Blueberry Grapefruit Pie
intro
A bright, tart-sweet summer pie pairing juicy blueberries with zesty pink grapefruit in a flaky buttery crust, balanced and never cloyingly sweet.
Ingredients
Steps
Make flaky pie crust
In a large food processor, combine 315g all-purpose flour, 1 tsp fine sea salt, and 25g (2 tbsp) of the total granulated sugar. Pulse 2-3 times on low to mix. Add 226g cold, cubed unsalted butter, pulse in 1-second bursts until butter pieces are the size of small peas (about 10-12 pulses). Drizzle in 60-75ml ice water, pulsing just until the dough clumps together when squeezed between your fingers (do not overmix). Split the dough into two slightly unequal discs (60% for the bottom crust, 40% for the top), wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour before rolling.
Prep grapefruit base
Zest 2 medium pink grapefruits to collect 3 tbsp of bright, aromatic zest, then carefully segment the fruit over a bowl to catch all free juice, removing every bit of bitter white pith and seeds to yield 250g (≈1.5 cups) of clean grapefruit segments. Drain excess collected juice from the segments to prevent a soggy bottom crust, then set zest and segments aside.
Mix fruit filling
In a large mixing bowl, toss 600g fresh blueberries, reserved drained grapefruit segments, 3 tbsp grapefruit zest, the remaining 125g granulated sugar, 3 tbsp cornstarch, and 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice until all fruit is evenly coated in the smooth starch-sugar mixture. Let the filling rest for 10 minutes at room temperature to allow fruit to release a small amount of natural juice, stirring once at the 5-minute mark to redistribute the coating.
Assemble uncooked pie
Roll the larger chilled dough disc on a lightly floured work surface to a 30cm (12-inch) circle, 3mm (1/8-inch) thick. Gently lift and lay the dough into a 23cm (9-inch) standard ceramic pie dish, pressing it firmly against the bottom and up the sides, trimming any overhang to 2.5cm (1 inch) beyond the dish edge. Pour the rested fruit filling into the lined crust, dotting the top of the filling with the remaining 28g (2 tbsp) cold cubed unsalted butter. Roll the smaller dough disc to a 28cm (11-inch) circle, lay it evenly over the filling, trim excess overhang, crimp the edges tightly with your fingers or a fork to seal, and cut 4 small 2cm slits in the top crust to allow steam to escape during baking.
Bake until bubbly
Brush the entire top crust and crimped edges with egg wash (1 large egg beaten with 1 tbsp heavy cream), then sprinkle evenly with 1 tbsp coarse sanding sugar for a crunchy, sparkling top. Place the pie on a preheated rimmed baking sheet (preheat the sheet in the oven as it comes to temperature, to catch bubbling spills and help set the bottom crust faster) in a 200C (400F) oven for 25 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 190C (375F), wrap the crust edges in strips of aluminum foil to prevent over-browning, and bake for an additional 30-35 minutes until the filling is visibly bubbling thickly through the vent slits and the crust is a deep, even golden brown.
Cool fully before serving
Transfer the fully baked pie to a wire cooling rack, and let it cool completely at room temperature for a full 2 hours before slicing. This resting time allows the hot fruit filling to set fully; skip this step and your slices will be runny. Serve at room temperature, with a dollop of lightly sweetened whipped cream if desired.
Tips
2.Remove every bit of white pith from grapefruit segments, as the pith is intensely bitter and will ruin the bright sweet-tart balance of the filling if left behind.
3.Do not skip the full 2-hour cooling time after baking: the hot fruit filling is very runny straight from the oven, and needs this time to set into clean, sliceable pieces.
OMG I made this for our Sunday family dinner last weekend and everyone went back for seconds! The tartness of the grapefruit cuts the sweet blueberry so perfectly, I was worried the combo would be weird but it’s a total game changer. 10/10 will be making this for our neighborhood potluck next month too!
Made this post-hike meal prep treat for the week and it’s SO good. I added a little extra grapefruit zest to the crust and it smells heavenly. Perfect balance of flavors, not too cloying sweet like most fruit pies.
Uh, help? I followed the recipe exactly but my filling came out super runny? Did I do something wrong with the cornstarch? Tastes amazing but it’s basically blueberry grapefruit soup in a crust lmao
My kids loved it! I was nervous they’d turn their noses up at grapefruit in a pie but they begged for extra slices after dinner. I used a premade crust to save time on a busy weeknight and it still turned out chef’s kiss.
As someone who is obsessed with all citrus desserts, this pie was made for me. The bitter edge of the grapefruit pairs so well with the juicy, sweet blueberries – I even added a pinch of flaky sea salt on top of the crust before baking and *chefs kiss*
Has anyone tried making this with a gluten free crust? My celiac daughter is coming to visit and I want to make a dessert she can eat too!
Eh, it was fine. I thought the grapefruit was a little too bitter for my taste, I prefer my fruit pies to be all sweet, no tart. Probably won’t make again, but if you like sour stuff you’ll probably love it.
I entered this pie in our county fair pie contest last weekend and WON first place in the fruit pie category!!! Everyone kept asking me for the recipe, I told them I found it right here. The flavor combo is so unique no one could guess what the secret citrus ingredient was!
Made this for my weekly meal prep and it holds up so good in the fridge for 4 days! I sliced it up into individual portions so I can grab a quick sweet bite after work every night this week. Way better than the store bought pies I usually grab.
Wait, can I use frozen blueberries for this? Fresh blueberries are so expensive right now at my grocery store, I don’t want to drop $10 on berries for a pie.
I veganized this! Used coconut oil in the crust and swapped the butter for vegan butter, used cornstarch as the thickener no dairy needed, and it came out perfect. Even my non-vegan roommates were obsessed.
Made this for my weekend brunch with the girls and it was the star of the spread! We had mimosas, quiche, and this pie, and everyone left asking for the recipe. The bright citrus flavor is perfect for a warm summer morning.
Okay the filling is 10/10 but my crust shrank halfway down the pie dish while baking 😭 what did I do wrong? I even made the crust from scratch like the recipe said, I was so proud of it too.
I’ve been making pies for 40 years and I have to say, this flavor combo is one of the most creative I’ve tried in ages. I added a little grapefruit zest to the whipped cream I served on top and it was out of this world. Medium difficulty is spot on, not too hard but not a total no-brainer either.
Brought this to my office potluck earlier this week and it was GONE in 10 minutes. People were literally scraping the pie dish to get the last bits of filling. I was worried the grapefruit would be too polarizing but literally every single person loved it.
I cut the sugar in half to make this lower sugar for my husband who is diabetic, and it was still so flavorful! The blueberries and grapefruit have enough natural sweetness that you don’t need all that added sugar, honestly.
First time ever attempting a lattice crust on a pie and I did it for this recipe! It looked a little wonky but it tasted so good I didn’t even care. The 90 minute cook time was exactly right for my oven, no underbaked middle or burnt crust for once.
Made this on a cold rainy day when I was stuck inside and it made the whole house smell amazing. The warm blueberry and bright citrus aroma was better than any candle I own. Cozy, delicious, will be a repeat in our house all winter long.