This easy blueberry pie with frozen blueberries has tons of flavor and can be made year round. It's designed to bake with frozen fruit - you don't need to defrost the berries or cook down the filling first! The blueberry filling bakes up juicy and thick and features a generous amount of lemon zest for extra flavor and depth. It has a deliciously flaky all-butter crust that's simple to make and handles well. A random width lattice top adds a homey, rustic look.
Fresh blueberries are a wonderful summer treat, but the season is so short, it's hard to take advantage of enough recipes before they're gone for another year. Using frozen blueberries means you can enjoy this classic pie all year round, not just during blueberry season. Plus, it's a great way to use up any extra berries you may have in your freezer!
Blueberry pie is a marvel of simplicity. At first glance, it seems rustic and humble, yet on closer look you notice the subtle details. The all butter crust has a flaky texture with a satisfying crunch that gives way to a juicy, jammy interior. The deep purple hue of the blueberries contrasts beautifully with the golden brown crust.
The filling is a combination of sweet and tart flavors, with blueberries bursting with flavor and juice. The lemon zest adds a bright note that cuts through the sweetness. The pie filling isn't overly sweet, which allows the natural flavor of the blueberries to shine through. It's a classic, old-fashioned pie that's both comforting and sophisticated.
For more fruit-filled recipes, check out this blackberry apple crumble, strawberry apple crisp, this sour cherry rhubarb pie, and grilled peaches with mascarpone cream.
Find all of my pie and galette recipes here, including this cherry rhubarb pie.
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Ingredients
Ingredients
These notes will help you to select and prepare the ingredients for this frozen blueberry pie recipe. Not all ingredients are mentioned here.
* See recipe card for full list of ingredients and quantities.
FOR THE PIE DOUGH
- Unsalted butter - Butter should be cubed in ½ inch (1.25 centimeter) pieces and chilled. Using unsalted butter allows you to control the total quantity of salt in the recipe. Salt content in salted butter varies from brand to brand.
- Turbinado sugar - The unbaked pie is brushed with egg wash and then sprinkled with golden Turbinado sugar (affiliate link). It's also known as raw sugar. It add a delightful crispy texture and a bit of sweetness to the crust.
FOR THE FROZEN BLUEBERRY FILLING
- Blueberries - You can make this recipe with blueberries, wild blueberries, or a mix of the two! This recipe works well with either fresh or frozen blueberries.
- If using fresh blueberries, begin checking the pie about 10-15 minutes earlier.
- Tapioca flour - Tapioca flour (also called tapioca starch) combines beautifully with fruit and sugar to create a clear, cloudless, tasteless gel.
- Tapioca flour is ground from the root of the cassava plant, native to South America.
- Check labels to ensure that your tapioca flour is sourced from cassava. Some packages substitute with sago, the inner portion of the sago palm tree, which will give you unsatisfying results.
Instructions
Learn how to make blueberry pie with frozen blueberries! These photos provide visual cues. Find the detailed instructions in the recipe card.
Add flour and salt to a large mixing bowl. Add chilled butter cubes and toss to coat with flour.
Using your fingers, squeeze each cube of butter to flatten it. Continue to toss flour mixture with butter to make sure it's coated.
Continue cutting butter into flour mixture (with your hands or a pastry blender) until the butter is in flattish, pecan-sized pieces.
Form a well in the center of the dry mixture. Pour in chilled water and vinegar. Mix liquid into dough with a spoon. Once liquid is absorbed, use your hands to press down firmly on the dough. Slide your hands under the dough and flip the whole thing over. Press again. Repeat this process several times, incorporating as much loose flour as possible.
Gather the dough into a ball. Divide into two equal pieces and flatten each into a disc. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
Remove both discs of dough from the fridge and let rest for about 15 minutes. Roll one disc into a 10 inch diameter circle on a piece of lightly floured parchment paper. Use a bit of flour as needed to keep the rolling pin from sticking.
Transfer dough to pie pan and press into base. Trim edges so there is a ½ inch overhang. Cover with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator to chill. In a large bowl, mix filling ingredients together. Let sit for 15 minutes to thicken a bit.
Meanwhile, roll out second disc of dough to a 10 inch diameter circle. With a sharp knife and a ruler, cut lattice strips in a variety of random widths between ¼ and 1½ inch.
Pour frozen blueberry filling into pie.
Place lattice strips onto top of pie in a standard lattice weave. Trim lattice strips at inner edge of bottom crust. Fold bottom edge of pie dough down under itself to create double layer at edge of pie pan. Crimp the pie crust.
Brush the lattice and crust with egg wash and sprinkle with Turbinado sugar. Place in the refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes.
Bake pie for 55-65 minutes, until crust is golden brown and the juices of the blueberry filling are bubbling in the middle (not just at the sides). Tent crust partway through baking time if needed. Cool fully prior to slicing so that filling has a chance to set.
Hint: Before baking the pie, chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes so that the butter in the crust is cold. This will help ensure your pie crust bakes up flaky and crispy and maintains its structure.
Substitutions
Tapioca flour - While I recommend tapioca flour for this recipe, if you just can't find tapioca flour, you can substitute half as much corn starch. You will need 20 grams cornstarch (just under 3 tablespoons). Note that cornstarch may cause the fruit filling to cloud when it gels.
Variations
I chose to keep the flavors simple to focus on the blueberries, but you could easily add a twist:
- Spiced - Add a blend of spices such as cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, cardamom and allspice to the filling. I'd start with ½ teaspoon of cinnamon and choose one or two of the others, keeping them each to ¼ or ⅛ teaspoon. Using them sparingly will keep them from overpowering the natural flavors of the fruit.
- Flavored crust - Consider adding spices or freshly chopped herbs to the pie crust recipe instead of the filling for a unique twist on the above pie variation. Try 2 teaspoons of cinnamon, or go for 1 teaspoon of freshly chopped thyme leaves. Mix in with the flour before working in the butter.
- Blueberry thyme - Add 1 to 2 teaspoons of chopped fresh thyme leaves to the blueberry filling for an earthy, herbal flavor.
- Streusel topping - Top the pie with a sweet, brown sugary streusel topping instead of lattice. Make a half recipe of pie dough and use to make one crust for the bottom. Make a half recipe of streusel from this coffee cake with plums, and sprinkle on top of the fruit filling before baking.
- Crisp topping - Top the pie with a crunchy mixture of flour, brown sugar, butter and oats. Make a half recipe of pie dough and only use for the bottom crust. Replace the lattice with the crisp topping recipe from this strawberry apple crisp.
Equipment
Items below contain affiliate links.
Pie pan - I love USA Bakeware pans. This 9 inch pie pan works very well.
Pie shield - I often use a pie shield to protect the outer crust from getting too dark during baking. It's quick to place and saves you the fuss of wrestling with small pieces of aluminum foil. (If you need to tent the whole pie, it's still easiest to use a big piece of aluminum foil.)
Storage
Store: After baking, wrap leftover cooled pie in plastic wrap and store at room temperature (if not in a hot climate) up to 2 days. Store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Freeze: To freeze your baked pie, first make sure it is fully cooled. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and a layer of foil and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. To defrost, place in refrigerator overnight.
Reheat: If you'd like to reheat your pie, cover top loosely with foil and bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit (177° C, Gas Mark 4) until warm in the middle, about 15-20 minutes.
Make ahead: You can mix up the pie dough a day or two in advance. Well wrapped, it will keep in the fridge for 3 days, and up to 3 months in the freezer. Place frozen dough into the refrigerator overnight to defrost.
You can also prepare the pie and freeze it whole, unbaked. Wrap it well in plastic wrap and then a tight layer of aluminum foil. Label as follows: Frozen Blueberry Pie Recipe. Freeze for up to 3 months. Bake from frozen in bottom third of oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit (200 Celsius, Gas number 6) for 55-65 minutes, or until pie juices are bubbling in the center. You may need to add additional time.
FAQ
These tips will help you make sure your pie dough is flaky and crisp!
Use cold butter - Make sure your butter is cold before adding it to the flour mixture. When the cold butter is mixed with the flour, it creates distinct layers of butter throughout the dough. During baking, the water in the butter turns to steam and creates air pockets in the dough. This results in a flaky texture. If the butter is too warm or melted, it won't have the same effect and the crust might turn out dense or tough.
Use cold liquid - When adding water and vinegar to the dough, make sure they are ice-cold. This helps to keep the butter cold.
Don't overwork the dough - Overworking the dough can cause the butter to melt and result in a tough crust. It also encourages excess gluten development, which you want to avoid. Mix the dough just until it comes together.
Chill the dough - After mixing the dough, wrap it in plastic wrap and chill it in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. This keeps the butter cold and gives the gluten a chance to relax, which will make it easier to roll out the dough. It also keeps the pie crust from shrinking when it's baked!
Chill the pie right before baking - To ensure that the pie dough is firm before it goes into the hot oven, chill the fully assembled pie for 15 minutes in the freezer or 30 minutes in the refrigerator before baking.
A runny pie (or a burnt mess at the bottom of the oven) is so frustrating! To ensure you have success, follow these suggestions:
Carefully measure your thickener - This recipe calls for tapioca flour to thicken the blueberry juices. I recommend using a digital kitchen scale to make sure the amount is accurate. Thickeners are not equal - if you choose to replace the tapioca starch with a different type such as corn starch or flour, make sure it's the correct amount for the quantity of fruit and sugar.
Rest the filling mixture - After stirring all the filling ingredients together, let the mixture sit for 15 minutes so the tapioca starch begins to thicken.
Bake on a foil lined rimmed baking sheet - Even with all the above precautions, sometimes a bit of the juices bubble over. Save yourself a big mess and line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil to catch any drips for easier cleanup!
Bake until the filling bubbles in the center - To ensure the frozen blueberry pie filling is fully baked, bake the pie until it begins to make juicy bubbles at the center - not just at the edges.
Fully cool the pie - This may be the hardest part of all! As the pie cools, the tapioca starch will set into a gel. If you cut into the pie too soon, the juices will still be thin and runny. The pie won't have structure and the filling will collapse.
More Pie
If you liked this blueberry pie using frozen blueberries, you'll want to try these other pie and galette recipes too!
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star ★★★★★ rating in the recipe card below, and scroll down to leave a review. Your comments, suggestions and adaptations are very helpful to other bakers. Thank you for visiting!
📖 Recipe
Blueberry Pie with Frozen Blueberries
Print Recipe Pin RecipeINGREDIENTS
All Butter Pie Dough
- 15 mL (1 Tablespoon) vinegar (chilled)
- 60 mL (¼ cup) water (chilled)
- 300 grams (2½ cups) all purpose flour
- 1 tsp kosher salt (I use Diamond Crystal)
- 226 grams (1 cup; 8 ounces) unsalted butter (in ½ inch cubes, chilled)
- 1 large egg (for egg wash)
- 5 mL (1 teaspoon) water (for egg wash)
- 24 grams (2 Tablespoons) Turbinado sugar (to sprinkle on crust before baking)
Frozen Blueberry Pie Filling
- 700 grams (5 cups) blueberries (frozen)
- lemon zest (from 1 large lemon)
- 30 mL (2 Tablespoons) lemon juice
- 45 grams (¼ cup + 2 Tablespoons) tapioca flour (also called tapioca starch)
- 150 grams (¾ cup) granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt (I use Diamond Crystal)
INSTRUCTIONS
ALL BUTTER PIE DOUGH
- Place vinegar and water into a small cup in the freezer to chill.15 mL (1 Tablespoon) vinegar, 60 mL (¼ cup) water
- In a large bowl, combine flour and salt with a whisk. Add cubed butter to the flour mixture and toss to coat butter pieces.300 grams (2½ cups) all purpose flour, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 226 grams (1 cup; 8 ounces) unsalted butter
- Using your fingers, squeeze each cube of butter to flatten it into a wide, thin layer. Continue to toss flour mixture with butter to make sure it's coated.
- Continue cutting butter into flour mixture (with your hands or a pastry blender) until the butter is in flattish, pecan-sized pieces.
- Form a well in the center of the dry mixture. Pour in chilled water and vinegar. Using a bench scraper or a heavy spatula or wooden spoon, push the mixture back and forth until the liquid has been absorbed into the dry ingredients. Using your hands, lift the edges of the rough dough mass, turn them inwards and press them firmly down. Repeat this, turning the bowl, until you can gather the dough into a rough ball, and there are no loose pieces at the bottom of the bowl.
- On a work surface, divide dough into two equal pieces and flatten each into a disc. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
- Remove both discs of dough from the fridge and let rest for about 15 minutes. On a piece of lightly floured parchment paper, roll one disc into an 11 inch diameter circle. (Roll the dough out by placing the rolling pin in the center of the circle and firmly pressing down while moving the pin towards the outer edge of the dough. Turn the dough clockwise 90 degrees and continue this process of rolling and turning until the dough forms a circle approximately 10 inches in diameter. Use a bit of flour as needed to keep the rolling pin from sticking.)
- Lift dough onto your 9 inch pie pan. Center it carefully, pressing down into the base and corners to be sure there are no air pockets trapped underneath. Trim the outer edge so that it uniformly overlaps the edge of the tin by ½ inch. Wrap in plastic wrap and place into the refrigerator to chill.
- On a piece of parchment paper, roll the second disc of dough into a circle 10 inches in diameter. Using a knife and a ruler, cut lattice strips in random widths between ¼ and 1½ inches. Transfer the strips on the parchment to a baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge to chill.
FROZEN BLUEBERRY PIE FILLING
- To a large bowl, add frozen blueberries. Add lemon zest, juice, sugar, tapioca flour and salt. Fold ingredients together until well blended. The tapioca flour should no longer be visible, and the sugar will take on a pinkish purple color. Let sit for 15 minutes to thicken slightly.700 grams (5 cups) blueberries, lemon zest, 30 mL (2 Tablespoons) lemon juice, 45 grams (¼ cup + 2 Tablespoons) tapioca flour, 150 grams (¾ cup) granulated sugar, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
PIE ASSEMBLY AND BAKING
- Scoop pie filling into dough-lined pie pan.
- For random sized lattice, place half of each size of lattice strips along the top of the filled pie. Fold back every other strip. Place a strip in the center of the pie at a 90 degree angle to the first strips, forming a plus (+) shape. Unfold the folded strips, covering the most recently placed strip.
- Repeat this under/over weaving procedure on either side with the remaining strips of dough until you have a fully woven lattice crust. If this seems complex, refer to my detailed post on how to make lattice crusts for additional instruction.
- Trim the edges of the lattice so that they just meet the inner edge of the pie tin. Fold edge of bottom pie crust down under itself to create a double layer at edge of the pie pan.
- Use your fingers to crimp the pie crust. In a small bowl, beat egg with water and brush the lattice and crust with egg wash. Sprinkle with Turbinado sugar. Place assembled pie in the refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes.1 large egg, 5 mL (1 teaspoon) water, 24 grams (2 Tablespoons) Turbinado sugar
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit (200 Celsius, Gas number 6) and position an oven rack in the lower third of the oven. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil (to catch any spills) and place on the lower rack to preheat.
- Place the pie on the hot baking sheet and bake for 55-65 minutes, or until top crust is golden brown and juices at center of pie are bubbling (not just at the edges). At about the 30 minute mark, gently tent pie with aluminum foil to keep top crust from browning too much. Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack to cool completely. Pie should be fully cooled before slicing to ensure fruit filling has gelled.
- Serve individual slices of pie with sweetened whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Notes
The Floured Table
Recipe Author: Kathleen Culver
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