Old Fashioned Blackberry Pie

Overhead view of a pie on a wire cooling rack

Old Fashioned Blackberry Pie

This recipe is Grandma's old-fashioned Blackberry Pie with a few modern tips for today's kitchen. We started with an all-butter crust and filled it with juicy, sweet blackberries. It has the perfect amount of thickener that makes a jammy filling that doesn't run all over the plate.

Grandma always used tapioca to thicken her pie if she planned to freeze it because cornstarch and flour break down in the freezer. Cornstarch works well if you don't want to freeze the pie.

She never used flour to thicken her pie because it muddled the fruit flavor. This recipe highlights the flavor of the juicy blackberry pie filling.

This is how a blackberry pie should taste!

5 from 24 votes

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Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 50

Total Time: 1 10

Servings: servings

Calories: 363kcal

Author: Pat Nyswonger

Ingredients

Pie Crust:

Use our all-butter pie crust or store-bought pie dough.
For a gluten-free pie use our gluten-free pie crust.

Blackberry Filling:

8 cups fresh blackberries
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
½ cup cornstarch or instant tapioca
¼ teaspoon salt
¾ cup 150 grams granulated white sugar
1 tablespoon unsalted butter cut into small chunks
Egg-wash 1 egg white mixed with cold water
Coarse finishing sugar

Instructions

Prep the Pie Crust

If you are making a homemade pie crust, make that first, so it has time to chill. Leave store-bought pie crusts in the fridge until you are ready to assemble the pie.

For the Blackberry Pie Filling:

Place the blackberries in a large bowl and toss with the lemon juice. In a small bowl, mix together the cornstarch or tapioca, salt, and sugar. Sprinkle the mixture over the blackberries. Gently toss the berries to coat them in the thickener.** Set aside while you roll the pie crust.

Assemble the pie:

Preheat the oven to 425°F Adjust the oven rack to the lower 1/3 position.
Remove the chilled pastry from the refrigerator and roll the larger disk into a large circle about 13-inches in diameter. Use a bench scraper or firm flat spatula to turn the dough and work flour underneath as you roll it. Transfer the pastry to a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate with about 1-inch draped over the edge of the pie plate.
Spoon the blackberries into the pie crust. Dot the top with the butter.
Roll the second disk of pastry for the upper crust to a circle of 11-inches in diameter. Transfer to the top of the blackberries.
Trim and pinch the crust with your fingers to seal the two edges together, fluting for a decorative edge.
Brush the top of the pie with the egg wash, cut a few steam vents and sprinkle with sugar.
Place the pie in the oven with a baking sheet or sheet of foil on the rack underneath to catch any drips.
Bake the pie for 20 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 375°F.
Transfer the pie to the middle position, and cover the crust edge with foil or pastry guard so it doesn’t brown too much. Bake for an additional 30-35 minutes or until the filling begins bubbling out of the pie vents.
If you don't see the juices bubble, let the pie continue to bake. Occasionally, blackberry pies need an additional 15 to 20 minutes.
Check the color of the crust occasionally and cover with foil if necessary to prevent over-browning.
Transfer the pie to a cooling rack and cool at room temperature for 1 hour then refrigerate until cold before slicing.
The filling in the pie will not set up until the pie is completely cool, so don't slice into the pie while it is warm.

Notes

If you want to freeze the pie, we recommend using instant tapioca, or you can use Instant ClearJel. If you use Clearjel, you only need 1/3 cup in place of the tapioca or cornstarch.

If you use frozen berries instead of fresh blackberries, use an additional 2 tablespoons of thickener. Some people thaw the frozen berries and drain off the extra liquid, but we like to keep all the juicy flavors in the pie. That is why we increase the thickener when we use frozen berries.

Freshly picked blackberries tend to be riper and juicier than store-bought blackberries. They also break apart easier when you mix them with the sugar and thickener. Be extra gentle when you use freshly picked berries so they don't smash.

You may need to increase the thickener a bit if you have freshly picked wild blackberries since they are juicier.
Baking the pie at a higher temperature for the first 20 minutes will help set the bottom crust and prevent it from getting soggy.
Placing the pie toward the lower portion of the oven for the first 20 minutes will also help set the bottom pie crust. Make sure you transfer it to the middle of the oven after 20 minutes, so the bottom does not overcook.
Use a sharp paring knife to cut the pie vents in the upper crust. You want to cut the dough enough so the berries are a little visible.
Venting the pie with several slits will allow the steam to escape as the pie bakes. It will also prevent the pastry from developing a gap between the upper crust and the filling.

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