A perfect balance of fruity and sweet, with a flaky and buttery crust. This delicious berry pie will soon be your new favorite!
I love making pies! I just do. It’s a skill that I learned and honed over the years, and once I perfected my pie crust skills, this beautiful mixed berry pie was the first thing I taught myself to make. Over the years, I’ve played around with the recipe, but the one I’m sharing today is certainly my favorite version! You can make any type of berry pie with this recipe – strawberry pie, blueberry pie, blackberry pie, or even a triple berry pie with a mix of your favorite 3 berries. Not only is it versatile and delicious, it’s easy to make too.
Why I love this recipe
I show you how to make this mixed berry pie with frozen berries, so that you can make this pie ANY TIME of the year!While I’ve made a mixed berry slab pie here, you can EASILY adjust this into a classic pie. You can change the filling to incorporate berries that YOU like. The pie crust is an all butter pie crust that tastes AMAZING and is super flaky!You can also use store-bought crust to make the recipe even easier if you prefer (but homemade crust is just so much better!).The pie crust troubleshooting guide will help you perfect your pie crust making skills.This recipe makes the ABSOLUTE BEST juicy mixed berry pie, with the flakiest buttery pie crust! Just look at the pictures.
Which berries to use for this pie
I use a mix of,
StrawberriesRaspberriesBlueberriesBlackberries
Technically, blueberries are the only botanical berry in this list, but let’s save the argument about which ones are actual berries for later, shall we? You can use this recipe to substitute the berries with just one or two types of berries that you like, if you prefer. Just make sure to use the correct weight (of berries), not the volume. You can also use a combination of just three berries to make a delicious triple berry pie as well.
Ingredients to make a mixed berry pie
You can follow the recipe in the recipe card below for a pie crust for a slab pie, OR you can follow the recipe in my classic pie crust recipe for a classic double crust pie dough as well. Double the slab pie crust to make a mixed berry slab pie in a 13 x 9 inch baking tray. If you prefer to buy premade pie crust, you can do that too. For a classic pie, you will only need TWO pie crusts, but for a slab pie you will need double the amount (i.e. FOUR pie crusts) AND a little imagination to line a baking tray with the pie crust (i.e. because you may need to cut and patch the pie crusts to fit a quarter sheet pan for a slab pie). If you do make your own, I encourage you to read my post on making pie crusts to get some fantastic tips on ensuring perfect results. Use a combination of berries you like. The only condition is that the berries should weigh 3.5 lbs (1500 – 1600 g) total. I use strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries here. Fresh berries are obviously ideal, BUT this absolutely can be made with frozen berries as well. I use granulated white sugar for this recipe. The citric acid in lemon adds a lovely sourness. This brightens the natural flavors of the berries, creating a more flavorful mixed berry pie. Cornstarch acts as the thickener for the filling. The juices from the berries need to be thickened so that they don’t make the pie crust soggy.
How to make a classic mixed berry pie (or slab pie)
Make the pie crust
The first step is to make the pie crust. Since I created a whole post about how to make perfect pie crust, I won’t go into detail about that here. But I do encourage you to go and check out that post if you’re having trouble making homemade pie crust.
Keep all the ingredients (especially butter) cool, at all times. Refrigerate the dough ANY TIME you need to – i.e. when the butter is softening OR if the dough is shrinking while rolling it out. Keep the butter pieces large for a flakier pie crust. Add less water than you think you need. Dry spots in the dough are GOOD! Too much water can cause too much gluten to develop in the pie crust. Do not stretch the dough to fit it inside the pie plate or baking tray, as this can lead to shrinking.
For a 9 – 9.5 inch pie plate, you will need to make a pie crust from about 400 g of flour. To make a mixed berry slab pie, you will need a 9 x 13 inch baking tray (quarter sheet pan), and you will be making dough with 700 g flour. Let the dough chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours or overnight before rolling it out for the pie. Roll out one portion of the dough to a thickness of 3 mm. Use this portion to line the bottom of the baking dish and keep it covered until you are ready to fill it with the mixed berry pie filling. Roll out the second portion of dough for the top crust, and keep it covered in the fridge as well. Also remember to preheat the oven for at least 30 minutes before baking the pie! Make sure to keep a baking tray in the bottom third of the oven, as this is where the pie will be placed when baking.
Making the mixed berry pie filling
This is not a cooked filling, so it comes together quickly. That’s why it’s important to have the pie crust and pie dish ready to go before you make the pie filling. To make the absolute BEST berry filling for the pie, I like crush a little portion of the fresh berries to give the final filling a delicious jam-like texture. About 1/3 of the berries is crushed with half of the sugar, and mixed with the lemon zest and juice. The other 2/3 of the berries are also mixed with the rest of the sugar, but they are kept whole. After 15 minutes, mix in the cornstarch and both the crushed and whole berries, and pour this into the prepared pie crust.
How to use frozen berries instead of fresh berries for this recipe
You can absolutely make this pie with frozen berries. However, since frozen berries are MUCH softer than fresh berries, the final result will be more jammy, since the berries will break down faster as they bake. This is a plus for anyone who prefers a mixed berry or triple berry pie that has a jam-like filling! In contrast to other recipes, I do not recommend using berries straight from the freezer. These berries have a little excess water from the ice. So they need to be prepped the night before.
Preparing and baking the pie
Preheat the oven to 425 F. Place the oven rack in the bottom third of the oven and place a baking tray on top. Now the berries are ready to be used for the pie filling. Since these berries will break down faster than fresh berries, you don’t even have to crush 1/3 of it with the sugar! When the mixed berry pie filling is ready, place the filling inside the pie crust lined pie plate or baking tray. Next, use the top crust to cover the top of the pie. You can either cover the whole surface OR opt for a lattice crust as well (as I’ve done in the pictures here). Seal the top crust and bottom crust and trim the edges. Tuck in the edges and then crimp them. Let the pie rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes while the oven preheats. Once the oven is preheated, brush the top of the pie with the egg wash, and sprinkle raw sugar over the surface. Place the pie on the preheated baking tray in the oven. Lower the heat to 350 F and bake for 40 – 50 minutes for a slab pie, and 50 – 65 minutes for a 9 inch pie plate, until the crust turns a beautiful golden brown in color. Remove the pie from the oven and let it cool to room temperature. It’s OK if the pie is a little warm, but do NOT cut into the pie while it’s still quite hot. The mixed berry fruit filling needs to cool down and set a little, so that cutting is easier. Otherwise the filling will gush out of the pie as you cut slices.
Serving suggestions
This beautiful and easy mixed berry pie is PERFECT on its own. But you can also serve it with,
Vanilla ice creamWhipped creamClotted creamWarm pouring custard (especially if the pie is cold).
Storage instructions
This pie tastes best within the first 24 hours, at room temperature. You can also keep it at room temperature for up to 2 days, in an air-tight container. If you want to store the pie for longer, I recommend storing the pie in the fridge for up to 7 days. The crust will get soggier and won’t taste as good over time, so I like to warm it in the oven for a little bit before eating after storing it in the fridge. You can also freeze the baked pie as well. To freeze this pie, bake and completely cool the pie to room temperature. Then wrap the pie with plastic wrap and place it in a freezer bag. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Let the pie thaw to room temperature before eating.
Tips for making this easy berry pie
I love this berry pie as a slab pie! I love that I can cut nice big squares of the pie, and I love the filling to crust ratio here as well. Double the pie crust and filling to make a HUGE berry slab pie in a 13 x 9 inch baking tray (half sheet pie). Keep the pie dough nice and cold throughout the whole process of making and rolling the crust. This will ensure lovely flaky results. Make this with at least 3 types of berry for a triple berry pie so that you get all the flavors of those delicious berries. But you can absolutely use just 1 or 2 berry types as well. If you’re using frozen berries, let the berries thaw out in the fridge on a paper towel (or cloth napkin, but this will stain). This will remove the excess water in the berries. Smush some of the berries to get a mixture of jammy and whole berries. Bake in the lower third of the oven, WITH a preheated baking tray to prevent a soggy pie bottom. In my oven, this is the rack that is above the bottom-most rack, but your oven could be a little different.
