Blackberry pie is bursting with blackberry pie filling baked into a buttery, flaky homemade pie crust. Make this old-fashioned blackberry pie ahead of time and freeze for later use.
This blackberry pie recipe uses fresh or frozen blackberries for the pie filling and is the perfect addition to any backyard BBQ or potluck gathering. This is one of the easiest pie recipes to make and so flavorful!
One of my fondest childhood memories is making homemade pie with my mom. She always made pies with homemade pie crust, but you can certainly use store-bought if you prefer. I know you’re gonna LOVE my blackberry pie recipe!
Make this blackberry pie recipe is made with fresh or frozen blackberries. It’s the the perfect addition to any backyard BBQ, potluck or family gathering.
We love picking blackberries when they are perfectly ripe and store them in the freezer for later use! (Rinse them in cold water and package up in a large zip-style freezer bag.)
Why this recipe works
- Simple ingredients – uses ingredients that are readily available at most grocery stores.
- Easy to make – simple to follow directions and instructions on making lattice pie crust.
- No preservatives – homemade blackberry pie without preservatives or artificial flavors.
- Can be made ahead of time! – can be made ahead of time and frozen, saving time.
- Freezer friendly – make these hand pies ahead of time, place on half sheet pans lined with parchment paper and freeze. Cover the entire pan with plastic wrap to prevent frost bite.
What you’ll need
- Blackberries – Use fresh or frozen blackberries for blackberry pie filling. No need to thaw them!
- Granulated sugar – Adjust the sugar based on how sweet or tart your berries are. This will help sweeten the berries and draw out the natural juices.
- Lemon juice – Will help to keep the fruit fresh and give a nice citrus flavor to your filling.
- Instant tapioca – Use small granules so they dissolve and you won’t see them in the pie filling. They will thicken the filling as it bakes.
- Pie crust – Use store-bought or homemade pie crust. Keep it chilled so it will be super flaky.
How to make Blackberry Pie
Step 1: Make pie crust and refrigerate.
Step 2: Prepare the pie filling. In a large bowl combine blackberries, sugar, instant tapioca, lemon juice, and ground nutmeg. Set aside. (adjust the sugar based on how sweet or tart the berries are)
Use either frozen or fresh berries. Do NOT thaw the blackberries if you use frozen berries.
Step 2: Roll out pie crust. On a lightly floured surface roll out the bottom pie crust. Place into a 9-inch glass pie plate or 10-inch cast iron skillet. Spoon the berry mixture into the pie shell.
Step 2: On a lightly floured surface, roll out the bottom pie crust and place on top of the berries. Slice air a few vents in the top of the crust. Or roll out the top crust and slice long pieces with a small pastry cutter or pizza cutter.
Step 3: Place pieces one way, then weave crust pieces the opposite direction. Continue until the pie is covered with pie crust. Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with granulated sugar.
Step 4: Place the pie on a half sheet pan lined with parchment paper. This will help contain the mess. Bake in a preheated 400 degree F oven for about 1 hour. Once it is browned nicely, cover with a piece of aluminum foil with an air vent cut out of the top. This will keep the pie from becoming too brown while continuing to cook and still let air vent. Bake until the pie filling is bubbling. About 1 hour 10 minutes total.
Step 5: Remove the pie from the oven. Let cool completely before slicing.
Tips for making homemade pie crust
- Make ahead of time – make pie dough ahead of time and refrigerate overnight.
- Mix by hand – use a pastry cutter to cut lard and butter into the flour, rather than using a food processor. (while I love my food processor, it tends to overwork make pie crust.) The more you handle pie dough, the more tough it will become.
- Keep pie crust cold – an imperative detail! While working with pie crust and should it become too warm, plop the entire bag into the freezer for about 20 minutes.
How to keep Pie Crust from Burning
My mom always covered the pie part way through the baking process with a piece of aluminum foil with a little slit cut out of the center in order to vent the steam. So, I do the same with all of my pies.
This helps the pie continue to bake without burning the crust. We were raised to use what we had, no fancy gadgets needed.
Recipe FAQs
I use instant tapioca to thicken my blackberry pie filling, Blueberry Skillet Pie, Homemade Peach Pie. But, you can also use tapioca flour or cornstarch to thicken pie filling.
Yes! Cover it with plastic wrap and freeze. When ready to bake, do NOT thaw the pie and DO NOT preheat the oven. Especially if you are using a glass pie dish. Brush the pie with an egg wash and sprinkle with sugar. Turn the oven on to 400 degrees F and bake for about 1 hour or until golden brown and the filling is bubbling.
More Pie Recipes
- Cherry Pie
- Apple Pie
- Apple Hand Pies
- Blackberry Cobbler
- Blackberry Hand Pies
- French Meat Pie
- Blueberry Pie
- Peach Cobbler
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Blackberry Pie
Ingredients
- 5-6 cups fresh blackberries (or frozen)
- ¾-1 cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup instant tapioca
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Pie Crust
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- ⅔ cup lard
- 3 tablespoons butter cold, cut up
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup ice water
Instructions
Pie Crust
- In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt. Cut in the lard and butter pieces using a pastry cutter, until you have small pea size pieces. Incorporate a little water at a time, until your pie crust comes together. Do not overwork the dough or the pie crust will be tough.
- Place the pie crust into a large zip-style bag and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.
Blackberry Pie
- In a large bowl combine blackberries, sugar, instant tapioca, lemon juice, and ground nutmeg. Set aside. (adjust the sugar based on how sweet or tart the berries are)
- On a lightly floured surface roll out the bottom pie crust. Place into a 9-inch glass pie plate or 10-inch cast iron skillet. Spoon the berry mixture into the pie shell.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out the bottom pie crust and place on top of the berries. Slice air a few vents in the top of the crust. Or roll out the top crust and slice long pieces with a small pastry cutter or pizza cutter. Place pieces one way, then weave crust pieces the opposite direction. Continue until the pie is covered with pie crust. Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with granulated sugar.
- Place the pie on a half sheet pan lined with parchment paper. This will help contain the mess.
- Bake in a preheated 400 degree F oven for about 1 hour. Once it is browned nicely, cover with a piece of aluminum foil with an air vent cut out of the top. This will keep the pie from becoming too brown while continuing to cook and still let air vent. Bake until the pie filling is bubbling. About 1 hour 10 minutes total.
- Remove the pie from the oven. Let cool completely before slicing.
Nutrition
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A.L. says
Hello! I could not find instant tapioca at the grocery store – only tapioca flour. If I substitute tapioca flour (starch), is it a 1:1 ratio for the instant tapioca, or do I need to use less? And is it better to not lattice the crust when using tapioca starch so that it does not harden in the air? This is my first time baking pies with tapioca, and Google suggestions were a bit conflicting…thanks!
Jessica Robinson says
Hello Ashlyn,
Yes you can definitely substitute cornstarch or tapioca starch/flour. Your other option is to cook the blackberry pie filling on stove top, follow the directions for my hand pis a hand pie’s. And then let it cool completely pour it into your unbaked pie shell. Because that will use cornstarch to thicken pie filling.
You can either do regular pie crust, or weave a latticed pie crust. As long as you stir the tapioca flour into your berries Aries you shouldn’t have an issue with noticing it through the top of the pie.
Please let me know if any other questions and I’ll try and answer as quickly as I can
Laura says
This blackberry pie is so good! And I agree about the lard in the pie crust. So flakey. Thanks, Jessica for this recipe.
Jessica Robinson says
So glad to hear you enjoyed it!
Mary Snow says
How do you toss ingredients with the berries if the berries are still frozen?
Thank you!
Jessica Robinson says
Mary,
Berries are IQF (individually quick frozen). You should have no problems tossing the ingredients either with a spoon or even your hands.
Juliette Rameau says
For the crust recipe can I replace the Lard by more butter cause I don’t have some or crisco ( we don’t find that a lot in France)?
Thanks a lot
Jessica Robinson says
Juliette,
You can use all butter if you cannot find lard or vegetable shortening.
Anita says
I don’t cook with lard. So, do you use 2/3 cup of butter instead or a different amount?
Jessica Robinson says
Anita,
You don’t cook with lard? Or you can’t find it. Lard is the BEST for pie crust. However you can substitute vegetable shortening if you absolutely cannot find lard. But, again I would highly suggest lard. It’s readily available in many grocery stores in the baking aisle near shortening.
Kendra says
Tasted amazing but the tapioca pearls didn’t dissolve and looked kind of awkward showing through the lattice crust. Maybe they should be pulverized in a food processor first?
Jessica Robinson says
Hi Kendra,
I use “instant tapioca” which is tiny little granules of tapioca. It will completely dissolve in the berries as they cook. I usually put the berries in a big bowl and toss everything well with sugar, lemon juice, and instant tapioca. They do make several different sizes of tapioca. You’ll want the smallest available, or instant. You can even use tapioca flour. Which will help thicken but you won’t be able to see it.