This is a showstopping Mixed Berry Pie in a latticed crust! It uses four types of berries in a thick, rich berry filling that is perfectly tart and sweet!
I take my pies very seriously. I am very particular about the level of sweetness, the pairing of the filling and crust and getting that perfect slice.
We actually sell this exact mixed berry pie in the Shop. Our secret five-star recipe with all the tricks of the trade is here for you to make at home!
Sometimes a cold slice of pie from the refrigerator is all you need, but sometimes you want a more elaborate dessert. Adorned this mixed berry pie with a generous scoop of French vanilla ice cream, a spoonful of vanilla crème anglaise, or perhaps you are a rebel and you want that pie with a dollop of lemon curd.
Table of Contents
Tips for the Perfect Mixed Berry Pie
- Precooked Filling: I know, I know. This is an extra step. It feels superfluous, but it isn’t. Precooking the berries allows for some of that moisture to cook out, the flavors to condense and then the tapioca to activate. You can skip it but the pie filling will be looser.
- Chill that Filling! Certainly do not be pouring hot filling it into a beautifully chilled pie crust and expecting flakey, wonderful results. Chill that mixed berry pie filling before adding it to the crust.
- Let’s talk tapioca: I use Bob’s Red Mill tapioca flour. This is what I have tested with all my pie fillings in the Shop. Different brands have different thickening powers and you may need more or less. It is trial and error. There was a Bob’s Red Mill wholesale shortage in 2021. They were dark times. My business partner and I don’t speak of it.
Why use Tapioca Flour as a pie thickener?
- Flavor: Have you ever accidentally eaten plain flour? Eww. The flavor of other thickeners don’t always cook all the way out. Tapioca is flavorless when cooked and even if it isn’t completely cooked. Other root starches have a subtle flavor that I find off-putting.
- Texture: No one wants a gritty pie. I have found that tapioca produces a smoother, silkier filling than even cornstarch!
- Curb-appeal: Yes, flour will thicken your mixed berry pie but it will make it cloudy in appearance. Don’t mute those berry colors! Let them pop!
- Strength & Staying Power: Tapioca has a firm hold that keeps on holding long after other thickeners begin to weep. Cornstarch has a stronger grip but it starts to leach liquid after about 5 days, sometimes sooner the more you use.
Mixed Berry Pie Ingredients
- Mixed Berries: I use a combination of fresh blueberries, blackberries, raspberries and strawberries.
- Lemons: Lemon juice heightens the flavors of the berries and brightens the whole dish! It also tempers some of the sweetness.
- Sugar: I use plain granulated sugar and adjust the amount to the sweetness of the berries.
- Cinnamon: Ground cinnamon is one of the stars in this mixed berry pie. It warms the whole dish and pairs beautifully with the berries. Choose a high quality cinnamon such as saigon or ceylon cinnamon.
- Tapioca: I use tapioca to thicken my fruit pies, because it thickens better than cornstarch and it doesn’t have an off-putting flavor. If you are using pearls make sure they are small pearls and I usually grind them in a spice grinder to make them fine. Let the mixed filling sit for 30 minutes to allow the tapioca pearls to hydrate; however, you don’t have to let tapioca flour sit before baking.
Can I substitute Tapioca Pearls?
Yes, you can substitute tapioca pearls for tapioca flour in fruit pies. I buy small pearls and then grind them in a food processor or a spice mill before using them. This keeps your pie from having those unattractive large clumps of tapioca after baking.
How to use Tapioca Pearls in Mixed Berry Pie
- Grind Them: I suggest that you grind them down to as close a powder as possible for your mixed berry pie. This will make it less likely that you will have visible tapioca pearls in your filling.
- Hydrate: Allow the filling 45 minutes to hydrate. Mix your filling with the pearls, then let it sit in the refrigerator 30 minutes to an hour. The tapioca pearls take longer to absorb moisture than the flour.
- Adjust your ratio: I am not saying it is a one-to-one ratio tapioca pearls to flour. In the Shop we used to use pearls before I got fed up grinding 20 pounds of pearls a week.
Watch my YouTube tutorial on How to lattice a pie crust for step-by-step instructions!
Pastry Chef Tip
Chill that Filling! Do not pour hot filling it into a beautifully chilled pie crust and expecting flakey, wonderful results. Chill that filling before adding it to the crust.
Recipe
Mixed Berry Pie
Ingredients
For the Filling:
- ¾ cup Tristar Strawberries
- 1 ½ cup Blueberries
- 1 cup Raspberries
- 1 cup Blackberries
- ½ cup Sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons Lemon Juice
- 1 Lemon (zested)
- ¼ teaspoon Cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons Tapioca
For the Crust:
- ¼ cup turbinado sugar (optional)
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 double pie crust (Buy from the store, or make from one of the homemade recipes below:)
Instructions
Prepare the Filling:
- In a pot combine all filling ingredients. Cook slowly over low heat until the berries begin to break down and the tapioca is absorbed and no longer visible. This should take at least 15 minutes.
- Turn up the heat and boil the mixture for one minute to begin activating the tapioca.
- Pour out onto a baking sheet lined with plastic wrap or parchment. Cover and cool completely. Can be made one week in advance.
Assemble & Bake Pie:
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Line pie dish with one circle of pie dough. Fill with cooled filling. Top with second pie circle or latticed top and crimp edges decoratively. You can brush tops with heavy cream and sprinkle with turbinado before topping the pies if desired.
- Chill at least an hour before baking.
- Bake in preheated oven for 45-50 minutes or until the filling is bubbling in the center and the pie crust is a dark golden brown.
- Cool completely.
- Serve within a week or wrap and freeze.
Leave a Comment!