Blueberry Pistachio Pie
intro
Buttery pistachio-studded shortcrust holds bright, lemon-kissed blueberry filling for a nutty, sweet summery dessert perfect for sharing at outdoor gatherings.
Ingredients
Steps
Prep pistachio crust
In a food processor, combine 1 ½ cups (180g) all-purpose flour, ½ cup (60g) finely ground pistachios, 2 tbsp (25g) granulated sugar, and ¼ tsp fine sea salt. Pulse 3 times to evenly mix dry ingredients. Add ½ cup (113g) cold cubed unsalted butter, pulse 8-10 times until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with pea-sized butter chunks. Drizzle in 3 tbsp (45ml) ice water, pulse until dough just clumps together, adding up to 1 extra tbsp (15ml) ice water if the mixture remains crumbly. Form dough into a 1-inch thick disc, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Roll and line pan
Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F). Remove chilled dough from the refrigerator, place on a lightly floured work surface. Roll into a 12-inch (30cm) diameter circle, ⅛-inch (3mm) thick. Gently lift the dough and drape it over a 9-inch (23cm) glass pie dish, pressing firmly into the bottom and up the sides of the dish. Trim overhanging dough to a 1-inch (2.5cm) border, tuck edges under and crimp decoratively with your fingers. Prick the bottom of the crust all over with a fork (15-20 pricks) to prevent air bubbles from forming during baking.
Blind bake crust
Line the pressed crust with a sheet of parchment paper, fill with 1.5 cups (225g) ceramic pie weights or dried beans. Bake on the middle oven rack for 12 minutes at 200°C (400°F). Carefully lift out the parchment and weights, then bake the crust for an additional 5 minutes until the bottom is lightly golden and set. Remove from the oven, and reduce the oven temperature to 190°C (375°F).
Mix blueberry filling
In a large mixing bowl, combine 4 cups (600g) fresh blueberries, the remaining ½ cup + 2 tbsp (125g) granulated sugar, 3 tbsp (24g) cornstarch, 1 tsp lemon zest, 2 tbsp (30ml) fresh lemon juice, 1 tsp (5ml) vanilla extract, and the remaining ¼ tsp fine sea salt. Toss gently with a rubber spatula until all blueberries are evenly coated in the sugar-cornstarch mixture, taking care not to mash the delicate berries. Let rest 5 minutes to allow natural fruit juices to release.
Bake assembled pie
Pour the blueberry filling and all accumulated juices into the pre-baked pistachio crust, spreading into an even layer. Sprinkle the top of the filling with 1 tbsp (12g) of the reserved chopped pistachios. Place the pie dish on a rimmed baking sheet (to catch any bubbling drips) and bake on the middle rack at 190°C (375°F) for 45-50 minutes, until the filling is thick and bubbling vigorously around the edges, and the crust is deep golden brown. If crust edges brown too quickly, cover them with a foil strip or pie shield after 30 minutes of baking.
Cool and garnish
Remove the baked pie from the oven, transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely at room temperature for 2 full hours to allow the filling to set fully. Before serving, sprinkle the remaining 1 tbsp (13g) chopped pistachios over the top for extra crunch and color. Slice into 8 even wedges to serve.
Tips
2.Never skip the full 2-hour cooling period; cutting the pie while warm will cause the filling to run out of the crust instead of holding clean, neat slices.
3.If using frozen blueberries, do not thaw them first—toss frozen berries directly with the filling ingredients and add 1 extra tablespoon (8g) of cornstarch to account for extra released juice during baking.
OMG y’all, I made this for our Sunday family dinner and everyone went back for seconds! The saltiness of the pistachios cuts the sweet blueberry filling so perfectly, I’m already planning to make it again for our neighborhood potluck next weekend. SO good, 10/10.
Wait, this was listed as medium difficulty but I found the pistachio crust a little finicky when I was pressing it into the pan. Ended up with a couple cracks, but the flavor was still unreal! Anyone else have that issue?
Has anyone tried making this with a gluten free flour blend for the crust? My daughter has celiac and I’d love to make this for her graduation party next month!
I don’t even bake that often but I decided to try this for my wife’s birthday and she cried happy tears. The combo of toasted pistachios and fresh blueberries is a total game changer. Will be adding this to my annual summer recipe rotation for sure.
Made this on Sunday to portion out for treats throughout the work week, and it held up so well in the fridge! The crust didn’t get soggy at all even after 4 days, which is a win for meal prep. 10/10 would recommend.
Brought this to my office potluck yesterday and people were literally asking me for the recipe before I even set the plate down! Only note: my blueberry filling was a little runnier than the photos look, did I do something wrong?
Swapped the butter for coconut oil and used maple syrup instead of granulated sugar to make this vegan, and it was INCREDIBLE. The nutty pistachio pairs so well with the bright, tart blueberries, even my non-vegan roommates devoured half the pie in one sitting.
Okay, full transparency, I was intimidated by the medium difficulty rating since I’ve literally never made a pie from scratch before. But the instructions were so easy to follow, and it turned out looking just like the cover photo! My whole family was impressed.
We have a ton of frozen blueberries in our freezer from picking last summer, can I use those instead of fresh for this? Don’t wanna run to the grocery store if I don’t have to!
My three boys are SO picky about desserts, they usually only want chocolate chip cookies, but they ate two slices each of this pie last night! I didn’t even tell them there were pistachios in the crust and they didn’t notice at all. Total mom win.
Wait, is the 1 hour 20 minute cook time including prep? I’m trying to plan when to start this for my dinner party Saturday so it’s done in time for dessert, don’t wanna be stuck in the kitchen while my guests are here!
I’ve been making pies for over 40 years, and this is one of the most creative flavor combos I’ve tried in ages. The pistachio crumble topping adds such a perfect crunch, I’m even thinking of adding a little lemon zest to the filling next time for extra brightness.
Wait, I used salted roasted pistachios because that’s all I had in the pantry, and the crust came out way too salty for my taste. Did I misread the recipe? Should it be unsalted pistachios?
OMGGGG I topped each slice with a dollop of homemade whipped cream and a sprinkle of crushed pistachios and extra blueberries, and it looked like it came from a fancy bakery! My guests were taking photos of their slices all night. Absolute game changer of a recipe.
I was looking for a dessert that wasn’t super heavy for our post-workout team potluck, and this was perfect! It’s got fruit, nuts, not overly sweet, and even my most health-conscious teammates went back for a second slice. Will absolutely make again.
I entered this pie in our county fair pie contest last week and WON first place in the fruit pie category! The judges kept raving about how unique the pistachio crust was, no one else had anything like it. Thank you for this amazing recipe!