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Homemade Blackberry Pie with a buttery, flaky crust loaded with fresh juicy berries.
Nothing says home like a hand crafted pie.
Way back in 2011, I made a different pie each week for the entire year and posted them here on SRFD. We didn’t have any rules when I started the pie project. However, I knew I wanted to use only fresh, natural ingredients whenever possible. I’ve made pies all my life and there’s one thing I have learned for sure; the more pies I make, the more I love simple fruit pies made the way they have been for years, and years.
Blackberry cobbler and blackberry pie are some of our favorite fresh fruit desserts.
When I was a little girl I remember eating berries right off the bush while playing in the fields near our house. I also remember getting up really early on a Saturday morning during July each year to go blackberry picking with my parents. Mom dressed us in long sleeved shirts, pants, hats and proper shoes to keep us safe from sunburn, bugs, ticks and snakes. Tennessee has a lot of those, and a lot of blackberries.
Once all the blackberries were picked, Mom would camp out in the kitchen and make jelly, jam and a blackberry cobbler for dad.
We continued the tradition of berry picking with our kids.
Blackberries are so much sweeter when you have to work for them! We used to pick gallons and gallons of blackberries while living in Tennessee. Now we live in Virginia and have searched for places to find good berries. A local farm has pick your own blackberries and we can often find great berries at the farmers market. Even so, we ended up planting our own blackberry garden complete with an arbor and some of the best blackberries we’ve ever eaten. After several years, we’re picking pink after pink of blackberries to enjoy all summer long.
If you can’t find a place to pick your own blackberries, head to the local farmers market. It’s a fun family experience, and delicious too!
How do you make blackberry pie?
Our blackberry pie starts with a flaky double pastry crust. We have a well tested, perfected pie crust recipe in 3 easy steps, complete with a step-by-step video you can try. Or, feel free to buy refrigerated pie crusts because nobody will care if you didn’t make your own! For this pie you will need two single crusts, or make a double crust pie recipe.
For homemade pie crust, you will need:
- all-purpose flour
- salt
- granulated sugar
- solid shortening, like Crisco
- unsalted butter
- ice water
For the blackberry pie filling, you will need:
- blackberries
- granulated sugar
- cornstarch
- salt
- cinnamon
- lemon zest and lemon juice
- 1/2 a grated apple
- unsalted butter
- 1 egg
- coarse sugar
I recommend tasting the blackberries to determine if they are tart or sweet. You may want to adjust the sugar or lemon juice as needed. If they are juicy berries, you may want to add an additional tablespoon of cornstarch to thicken the filling.
Why do you add 1/2 a grated apple to the filling?
Apples are loaded with pectin which acts as a natural thickener. It doesn’t affect the flavor of the pie, so no worries. We use the apple thickener trick in our Blueberry Crumble Pie, too.
Taste your blackberries and adjust the amount of sugar needed.
If they’re super tart, use up to one cup of sugar, or if they’re already pretty sweet, you can get away with less, about 3/4 cup. As you can see, these blackberries were very juicy! Even though some juice is running out onto the plate, the filling holds together well.
How can you keep the bottom crust from being soggy?
Juicy double crust pies are always a little more soggy on the bottom than a pre-baked pie crust. To help with this issue, there are a few tricks you can try:
- Bake the pie in an aluminum pie pan that conducts heat very well;
- Don’t let the finished pie sit around for a long time before baking;
- Place the unbaked pie onto a preheated, hot stone baking pan. If you don’t have a pizza stone, use a good heavy baking sheet.
- By searing the bottom of the pie crust on a hot stone, you start the baking process before the juicy filling has a chance to soak in.
This process helps a lot, so I hope you’ll give it a try!
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Blackberry Pie
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
Yield: 8
Course: Dessert
With a buttery, flaky crust loaded with fresh juicy berries.
Ingredients
- 1 recipe Double Pastry Crust (see note)
- 5-6 cups blackberries about 4 pints
- ¾ cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- pinch of salt
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- juice and zest of 1 lemon
- ½ apple peeled, cored and grated
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter cut into 4-6 pieces
- 1 egg lightly beaten mixed with 1 tablespoon milk for brushing on the pastry
- coarse sugar for sprinkling on the pastry
Instructions
- Pick over the berries removing any debris. Rinse in cool water and drain well. Place the berries in a large mixing bowl. In a small bowl whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, salt and cinnamon. Sprinkle the sugar mixture over the berries. Add the grated apple, lemon juice and zest to the berries. Gently toss with a spatula until blended. Set aside for about 30 minutes while preparing the crust.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place a baking stone or baking sheet in the oven to preheat.
- Roll out ½ the pastry and fit into the bottom of a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate. Fill the crust with the blackberry mixture, then dot with the butter. Top the pie with the remaining crust by weaving a lattice design or cut slits to vent a solid crust. Brush the egg wash over the top pastry. Lightly sprinkle sugar on top.
- Bake the pie on the preheated pan for 30 minutes at 400°F then reduce the temperature to 350°F and bake an additional 30 minutes. Tent the pie crust with foil for the last 20 minutes of baking to prevent over-browning. The pie is done when the blackberry filling is bubbling and thickened, and the crust golden brown.
- Cool to room temperature, slice and serve. Top with ice cream or whipped cream, if desired. Store leftovers in the refrigerator.
Recipe Notes
- We recommend using our Perfect Pie Crust Recipe (with how-to VIDEO)Â
Nutrition
Calories: 145kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 24mg | Sodium: 9mg | Potassium: 167mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 24g | Vitamin A: 272IU | Vitamin C: 19mg | Calcium: 31mg | Iron: 1mg
Finally, here are a few more blackberries recipes you might enjoy:
Blackberry Frozen Yogurt – a healthy way to enjoy a frozen dessert, sweetened with blackberries and honey.
Individual Blackberry Tarts ~ juicy, ripe blackberries nestled in a buttery, flaky crust for an iconic summer dessert.
Blackberry & Brie Mini Pizzas –Â Soft yeasty dough is topped with caramelized onions, gooey brie cheese, fresh blackberries and walnuts. The mini-pizzas are baked until golden brown and crispy around the edges, then finished with fresh ground black pepper, arugula and a drizzle of good quality balsamic vinegar
In 2011 I made a pie each week for the entire year. It was a wonderful and fun project, and a tasty one too! Fresh Blackberry pie was number 26. This post was originally published in June 2011. Our recipe, photos and narrative were updated in July 2018 and May 2020.Â
Jan
Can I make this Blackberry Pie with frozen berries? Or can I make it and freeze it to serve later? If either alternative is viable, what additional steps would be required in each case?
Tricia Buice
Hi Jan. I would make it with frozen, but partially thawed, blackberries. Place the blackberries in a bowl at room temperature for about 30 minutes before using. If there is a lot of liquid drain off part or add one more tablespoon of cornstarch to thicken. We also have a popular blackberry cobbler recipe you might like to check out too. Enjoy! Old-Fashioned Blackberry Cobbler
Mimi
wow, that is a lot of pies! I have made one! I tried to make cute cut-outs, like you have inthat one stunning photo. Didn’t really work. That’s why I stick with cooking! I love the traditional simplicity of this blackberry pie. It’s all about summer. Speaking of that, how many days till the fall???!!!
Tricia Buice
Some people love to cook and some love to bake. I am a baker for sure, but have to cook to eat – haha. I’m ready for fall and it will be here before you know it. Thanks for stopping by!
Abbe@This is How I Cook
Who could ever get sick of pie? You are the expert and I always look to you if I need a pie recipe! Bravo! And fruit pies are my favorite!
Tricia Buice
Thank you Abbe – hope you’re having a fantastic summer!
Larry
I’m not a big eater of dessert but pies are my favorite, especially berry pies and yours looks awesome. If hubby ever rebels on you, just mail them to me and I’ll happily be your taster.
Tricia Buice
Thanks Larry – I’ll see what I can do 😉
Gerlinde
My husband would move in with you if you make him a pie every week. Your blackberry pie looks so delicious. Pinned !
Tricia Buice
Haha – men love pie, no question about that! Thanks for sharing my posts Gerlinde – you’re the sweetest!
sue @theviewfromgreatisland
You’ve hit on my weakness, fresh blackberries!! I love this gorgeous pie, Tricia, you are such a gifted baker 🙂
Tricia Buice
Thanks Sue – this is one of our favorites for sure.
Tanna at The Brick Street Bungalow
Heaven in a pie plate!!