Sweet Raspberry Pie Recipe

Raspberry pie! Summer fruit pies are the best! Pumpkin pie and apple pie are great fall pies for Thanksgiving but I love the Summer pies, like raspberry and strawberry rhubarb, apricot, and peach! All delicious and will impress family and friends at your summer gathering.

Ingredients For Raspberry Pie

Raspberries 

You can use fresh or frozen berries both are delicious. If you use frozen be sure to thaw the berries. This recipe calls for 5 cups of raspberries, I thaw out 7 cups and then measure them again once they are thawed. Thaw them out in a colander in the sink or with a bowl underneath them. They will release a lot of water and juice. Although you do want juicy raspberries, too much juice can cause your pie to be runny.

Sugar   

The recipe calls for 1 cup sugar, if you prefer your pie to be real tart you can reduce this amount by 1/2 or if you want a extra sweet pie you can up it by 1/2 a cup. Honey or maple syrup are also great alternatives sweeteners. 1/2 – 3/4 of a cup will do the trick for this pie. I actually prefer to sweeten my raspberries with honey.

Cornstarch

Cornstarch is our thickening agent. It will help thicken the juices, along with the sugar, to create more of a sturdy syrup like pie filling. You can also substitute cornstarch with all purpose flour. Flour has a little bit of undesired flavor to it that some people notice. You need a little more flour to accomplish the same result that cornstarch accomplishes with less.

Lemon Juice and Zest  

Zest one lemon and then use about 2 table spoons or 1/2 a lemon juice. The lemon juice and zest adds a subtle tangy but bright flavor. Making the raspberries taste fresh even after they are baked.

Honey (optional)   

I like to drizzle a little honey on top of the filling once I’ve poured it into the pie pan and then again on top of the crust. You don’t need much and it’s completely optional. I think it adds a little bit more of a richer sweet flavor to each bite.

How To Make A Raspberry Pie

1. If using frozen berries, thaw in a colander and remove excess juices. You don’t need to try to get rid of all the juice, frozen berries just hold on to a lot of extra water that can make your pie extra runny. We love the juice just not too much.
2. Once thawed and drained mix together with the sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice and zest. It helps to mix the sugar and cornstarch together first before adding the berries. This way the cornstarch doesn’t get too clumpy.
3. Pour into your prepared pie crust and drizzle your honey on.
4. Add the top pie crust. I like to use the lattice design giving lots of opportunity for steam to escape from the fruit. You don’t have to use that design just make sure you cut a few steam hole on top.
5. Bake in a preheated oven at 425 degrees for 10 minutes then reduce the heat to 375 degrees for another 35 minutes or until the top of the crust is golden brown. Baking the pie at a high temperature when you first put it it will help cook the bottom of the crust faster, creating lots of beautiful steam pockets from the quickly melting butter resulting in a flaky, tender crust. Be sure to reduce the heat, because if you don’t your crust will start to burn and it will be all for not.

Tip: If you are getting runny pies you can cook the filling on the stove top before baking it. Just mix together your filling ingredients and cook and simmer on your stove until it reaches you desired thickness. Let cook completely before adding it to your pie crust. If you put it in your pie crust hot it will melt the butter in the crust without getting it hot enough to create the steam pockets you need for a flaky crust.

Pie Crust

This recipe calls for 2 pie crusts, one for the bottom of the pan and one for the top of the pie. You can use a store bought pie crust for this recipe or you can make your own. You can find my favorite Perfect Pie Crust recipe and instructions here along with 5 tips on how to get a great crust every time.

---