I love this mixed berry pie with frozen berries because it can easily be made year-round. Frozen berries are cooked and thickened before baking, to prevent your pie filling from being runny. The sweet and slightly tart berry pie filling is encased in a flaky, buttery pie crust for pie perfection.
I love making homemade pies with fresh fruit. We go blueberry picking each year, so I can make my annual pie made with freshly picked blueberries. But local fresh fruit isn't always available throughout the year. And berry picking doesn't usually start here in Oregon until July.
But that doesn't mean you have to wait to eat homemade pie! Let me show you how to make a delicious berry pie with frozen berries, any time of the year. And if you have a bumper crop of berries in the summer, read my tips on how to freeze berries so you can bake this pie in the Fall or Winter.
I recommend this mixed berry pie with frozen berries for beginner bakers, because it's easy and virtually foolproof. The filling becomes firm, so it doesn't come oozing out when you try to slice into it. And the 3 ingredient homemade pie crust is flaky, buttery, and flavorful.
This recipe works because the pie filling is cooked before it goes into the crust. This ensures that the berry filling achieves the perfect soft yet firm texture. Happy baking!
Ingredients
Flaky Pie Crust
- All purpose flour - creates an elastic dough that's easy to roll and shape.
- Salt - enhances the other flavors in the buttery crust
- Ground cinnamon - optional; adds a warm, spiced flavor to the crust
- Unsalted butter - cut your butter into small cubes and keep it cold in the fridge to make sure it doesn't melt out
- Ice cold water - use ice cold water to prevent butter in your pie dough from softening or melting
- Egg - an egg is used for the egg wash to get a beautiful golden color on the crust
Berry Pie Filling
- Frozen berries - I usually use a mix of raspberries, blackberries, blueberries and strawberries; any frozen berries will work
- Lemon juice and lemon zest - adds a tangy, citrus flavor that goes well with berries
- Ground cinnamon - adds a warm, spiced flavor
- Granulated sugar - sweetens the pie filling
- Cornstarch - thickens the pie filling so it doesn't all pour out when you slice your pie
My Tips for a Flaky Crust and Jammy Filling
- Keep the butter cold at all times. At all costs, do not let the butter in your pie crust get warm and soft. Or worse, melt. Or worse, expelled. (Sorry, had to for my fellow Harry Potter fans.) If the butter starts to soften or become warm, pop your dough in the fridge for 15 minutes to allow the butter to cool and become firm again. We want it cold & hard when it hits the oven so water in the butter turns to steam, which is the key to those beautiful flaky layers rather than a tough, crumbly crust or pools of melted butter that leak out.
- Use ice cold water in the pie dough. If you use room temperature or warm water, it could soften the butter in your pie crust.
Recipe Variations
- Pie Crust: You can use a store bought pie crust instead of making one from scratch.
- Fresh Berries: You can use fresh berries in the pie filling if you don't have frozen berries.
- Ice Cream: Serve your pie with a side of vanilla ice cream for pie a la mode!
Storing
- Fridge - Cover cooled pie loosely with plastic wrap, or store individual slices in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Allow your pie to cool completely, or else moisture will collect on the plastic wrap and cause your pie to turn soggy. - Freezer - You can freeze this pie unbaked or baked. First, place it in the freezer for one to two hours uncovered. Once it's hard, wrap it in plastic wrap then in aluminum foil. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- If you froze an unbaked pie, bake from frozen and add more time as needed to the total baking time until the pie is fully cooked.
- If you froze a baked pie, thaw it in the fridge overnight, then reheat it before serving.
- Reheat - To reheat individual pie slices, wrap them separately in aluminum foil. Place them in a cold oven and turn on the oven to 375°F. After the oven is preheated, leave slices in the oven for 5 additional minutes. Carefully unwrap and enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to thaw frozen berries before baking them into a pie?
Since this pie filling is cooked before adding it into the pie crust, you don't need to thaw frozen berries. Just pour your frozen berries with the other ingredients into a saucepan and cook them.
Do I have to cook a pie filling before baking it?
As fruit thaws, it releases a lot of moisture and juice. To avoid this happening while your pie is in the oven, causing a mushy or runny pie, cook your berries before adding them as a pie filling. This way, you can control the texture of the pie filling for a perfectly baked pie each time.
How do I bake a pie with frozen berries?
I've gotten the best results from my pies when I cook the fruit on the stove until it's warmed through. Then add cornstarch and bring everything to a boil for a minute. As the filling cools to room temperature, it thickens an incredible amount, ensuring the ideal berry filling.
What type of fat should I use in pie crust?
I think unsalted butter with a high fat content makes the best pie crust. Unsalted butter allows you to control the exact amount of salt you're adding to your pie crust. And a higher fat content means there's less moisture in your butter. Therefore, the butter will remain solid a bit longer in the oven, creating an even flakier pie crust.
Mixed Berry Pie with Frozen Berries
developed & tested by:
Equipment
Ingredients
Flaky Pie Crust
- 4 cups all purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup unsalted butter, cubed and cold in the fridge (2 sticks)
- ½ - 1 cup ice cold water
- 1 egg (for the egg wash, applied just before baking)
Berry Pie Filling
- 32 ounces frozen berries (I use a mix of raspberries, blackberries, blueberries and strawberries)
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup cornstarch
Instructions
Make the Pie Crust
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and cinnamon.
- Toss the cold cubed butter into the dry mixture. Squeeze each piece of butter between your fingers and your thumb to flatten and break it down a bit. The butter pieces should roughly be the size of half a walnut.
- Add the ice cold water one tablespoon at a time and mix with a fork until it holds its shape when squeezed in the palm of your hand.
- Divide the dough into a larger disc and a slightly smaller disk. Wrap both discs individually in plastic cling wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Make the Pie Filling
- On medium heat in a large saucepan, cook the berries, lemon juice, lemon zest, cinnamon and granulated sugar for about 10 minutes, until the berries release their juice.
- Stir in the cornstarch and increase the heat to high. Boil for one minute, then remove the saucepan from the heat. Let cool to room temperature to thicken fully.
Assemble and Bake the Pie
- Grease a 10-inch pie dish. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out the larger pie disc until it will fit into your pie dish. You can measure if it's big enough by turning the pie dish upside down above your rolled-out pie crust.
- Gently transfer the pie crust into the pie dish. I find it easiest to roll my pie crust onto my rolling pin, then unroll it directly into the pie dish.
- Pour the thickened room-temperature berry filling into the pie crust. Store it in the fridge again while you prepare the top pie crust.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out the smaller disc of pie crust. Use cookie cutters to cut out shapes from the pie crust.
- Add the cut-out shapes of pie crust on top of the pie filling.
- Whisk the egg in a small bowl, then brush onto the pie crust.
- Bake for 20 minutes at 400°F, then reduce the temperature to 375°F and bake for another 45 to 60 minutes, until the crust is golden. Allow the pie to cool for at least 30 minutes, then slice up and enjoy!
Notes
- Cornstarch needs to come to a boil for one minute to activate its thickening powers, so don't skip this step! Otherwise your pie filling might be runny.
- Use ice cold water in the pie dough. If you use room temperature or warm water, it could soften or melt the butter in your pie crust.
- Mix the pie dough with a fork just until it holds its shape when you squeeze it in your hand. You don't want to overwork your pie dough, which could cause it to be tough.
Vera says
Definitely put it on a pan lined with foil. It bubbled over. Looks and smells delicious. I used turkey and leaf cookie cutters for the top crust. I used refrigerated pie crust. Very easy.
Yum-number1 says
This would be call a “seafood†pie 😉
Humbly Homemade says
That just sounds gross! 😂 Or actually, you might be on to something... chicken pot pie is amazing. Hmmm, stay tuned! ðŸŸðŸ˜œ
Markus + Micah says
In love with the cut-outs!
Humbly Homemade says
Hehe thank you!! 🟠My family kept making fun of my cookie cutter choice, calling it a "seafood pie"! Lol
Jessica says
Cutest cut out crust ever!
Humbly Homemade says
Thank you so much!! ðŸ˜
Jessica says
You're welcome.
infinitelyadaydreamer says
Oh my goodness, this looks incredible! x
Humbly Homemade says
Thank you so much! 😄 It was a labor of love, that's for sure! 🥧