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When blueberries are in season, make this pie. A fresh blueberry crumble pie with a hint of lemon topped with a brown sugar butter streusel on top! You could even freeze it for later when you are missing summer…
In my family, blueberry pie needs to happen a couple times of year. My dad and brother would have it every night if possible.
Now personally my mom and I would prefer a Triple Berry Pie, but for Father’s Day Dad gets what Dad wants am I right?! So I decided to change things up a bit and make it a blueberry crumble pie. Think blueberry pie and blueberry cobbler got together and made this.
And yes this blueberry crumble pie even changed me into a blueberry pie fan! Basically this blueberry crumble pie is out of this world good.
This blueberry pie starts with a homemade pie crust, and then a blueberry filling that gets cooked down on the stovetop. Cooking down the blueberries on the stovetop helps to thicken up the pie filling so you don’t end up with a runny, undercooked filling. Nobody wants that. And the key to the filling setting up nicely is the addition of a grated apple. Yup apple! The natural pectin in apple helps to set the blueberry filling and pairs wonderfully with the blueberries.
To finish this pie off, is my favorite part, the crumble topping. The brown sugar streusel on top adds a wonderful sweetness and texture that I think makes for the best blueberry pie ever.
Pie Crust Ingredients
Pie Filling Ingredients Needed
Crumble Topping Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
- Apple – I used a Granny Smith apple. It’s a great tart apple. Make sure to wring the shredded apple out before adding to the filling.
- Blueberries – I used fresh blueberries in this pie, but I think frozen would work just fine. Do not thaw if you do.
- Cornstarch – You can also use flour to thicken the filling.
How To Make This Blueberry Crumble Pie
Making the pie crust
Start by making your pie crust. This pie is really a cinch to put together. The great part about this pie is that it requires only making one pie crust dough. Most pie crust recipes is a “double crust”, but since this has only pie dough on the bottom you can save the other dough disk for another pie, another day.
Here is a recipe for a flaky pie crust step by step tutorial.
- In a food processor combine the flour sugar, and salt and pulse to combine.
- Scatter the shortening and butter over the top. You want to make sure it’s cubed and COLD.
- Pulse until the shortening and fat are pea-sized.
- Sprinkle in the water with the food processor running and stop until the mixture comes together and is crumbly. You want to then dump the contents onto plastic wrap and wrap up into a disc and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Roll out the pie crust
- Roll out pie crust and place in pie pan. Using a lightly floured surface and rolling pin, roll out the pie crust to a 12″ circle. Fold the pie crust in quarters or roll it over your rolling pin. Unfold (or unroll) the pie crust into your pie plate tuck into the bottom.
- Fold the edge under.
- Crimp the edges. Fold the edge under and flute the edges by pressing the crust between your index finger and thumb and index finger of your other hand.
- Chill the pie crust for 30 minutes.
Don’t Want To Crimp? Crimping can be a bit more difficult for beginner bakers, so if you’re new to baking pies and not ready to tackle the crimping you can decorate your pie crust edges in lots of easier ways. The easiest way it to press the crust edge down with a fork to make crimped edge. Or try one of these other fun ways to decorate your pie crust edge.
Make the filling
Once your crust has been rolled out into your pie plate, it’s time to make the filling.
You will cook down half of the blueberries over the stove, to create a blueberry jam in a sense. To do this, I mash half of the blueberries on the stovetop and let it all cook down until it reduces to about 1 1/2 cups (about 8 minutes.)
Then once the blueberries have cooked down, that will be added to the rest of your filling ingredients.
This filling will get poured into your pie crust and you can dot the top with butter.
Make the crumble topping
Then mix together your crumble topping- flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt.
Then add in the melted butter and crumble together with your fingertips. This then gets sprinkled over your pie before it bakes.
Then go ahead and sprinkle on top of the pie and bake!
Recipe Tips
- Make sure everything is cold for the pie crust. I use frozen butter actually. And ice water. You could even go as far as putting your bowls, pastry cutter, and flour in the freezer if you so choose for 30 minutes before you start.
- I love an all butter crust. Butter gives the pie crust tremendous flavor. I do use half butter and half shortening for the best flaky crust, but choose which fat you prefer! All butter or half butter/half shortening you can’t go wrong.
- Work the dough as little as possible, leaving good sized visible chunks of butter in your dough there is no need to use shortening.
- Don’t overwork the pie dough. Use your finger tips not your palms of your hand when working with the pie dough. It’s ok if you still see some chunks of butter In fact, it’s preferred.
- Bake your pie in the lower third of your oven for the best pie. This will ensure you don’t end up with a soggy bottom pie crust.
- Cover the edges of the pie. Use a pie shield or cover the top of the pie with aluminum foil if you find the top of the pie is beginning to burn before the pie is done baking.
Recipe FAQ’s
I have made this pie with fresh and with frozen blueberries. If you have to use frozen, do not them before you use them. Just simply use them directly from the freezer. When using frozen you might find your filling in the bowl has a lot of juice collecting at the bottom. Pro Tip: Scoop only the filling leaving behind the extra juice as this can make your pie extra soggy.
I’d say follow your nose..but there are visual cues to look for. You want to see the pie filling bubbling through.
Give it another 10 minutes, then take it out of the oven after that.
Fruit pies are great at freezing. To freeze this pie and bake it later, you want to freeze it uncovered first until it’s frozen. Then be sure to wrap it in 3 layers of plastic wrap, then in tin-foil. If you don’t have a lot of pie plates to spare, then you might want to freeze the pie so you can pop it out of the pie plate after it’s frozen. To do this, first you can grease your pie plate. Line the bottom with parchment paper, and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Then once it’s frozen you can take it out of the pie plate. Be sure to wrap in plastic wrap and place inside a plastic sealable bag or wrap in tin-foil.
You can also freeze a baked pie for up to 3 months. Just cool it completely and wrap the pie well.
You can make the blueberry filling up to 2 days ahead of time. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. You can also make the pie crust up to 5 days ahead of time, keep wrapped in the fridge until ready to roll it out. Or freeze pie crust for up to 3 months (thaw overnight in the fridge). The pie can be made the day before, and stored at room temperature covered. The pie can be made the day before, and stored at room temperature covered. Store leftovers, covered, in the fridge for up to 4 days.
More Recipes To Try
Blueberry Crumble Pie
Ingredients
For the pie dough
- 1 1/2 cups (180 g) all purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 8 tablespoons (113 g) unsalted butter cut into 1/4-inch pieces and chilled
- 4-6 tablespoons ice cold water
For the filling
- 6 cups (1020 g) fresh blueberries
- 1 Granny Smith apple peeled and grated on large holes of box grater
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 3/4 cup (148 g) granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons corn starch
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons (28 g) unsalted butter cut into 1/4-inch pieces
For the crumble topping
- 1 1/2 cups (180 g) all-purpose flour
- 6 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 10 tablespoons (141g) unsalted butter melted, cooled slightly
Instructions
For the pie dough
- Process the salt, sugar, and flour in a food processor until combined, about 5 seconds. Scatter shortening over top and process until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal (about 10 seconds). Scatter butter over top and pulse mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs, about 10 pulses.
- Transfer mixture to a bowl. Sprinkle 3 tablespoons ice water over mixture. Stir and press dough together using a rubber spatula, until dough sticks together. If does not come together, stir in remaining ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time.
- Put the dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap and flatten into a 4-inch disk. Wrap tightly in plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour. Before rolling dough out, let it sit on counter to soften slightly, about 10 minutes. Dough can be refrigerated for up to 2 days or frozen for up to a month.
For the filling
- Adjust oven rack to lowest position, place rimmed baking sheet on oven rack and heat oven to 400°F. 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. Remove from the heat and 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, cornstarch, and salt; toss to combine. Transfer mixture to dough-lined pie plate and scatter butter pieces over filling.
For the crumble topping
- Mix crumble topping ingredients in a bowl minus the butter. Whisk to combine. Add the melted butter and combine with your fingertips until a crumbly mixture forms. Sprinkle over the blueberry filling.
To bake the pie
- Place pie on heating baking sheet and bake 30 minutes at 400°F. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F and continue to bake until juice bubbles and crust is deep golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes longer. If pie crust is browning too much, cover with tinfoil or pie shield. Transfer pie to wire rack; cool to room temperature, at least 4 hours. Cut into wedges and serve.
Notes
- Make Ahead: You can make the blueberry filling up to 2 days ahead of time. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. You can also make the pie crust up to 5 days ahead of time, keep wrapped in the fridge until ready to roll it out. Or freeze pie crust for up to 3 months (thaw overnight in the fridge). The pie can be made the day before, and stored at room temperature covered.
- Storage: The pie can be made the day before, and stored at room temperature covered. Store leftovers, covered, in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Freezing: To freeze this pie and bake it later, you want to freeze it uncovered first until it’s frozen. Then be sure to wrap it in 3 layers of plastic wrap, then in tin-foil. If you don’t have a lot of pie plates to spare, then you might want to freeze the pie so you can pop it out of the pie plate after it’s frozen. To do this, first you can grease your pie plate. Line the bottom with parchment paper, and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Then once it’s frozen you can take it out of the pie plate. Be sure to wrap in plastic wrap and place inside a plastic sealable bag or wrap in tin-foil. You can also freeze a baked pie for up to 3 months. Just cool it completely and wrap the pie well.
- Blueberries: I have made this pie with fresh and with frozen blueberries. If you have to use frozen, do not them before you use them. Just simply use them directly from the freezer. When using frozen you might find your filling in the bowl has a lot of juice collecting at the bottom. Scoop only the filling leaving behind the extra juice as this can make your pie extra soggy.
- Cornstarch: You can also use all purpose flour in the filling.
- Adapted from Cookin’ for my Captain
Kristen says
This was so good! Made it for dessert last night and everyone raved about it. Thank you!
Heather says
I’m so glad everyone enjoyed =)
Matt says
Cobbler pies hold a special place in my heart. They are so comforting and delicious. Thanks for the great recipe!
Heather says
so cozy and homey right. lovely to hear
Tara says
Such a beautiful blueberry pie! It looks absolutely amazing with that crumble and I love the scoop of ice cream on top.
Heather says
thank you kindly Tara =)
Nathan says
Making pie always intimidates me a little, but this blueberry crumble looks so good that I think I just have to go for it. Can’t wait to try it out!
Heather says
Let me know how it turns out for you =)
Anjali says
I found some delicious fresh blueberries at the farmer’s market a few days ago and used them in this recipe! Your crumble pie turned out great! It was super easy to make and we didn’t have any leftovers because we finished it all!
Heather says
perfect – I love market berries
Jamie says
Hey. Where’s the egg go?
Heather says
Hi Jamie sorry about that! That’s a typo – I used to do a double crust on my blueberry pie and add an egg wash. But since this is a crumble pie for the topping that’s no longer necessary and must have been a typo (copy/paste error). Sorry about that! The recipe has been updated now. Thank you for letting me know!