Raspberry Pie

This homemade raspberry pie recipe is simple to make! The raspberry filling is made with three simple ingredients and an easy homemade pie crust. Top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a delicious raspberry pie everyone will love!

 

Last Thanksgiving dinner, I asked everyone what pies they wanted me to make. I have a bit of a reputation for making all the pies and way too many of them. I try to make all the pies that everyone wants. From classics, to cream pies, to fruit pies – yes I get all the requests.

My dad wants a blueberry pie so I whipped up this blueberry crumble pie for him! My mother always requests a chocolate pie so I made this chocolate cream pie for her. My brother requests cherry so this cherry crumb pie was on the menu. And of course you can’t forget this Dutch apple pie, pecan pie, and pumpkin pie (my husband’s favorite!). 

But my sister – she’s a fruit pie kind of girl. And the pie she requested? Raspberry. I hadn’t made just a raspberry pie before so I was up for the challenge. A pie featuring just juicy raspberries tucked into a buttery pie crust? Delicious, right? 

After a few attempts I knew I had nailed it. The first attempts were just too…sour. What gives? Ahhh, the addition of lemon juice. Now I know that many raspberry pie recipes add in lemon juice but I found the tartness of the fresh berries didn’t pair well. It was too tart. Whereas, lemons are a wonderful addition to a blueberry pie it just wasn’t needed in this homemade raspberry pie filling. 

I found that with just sugar, raspberries, and cornstarch to thicken was all it needed. I paired this pie with my new favorite pie crust (also just 3 ingredients!) my salted pie crust. I found the salted butter gives way to a much flakier pie crust. So with just six ingredients this homemade fresh raspberry pie was ready. 

Ingredients Needed

For the full recipe and ingredient amounts refer to the recipe post at the bottom. Here is the list of ingredients with a few notes to make mention of!

Pie crust: 

• All purpose flour 
• Salted butter  – You can use unsalted butter and add a bit of salt. I do find that salted butter yields a much flakier crust due to the higher water content. Make sure the butter is cut into cubes and chilled. You need the butter cold so it stays firm and solid and doesn’t melt into the flour creating a gummy pie crust.
• Cold water -It must be super cold to keep the butter cold. I like to place a few ice cubes in the water to keep it chilled when using it.

For the pie filling: 

• Raspberries – You can also use frozen raspberries. Thaw and drain any excess liquid so the filling isn’t runny.
• Granulated sugar
• Cornstarch – You can also use tapioca starch. This ingredient is necessary to thicken the filling.
• Egg wash: This helps brown the crust. I like to use 1 large egg mixed with 1 Tablespoon water . You can read more here about what is an egg wash and find some alternative options if you have an egg allergy.
• Coarse sugar, for sprinkling on top -Optional but worth it!

How To Make Raspberry Pie

We will start by making my 3 ingredient pie crust that uses salted butter for maximum flakiness. You can always use a different pie crust or store-bought if you’re short on time.

Make pie crust.  In a food processor add flour. Scatter butter pieces over top and pulse butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. You should see pea-sized pieces of visible butter in the flour.

Remember we want things cold, cold, cold here so the butter doesn’t melt into the flour until it hits the oven. It’s when the pie crust gets to the oven the butter then melts and the water steams pushing apart the flour layers creating a beautiful flaky pie crust!

If using a food processor, pulse a few times to cut the butter in. If making by hand use a pastry cutter to cut the butter in. You can also use just your fingertips and squish the butter pieces until they are smaller.  

Sprinkle 6 tablespoons of the ice water over the mixture. Remember we want the water super cold so it keeps the butter solid and firm as well. Stir the dough together using a spatula, until the dough sticks together if making by hand or pulse with the food processor.

Test the dough by squeezing some together with your fingertips. If it sticks together, then do not add more water. If it does not, then add the remaining 2 tablespoons water one tablespoon at a time.

You don’t want to add all the water at once but work it in a little at a time. You will find each time each pie crust will need varying amounts of water based on how much the butter was worked in. So go slow. You can always add water but you can’t take it away!

Chill the dough. I like to use a clean dish towel and turn the dough onto it. Bring the edges of the towel and twist it. This will bring the dough together into a cohesive mass.

If you find your dough is a bit dry at this point you can sprinkle a bit of water over the dough and work it in. Or try a spray bottle and spritz the dough.

Divide dough in half, shape and flatten into 4-inch discs  and wrap each in plastic wrap. Chill for at least 1 hour (up to 3 days ahead of time).

Chilling is key to firm up the butter again, and allow the gluten in the dough to relax to make it easier to roll out. While the pie crust is chilling we can make our filling.

Make filling. In a large mixing bowl with a wooden spoon or spatula stir together raspberries,  granulated sugar, and cornstarch. 

Prep oven. Adjust oven rack to lowest position, place rimmed baking sheet on oven rack and heat oven to 400°F (205^oC). We bake on a lower rack to help create a beautiful browned bottom crust. No soggy bottoms here friends!

Roll out pie crust. On a lightly floured counter roll out one disc of dough into a 12-inch circle.

Transfer pie dough to pie plate. Fold the dough in quarters, and then transfer to your 9” pie plate. Carefully unfold the dough, and tuck in with your fingers. 

Another approach is to roll it around your rolling pin and roll it out over the pie plate.

Add filling. Spoon the raspberry mixture into the pie crust into an even layer. If your filling is extra juicy be sure to drain the excess liquid as you spoon it into the pie crust. Leave the extra juice behind in the bowl.

You could always boil it down on the stovetop and reduce it and add to the filling. Just make sure its cool before you do. I haven’t tried this but if you do let me know how it goes in the comment section.

Top with second crust. Remove the second disc of dough and roll out into a 12” circle. Place dough on top of filling. Fold excess dough under edge. Crimp pie edges. Cut four slits into top of pie crust. The slits are important to allow steam to escape as it bakes.

For the top crust you can also make a lattice top if you want which will naturally vent the filling as it bakes (and it’s also super pretty!)

Egg wash. In a small bowl, stir together the egg and water. Brush the top crust with egg wash with a pastry brush. Sprinkle top of crust with coarse sugar, if using.

Bake pie. I like to bake in my lower third of the oven so the bottom crust gets nice and browned.

Place pie on  large baking sheet (to catch drips) and bake for 30 minutes in a preheated oven (400^oF). For easy cleanup you can always line the pan with aluminum foil.

Reduce oven temperature to 350°F and continue to bake until juice bubbles and the top crust is deep golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes longer.

This high heat to start is going to give that crust a beautiful golden color but we don’t want to bake it at that high of a temperature the whole time just to start.