In this gluten free blueberry pie, my best ever flaky and buttery gluten free pie crust is filled to the max with juicy blueberries!
I have a confession to make. I was never much of a blueberry pie fan. Idk why, really, but when it came to fruit pies, blueberry was never at the top of my list. In fact, I don't believe I ever tried blueberry pie because I thought it looked "gluey."
Now give me an apple pie slice and I'd be your best friend (my gf apple pie is so good, y'all!). . Check out my recipe for Mom's Apple Pie has Gone Gluten Free for the BEST apple pie of your life)!! As I got older, though, my tastes really changed and evolved. I found that pretty much anything with blueberries got an A+ in my book!
why you'll love this recipe
- It's one of the easier fruit pies to make; no peeling, slicing, chopping, pitting, precooking, etc. Just toss the blueberries with the rest of the filling ingredients and you're all set!
- Using a grated apple thickens the filling beautifully while adding a subtle naturally sweet flavor.
- The flaky buttery crust compliments the bright blueberry filling perfectly.
What you'll need to make Blueberry Pie
- Best ever gluten free pie crust -- this is the absolute best ever gf pie crust, but you'll never know it's gluten free. It's easy to make and roll out and acts just like a real (non-gf) pie crust would.
- Tapioca starch -- a lot of recipes use cornstarch or flour, but I find tapioca starch to make a better, less cloudy fruit filling.
- Lemon juice and zest -- a little bit of lemon brightens up the fresh blueberry flavor.
- Cinnamon -- just a tad bit of cinnamon adds a hint of spice without anyone really knowing what the flavor is.
- Grated granny smith apple -- this is the ingredient you don't want to skip. The natural pectin in apples, particularly green apples, helps to thicken the juices.
making a plaid lattice top crust
A lattice pie crust is always a beautiful thing, but a plaid lattice pie crust is even more beautiful! It looks very intricate, but it's actually easier than you'd think. Follow along with the below pictures for step-by-step instructions of just how easy it is:
- Cut four 2-inch strips and 14 ½-inch strips and arrange on a sheet of parchment as follows: 2 thin strips, 1 thick strip, 3 thin strips, 1 thick strip, 2 thin strips.
- Starting on the left side, fold every other strip over about 2 inches.
- Lay a thin strip horizontally against the fold of each of those strips.
- Unfold the strips to cover that thin strip.
- Now fold the opposite strips (the ones that are now covered by the thin strip.
- Lay down another thin strip horizontally and unfold. This will be the start of your lattice. You can now begin from the middle and work your way to the right.
- Just as you laid down the initial strips, you will lay down the top strips in the same order: 2 thin, 1 thick, 3 thin, 1 thick, and 2 thin.
- Once you are done, carefully slide the lattice (still on the parchment) onto a baking sheet and refrigerate for 20-30 minutes, or until firm.
how to make a gf blueberry pie
- Make gf pie crust according to instructions for two-crust pie. If desired, pre-cut and form lattice crust and place in fridge until ready to assemble pie.
- Mix blueberries with sugar, tapioca starch, cinnamon, lemon juice and zest, and grated apple in a large bowl. Set aside for 15-20 minutes while you roll out the bottom crust.
- Roll out bottom crust and pour filling into crust.
- Top with chilled lattice crust (or rolled out top crust). Crimp or cut as desired.
- Brush with egg mixed with a little milk and sprinkle with demerara sugar or sparkling sugar.
- Bake at 400 degrees F for 25 minutes. Reduce temp to 350 F and continue to bake for another 40 minutes, or until juices are bubbling and crust is golden brown.
more gluten free blueberry recipes to try
- Patriotic Trifle
- Red, White, & Blueberry Cupcakes
- Easy Frozen Berries with Hot White Chocolate
- Bakery Style Blueberry Muffins
- Red, White, & Blueberry Cookies
If you don't think you like blueberry pie, give this one a try because I'm sure it'll change your mind. No gluey filling here. Just fresh blueberries baked into an out-of-this-world pie crust!!
Gluten Free Blueberry Pie
This gluten free blueberry pie is stuffed with tons of fresh blueberries. It's baked into a flaky pie crust that you'll never guess is gluten free!!
Ingredients
PIE CRUST
- 1 recipe Best Gluten Free Pie Crust
FILLING
- 6 cups (about 2¼ pounds or 1 kilo) fresh (or frozen) blueberries (if frozen, do not defrost)
- ½ cup (56g) tapioca starch
- ¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- zest and juice from one lemon
- 1 small Granny Smith apple, peeled and grated
- 2 tbsp (28g) butter, cut into small chunks
EGG WASH AND TOPPING
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 1 tablespoon sparkling white or demerara sugar, if desired
Instructions
FOR THE CRUST
- Follow recipe instructions to make pie crust. Wrap into two disks and place in fridge until cold, roughly 30 minutes.
- For plaid lattice top crust, roll dough out to a 10 inch by 15-16 rectangle. Cut 4 long strips that are about 2 inches wide and 14 long strips that are roughly ½-inch thick. Place 2 thin strips on a sheet of parchment. Next to that, place a thick strip, followed by 3 thin strips, another thick strip, and 2 thin strips. Fold back every other strip on one side and place a thin strip right up to the fold. Unfold the strips of dough back onto this new strip. Then take the opposite strips (that are currently covered with the new strip) and fold those back from that new strip. Place another new strip right next to this strip and unfold the strips back down over this new strip. I like to start my lattice on the side like this and can then begin on the other side of these newly placed strips and go towards the center. Keep repeating this pattern of 2 thin strips followed by 1 thick strip, then 3 thin strips, 1 thick strip, and finally 2 thin strips, until the entire amount of strips have been used.
- Carefully slide this lattice on the parchment onto a baking sheet and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. This will make it easier to transfer onto the pie.
- Roll out bottom crust and unroll into pie pan. Refrigerate until needed.
FOR THE FILLING
- Preheat oven to 400° F.
- In a large bowl, mix all filling ingredients (except butter) and pour into chilled pie crust. Dot the top with the butter chunks. Remove the lattice from the fridge and carefully lift it and transfer it to the top of the pie. Cut the excess from the bottom and top crusts with kitchen shears along the side of the pie plate.
FOR THE EGG WASH AND TOPPING
- Whisk together 1 egg with 1 tablespoon milk and brush onto top crust. Sprinkle with sparkling or demerara sugar, if desired.
- Place pie on a larger baking sheet lined with foil to catch any drippings. Bake at 400° F for 25 minutes. Reduce heat to 350° F and continue baking for 30-40 minutes (covering crust with foil as necessary), until juices are bubbling and thickened.
- Transfer pie to wire rack to cool before serving. Serve with freshly whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
Notes
It's not absolutely necessary to make the lattice top crust. Instead, you can roll the pie dough out just like you would for the bottom crust, gently roll it up onto your rolling pin, and unroll it over the pie filling. Trim excess pie dough along the edges, tuck top crust under bottom crust, and crimp as desired. Cut vents into the top crust, brush with egg wash, and sprinkle with sugar. Bake as directed.
Frozen berries can be used in place of fresh. Do not thaw them before mixing with the rest of the filling ingredients.
Pie will keep, covered, at room temperature for 3-4 days (if it lasts that long!). The entire pie can also be well wrapped (double wrapped) and frozen unbaked. Bake from frozen, adding another 15-20 minutes to bake time.
Tried this recipe?Tag @letthemeatglutenfreecake on Instagram so we can see!
Adapted from Simply Recipes' Blueberry Pie
Amanda Persater says
Can I use gluten free flour instead of tapioca starch?
Kim says
I wouldn't use gf flour that contains xanthan gum or the inside of the pie will be gummy.
bekkt says
Hi, I bought tapioca starch in France but it arrived as tapioca pearls (like a small grain) , can I use it in that form, or do you mean an actual powdered flour texture? Thank you for your help.
Kim says
It needs to be the powder, so if you have a food processor, coffee grinder, or powerful blender, you should be able to make it into a powder.
Lindsay says
Blueberry pies haven't been my favorite either. Many fruit pies major on syrupy stuff and minor on fruit. Meanwhile my mom packed fruit into (delicious) pies. When her Betty Crocker berry pie recipe called for 7/8-1C sugar, 5 tbsp. flour, and a little cinnamon for 4C of berries, she'd throw in 2C more berries without further adjustments. That made for a great blackberry pie (which I intend to try GF!)! Your pie looks so full of berry goodness that I'm going to "have" to try this too! Thank you for all of your labors to make GF taste good!! 🙂
Kim says
I love LOADS of berries in my pies, too! I hope you like it 😊
Tracy says
Do you prefer to pre cook pie crust (as recipe says in apple pie) or do you prefer to cook the whole pie one time?
Kim says
I don't pre bake my pie crusts when I'm making a fruit pie with a double crust (apple pie or otherwise). Are you saying my apple pie recipe says to pre bake the bottom crust? Because I just looked it up and it says to make the pie crust as per the pie crust recipe instructions, not to pre bake it. So the answer to your question is no, I don't pre bake my pie crust unless it's a filling that doesn't get baked, such as a cream pie.
Hope this helps!
Joanne says
Do we prick the bottom crust with a fork before filling or no since we are not pre-baking the crust.
Thanks
Kim says
No need to prick the crust since we're not prebaking 🙂
Claire says
This sounds great! Can I use corn starch instead of tapioca starch, since that is what I have?
Kim says
Yes, you can! I just use tapioca starch because I always have it on hand and it creates a less cloudy filling. But cornstarch will work just fine 🙂