Blueberry Sage Pie
intro
A bright, herby twist on classic American blueberry pie, balancing sweet-tart berries with earthy sage for a memorable summer baked treat.
Ingredients
Steps
Make the sage crust
In a large food processor, combine 390g all-purpose flour, 1 tsp fine sea salt, and 1 tbsp of the chopped fresh sage. Pulse 2-3 times to mix. Add 226g cold cubed unsalted butter, and pulse in 1-second bursts until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with pea-sized butter chunks. Drizzle in 80ml ice water 1 tbsp at a time, pulsing just until the dough comes together in a shaggy mass. Split the dough into two equal-sized discs, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
Mix blueberry filling
In a large mixing bowl, toss 720g fresh blueberries, 150g granulated sugar, 24g cornstarch, the remaining 1 tbsp chopped sage, 2 tbsp lemon juice, and 1 tsp lemon zest until every berry is evenly coated. Let the mixture rest for 15 minutes at room temperature, stirring once halfway through, to allow berries to release their natural juices.
Roll bottom crust
Remove one chilled dough disc from the fridge, let it sit for 5 minutes to soften slightly to prevent cracking. Roll it on a lightly floured surface to a 30cm (12-inch) circle that is 3mm (1/8-inch) thick. Gently lay the dough into a 23cm (9-inch) standard pie dish, pressing it firmly against the bottom and up the sides, leaving a 2.5cm (1-inch) overhang around the rim. Trim any excess dough beyond the overhang with kitchen shears.
Assemble the pie
Pour the rested blueberry filling and all its accumulated juices into the lined pie dish, spreading it into an even layer. Roll the second chilled dough disc into an identical 30cm (12-inch), 3mm thick circle. Drape it over the top of the filling. Trim the top crust to match the 2.5cm overhang of the bottom crust, then crimp the two edges together tightly with your fingers to seal in juices. Cut 4 small 2cm slits evenly spaced across the top crust to allow steam to escape during baking.
Chill and preheat oven
Place the assembled unbaked pie in the refrigerator to chill for 20 minutes while you preheat your oven to 200°C (400°F). Position an oven rack in the lower third of the oven, and place a rimmed metal baking sheet on the rack to preheat for 15 minutes (this catches drips and helps crisp the bottom crust). Once the pie is chilled, brush the entire top crust and crimped edge with egg wash (1 beaten egg mixed with 15ml heavy cream), then sprinkle evenly with 1 tbsp coarse sanding sugar.
Bake the pie
Carefully place the chilled pie directly on the preheated baking sheet in the 200°C (400°F) oven. Bake for 25 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 190°C (375°F), and bake for an additional 30-35 minutes, until the crust is deep golden brown and filling is visibly bubbling thickly through the steam slits. If the crimped edges brown faster than the rest of the crust, cover them loosely with 2cm wide strips of aluminum foil halfway through the second bake stage to prevent burning.
Cool fully before slicing
Remove the baked pie from the oven and transfer it to a wire cooling rack to cool completely at room temperature for a minimum of 3 hours, or up to overnight, to allow the fruit filling to set fully. Do not slice the pie early, as the filling will be runny if not given time to thicken as it cools.
Tips
2.If fresh blueberries are out of season, substitute frozen unsweetened blueberries directly from the bag—do not thaw them before mixing into the filling, as thawing releases excess juice that can make the pie runny.
3.For an extra layer of sage flavor, fry 4-5 whole fresh sage leaves in 1 tsp of butter over medium heat for 30 seconds until crispy, crumble them, and sprinkle over the cooled pie just before serving.
OMG, this blueberry sage pie was the star of our Sunday family dinner! I was nervous the sage would be too weird with sweet blueberries but it’s such a perfect earthy balance. My kids went back for seconds before they even finished their main dishes, total game changer.
Made this for our neighborhood potluck last weekend and got so many compliments! My only note is that my crust got a little soggier than I wanted on the bottom, even with blind baking. Flavor combo is chef’s kiss though, that sage cuts the sweetness so well.
Tried this yesterday for my partner’s birthday! I’m still pretty new to baking so the lattice crust took me forever to get right, but the end result was SO good. We ate half the pie between the two of us last night, no regrets.
I was skeptical about sage in a sweet pie but y’all were NOT lying about this combo! I brought it to my book club and every single person asked for the recipe. The 1 hour 25 minute cook time was spot on for my oven too, no adjustments needed.
Game. Changer. I grow my own sage in my windowsill so I was so excited to try a recipe that uses it in something sweet, and this did not disappoint. The warm herby note with the burst of tart blueberry is exactly what I didn’t know I needed this fall.
Flavor is great, but I found this to be a little more on the medium difficulty side for sure — my first attempt at the filling boiled over in my oven and made a huge mess. Learned my lesson to put a baking sheet under the pie plate next time!
Just pulled this out of the oven and my whole house smells insane! The sage and blueberry aroma is so warm and cozy, perfect for a rainy Pacific Northwest day. I haven’t even had a bite yet but I already know it’s gonna be a new staple.
My three teenage boys devoured this pie in one sitting! I added a tiny bit of lemon zest to the filling like I do with all my berry pies and it paired so nicely with the sage. Will absolutely be making this for our Thanksgiving dessert spread this year.
Made this with a gluten-free all purpose flour crust for my sister who has celiac and it turned out amazing! I was worried the GF crust would be crumbly but it held up perfectly to the thick blueberry filling. The sage is such a fun, unexpected twist.
Took this to a tailgate last weekend and people were coming back to my cooler three and four times for slices. Who knew sage and blueberry were such a perfect pair? I’ll be honest I thought the recipe was gonna be weird when my friend sent it to me but I’m a convert.
Just had my first slice warm with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream and I’m in heaven. The savoriness of the sage keeps it from being too cloyingly sweet, which is my biggest pet peeve with fruit pies. 10/10, will make again and again.
This was so tasty! I used frozen blueberries since fresh were crazy expensive at my grocery store this week and it still came out great. My only issue was that my filling was a little runnier than I wanted, but I think I just didn’t let it cool long enough before slicing.
I made a vegan version of this with coconut oil crust and maple syrup instead of granulated sugar and it was INCREDIBLE. The sage adds such a sophisticated depth, I served it at my dinner party last night and all my guests thought I bought it from a fancy bakery.
This was my first ever homemade pie! It was definitely trickier than I thought it would be (looking at you, lattice crust) but the flavor was really good. I probably overbaked the edges a little but my roommate said it was still the best thing I’ve ever baked. Win!
Y’all, this pie is next level. I added a cinnamon sugar crumb top instead of a top crust because that’s how my grandma always made blueberry pie, and the sage paired so perfectly with that cinnamon crunch. My grandma even asked for the recipe, that’s how you know it’s good.
Made this on Sunday for meal prep to have as little treats throughout the week and it holds up so well! The slices stay firm in the fridge for 4-5 days, and it’s even good cold straight from the fridge if you’re a weirdo like me. The sage flavor gets a little more pronounced the next day too, which I loved.
I spent 40 years working in restaurants and I’m always picky about dessert recipes, but this one is a home run. The balance of sweet, tart, and earthy herb is perfectly calibrated, and the cook time is exactly right for a perfectly set filling without overcooking the blueberries. Hats off to the recipe developer.