This AIP Blueberry Pie is straight blueberries enhanced with just lemon and vanilla. Good pie needs little else! You will need fresh or frozen blueberries or try a combination of berries. And because there's no point in pie filling without the crust, I've included my cassava crust instructions in the recipe card below.
About This AIP Blueberry Pie Recipe
Cultivating timelessness is something I strive for in my adult life, so when my family lost all sense of time picking blueberries in the mountains of Alaska, hours passed like minutes again as it once did for me as a girl. We foraged until we had a gallon of blueberries and crow berries (tart and less flavorful than blueberries) combined and I decided to fire up the oven and make pie.
Jump to:
Wild blueberries vary in size and have a slightly tarter flavor than the blueberries you find in the produce section. When making this pie, go ahead and taste the filling and increase the amount of honey called for in the recipe if you want a sweeter pie.
Why This Recipe Works:
Pre-cooking the blueberry filling ensures that the final texture will be thick and not runny with excess juices. Arrowroot starch acts as a thickener as well, so any liquid becomes gel-like and the texture improves even more after refrigeration.
How to Make An AIP Crust
AIP crust is actually do-able and this one is pretty close to perfect. Surprisingly, you only need cassava flour and a few pantry staples. If you're new to Cassava flour, a lot of resident AIPers swear by Otto's brand, but I personally am a fan of this one.
Just like traditional crust-making, you need a pastry cutter to cut the palm shortening into the flour (though if you don't own one, you can actually make crust in the food processor).
**If you'd like to skip the crust and make this into a cobbler instead, you could use the topping I share in my strawberry-rhubarb crisp.
Ingredient Substitution Tips: Please try this recipe with palm shortening (since I've tested it). If you are allergic or only have lard (animal-based) or coconut oil (plant-based) on hand, you should try those since they are similarly solid at room temperature and can create a tender, somewhat flaky texture.
Based on my experiences working with those fats, you might find that the crust needs to be pressed by hand (as opposed to rolling it out). Also, you might notice more cracking when you go to serve it (as opposed to the crust holding together).
What do I do if the crust tears?
You can use oiled fingers to smooth over cracks. You can see that my crust is far from perfect, which is just fine with me. It just shows that it is, in fact, handmade and not storebought.
When making the crust, you do not need to pre-cook the crust. You will pre-cook the filling though which removes some moisture and thickens the filling so your crust won't get overly saturated during the baking process.
As you can see, this is actually a blueberry pie with a few strawberries added. I love how the berries maintain their shape and are visible! Don't crush your berries!
See? Beautiful intact berries.
Serving Ideas
I love a warm slice of pie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream (AIP version). If you are serving this pie as-is, I'd recommend serving it room temperature or chilled on a chilled plate because the pie is easier to cut into pretty slices when it's cold. Another option is to make vanilla flavored coconut whipped cream and serve with a dollop of that on top. Enjoy your pie!
This recipe is based on my own memorized all-berry pie recipe (the filling) and the crust is an adaptation from Wendi's AIP Kitchen where I have made a few suggestions and changes based on my training in pastry-making (ex. adding coconut milk in the last few minutes of baking and the option to use a food processor).
Blueberry Pie {AIP, Paleo}
Equipment
- 1 9" pie tin
Ingredients
Cassava Pie Crust:
- 1 ½ cups cassava flour 225 grams
- ¾ teaspoon sea salt *plus an extra pinch
- 1 tablespoon gelatin
- ¾ cup solid palm shortening (do not melt)
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 ½ tablespoons ice cold water
Blueberry Filling:
- 6 cups blueberries* fresh or frozen
- ¼ cup honey or maple syrup (taste and add more if you like)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ cup arrowroot starch flour
- 2 tablespoons water for the slurry
- 1 lemon finely zested (yellow part only) then halved and juiced
- coconut milk optional for brushing
Instructions
- Make the crust. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the cassava flour, salt, and gelatin. Use a pastry cutter using a pressing up and down motion to cut in the palm shortening. After several minutes, it will come together like cookie dough (note: if it looks dry, keep cutting). Add the vinegar and cold water. Working with quick hands, gather to form a dough ball but avoid working the dough any more than that as you don't want to melt the fat with your warm hands.
- Roll dough. Place the dough between two sheets of parchment and with a rolling pin, press down and roll outward. Turn and repeat until you achieve a thickness of ⅛" or about 12" in diameter to account for the sides of your pie dish. Slowly remove the parchment and place the inverted pie tin on top, flip quickly but gently. Use your fingers to smooth any cracks and crimp the top. Poke holes in the crust with a fork and refrigerate.
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Pre-cook the berries in a pot--combine the blueberries, honey, vanilla and salt. Set heat to medium-low. In a ramekin, create a slurry out of arrowroot starch and water. Stir to combine then add to the pot. Bring to a simmer and stir gently being careful not to break too many berries. Note: Arrowroot will only thicken if brought to a simmer.
- Remove from the heat after you see bubbles forming and add the lemon juice and zest. Stir and pour the berry mixture into the pie shell. Bake for 30 minutes. Brush the top with coconut milk (if using) and return to the oven. Continue baking until you see the blueberry filling get bubbly. Cool on the counter for 1 hour then cover and refrigerate.
- To slice, use a knife and offset spatula. Consider topping with AIP ice cream!
sara says
Flavor and texture surpassed my expectations. This will be my new pie recipe.