Gluten-Free Blueberry Pie
intro
Buttery, flaky gluten-free crust encloses juicy, sweet-tart blueberry filling, a perfect warm-weather treat served with freshly whipped cream.
Ingredients
Steps
In a large food processor, combine 2 ½ cups (300g) gluten-free all-purpose flour, 2 tbsp (25g) of the measured granulated sugar, and 1 tsp (5g) fine sea salt. Pulse 3 times to evenly mix the dry ingredients. Add 1 cup (226g) cold ½-inch cubed unsalted butter, pulse 8-10 times until the mixture forms coarse crumbs with visible pea-sized butter chunks. Drizzle in 6 tbsp (90ml) ice water, pulse 2-3 times, adding up to 2 extra tbsp (30ml) ice water only if the dough clumps together when squeezed between your fingers. Split the dough into two equal-sized discs, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator for 1 full hour before rolling.
While the dough chills, prepare the filling: in a large glass mixing bowl, gently toss 6 cups (900g) rinsed, thoroughly patted-dry fresh blueberries with the remaining ½ cup + 2 tbsp (125g) granulated sugar, 3 tbsp (24g) gluten-free cornstarch, 2 tbsp (30ml) fresh lemon juice, 1 tsp (2g) lemon zest, and ¼ tsp (0.5g) ground cinnamon until every berry is evenly coated. Let the mixture rest for 15 minutes at room temperature to release natural juices, stirring once gently at the 7-minute mark.
Once the dough is chilled, preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C) with a rack in the middle position. Remove one dough disc from the fridge, place it between two sheets of parchment paper lightly dusted with gluten-free flour, and roll it into a uniform 12-inch (30cm) circle that is ⅛-inch (3mm) thick. Peel off the top parchment sheet, carefully flip the dough into a 9-inch (23cm) ceramic pie dish, then press it gently into the dish bottom and up the sides, trimming any excess dough to leave a 1-inch (2.5cm) overhang around the dish edge.
Pour the rested blueberry filling and all accumulated juices from the bowl into the dough-lined pie dish, spreading the berries into a flat, even layer. Roll the second chilled dough disc between parchment paper into an 11-inch (28cm) circle, ⅛-inch thick. Drape the top crust over the filling, trim its overhang to match the bottom crust, then crimp the two edges together tightly with your fingers to create a sealed, decorative edge. Cut 4 evenly spaced 2-inch slits in the top crust to allow steam to vent during baking.
Brush the entire top crust and crimped edge evenly with the beaten large egg, then sprinkle the surface uniformly with 1 tbsp (12g) coarse sanding sugar. Place the pie on a rimmed metal baking sheet (to catch any bubbling, overflowing filling during baking) and bake at 400°F (200°C) for 25 minutes.
After 25 minutes, reduce the oven temperature to 375°F (190°C), loosely tent the pie’s crimped edge with a strip of aluminum foil to prevent over-browning, and continue baking for an additional 30-35 minutes, until the crust is deep golden brown and thick purple filling bubbles steadily through the top slits. Remove the pie from the oven and transfer it to a wire cooling rack; let it cool completely for a minimum of 3 hours at room temperature before slicing to allow the filling to set fully.
Tips
2.Never skip the 3-hour cooling period: the fruit filling will be very runny straight out of the oven, and needs time to fully gelatinize as it cools to create clean, firm slices that hold their shape.
3.If using frozen blueberries instead of fresh, do not thaw them before mixing into the filling, and add 1 extra tablespoon (8g) of cornstarch to compensate for extra moisture released during baking.
OMG this gluten-free blueberry pie was an absolute game changer for our family cookout last weekend! I’ve tried so many GF pie crusts that turn out crumbly or taste like cardboard, but this one was flaky, buttery, and held up perfectly when sliced. My picky 7-year-old went back for a second slice before anyone else even finished their first! Only note: I added a tiny extra squeeze of lemon juice to the filling because our blueberries were super sweet, and it balanced everything out perfectly. 10/10 will be making this for every potluck from now on!
Made this for my son’s birthday dessert since he has celiac and blueberry pie is his absolute favorite. The cook and chill time felt a little long when I was running around prepping for the party, but it was 100% worth the wait! The whole crew (even the non-GF eaters!) said it was the best pie they’d had all summer. My only tiny misstep: I wished I’d read the note about letting it cool fully before slicing – I cut into it 45 minutes early and the filling was a little runny, still tasted amazing though!
Solid GF pie recipe, gave it 4 stars because I had a little trouble getting the crust to crimp right the first time – totally my bad, I think I overworked the dough a little when rolling it out. The flavor was spot on though, the blueberry filling isn’t too cloyingly sweet like a lot of gloopy store-bought pie fillings. I brought half of it to my office potluck and everyone was asking for the recipe, even the folks who don’t eat GF. Would make again, just gonna be way gentler with the dough next time!
SO good! I made this for our neighborhood block party last weekend and it was gone in 10 minutes flat. I was so nervous because half the block doesn’t eat gluten free and I didn’t want to serve something that felt like a boring “special diet” afterthought, but no one even realized it was GF until I told them! The crust has that perfect melt-in-your-mouth flaky texture I thought I’d never get with gluten free baking. Already bought extra blueberries to make another one this weekend for my in-laws coming to town.
First time ever making a gluten-free pie from scratch, and I was so intimidated because I’ve heard GF baking is super finicky! I followed the directions exactly, chilled the dough for the full hour like the recipe says, and it turned out perfect! The only mess up I had was a little juice bubbled over the edge of the pie plate onto my oven rack, so pro tip: put a baking sheet under it while it bakes to save yourself scrubbing burnt blueberry gunk off your oven later. Can’t wait to experiment with other fruit fillings using this crust recipe!