconut pudding. It is finished with clouds of whipped cream and plenty of toasted coconut flakes. Using buttermilk and a confident amount of salt to offset some of the sweetness is how you take this pie from good to great.
Pumpkin Pie
A classic pumpkin pie recipe with a couple wildcards to make it extra special. The creamy pumpkin custard is made with with a fragrant five spice blend and baked in a flaky, walnut-lined homemade flaky pie crust.
Shaker Apple Pie
The defining detail of this traditional Shaker apple pie is the use of rose water in the filling. Sliced apples, brown sugar, and a splash of floral results in a special combination. Pair it with an all-butter crust and you have a beautiful apple pie on your hands.
Shaker Lemon Pie
The defining detail of this lemon Shaker pie is the use of whole lemons for the filling. Thin slices of lemon including the peel, pith, and flesh are macerated in sugar and then turned into a vibrant, flavor-packed, custardy filling. Pair this with a flaky all-butter pie crust and you've got something special on your hands.
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Comments
I’ve been making this blueberry pie using your rye pie crust since it was “a nice berry pie” years ago, and absolutely love it! I made a version of it for my wedding (well, 10-12 of them!) and it just never disappoints. Thanks for sharing recipes that have become meaningful to me and my family over the years! Such a gift to all of us.
Thanks for the kind note Cyndi! Homemade berry wedding pies sounds absolutely perfect, so happy to play a small role in a special day!
Looks like the Ultimate American Pie! Yum to bad the rubarb season is over because that would have been a great ingredient to add!
Please continue doing what you’re doing :)!
-xoxo-
Fleur
Hi Heidi! I love this recipe with rye flour! Berries are my favourite fruit and thyme gives an extra boost to the pie filling! Gonna make it soon. Grazie!
Wow, this looks so good!
Some of my favorite memories are of huckleberry picking with my grandfather. Wandering through the woods with a coffee can and the pie that came later. Still my favorite pie. Maybe will have to make one soon. Thanks for the reminder.
So I made A Nice Berry Pie this weekend – in spite of my mother insisting that rye would taste off in a pie crust. I used blackberries and raspberries, lemon thyme, and followed the recipe to a T. I LOVED the crust, I really enjoyed that it was different, but not so much so that it detracted from the experience. The filling was a little watery at first (I was antsy to try it and sliced into it a little too warm) – over all, incredible and special. I had a bit of trouble with the crust, but it still turned out nicely. I plan to use this crust again and again. Thanks for sharing!
Absolutely perfect!
Hi, I had a pie that looked exactly like your a week ago and it was great. Unfortunately I didn’t make it myself. I am going to try. Regards.
The rye crust was spectacular! I made it as suggested, and it was a welcome, hearty base for a mushroom/spinach/cheese pie I threw together for an easy weeknight dinner…and breakfast…and lunch…how I love good leftovers! Thanks for this new staple recipe!
I made this pie last week with strawberries, raspberries and blackberries. It was delicious! Not overly sweet, crispy crust, yum! My first pie! I did use coconut sugar and dried thyme as I did not have fresh. Making again this weekend. Thank you!
I made a pie with plums and red pepper yesterday, and it turned out beautifully. I actually never made a pie crust before, it was quite easy, smelled and tasted wonderful, and I will keep making my own, I think. Thanks for the recipe and the encouragement!
I made a small pie yesterday, with plums and red pepper and it turned out beautifully. This was the first time I ever made a pie crust myself, it was actually quite easy and it smelled great. Thanks for the recipe and the encouragement!
What a beautiful pie! I use a pastry recipe from Mitchell Davis of the James Beard organization. It has proven to be fool-proof, but this one sure does look delicious. I too love the taste of fruit, especially berries, without overbearing sugar. Thanks for sharing your beautiful photos.
The picture of this magnificent pie overcame my pie crust phobia–I’ve never before been successful. Tempted especially by the notion of rye flour in pie crust, I braved it and basked in the praise last night, when I served it to my dinner guests. Blackberries, raspberries and blueberries were my combination. This is a WINNER!
This will be the Learning-how-to-make-a-Pie Year. I will learn. I will knead. I will roll. I will bake. I will taste. My kitchen will smell of autumn and rain. Thanks for help.
I love rye! Use it to make my sourdough starter and haven’t found anything rye that turns out poorly. Never tried it in a pie crust, looking forward to the attempt!
Looks divine, I have always preferred apple pie over any alternative, but this looks wonderful!
This looks absolutely delicious! Can’t wait to try this out, thank you!
Beautiful. My favourite desserts have berries in them and you just can’t beat a fantastic berry pie.
p.s. the crust looks AMAZing.
Your pie looks gorgeous. I agree completely with what you wrote about what you look for in a pie; I hate fillings that are too sweet or pies that fall apart when cut.
A-men to pies that actually taste like fruit.
Love your crust recipe…I love berry pies and am always open to trying new crust recipes…and I like my crust just like you do! On the down side, I can NEVER find huckleberries around here and I really feel like I am missing out. Sigh…
You’ve read my mind, I have been thinking often of pies. Making my own, sharing my own, eating my own. I cannot wait to get my pie-bake on. Thank you 🙂
Heidi xo
so lovely Berry Pie …and tis easy to learn….love your recipes…
You’re right, it is so important that a pie taste of fruit and not sugar. The pie looks great, fat and plentiful. GG
How funny. i was just having a conversation with a friend about making a berry based pie and lo and behold, I come across your crumbly delicious looking pie. I loave sara’s idea of using toasted almonds.
This, is exactly what I needed to see. This, is my kind of pie. Thanks, I needed a little inspiration. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful.
If anyone is wondering what berries to use, try half raspberries and half huckleberries. The combination of these two berries is indiscribable! I had people literally like their places clean!
Heidi — I’m in Oakland. Is there a good source around here for huckleberries (either to go pick or to buy – probably easier to buy). Not sure if Berkeley Bowl or local farmers mkts tend to have them. I’d love to try the pie using them.
Thanks!
Hi Barb – I typically pick mine up from Far West Funghi. Depending on the time of year they have fresh / frozen.
I love berry pies, it gives me a good idea for the weekend. Yours looks delicious.
Like you I love berry pies! I’m also giving my first pie crust demonstration at a local kitchen shop in Maine – USA!! I also don’t like “super sweet” pies. I find I usually cut the sugar in half or at least by 1/3! Like you, I like my crust flaky and a little on the golden brown side and like you, I like my pie to stay together when I cut it! I’m famous for my “Wild Maine Blueberry Pie.”
Happy baking!
Beautiful! I’ve been in pie making mode recently. I can’t wait to use this new pastry technique! The Cook’s Illustrated vodka one doesn’t work for me (too wet), so I’d been doing all butter ones using a pastry blender or food processor. I have good results, but I love the potential for layers with this technique! Also, I never thought of adding herbs. Good idea! Lavender leaves might work nicely, too.
This looks so good, I want to go home and make it right now! I would love to try it with raspberries. Add a dollop of ice cream to the side, and it seriously looks like the perfect dessert. Thanks for always having such amazing pictures with your recipes, they are really inspiring!
this sounds really interesting, next time I make a pie I’m going to try the rye crust, altho I’m not sure how my brothers will react, they don’t necessarily like rye. thanks for sharing.
i love pie…and that is a gross understatement. fruit, especially berry, pies are my favorite, and agree that the crust is extremely important (though i do use some shortening in mine), and that the filling shouldn’t be too sweet. showcasing the flavor and freshness of the fruit is all important. that being said, i need to try out this pie, crust included. i can’t wait to taste a crust with rye in it, and thyme sounds like a wonderful addition!
Your berry pie looks and sounds exactly like my kind of berry pie. I’ve yet to try making my own pie (made a galette the other day), but it’s about time to give it a go. Thank you for the pie making resources!
Believe it or not this is just what I needed today… It is over 100 degrees and I am very grumpy… This my dear, is something I am going to do as soon as it gets warm enough to walk into my kitchen. Once again this is perfect.
I love berry pies. This looks absolutely adorable and delicious!
Now *this* sounds like a crust I could love. I’m blackberry person myself, and we have several farms with rows of canes nearby. I love pairing blackberries with orange blossom water and lavender… I think I’ve just found my weekend project!
Pie is one of those wholesome hearth-warming things that I can never get enough off. A thin slice with coffee or tea for breakfast, topped with whipped cream after dinner or as a snack shared with friends. Pie seems to just bring people together in adoration of flaky dark crusts and fresh fillings. I have never tried rye crust and have been guilty in many occasions to buy premade dough =O. But I love pie and will try this one out. Would this crust work for apple? Berries are not a stellar favorite here, though eaten anyways. And sweet fillings take away from the pie, I think. I rather have more fruit flavor than sweet as well.
oh, thank you for this recipe, i was looking for something like that, i have some berries in the fridge right now!!!
thank you!!!
I recently made a blackberry apple pie with a whole wheat crust; it was so good! I think berry pies are one of may favorites too!
I need to start baking more pies, I love this one!
I agree that not too sweet filling is delicious in pies, which is partly why homemade is so good. Looking forward to try some with your rye crust!
This looks amazing! The hubby loves pie so I will have to try this out. I only wish we got fresh berries in Texas.
This sounds and looks amazing, I think I’ll have to overcome my fear and just try making a pie crust myself. I’m thinking of a plum pie… There might be one in the near future…
A rye crust sounds so interesting and I’m a sucker for all things berry! I love this.
Where do you get huckleberries? I never see them in stores. I would love to make some of your recipes that call for them.
Thanks!
Hi Julianne – I would buy them at Far West Funghi in the SF Ferry Building.
Wow! that combo of berries and homemade crust looks too good to be true!
One reason I will always love cooking is you never stop learning. I never thought to foil the edges of the pie so they don’t get too dark – though I had that problem. Same with folding the pastry. I only ever did that with Puff pastry. Also, fruit and rye I can see will be a good combo immediately. So heartfelt thanks.
Just yesterday I waded through all manner of berry stickers to pick berries for pie. I was amazed to find another universe right here in my urban world-the universe of creatures of many legs partying it up on harvest. I soldiered on knowing that my friend in Maine must slide down a hill and risk fighting with bears to get her berries-I just saunter in and try to move aside as many spiders,etc as possible and then gently rinse the late ones out when I get home.
I prefer to use only sugar and lemon for these berries-they are so dark and dense that my grand daughter said that “the berries are so rich”
What a perfect pie!
That is one very good looking pie!
Going to go for the last blackberry foraging expedition of the summer this weekend. Now I know what I will do with what I find.
Yum! For those who would like to make this pie dairy-free, try palm shortening. It is non-hydrogenated and makes a perfect crust every time. Spectrum Organic is a great one. I also use it as my secret ingredient in butter cakes, replacing about half the fat, for more loft, and it’s wonderful for Jewish holiday desserts when you can’t use butter (because the dessert will be served at a meat meal) or when cooking for vegan friends.
Mmm love this pie crust with rye flour. i want to try it with apples inside.
Heidi, this just looks beautiful! My husband came home today with a flat of fresh Oregon blackberries and raspberries from the farmer’s market, and you just gave me the inspiration I needed.
I love your cookbooks and have been a fan for a long time – thank you for your healthy and natural take on fantastic food! ~Jill
Where I come from we don’t really eat pies. But this looks too delicious not to try!
I am still on my journey to finding the pie crust that works for me. I’ll have to add your tips to my list and see if mine turns out as beautiful as yours!
The color of the berry filling is such a beautiful hue of blue + purple. Not to mention, the pie sounds downright delicious.
What an awesome pie. This is perfect. I have tiny plums that I need to use up and I think I will try this recipe with them.
A home-made pie is one thing I’ve never made but always wanted to! I have collected a couple of recipes over time, but I really like the look of this pastry – it just looks so yummy and crumbly and warm and comforting…
My husband and I labored for hours picking wild huckleberries yesterday! We had been searching for the perfect pie recipe… your timing is impeccable. I cannot wait to try yours!
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