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This Mixed Berry Pie is the ultimate dessert, whether you are using fresh summer berries or a bag of frozen fruit from the freezer. This pie always results in a thick, jammy filling and a buttery, golden-brown crumble topping. It is a Triple Berry Pie featuring raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries (or your favorite blend) that stay perfectly set and never runny. If you’ve been looking for a reliable berry pie recipe that balances tart fruit with a sweet, crunchy topping, this is the only one you need!
This easy mixed berry pie yields one 9-inch pie and can be made using 5 cups of fresh or frozen berries. The recipe features a thick, non-runny filling flavored with lemon and cinnamon, and is topped with a buttery brown sugar crumble. It uses a dual-temperature baking method (start at 425°F then drop to 350°F) and requires at least 4 hours of cooling time to solidify the juices before slicing.
I’ve been making berry pies for years (blackberry pie is my dad’s favorite!) I also love to make it year round, so I created this recipe where you can use fresh OR frozen berries! It’s so simple, bursting with fruit, and has the best brown sugar crumble topping, although you could make this a double crust or lattice top pie too.
What makes this the best mixed berry pie is the attention to texture. Unlike some fruit pies that turn into a berry soup the moment you slice them, my recipe uses a specific cornstarch-to-fruit ratio and a thaw-and-drain technique for frozen berries to ensure a perfectly set slice every time. Topped with a signature brown sugar crumble made with grated cold butter, this pie offers a satisfying crunch that beautifully complements the soft, juicy fruit underneath.
Ingredients in Triple Berry Pie
- You can use fresh berries or frozen in this pie. You’ll need about 5-6 cups of berries (a combination of blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries or any combo you like).
- If you are making this mixed berry pie with frozen fruit, you must thaw the berries completely and drain them in a colander for at least 30 minutes before mixing your filling. Frozen berries release significantly more water than fresh ones; skipping this step will dilute the cornstarch thickener, leading to a weepy filling and a soggy bottom crust.
- The brown sugar crumble topping uses loads of brown sugar for added flavor and color, along with all-purpose flour, cold unsalted butter, and salt.
- For the most consistent streusel texture, grate your cold unsalted butter directly into the flour and brown sugar mixture using a box grater. This creates tiny, uniform shards of fat that are easier to incorporate than cubed butter. This method ensures that the crumble stays crisp and distinct rather than melting into a flat, greasy layer during baking.
- Just before adding them to the pie, you’ll toss your berries in a mixture of granulated sugar, cornstarch, ground cinnamon for flavor, and lemon juice.
- Lemon juice doesn’t flavor your pie, instead it’s there to give the fruit filling a bright flavor and temper any sweetness from the fruit.
- Cornstarch is the best thickener for pie filling. I find it thickens better than flour and doesn’t require gelatin. For best results you must allow the berry pie filling to boil in the pie to activate the cornstarch.
- Pie Crust: I love my all butter pie crust recipe but you can also use a semi-homemade version.
Click to see the recipe card below for full ingredients & instructions. See below the recipe card for even more information: process shots, variations, FAQ and more.
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Expert Tips
- To ensure the bottom of your berry pie is golden and flaky, start the bake at 425°F for the first 10 minutes. This high initial heat sears the pastry before the fruit juices begin to bubble. After 10 minutes, lower the temperature to 350°F to allow the berries to break down and the cornstarch to fully activate without burning the delicate crumble on top.
- To activate the cornstarch and ensure a solid pie filling, make sure the fruit filling is bubbling in the pie under the topping before removing it from the oven. Boiling activates the cornstarch and will allow it to thicken the filling.
- The pie might look wet when you remove it from the oven. It will thicken as it cools!
- Once you’ve baked the pie, allow it to cool to room temperature before chilling.
- Do not slice the pie until it is fully cool (best yet, chill it first).
- The pie is delicious plain, but adding a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a spoonful of whipped cream is a nice finishing touch.
Berry Crumble Pie Recipe
Video
Ingredients
Crumble Topping
- ½ cup (100g) packed brown sugar
- 1 cup (124g) all-purpose flour
- 8 tablespoons (113g) cold unsalted butter
Pie Filling
- 1 recipe All Butter Pie Crust
- ⅔ cup (133g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (32g) cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 5 cups (682g) frozen mixed berries, thawed and drained, or use fresh
- 1 tablespoon (15ml) lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- Prepare pie crust as directed for a single crust pie; add to a 9-inch pie plate and chill for at least 30 minutes before filling.
- Whisk brown sugar and flour in a large bowl. Grate cold butter into the flour mixture using a box grater. Use a pastry cutter to cut the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside.
- Whisk sugar, cornstarch and cinnamon in a small bowl.
- Place berries in a large bowl, toss with lemon and sprinkle with cornstarch mixture. Gently toss to coat. Place in prepared pie dish.
- Sprinkle the crumble evenly over the filling. Place the pie on a cookie sheet and cover with a pie crust shield.
- Bake at 425°F for 10 minutes, then lower the oven temperature to 350°F and bake until crust is light golden and the filling is bubbly, about 35-45 minutes.
Notes
- You can use a refrigerated crust or a frozen crust if you prefer.
- Cool the pie completely before slicing to allow the juices to settle and the pie to solidify.
- Fresh OR frozen fruit may be used.
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Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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How to Make Triple Berry Pie
- Prepare the pie crust and fit it into a 9” pie pan. Chill it for 30 minutes while you prepare the topping and filling.
- Whisk the brown sugar and flour in a mixing bowl. Grate the cold butter into the bowl, and then use a pastry cutter to cut the butter into the dry ingredients. Once the mixture resembles coarse crumbs, set the bowl aside.
- Whisk the granulated sugar, cornstarch, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Place the mixed berry pie filling in a large bowl and sprinkle the cornstarch mixture over the top. Gently toss to combine.
- Transfer the berry filling to the chilled pie crust. Sprinkle the brown sugar topping over the top.
- Bake the berry crumble pie for 10 minutes at 425°F, then lower the temperature to 350°F and finish baking the pie until the crust is golden and the filling is bubbling.
Variations
- Lattice: Instead of a crumb topping, use a second pie crust to create a lattice top for your pie with strips of a second pie dough.
- Double crust: Or cover the whole pie with a second crust. Just remember to cut slits so the steam can vent while the pie bakes.
- Did you know Grape Pie was a thing? It’s so good!
FAQ
To keep a berry pie from being runny, you need to use cornstarch in the filling. Cornstarch is a thickening agent, and it thickens the juices from the fruit. It’s also important to let the pie cool before slicing it. The filling will thicken as it cools – if you slice it too soon, the warm filling will ooze out.
Yes! Just be sure to thaw and drain them thoroughly before tossing them with the cornstarch mixture to prevent a runny pie.
I prefer using cornstarch, but you can also use all-purpose flour.
A “Triple Berry” blend of blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries is classic, but you can use any combination, including strawberries or cherries.
This usually happens if the filling didn’t reach a boil to activate the cornstarch, or if frozen berries weren’t drained well enough.
Use a pie crust shield or a piece of aluminum foil to cover the edges of the crust. If the crumble itself is browning too fast, you can loosely tent the entire pie with foil for the last 15 minutes of baking.
Excellent recipe. I stopped using traditional pie crust a long time ago. I used a vanilla wafer crust . The crumble topping was excellent. My family loved it.I will definitely make it again!
Would this recipe work with just apples?
Yes – I have an apple pie recipe too – https://www.crazyforcrust.com/apple-pie-with-oatmeal-cookie-crumble/ – but you can use apples with this recipe, just make sure to slice them thin and equal sized so they cook all the way.
DELICIOUS!!! I used a premade gluten free crust and I wanted to try this recipe because I didn’t have another pie crust for the top! Came out great! I’ll have to tweak the recipe a tad next time for the crumble using gluten-free flour (maybe add an egg) But, made as is with a gluten-free flour it still was wonderful!
So glad you enjoyed it!!
I am so thankful you posted this recipe! I appreciate you!
Super easy, and turned out fabulous. I had a humongous bag of frozen berries: strawberry. raspberry, blueberry and blackberry to use up today. It turned out wonderful. Thanks so much for sharing your recipe.
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