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Blueberry Crumble Pie is the BEST Blueberry Pie recipe! The blueberry pie filling is a foolproof recipe I’ve been making forever and it has a brown sugar crumble with almonds. It’s crunchy, sweet, with tons of fresh or frozen blueberry flavor so it’s the perfect pie all year long!
Blueberry Pie is such a classic pie recipe and it’s one of my most popular! The original one I made was a lattice top pie but since you can make pies with any topping…Crumble topping is my favorite way to make a fruit pie. I’ve even considered making crumble pie without any filling, ha! My basic crumble topping is a versatile way to make any pie recipe. In that post I talk about variations and this is one of them!
The secret to making the perfect blueberry pie that sets up is the ratio of sugar to fruit to cornstarch. Too much sugar in pie filling can make it too watery (the sugar extracts water from the fruit) and without the proper amount of cornstarch the pie won’t set. My recipe is perfectly formulated with the amount of sugar and cornstarch so that it sets up perfectly every time.
Blueberry Crumble Pie with brown sugar almond crumb topping is a pie that serves 8-10 people. It has blueberry pie filling made with fresh or frozen berries, cornstarch for thickening, granulated sugar, and lemon for brightness. The crumble topping is made with all brown sugar for extra flavor and almonds for crunch. It sets perfectly after cooling and the crust is never soggy due to the secret 10 minute bake at 425°F to sear the crust before completing the bake at 350°F.
Ingredients in Blueberry Pie and Crumble Topping
This is my versatile GO TO pie filling recipe. I use it for EVERY fruit pie I make!
- 5 cups of blueberries – they can be frozen or fresh blueberries. If you’re using froze, I suggest thawing and draining the fruit well. Frozen blueberries have extra moisture from the ice crystals and can make your pie too wet, so make sure the berries are thawed and drained well.
- The amount of granulated sugar in the filling is super important: too much and the pie will be weepy. My recipe is specifically formulated to set up.
- This pie uses cornstarch for thickening. While may recipes use flour, I find that cornstarch is better at ensuring a thick pie. The secret to using cornstarch in pie filling is that the filling must boil to activate the cornstarch. The pie is not done until you see those popping bubbles around the edge.
- Lemon juice isn’t necessarily for lemon flavor, but instead freshens the pie and can also be used to temper the sweetness of the pie. If your berries are extra sweet, you can use a little extra to help cut it down (and vice versa) since you cannot alter the sugar amount without affecting the texture of the pie.
- This is my classic crumble topping recipe, except I used all brown sugar for color and a little extra flavor, along with almonds for crunch. I love the combination of sliced almonds with fruit pies, especially blueberry and cherry pie.
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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Dorothy’s Expert Fruit Pie Tips
- I started with a refrigerated pie crust for this pie. Sometimes I feel like baking from scratch and other times I want some help in the kitchen. I also love making my from scratch crust. If you want to make a homemade pie crust, that’s the recipe to use.
- I have used both cornstarch and flour in blueberry pie and I like cornstarch better. I find it solidifies the pie filling much better than flour. You need to use one of them to thicken fruit pie and cornstarch is my #1 pick.
- Be sure to mix the filling right before adding it to the pie crust and baking (or drain it before you add it). The longer the fruit sits with the added sugar, the more the berries will macerate (release their juices) and your pie could be runnier.
- Your pie is not done until you see the filling bubbling around the edges – the boiling activates the cornstarch, ensuring a thick pie filling.
- The secret to avoiding a soggy bottom crust is baking it for 10 minutes at a high temperature (425°F) and then reducing the oven temp to 350°F for the remainder of the bake. This sears the bottom crust and starts it cooking so that the bottom is done when the berries are boiling and the top is golden brown.
Blueberry Crumble Pie
Recipe Video
Ingredients
For the pie filling:
- 1 pie crust , homemade or from a refrigerated pack of two
- 5 cups (approximately 2 lbs) blueberries , fresh or frozen (see note)
- ⅔ cup (134g) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon (15ml) fresh lemon juice
- 4 tablespoons (32g) cornstarch
For the crumble topping:
- ¾ cup (93g) all purpose flour
- 1 cup sliced almonds
- ¾ cup (150g) packed brown sugar
- 6 tablespoons (84g) unsalted butter
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- Unroll pie crust and place in a 9” pie plate. Crimp edges as desired. Chill until ready to fill.
- Make the crumble by combining the nuts, brown sugar, flour and salt in a large bowl. Use a pastry cutter to cut in the butter until the mixture forms small crumbs. Set aside.
- If you're using frozen berries, make sure they're completely defrosted and drained really well.
- Place blueberries in a large bowl. Toss gently with sugar, lemon, and cornstarch.
- Remove crust from the refrigerator and fill with berries. Pour the crumble over the top and press down slightly to compact.
- Place the pie on a cookie sheet to prevent over-spilling onto your oven floor. Tear 2” wide strips of aluminum foil and place them around the outer edge of the crust so it won’t brown too quickly. (Or use a pie crust shield) Bake at 425°F for 10 minutes, then lower the temperature to 350°F for 35-45 more minutes (remove foil from crust about halfway through baking). It’s done when the crust is browned and the topping looks crunchy. Cool completely before slicing.
Recipe Notes
- Use fresh if you have them
- You can use frozen berries but make sure that they’re completely defrosted and they have been drained very well. Any excess water will cause your pie to bet wet.
Recipe Nutrition
How to Make Blueberry Crumble Pie
- Place your bottom crust in your pie plate and crimp edges. Chill while mixing filling.
- Combine the almonds, brown sugar, flour and salt in a large bowl. Use a pastry cutter to cut in the cold butter until the mixture forms small crumbs.
- Add berries, sugar, lemon juice, and cornstarch to a large bowl and toss to coat. Immediately place berries in pie crust and top with crumble.
- Bake pie on a cookie sheet to catch any boiling over mixture. Cover edges with a pie shield so they don’t get too brown during baking.
FAQs
To prevent a soggy bottom and make sure your pie crust is completely baked you need to blast it with heat for 10 minutes. I bake the pie at 425°F for 10 minutes then lower the oven temperature for the rest of the baking. I also recommend using a pie crust shield or strips of foil to keep the edges from browning too much or getting too dry. People don’t like pie crust because it burns and gets dry around the edges! A pie crust shield will fix that.
It’s done when the crumble topping is golden and the pie crust has browned. The filling around the edges will not look runny.
Other pie recipes to try:
- Raspberry Pie would be fantastic with a crumble topping too
- Traditional Blueberry Pie with lattice or double crust
- Peach Pie shows how to do it with any topping
- Crumb Apple Pie is the first pie I ever made!
- The BEST Crumble Topping is the base of this recipe!
- Learn how to make a Lattice Top Pie
- My favorite pie crust uses all butter!
- All my Pie Recipes
I noticed your last name was Kern, which is my last name. I’m from northwest ohio bowling green.Specifically where are you from
My husband’s family is from Colorado and Nebraska 🙂
Made this recipe a few weeks ago and it was amazing. Everyone loved it. This is now my go to recipe. Thank you for sharing it ❤️
I won 2 nd place at my work blueberry pie contest with this recipe. The only difference is instead of cornstarch. I use tapioca, but the crumble was to die for.
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