Amish blueberry pie is a traditional dessert that has been handed down through generations. It is made with a flaky pastry crust filled with a sweet and luscious blueberry filling. The filling is made with fresh or frozen blueberries, sugar, clear jel as a thickener, and lemon juice to enhance the blueberry flavor.
It's baked until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbly. This mouthwatering pie is perfect when served warm or at room temperature with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
In addition, chilled blueberry pie on its own is also a treat. And this amazing berry pie seems to be a hit with everyone. I mean, seriously, who doesn't like blueberries? And the sweetness of blueberries in pie form is truly a delight for the taste buds.
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Instructions
- Prepare the Blueberry Mixture:
- Mix water, blueberries, sugar, lemon juice, and salt in a large saucepan.
- Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat.
- Thicken the Mixture:
- In a small bowl, mix Clear Jel with cold water to make a slurry.
- When the blueberry mixture begins to boil, slowly pour in the Clear Jel slurry, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens. Be cautious as it may splatter.
- Finish the Filling:
- Remove the saucepan from the heat.
- Stir in the butter and cinnamon until well combined and let the mixture cool slightly before adding it to the crust.
- Preheat the Oven:
- Preheat your oven to 425°F (220°C).
- Assemble the Pie:
- Pour the blueberry mixture into the prepared, unbaked pie crust.
- Cover with a top crust or lattice strips.
- Prepare the Top Crust:
- Brush the top crust with egg wash.
- Sprinkle a bit of sugar over the top crust.
- Bake the Pie:
- Bake the pie at 425°F (220°C) for 10 minutes.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (175°C) and continue baking for another 45-50 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbling.
- Cool and Serve:
- Allow the pie to cool before cutting into it.
- Keep the pie refrigerated, loosely covered.
Pie Crust (Adding a Lattice Crust)
I have an easy recipe for flaky pie crusts that you are welcome to use for making this old-fashioned blueberry pie.
And I adore lattice crusts on the top of pies. It adds a warm and rustic look, perfect for a homemade dessert. But if you haven't tried making a lattice crust before, it may seem intimidating. However, let me assure you that the process is really quite simple.
To add a lattice crust to a blueberry pie or any fruit pie, begin by rolling out the pie dough and cutting it into strips. Weave the strips over the top of the filling in a crisscross pattern, leaving gaps between each strip.
(I am leaving a link for you in case you need tips on how to do this. However, if you prefer, you can also use a sheet of dough over the filling and cut slits into the top. It will be great either way.)
Before baking, brush the crust with an egg wash (a mixture of egg and milk), to give it a glossy and golden finish.
Blueberry Pie Filling From Frozen Blueberries
This easy blueberry pie recipe can be made using fresh or frozen blueberries. And since this pie filling gets cooked before adding it to the crust, frozen berries work equally as well as fresh.
It doesn't take long to cook the filling, and all you need is a few simple ingredients. One ingredient, however, that is used in this pie may not be as common with many home cooks, namely "clear jel".
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Clear Jel or Cornstarch?
Many pie-filling recipes use cornstarch or flour as a thickening agent, and those typically work fine.
However, when looking at Amish recipes, you'll notice that most fruit pie filling is thickened with clear jel. And it is always the recommended thickener to use in canning.
What is the Difference?
Clear Jel and cornstarch are both used as thickeners in cooking and baking, but they have some differences in terms of their properties and usage.
ClearJel is a modified cornstarch and a favorite among commercial bakers for use in their fruit pie fillings. Unlike regular cornstarch, ClearJel can withstand acidic ingredients and high temperatures without causing pie fillings to become runny or separate during storage. This makes it the ideal ingredient for achieving the perfect consistency and texture in fruit pies.
Cornstarch, on the other hand, is a fine powder made from the starchy endosperm of corn kernels. It is a versatile thickener that can be used in a wide variety of recipes, including soups, gravies, sauces, and baked goods. Cornstarch thickens at a higher temperature than Clear Jel and can break down if exposed to acidic ingredients or prolonged cooking times.
If you have ever used cornstarch or flour as thickeners, you know that it thickens as it chills. However, clear jel does not change its consistency very much whether it's hot or cold. So when you use clear jel to thicken fruit filling, you can tell how thick your filling will be when cutting into your pie. Whether it's warm or cold, it stays pretty much the same.
And last but not least, cornstarch or flour will yield a cloudy filling. While using clear jel gives you a lovely clear filling so the berries can shine through.
Where Can I Find Clear Jel?
I recommend using clear jel for pie filling. However, I know that you can't walk into Walmart and buy clear jel. It's not to be found in many stores. So unless you have an Amish or Mennonite bulk food store close by, you will probably have to buy it online. Therefore, I am leaving a link here where you can purchase clear jel.
Just make sure you buy the regular or cook-type clear jel (not instant).
But if you want to make an Amish blueberry pie today, and you don't have any clear jel, you can substitute it with cornstarch. Although, I haven't made it with cornstarch. So I'm not 100% sure how much cornstarch it takes to replace clear jel. Some articles will tell you to use one-for-one, and others will tell you to use a bit more cornstarch.
Pie Filling Variations
Even though this recipe is for blueberry pie, you could use this pie filling as a topping for other desserts as well. Just make it a bit thinner by using less clear jel.
This recipe could also be used for other kinds of berry pies such as blackberry, mulberry, raspberry, etc. So if you've been fortunate enough to harvest wild blackberries, you can use this recipe to make Amish blackberry pie or try my blackberry raspberry pie recipe.
If you try this Amish blueberry pie recipe, I would love it if you left a comment and star rating below. Thank you!
📖 Recipe Card
Amish Blueberry Pie Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 c. water
- 4 c. fresh or frozen blueberries
- ¾ - 1 c. sugar
- 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
- ¼ tsp. salt
- ¼ - ⅓ c. clear jel mixed with approx. ⅓ c. of water
- 1 Tbsp. butter
- ½ tsp. cinnamon
- Eggwash (a beaten egg with a splash of milk)
- 2 (9") pie crust pastries for bottom and top
Instructions
- In a saucepan, mix water, berries, sugar, lemon juice, and salt. Bring to a boil.1 c. water, 4 c. fresh or frozen blueberries, ¾ - 1 c. sugar, 1 Tbsp. lemon juice, ¼ tsp. salt
- Mix clear jel with water to make a slurry. When the blueberry mixture begins to boil, slowly pour in the clear jel slurry, stirring constantly, until thickened. Be careful, because the filling may splatter as it begins to boil.¼ - ⅓ c. clear jel mixed with approx. ⅓ c. of water
- Remove from the heat and add the butter and cinnamon. Stir to combine.1 Tbsp. butter, ½ tsp. cinnamon
- Preheat the oven to 425°.
- Pour the blueberry mixture into a prepared, unbaked, pie crust. Cover with a top crust or lattice strips.2 (9") pie crust pastries for bottom and top
- Brush the top with egg wash and sprinkle with a bit of sugar.Eggwash (a beaten egg with a splash of milk)
- Bake at 425° for 10 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 350° and continue baking for another 45 - 50 minutes.
- Cool before cutting into the pie. Keep refrigerated, loosely covered.
Notes
- Nutrition is approximate.
Jai Cee
I had unthawed some extra blue berries so added a proportionally increased amount of Clear Jell. My filling was not thick enough to keep the filling in the pie piece when it was cut & served. It tasted good but was way too messy.
Anna
As mentioned, when using clear jel, it will not thicken much more after being cold. So just keep adding more clear jel until it is the thickness desired. Make sure to use cook-type clear jel.
Diana M McAnally
I made this today with frozen wild huckleberries and it turned out perfectly! No soupy pie, no boiling over in the oven, just a great huckleberry pie. Thank you for the recipe. With the price of wild huckleberries right now I wanted to get it just right, and this was a big help.
Anna
Awesome! So glad you were happy with it! Honestly not sure if I've ever had huckleberries.? But I'd love to try them.
Todd Soulliard
Hello Anna from Myerstown, PA. I made this blueberry pie on Monday, and it is now gone. It was the first pie I ever made. I followed all your instructions and even made your flakey crust recipe. I watched the video on the lattice style top crust and basically got it right.
My son ate 2 pieces and said it was the best blueberry pie he ever had. My dad had two pieces and loved it. My aunt loved it also and was amazed I made the whole thing from scratch. I also thought it was awesome and really enjoyed making it and sharing it.
Right now, I have your Wet Bottom Shoefly pies in the oven. One for my dad on Father's Day since it is his favorite. I am hoping it turns out as well as the Blueberry pie did.
I did make the crust a little thick on the blueberry pie but got better at it with the Shoefly pies. I currently have 2 balls of dough in the freezer to make another Blueberry pie after the Shoefly pies are gone.
I love pies and yours is great. I hope I don't get fat. hahaha.
Thanks so much for the recipe.
Todd
Anna
Thanks for the feedback! So glad you enjoyed it! Awesome job on making it all from scratch!
Anna
So good when it's warm with a scoop of ice cream!!
~Chrissie O.
Good evening!! I have a question, please? If using frozen berries, do you use them from frozen, or do you thaw/drain them? When I use blueberries frozen, I typically use them from frozen as they release so much flavor when they thaw and release liquid. But I worry that would make the crust soggy? Have you used frozen berries? What do you recommend? THANK YOU!! Blessings, ~Chrissie
Anna
I have used frozen berries. They get cooked, so you don't need to thaw them. Just toss them into the pan with the water. Cook and thicken to desired consistency.