Name: Blueberry Pie
Cook time: 30 minutes
Total time: 1 hour 5 minutes to 1 hour 25 minutes (plus chilling and cooling)
Yield: 8–10 servings
Ingredients: ½ medium lemon, halved; 2¼ lb. fresh blueberries (about 3 pints), rinsed, patted dry; ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar; ¼ cup honey; ¼ cup (32 g) cornstarch; 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt; ½ tsp. ground cinnamon; 2 chilled disks of Our Favorite Pie Crust; All-purpose flour (for surface); 1 large egg; Raw or other coarse sugar (for sprinkling; Vanilla ice cream or whipped cream (for serving; optional)

Active Time
30 minutes
Total Time
1 hour 5 minutes to 1 hour 25 minutes (plus chilling and cooling)

A good blueberry pie hinges on far more than the fruit. Whether you’re baking in the dead of winter with meh supermarket blueberries or with the finest berries Maine summers can offer, ignoring the rest of the ingredients is never the right call. Instead of using only the zest and juice of a lemon in the filling, this recipe calls for half of the whole thing: peel, pith, and all (okay, no seeds). Using the lemon in its entirety lends the pie an extra-citrusy flavor, an equal match to the jammy-sweet berries. Adding a bit of honey to the filling provides additional floral sweetness, and warm, aromatic ground cinnamon further balances the tartness of the blueberries. For even more depth, opt for cardamom instead, or (my personal favorite ) sweet-slanting hawaij spice blend, often labeled “hawaij for coffee.”

This pie’s diagonal-striped top crust makes it look bakery-quality, but the design couldn’t be easier to replicate. That said, you can opt for a classic lattice-top crust or an even more decorative option if you prefer.

This pie is baked raw, as opposed to parbaking the crust (a popular option with moist fruit, like berries), so it’s best to use a pie pan that conducts heat well, such as metal. Regardless of which pie pan you choose, don’t skip the baking sheet underneath: As the oven comes to temperature it preheats the pan, which helps avoid that dreaded soggy bottom; it also will catch any drips as the pie’s filling bubbles and bakes.

Picked a whole flat of berries? Get more of our best blueberry recipes here →

All products featured on Epicurious are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

What you’ll need

Ingredients

8–10 servings

½ medium lemon, halved

2¼ lb. fresh blueberries (about 3 pints), rinsed, patted dry

½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar

¼ cup honey

¼ cup (32 g) cornstarch

1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt

½ tsp. ground cinnamon

2 chilled disks of Our Favorite Pie Crust

All-purpose flour (for surface)

1 large egg

Raw or other coarse sugar (for sprinkling

Vanilla ice cream or whipped cream (for serving; optional)

Preparation

Step 1
Thinly slice ½ medium lemon, halved; remove and discard seeds. Very finely chop lemon (all of it!) until it almost forms a paste; transfer to a large bowl. Add 2¼ lb. fresh blueberries (about 3 pints), rinsed, patted dry, ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar, ¼ cup honey, ¼ cup (32 g) cornstarch, 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt, and ½ tsp. ground cinnamon; mix gently to evenly coat blueberries.
Step 2
Place a rack in bottom third of oven and set a rimmed baking sheet on rack; preheat oven to 400°. Working one at a time, roll out 2 chilled disks of Our Favorite Pie Crust on a surface lightly dusted with all-purpose flour to 11" rounds about ⅛" thick. Carefully transfer 1 round to a 9"-diameter pie pan, preferably metal. Lift edges and allow dough to slump down into pan. Trim, leaving 1" overhang. Cut remaining dough round into five 2"-wide strips.
Step 3
Scrape blueberry filling into crust, slightly mounding in the center. Decoratively arrange dough strips over filling in a tight zigzag pattern, overlapping slightly. Trim strips if needed; fold overhang of bottom crust over and crimp to seal. Chill pie in freezer 20 minutes.
Step 4
Beat 1 large egg and 1 Tbsp. water in a small bowl. Brush top of crust with egg wash, then sprinkle raw or other coarse sugar over. Place pie on preheated baking sheet and bake until crust is golden on top, 30–35 minutes. Rotate pan front to back and reduce oven temperature to 350°. Continue to bake, tenting edges with foil if browning too quickly, until filling is bubbling vigorously and crust is deep golden brown, 45–60 minutes more. Let pie cool on baking sheet, about 2 hours.
Step 5
Serve pie with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream if desired.
Do Ahead: Pie can be baked 1 day ahead. Store loosely covered with foil at room temperature. Reheat, covered, in a 325° oven until warmed through if desired.

Leave a Review

Reviews (6)

jj
- jn
- United States
- 6/3/2023
Enjoyed the depth that the lemon rind added as well as the honey, I think this recipe in particular is really made to be accompanied by something rich and sweet like ice cream. We unfortunately didn’t have any on hand and when tasting the pie alone it was quite bitter. I also had issues with a soggy bottom but I blame that on the ceramic pie dish and not the recipe. Overall would most likely make again!
- Hailey
- 10/10/2023
This was a delicious pie, the addition of the minced lemon made it more complex and lemony, and the texture of the rinds was interesting. I did 1/4 of a whole lemon and added the zest and juice of the other quarter and I thought that was enough- worry it would be too bitter with any more.
- Anonymous
- Canada
- 7/13/2023