A sweet, summery vegan blueberry pie with a rich and flaky vegan butter crust and bright blueberry lemon filling. Great with fresh or frozen blueberries!
Vegan Blueberry Pie
The classic summer pie, made vegan! We’ve added both lemon zest and juice to this recipe to really brighten things up and it’s good. Juicy, bright, and sweet–everything a pie should be.
Our vegan pie crust goes hand in hand with this recipe and it’s a perfect pairing. Slightly like a pâte sablée, it’s a touch short and crumbly, not quite as flaky as an American-style all butter pie crust.
This can be made with fresh or frozen berries (see below) and works well either way. If you have access to fresh blueberries, or better yet, can go pick a bucket yourself, this is the recipe to make with it!
Ingredients
- Frozen or fresh blueberries
- Cane sugar
- Cornstarch
- Lemon
- Neutral oil, like coconut
- Vegan pie dough
Method
You’ll want to make the dough a bit ahead of time so it has some time to chill before rolling it out. If you’re using frozen berries, go ahead and take them out to thaw while you’re at it.
The berries are mixed with sugar, cornstarch, lemon zest, and lemon juice and are placed into the rolled out pie dough, topped with another layer of dough, then baked. Be sure to cut a couple of slits in the top crust, as always, so steam can escape and keep the crust crisp and delicious. Thawing the berries is key because you’re not blind baking.
Top the upper crust with a wash (in this case coconut oil), sprinkle with a bit of extra sugar, and bake. The pie is baked on the lower rack first to help brown and set the base before moving to the middle rack to cook through and brown the top.
As with any fruit pie, it must set it for at least a couple of hours before cutting, or you’ll get too much juice when you cut into it. The finished pie keeps for a couple days, if it lasts that long.
Substitutions
If you want a warmer tasting pie, try a teaspoon of cinnamon in place of the lemon zest. You can also try adding a couple of dashes of food-grade lavender oil for a lavender blueberry pie!
If you want a mixed berry pie, you can switch out half of the blueberries for mixed berries or blackberries. Fresh or frozen doesn’t matter, just keep in mind that some berries (raspberries and strawberries, in particular) will produce more liquid. That’s also why we recommend blackberries if you’re opting for a two-berry pie.
If you prefer to avoid oil for the wash on the outer crust, try plant-based milk instead. The final colour won’t be as golden but it’ll still taste good. And if you’re just dairy-free but can still have eggs, an egg wash is great too.
Just want a blueberry pie and doesn’t need to be vegan? Make it with our all butter pie crust instead!
Fresh vs Frozen
We usually use frozen berries because they’re inexpensive and available year round. If blueberries are in season where you are, then go for fresh! Either will work well.
If you’re using frozen, though, make sure to thaw and drain before adding them to the pie. If you go straight in with frozen, you’ll end up with the dreaded soggy bottom.
Vegan Pie Crust
Our vegan pie crust is made with vegan butter or shortening. If you prefer oil, try this coconut oil based dough from our vegan peach galette –we’ll be updating soon with a coconut oil pie crust.
This dough a touch crumblier and shorter than an all-butter dough, as you can see in the pictures, but still super delicious and a joy to eat. Making it with vegan butter also makes the process very simple and straightforward, just like standard pie dough.
More Delicious Fruit Pies
Apple Rhubarb Pie
Fresh Apricot Pie
Lemon Chess Pie
Granny Smith Apple Pie
More Blueberry Recipes
Blueberry Clafoutis
Sourdough Blueberry Muffins
Vegan Bran Muffins (small batch)
Sourdough Bread Budding with Wild Blueberries
If you make this recipe, let us know by tagging @baked_theblog + #bakedtheblog on Instagram! We love to feel like we’re in the kitchen with you.
Recipe
Vegan Blueberry Pie
Description
Equipment
- Measuring cups and spoons or a digital kitchen scale
- Rolling Pin
- baking sheet
- Mixing bowl
- Zester
- pastry brush
- Pie plate
- sharp knife
Ingredients
- 6 cups blueberries, thawed from frozen or fresh
- ½ cup + 2 tablespoons cane sugar, divided
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- Zest of a lemon
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 batch vegan pie dough, chilled at least 30 minutes
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil, melted
Instructions
- Begin by taking your pie dough out of the fridge. Depending on how cold it is, it might need 10 minutes or so sitting at room temperature to be able to roll.
- Next, adjust the oven racks, placing one on the bottom and one in the middle. Place a baking sheet on each rack and preheat oven to 425°F (220°C).
- In a large bowl toss together the blueberries, ½ cup (100 grams) cane sugar, cornstarch, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Set aside.
- Roll half (one disc) of the vegan pie dough out to fit your pie plate. Place the bottom crust into your pie dish and press gently to fit into the depth of the dish.
- Trim the edges with a sharp knife, leaving about 2.5 cm (1-inch) overhang.
- Transfer the blueberry mixture to the pie plate, making a rough even layer.
- Roll out the second half of the pie dough and place it on top of the blueberry filling.
- Trim the edges again and crimp the ends together to seal the dough. For a more decorative look, make a lattice top. Decorate as desired.
- Brush the pastry with coconut oil and sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons (25 grams) sugar (you might not need all of it).
- Place pie on the lower baking rack in oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the pastry starts to brown and looks partially baked.
- Move the pie to the middle rack and turn down the oven to 375° F (190°C). Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until golden and bubbling.
- Allow pie to cool for 3 hours, or until set, before serving.
Danielle says
Hi! Can you substitute maple syrup for the sugar in this recipe?
Sophie Mackenzie says
Hey Danelle, it should totally work. Try reducing the amount to 1/4 cup maple syrup.