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Easy Fresh Plum Pie Recipe

Summer plums make the best pie!
Easy fresh Plum Pie is a simple fruit pie that comes together in minutes. If you can roll out a pie crust and slice plums, you can make this pie!
Just like many stone fruits, plums are a terrific choice for cobblers, pies and crisps. These juicy fruits don’t need a lot of added ingredients to transform into a delicious dessert.



Ingredients Overview
- One double crust pie pastry recipe either homemade or store-bought
- Fresh firm plums
- Half of a Granny Smith apple grated on a large box grater
- Lemon juice
- Granulated sugar
- Minced candied or crystalized ginger, or ground ginger (optional)
- Cornstarch for thickening the juices
- Salt
- Pinch of cinnamon
- One large egg beaten with water for brushing on the pastry before baking
- Coarse sugar for sprinkling on top

How to make an easy fresh Plum Pie
1. First, prepare a double crust pastry and refrigerate until needed.
Roll one pastry disk into a 12-inch circle on a lightly floured surface. Gently ease the dough into a 9-inch deep dish pie plate leaving a 1-inch overhang. Refrigerate until needed.
Roll out the top crust on a lightly floured large piece of parchment paper to a 10 by 14-inch rectangle.
Using a pizza cutter, fluted pastry wheel or small sharp knife, cut the dough into eight (1 1/4-inch) strips. Refrigerate until needed.
2. Make the plum mixture
Cut the plums in half and remove the pit. Cut each half into 6 wedges about 1/4-inch wide. Transfer the sliced plums to a large bowl and add the grated apple. Drizzle the mixture with lemon juice
In a separate small bowl combine the sugar, ginger, cornstarch and salt. Pour the sugar mixture over the plums and fold together with a spatula until combined. Set aside for 15 minutes.
While the plums are macerating preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking stone or rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Place in the oven to preheat.
PRO TIP: Baking the pie directly on a hot baking stone will help prevent a soggy bottom crust. If using a glass pie plate skip this step.
3. Assemble the plum pie
Pour the plum mixture into the prepared pie shell. Weave a lattice design over the filling. Trim away any excess dough.
Fold the dough overhang up and crimp together to seal. Brush the egg wash over the crust and sprinkle lightly with sugar.
4. Bake!
Bake immediately for 20 to 25 minutes or until light golden brown. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F and continue baking until the filling is bubbling and the crust is deep golden brown, about 40 to 45 minutes more.
Cool on a wire rack for 4 hours or until the filling is set.

Tips for the best fresh Plum Pie
- Use firm plums that are not too soft so they don’t break down to mush.
- Do not peel the plums as the skin helps hold the plums together as they cook. The plum peels also give the pie that beautiful pink color.
- Use a lattice style crust or cookie cutter cut-outs to help vent the steam. Plums are very juicy so make sure your crust design has plenty of open space for the steam to escape.
- Brush the crush with an egg wash for a nice sheen and great color.
- Cornstarch seems to be the best thickener I’ve used for this plum pie recipe. I’ve also tried tapioca and instant clear gel as thickeners but had the best results with cornstarch.
- Allowing the plums to macerate for 15 minutes before baking helps ensure all the cornstarch is saturated with juices for the best results.
- Let the pie to rest until the juices are set before slicing. This takes about 4 hours depending on the temperature in your home.
- I haven’t tested this pie with frozen plums but believe it will work fine. I would thaw the plums first and drain before adding the sugar mixture.
Why add half of a grated apple?
We’ve been adding half a Granny Smith apple to our fruit pies and cobblers for years. Apples are loaded with natural pectin which helps the filling set perfectly.
You can’t taste the apple nor can you see it in the baked filling. We’ve had great success with this simple method in our blueberry pies, too.

What kind of plums are best for pies and cobblers
Any variety of plums will work in this pie and our cobbler too. We like black plums for their size, texture and the beautiful tart flavor it adds to this pie.
Black or purple plums are also easy to find in many markets and grocery stores. For this pie filling you’ll need 10 to 12 large black plums.
The colorful filling comes from the skin of the plum. As mentioned above, do not peel the plums as they tend to fall apart more easily and the color will not be there.

Tender bites of plum and jammy filling
Slicing the fruit into small wedges produces the best results. The plums cook perfectly and hold together without drying out.
The filling is juicy but almost jam-like in consistency. It may not hold together as well as some drier pies but that in no way takes away from the success of this dessert.
Serve Plum Pie topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream if desired.


Storing leftover Plum Pie
Feel free to store Plum Pie at room temperature for up to 2 days. Cover with plastic wrap or seal in an airtight container for best results.
This Plum Pie also keeps very well in the refrigerator for 4 or 5 days. I’ve also had great success with freezing individual slices of Plum Pie for up to 3 months.
Thanks for PINNING!


Fresh Plum Pie
Ingredients
- Double crust pie pastry homemade or store-bought
- 2 ½ pounds fresh plums 10 to 12 large plums
- ½ Granny Smith apple peeled and grated on a large box grater
- juice of ½ a lemon
- ¾ cup granulated sugar (170g)
- 1 tablespoon crystalized ginger minced or ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- 4 tablespoons cornstarch (34g)
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- pinch of cinnamon (optional)
- 1 large egg lightly beaten with 1 teaspoon cold water for brushing on pastry
Instructions
Prepare the pie crust:
- Roll out half the pie crust into a 12-inch circle on a well floured clean work surface. Gently ease the dough into a 9-inch deep dish pie plate leaving a 1-inch overhang. Refrigerate until needed.
- Roll out the remaining dough onto a large piece of parchment paper into a 10 by 14-inch rectangle. Using a pizza cutter, fluted pastry wheel or small sharp knife, cut the dough into 8 (1 ¼-inch) strips. Transfer the parchment and dough strips to a large baking sheet and refrigerate until needed.
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking stone or rimmed baking sheet with parchment or foil. Place in the oven to preheat.
Prepare the plums:
- Do not peel the plums. Cut the plums in half and remove the pit. Cut each half into about 6 slices. Transfer the sliced plums and grated apple to a large bowl and drizzle with lemon juice. Set aside.
- In a separate small bowl whisk together the sugar, ginger, cornstarch and salt. Pour the sugar mixture over the plums and fold together with a spatula until combined. Set aside for 15 minutes.
- Pour the plum mixture into the prepared crust. Weave a lattice design over the filling and trim away any excess dough. Fold the dough overhang up and crimp together to seal. Brush the egg wash over the crust and sprinkle lightly with sugar.
- Bake immediately for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F and continue baking until the juices are bubbling and the crust is deep golden brown, about 40 to 45 minutes more. Cool on a wire rack for 4 hours or until the filling is set.
- Slice and serve topped with ice cream if desired.
Recipe Notes
- Nutritional information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered as an estimate. When multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.
Nutrition
Easy Summer Plum Pie
This simple and delicious pie is loaded with tart juicy plums, candied ginger and fresh lemon juice. It’s easy to make and even easier to enjoy!
If you find yourself with tons of extra plums, try this no-peel, no-pectin two ingredient Plum Jam.
We also love baking plums and blackberries together. If you think you’ll love this combo too, try our Plum Blackberry Bars recipe with a sweet crumble top. So good!
Lidia
The best filing. Because I didn’t have enough plumps I added some blueberries; it was really tasty. Less sugar because the plumps were really ripe.
Tricia Buice
Thanks Lidia! So glad it worked well for you.
Debbie
This pie is absolutely delicious!!
Tricia Buice
Thank you Debbie! I’m so glad you made it and loved it, too. Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Juste
Very delicious plum tarte, I have done the base with store-bought pastry “brisée” and cooked it in the tart tray in the oven before putting the filling in, so the bottom of it would be cooked thoroughly. It worked perfectly, but the filling is so delish, I was pleasantly surprised actually, I didn’t put that much sugar as been marked in the recipe, but it worked out great
Tricia Buice
Thank you Juste! We truly appreciate the feedback. Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Monica
I have never had plum pie before, and am surprised at how much I like this. I also added lemon zest, only 1/2 c sugar (50/50 blend of white and brown). I cooked it in a glass pie dish, no bottom crust, only the lattice top. The ginger/lemon/apple/plum combo is fantastic.
Tricia Buice
Thanks Monica! I love the changes you made here. It sounds divine!
MaryAnn Cummings
One of the most flavorful pies I have ever eaten in my life and my dad was a pie salesman so I have an extensive background in pie consumption. This pie was bursting with flavor and a real delight to eat. My highest recommendations on this recipe!
Tricia Buice
Thank you MaryAnn! We truly appreciate you taking the time to comment. I’m thrilled you enjoyed it as much as we do 🙂