This recipe was reprinted with permission from America's Test Kitchen
There’s nothing quite like a classic Blueberry Pie fresh from the oven. Juicy, sweet blueberries wrapped in a flaky, buttery crust. It's simple, timeless, and always a crowd-pleaser. The filling is perfectly balanced with a hint of lemon to brighten the flavor, while the golden crust practically melts in your mouth. Trust me, one slice and you’ll understand why this Blueberry Pie is a forever favorite.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Foolproof pie dough
- Flaky buttery crust
- Juicy but sliceable filling
Ingredients Overview
- Key ingredients: fresh blueberries, lemon zest, sugar, tapioca, grated apple, butter, homemade pie crust
- Substitutions: frozen blueberries can be used in place of fresh. Cook half the frozen blueberries over medium heat, without mashing until reduced to 1 1/4 cups, about 15 minutes.
Baking Tips and Tricks
- Vodka is the secret to a tender pie crust, so don’t swap it for water. This dough is a bit wetter than usual, so you’ll need extra flour (up to ¼ cup) when rolling it out. For best results, make the dough in a food processor.
- The combination of ground tapioca and shredded apple (pectin) helped the filling remain juicy but sliceable.
- Starting with a hot 400 degree oven helps jump start the browning process.
- Baking the pie on a preheated baking sheet prevents the pie from having a soggy crust.
- For neat slices, the pie must be completely cooled, at least 4 hours. I prefer to have the pie sit overnight before slicing.
- If you like your pie served warm, let the pie cool completely. Then warm the pie in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes before slicing. This should be just long enough to warm the pie without loosening the filling.
Baking Schedule
- Day 1: Make the pie dough.
- Day 2: Assemble and bake the blueberry pie.
- Day 3: Serve pie.
Baking Tools
Food Styling and Camera Gear
Food Styling
For this shoot, I wanted the pie filling’s rich blueberry color to really stand out. To complement those deep blues, I styled the scene with yellow cloth napkins for contrast and added a mix of white plates and blue gingham plates for extra charm and texture. A few scattered blueberries and pie crumbs helped create a natural, inviting look that makes you want to grab a fork.
Camera & Lighting Gear
- Strobe: Godox AD200Pro
- Modifier: Godox gridded softbox
- Reflectors: White foam core boards to bounce and soften the light
- Camera: Nikon D850
- Lenses: 105mm Micro, and 50mm
- Tripod: Carbon Fiber Heavy Duty Tripod WEYLLAN 81'' Professional Tripod
Let's Connect
Want more behind-the-scenes peeks, recipe drops, and food photography inspo? Come hang out with me on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook and more. I’d love to connect with you there!
Suggested Recipes
Blueberry Pie
Yield:
8
Prep Time:
30 minutes
Cook Time:
35 minutes
Additional Time:
4 hours
Total Time:
5 hours 5 minutes
This homemade Blueberry Pie is bursting with fresh, juicy berries and baked in a golden, flaky crust. A hint of lemon adds the perfect brightness, making it a summertime (or anytime!) favorite dessert. Easy to make, stunning to serve, and guaranteed to impress!
Ingredients
TOOLS
- Food processor
- 9-inch glass pie plate
- Rolling pin
- Biscuit cutter
- Rimmed baking sheet
PIE DOUGH
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
- 1 teaspoon table salt
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 12 tablespoons cold unsalted butter (1 ½ sticks), cut into ¼-inch slices
- ½ cup vegetable shortening, cold, cut into 4 pieces
- ¼ cup vodka
- ¼ cup water
BLUEBERRY FILLING
- 6 cups fresh blueberries (30 ounces)
- 1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and shredded
- ¾ cup (5 ¼ ounces) granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons instant tapioca, ground in a clean spice grinder
- 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest plus 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- Pinch of salt
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into ¼-inch pieces
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten with 1 teaspoon water
Instructions
PIE DOUGH
- Process 1 1/2 cups flour, salt, and sugar in food processor until combined, about two 1-second pulses. Add butter and shortening and process until homogenous dough just starts to collect in uneven clumps, about 15 seconds; dough will resemble cottage cheese curds and there should be no uncoated flour. Scrape bowl with rubber spatula and redistribute dough evenly around processor blade. Add remaining cup flour and pulse until mixture is evenly distributed around bowl and mass of dough has been broken up, 4 to 6 quick pulses. Empty mixture into medium bowl.
- Sprinkle vodka and water over mixture. With rubber spatula, use folding motion to mix, pressing down on dough until dough is slightly tacky and sticks together. Divide dough into 2 even balls and flatten each into 4-inch disk. Wrap each in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 45 minutes or up to 2 days.
- Remove 1 disk of dough from refrigerator and roll out on generously floured (up to 1/4 cup) work surface to 12-inch circle, about 1/8 inch thick. Roll dough loosely around rolling pin and unroll into pie plate, leaving at least 1-inch overhang on each side. Working around circumference, ease dough into plate by gently lifting edge of dough with one hand while pressing into plate bottom with other hand. Leave dough that overhangs plate in place; refrigerate while preparing filling until dough is firm, about 30 minutes.
BLUEBERRY FILLING
- Adjust oven rack to lowest position, place rimmed baking sheet on oven rack, and heat oven to 400 degrees. Place 3 cups berries in medium saucepan and set over medium heat. Using potato masher, mash berries several times to release juices. Continue to cook, stirring frequently and mashing occasionally, until about half of berries have broken down and mixture is thickened and reduced to 1 1/2 cups, about 8 minutes. Let cool slightly.
- Place grated apple in clean kitchen towel and wring dry. Transfer apple to large bowl. Add cooked berries, remaining 3 cups uncooked berries, lemon zest, juice, sugar, tapioca, and salt; toss to combine. Transfer mixture to dough-lined pie plate and scatter butter pieces over filling.
- Roll out second disk of dough on generously floured (up to 1/4 cup) work surface to 11-inch circle, about 1/8 inch thick. Using 1 1/4-inch round biscuit cutter, cut round from center of dough. Cut another 6 rounds from dough, 1 1/2 inches from edge of center hole and equally spaced around center hole. Roll dough loosely around rolling pin and unroll over pie, leaving at least 1/2-inch overhang on each side.
- Using kitchen shears, trim bottom layer of overhanging dough, leaving 1/2-inch overhang. Fold dough under itself so that edge of fold is flush with outer rim of pie plate. Flute edges using thumb and forefinger or press with tines of fork to seal. Brush top and edges of pie with egg mixture. If dough is very soft, chill in freezer for 10 minutes.
- Place pie on heated baking sheet and bake 30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and continue to bake until juices bubble and crust is deep golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes longer. Transfer pie to wire rack; cool to room temperature, at least 4 hours. Cut into wedges and serve.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 562Total Fat: 35gSaturated Fat: 18gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 86mgSodium: 340mgCarbohydrates: 54gFiber: 4gSugar: 16gProtein: 7g
*Nutrition information is an estimate and will vary.*
