Grape Hull Pie
intro
A vintage Southern Appalachian pie made with Concord grape hulls and pulp, boasting bright sweet-tart flavor, warm spice, and a flaky double crust.
Ingredients
Steps
Prep grape components
Wash 900g of stemmed Concord grapes under cool running water. Gently squeeze each grape to pop the soft inner pulp into a medium saucepan, placing the dark purple hulls (skins) in a separate mixing bowl. Heat the saucepan of pulp over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the pulp breaks down completely into a smooth liquid.
Strain out grape seeds
Set a fine-mesh sieve over the bowl of reserved grape hulls, then pour the hot cooked pulp into the sieve. Press the pulp firmly with a rubber spatula for 2–3 minutes to push all smooth, seedless pulp through to the bowl with the hulls, discarding the small, hard grape seeds left behind in the sieve. Stir the hulls and strained pulp together to fully combine.
Mix pie filling
Add 200g granulated sugar, 30g all-purpose flour, 15ml fresh lemon juice, 1g ground cinnamon, and 1g fine table salt to the combined grape hull and pulp mixture. Stir until all dry ingredients are fully incorporated with no lumps of flour remaining. Let the filling rest for 10 minutes at room temperature to soften the hulls and meld flavors.
Assemble the pie
Fit one 9-inch unbaked pie crust into a standard 9-inch pie dish, pressing it gently against the bottom and sides, and trimming excess overhang to 1 inch. Pour the rested grape filling evenly into the crust-lined dish, then dot the top of the filling with 28g of cubed unsalted butter. Lay the second pie crust over the filling, trim excess crust to 1 inch, crimp the edges tightly to seal, and cut 4 small 1-inch slits in the top crust to vent steam during baking.
Bake the pie
Preheat your oven to 200°C (400°F). Place the assembled pie on a rimmed baking sheet to catch drips, then bake for 15 minutes at 200°C. Reduce the oven heat to 175°C (350°F), and bake for an additional 30–35 minutes, until the crust is deep golden brown and filling bubbles visibly through the top slits.
Cool before serving
Remove the baked pie from the oven and transfer it to a wire cooling rack. Let it cool completely for 2–3 hours at room temperature before slicing, to allow the filling to set into a firm, sliceable consistency.
Tips
2.Do not skip the full 2–3 hour cooling time after baking; the filling needs time to set, and slicing early will result in runny, loose slices.
3.Place the pie on a rimmed baking sheet while baking to catch any bubbling filling that drips from the crust edges, avoiding messy oven spills and burnt sugar.
Full transparency, I’ve never successfully made a pie from scratch before—my crusts always shrink, my fillings are always runny, I’m basically a disaster at baking. But this recipe was so straightforward! I followed every direction exactly, and I ended up with a perfect, set filling and flaky crust that didn’t shrink at all. I’m so proud of myself, honestly. 10/10, even for total newbies like me.
Swapped the regular all-purpose flour for a 1:1 gluten free flour blend for the crust, and it worked so well! I was worried the crust would be crumbly or have that weird GF aftertaste, but it was flaky and perfect. My husband who eats literally everything said he couldn’t tell it was gluten free, which is the highest possible praise in our house.
Game. Changer. I’ve made every kind of fruit pie under the sun—apple, peach, cherry, blueberry, you name it—but I’d never even heard of grape hull pie until a coworker mentioned it. This was so unique, the flavor is unlike anything else. Brought a slice to my neighbor who grew up in North Carolina and he said it tasted just like his mom’s. Absolute win.
This recipe looks incredible, I’m already planning to make it for my sister’s baby shower next weekend! Quick question though: Is this pie okay to make ahead of time? I’m prepping all the desserts for the shower and I want to knock out as much as I can a couple days early so I’m not running around like a crazy person the day of. Knocked a star off because there’s no make-ahead note in the instructions, otherwise this looks perfect! Just worried the crust might get soggy if it sits too long.
Made this for our office potluck yesterday and it was the first dish gone! I was a little stressed because the cook time felt long for a weeknight, but I prepped the hulls the night before and it came together so much faster than I expected. Only complaint: I wish the recipe made a note about how purple your fingers get from hulling the grapes, lol! I looked like I had a permanent marker stain for hours.
OMG I haven’t had grape hull pie since my grandma made it when I was little! This recipe tasted exactly like I remembered—sweet, a little tangy, that perfect chewy hull texture. Brought it to our church potluck last Sunday and people were begging for the recipe before they even finished their first slice. 10/10, will make every fall when muscadines are in season!
Tried this last night for family dinner and my kids went back for seconds before I even sat down! I was a little intimidated at first because I’d never worked with grape hulls before, but the steps were super easy to follow. Only note: I added a tiny bit of extra cinnamon to the crust and it was chef’s kiss. SO good.
Made a vegan swap for this using coconut oil in the crust and cornstarch instead of butter in the filling, and it turned out amazing! I thought for sure the texture would be off, but you couldn’t even tell the difference. Only reason it’s not 5 stars is I wish the recipe listed easy vegan swap tips for folks like me! This is gonna be perfect for our annual harvest party next month, I already know my vegan and non-vegan friends are gonna lose their minds over it.
This looks so tasty! Quick question—has anyone tried this with scuppernongs instead of purple muscadines? I have a huge vine in my backyard that’s loaded right now and I’ve been dying to use them for something other than jelly. Kinda nervous to wing it since this is labeled medium difficulty!
Took me a minute to track down fresh muscadines here in AZ, but I finally found a little farm stand an hour outside town that sells them. The pie turned out great—my only mistake was not doubling the recipe because my grandkids ate half of it before it even fully cooled. Next time I’m making two, no question.