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Jun 13, 2023

Blackberry Pie With Lattice Crust Recipe

By Tracey Seaman 4.4 (48) Active Time 45 minutes Total Time 2 hours 15 minutes

By Tracey Seaman

4.4

(48)

Active Time

45 minutes

Total Time

2 hours 15 minutes

Homemade blackberry pie tastes like summer, no matter what time of year you bake it. It's fantastic with fresh blackberries in season, but frozen blackberries can do the trick (just don't thaw them before tossing them with the rest of the ingredients).

You’ll use tapioca and cornstarch as thickeners for this blackberry pie recipe. The combination ensures the berry mixture bakes up juicy, not soggy, and beautifully set. But before you start mixing, give your berries a taste. If they’re very sweet, use the smaller amount of sugar suggested below. A little lacking? Boost the sugar to the full amount. This berry pie also gets a dash of lemon juice to keep the filling bright and zippy. While you’re at it, go ahead and include the lemon zest, or add a pinch of cinnamon, cardamom, or a little almond extract to enhance the berries’ flavor even further.

While our go-to pie dough recipe is an all-butter one, the pastry here has a mix of cold butter and shortening. The duo builds an extra-flaky, durable crust that's easier to arrange into the lattice top and holds its shape beautifully. Instead of a traditional egg wash, this recipe calls for brushing the top of the pie with egg whites only, and dusting with sparkling sanding sugar. The resulting pie crust practically shimmers and is tastier than any store-bought version. Serve your homemade blackberry pie warm or at room temperature, topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or lightly sweetened whipped cream.

8 servings

Blend together 2½ cups all-purpose flour, ¾ cup (6 oz.) cold unsalted butter, cut into ½ inch cubes, ¼ cup (2 oz.) cold vegetable shortening, and ½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¼ tsp Morton kosher salt in a medium bowl with your fingertips or a pastry blender (or pulse in a food processor) until most of mixture resembles coarse meal with remainder in small (roughly pea-size) lumps.

Drizzle 4 Tbsp. ice water evenly over and gently stir with a fork (or pulse in processor) until incorporated.

Gently squeeze a small handful: It should hold together without crumbling apart. If it doesn't, add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring (or pulsing) after each addition until incorporated, continuing to test. (Do not overwork dough or it will become tough.)

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 2 portions. With the heel of your hand, smear each portion once in a forward motion to help distribute fat. Gather each portion of dough and form it, rotating on surface, into a disk. Wrap disks separately in wax paper and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour.

Do ahead: Dough can be chilled, wrapped in plastic wrap, up to 1 day.

Place a baking sheet in lower third of oven and preheat oven to 400°F.

Toss together 6 cups blackberries (1¾ lb.), 1–1¼ cups granulated sugar (if berries are very sweet, use the smaller amount), ¼ cup cornstarch, 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted, 2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice, 2 Tbsp. water, and 1 Tbsp. quick-cooking tapioca, ground into a powder in a large bowl. Let stand, tossing occasionally, 20 minutes.

Roll out 1 piece of pie dough into a 14" round and fit into a 9" pie plate (4-cup capacity). Trim edge, leaving a ½" overhang. Chill bottom crust while rolling out top.

Roll out remaining piece of dough into a roughly 16x11" rectangle. Cut crosswise into 11 (1¼"-wide) strips with a fluted pastry wheel or a knife.

Stir berry mixture, then spoon evenly into shell. Arrange strips in a tight lattice pattern on top of filling and trim strips close to edge of pan. Roll up and crimp edge. Brush top and edge with 1 egg white, lightly beaten, and sprinkle all over with 1 Tbsp. coarse sanding sugar or granulated sugar.

Bake on hot baking sheet until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbling, 60–70 minutes. (Check pie after 45 minutes: If edge of crust is browning too quickly, cover edge with aluminum foil or a pie crust shield and continue baking.) Cool completely on a rack before serving with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. Editor's note: This recipe was first printed in the July 2000 issue of ‘Gourmet.’ Head this way for more of our best fruit pies →

How would you rate Blackberry Pie With Lattice Crust?

Leave a Review

I started making this pie in the late summer of 2015, when I started harvesting wild blackberries on my cycling rides all over Washington state. I use Pillsbury pie crusts and wild blackberries, and with my thorn-scratched hands make the most wonderful pie from this recipe. This pie is easy to make, has a gorgeous presentation, and will embarrass you with the number of compliments you receive, considering the amount of time you spent actually making it! Except, of course, the hours spent harvesting. All worth it!

ambershadow

Bellevue, WA

3/14/2016

I made this pie for my crew @ the firehouse & it was a winner! I added nutmeg & small amt of cloves. It was very tasty. I also used less sugar & added Agave sweetener

ChuckandTroy

Washington, DC

7/15/2013

Love this pie! I made it with 1/2 c. maple syrup, no sugar, omitted the water and upped the tapioca to 2 Tblsp, same cornstarch. Works like a charm. I have used both fresh and frozen blackberries (2- 1 lb. bags frozen seems about right). I make the lattice strips 1" wide and that works better for me.

aguralnick

Encinitas, CA

4/28/2013

Doubled the tapioca, eliminated the water. Tried grinding tapioca in food processor, but it didn't really do much to change the texture, so I stirred the filling pretty thoroughly prior to letting it rest AND I let it rest in a warm place outdoors. I figured, those berries being right out of the fridge would be too cold to really saturate the tapioca. Anyway, it worked--not runny at all, and no visible pieces of tapioca in the finished pie! FABULOUS FLAVOR! I used an all butter crust and it remained crispy underneath despite all the juicy berries.I used 2 1/2 times the recipe for a 12" deep dish pie.

Tina_Sanchez

7/30/2012

Tasted great. Could perhaps have a little less sugar. The pie was very watery. Maybe the pie needs to cool much longer. Also, the crust browns very quickly. For other pies, I put the foil on the edges initially and would suggest others do for this pie as well. In addition, the top browned too quickly.

Anonymous

7/17/2012

Pie turned outbeautiful. I prefertapioca as mythickener because itworks well withoutdistracting from thetaste of the fruit. Before using it, Igrind it so that itisn't visible andI'm thinking itmight prevent itfrom getting hardwhen it is close tothe surface of alattice top. Also,I added a touch ofnutmeg andsubstituted lime forlemon, as a matterof preference, likeI do with all of mypies (except apple). Perfecto!

kbmcelhatten

Blue Knob, PA

7/11/2012

Wonderful & easy. I didn't know the tapioca would be visible after cooking, so my only suggestion is to make sure the tapioca is all covered up or it will get hard. Probably everyone else knew that.

flouncyone

va

5/29/2012

Made with mulberries and strawberries combined. 1C sugar plenty. Had issues with the pastry so didn't do the lattice. Husband loved it - he never compliments anything so it must be good!

Anonymous

Beijing

4/8/2012

Blackberry soup encroute! Perhaps myberries (big, fat,ripe, gloriousberries) were justtoo juicy... but thefilling was terriblyrunny. If I try itagain I'll eliminatethe water, up thecornstarch and addsome flour. Seemscriminal to drainoff any of thatgorgeous juice.

GratefulTable

Seattle, WA

8/30/2011

Just a delicious pie. Deep dish, I added 2 extra cups of blackberries and could have added 2 more. Let cool and chill before serving - it is best when completely set. Will make over and over again!

Anonymous

western washington

9/6/2010

Hello lover! That is some good pie. Mostly followed the recipe (added a Tbs of flour to the berries before filling the pie). The filling was the perfect combination of berry gooey, not gummy at all.

disorientasian

PDX

4/4/2010

I used fresh blackberries and aftermaking the pie per instructions thefirst time, the second time I made itadded the extra tapioca and drained theberries even more after they sat for 20minutes. Pie is easy and delicious!

suzannh

Seattle

8/15/2009

I made my own pie crust and screwed it up so I didn't have enough for the lattice top, but this still turned out delicious, I just covered the pie top with aluminum foil before popping it in the oven. I was also baking at a friend's house and didn't have a cookie sheet to put under the pie, just baked in my Pyrex pie dish directly on the oven rack. I didn't use even as much as the minimum sugar called for because it seemed like a LOT when I was tossing the berries (I sliced in a few strawberries with the blackberries for variety), but the sweetness came out perfect. This was easy and delicious, got rave reviews and disappeared really quickly, I will definitely be making it again!

kimlehmkuhl

Oakland, CA

6/7/2009

Made just the way it was stated. I also cooked the bottom crust in the oven prior before adding the filling. Father in-law stated it was the best black bery pie he has ever had. I used fresh blackberries from the farm. it had a bit too much liquid i thought. i would add a little bit more tapioca. loved it myself. no complaints!

candybar4

olathe ks

7/21/2008

Have made this pie many times, I always increase the sugar to 1 3/4 cups, and substitute a tablespoon of flour for the tapioca.

Anonymous

New Liskeard

3/2/2008