When you’re faced with a bounty of fresh summer fruit and you have no patience to wait, this quick summer berry pie recipe is the answer. With our Melted Butter Pie Crust, you can go from fresh berries to baked pie in only two hours. The hardest part will be waiting for your pie to cool.
Preheat the oven to 425°F and position a rack on the lowest level. If you have one, place a baking steel or stone on the lowest rack. (See “tips,” below.)
To make the crumb topping: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt. Add the vanilla and almond extract to the melted butter and pour it into the flour mixture, stirring until crumbs form.
Stir in the mini diced ginger or chopped nuts; set aside while you prepare the filling.
To make the berry pie filling: In a large bowl, gently toss the berries with the lemon zest and juice.
In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar, Instant ClearJel or cornstarch, and salt. Add to the fruit mixture and gently mix to evenly coat the fruit.
To assemble the berry pie: Remove the chilled melted butter pie crust from the freezer. Transfer the fruit mixture to the pie crust and top with the crumbs.
Place a sheet of parchment directly on the baking steel or stone; if you don’t have a stone or steel, place the parchment on the lowest rack of the oven. Place the pie on top of the parchment; this will help catch any drips from the pie, protecting the steel, stone, or bottom of your oven.
Bake the berry pie at 425°F for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, place a pie shield or aluminum foil around the edges of the pie and turn the oven temperature down to 375°F.
Bake the berry pie for an additional 45 to 50 minutes, or until the filling near the edges of the pie is bubbling.
Remove the berry pie from the oven and cool before slicing.
Storage information: Store any leftover berry pie, covered, in the refrigerator for several days; freezing is not recommended.
If baking in a glass, ceramic, or stoneware pie pan, skip the baking steel or stone and instead bake the pie on the lowest rack in the oven. (Placing a chilled glass or ceramic pie dish on a hot stone can shatter the pan.)
Frozen berries can be used in place of fresh. For any large berries (like strawberries or cherries), partially thaw, then coarsely chop before mixing as directed. Frozen berries will take longer to bake; bake at 425°F for 20 minutes, then reduce to 375°F for 70 to 80 minutes, or until the edges of the pie are bubbling.
Flour, cornstarch, tapioca, ClearJel… how much thickener should you use? For a practical look at all the options, see our Fruit Pie Thickeners Guide.
Want to temper the sweetness of this pie by reducing its sugar? See how in our blog article, How to reduce sugar in pie.
