Mixed Berry Pie (Made with Frozen Berries) Recipe

No fresh fruit? No problem. Frozen fruit stars in this easy berry pie.

By
Lauren Weisenthal
Lauren Weisenthal is a contributing writer at Serious Eats.
Lauren Weisenthal
Lauren Weisenthal was the author of the Pie of the Week and Sweet Technique columns for Serious Eats. From 2017–2021, she ran a restaurant called The Nightingale in Vinalhaven, Maine.
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Updated June 05, 2023
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Lauren Weisenthal

Why It Works

  • Frozen berries are almost always packaged at the peak of seasonal ripeness, ensuring a more developed fruit flavor no matter the time of year.
  • Chilling the pie before baking keeps the crust cold, resulting in flakier layers.

Frozen berries are a great alternative to fresh for winter baking. Many people fret about whether they should thaw the fruit first, but you don't need to. With the exception of a slightly longer baking time, the results are no different from baking with fresh berries, and the crust actually holds its shape well with frozen berries inside. Feel free to adjust the sugar and cornstarch to your tastes for sweetness and texture; less cornstarch will yield a runny pie, more will give the filling a more jammy texture.

February 2012

This recipe was cross-tested in 2023 and updated with more accurate measurements and instructions to guarantee best results.

Recipe Details

Mixed Berry Pie (Made with Frozen Berries) Recipe

Prep 50 mins
Cook 100 mins
Cooling Time 4 hrs 30 mins
Total 7 hrs
Serves 8 servings

Ingredients

  • 8 ounces granulated sugar (226g; about 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons)
  • 6 tablespoons (2 ounces; 57g) cornstarch  
  • Zest of 1 lemon (about 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons)
  • 24 ounces frozen mixed berries (about 5 1/4 cups; 680g)
  • One recipe Easy Pie Dough, one half rolled 1/8-inch thick and fitted in a 9-inch pie plate, the other rolled out 1/8-inch thick and placed on a floured sheet pan, both lightly covered in plastic wrap and chilled for about 1 hour
  • Egg wash (1 large egg plus a pinch of salt, beaten)
  • Sanding sugar for the top (optional)

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 425°F (220ºC). In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, cornstarch, and lemon zest and set aside. Remove the berries from the freezer and toss them with the sugar mixture to coat them completely. Pour berry mixture into the shaped, chilled pie shell. Cover with the rolled, chilled top crust; trim dough to a 1/2 to 3/4-inch overhang. Fold edges under and crimp as desired to seal. Chill the pie for 20 minutes.

  2. After 20 minutes, remove from the fridge and place on a rimmed baking sheet; brush the top with egg wash, sprinkle with sugar if using, and cut a few slits in the top with a sharp knife. Bake the pie centered on the lowest rack of the preheated oven for 20 minutes, rotating halfway through.

  3. Drop the oven temperature to 375°F (190ºF), and continue baking until the top is golden brown, the bottom is cooked through, and the filling is bubbling up through the slits, about 1 hour 25 minutes; loosely cover edges (and eventually the entire pie) with aluminum foil as needed to prevent excess browning. Let pie cool on a wire rack until filling is set before serving, 2 to 3 hours.

Special equipment

9-inch pie plate, whisk, pastry brush, rimmed baking sheet

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