Made you pie! Delicious gluten-free vegan blueberry pie, no less! Hands up: who wants a slice?
About a week ago Amanda from the beautiful HeartBeet Kitchen blog inspired me with her delicious recipe for gluten-free waffles with blueberry cardamom sauce. But my waffle maker is MIA at the moment, plus the recipe had eggs {so nevermind...}, and yet those saucy blueberries looked so good! I had a huge bag of frozen wild blueberries on hand I've been saving for a pie, and I could already hear the blueberry cardamom spiced pie beckoning...
So inspired as I was, off to work I went and ended up with this beauty. And no lie, I'm pretty sure this is the first time in years {!} I've tasted a gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free pie crust that tasted real. Like really REAL, ya know?
Pie crusts are always tough for me. There's something terrifying about transferring a rolled out crust into a pan. I know it's normal to get rips and tears in the process even with traditional dough, but just the possibility of that happening bothers me. It's like I'm scared it'll crumble or tear beyond repair in the process -- even though it hardly ever happens, I still get pretty tense every time I make a pie... Anyone else feels that way? I'm really not sure where this "perfect crust" pressure came from. In fact, I'm pretty sure the whole beauty of a pie as a dish is that it's meant to be rustic, simple, homely. Still, I get tense. So I hereby present to you a pie crust that requires no rolling. No chance of it breaking, crumbling, or collapsing. It's the easiest crust in the world {and easiest pie altogether for that matter}. Yet it's as REAL as it gets. And it's as delicious as it looks!
So roll up your sleeves and let's get to it! ;)
PrintGluten-Free Vegan Blueberry Pie
Juicy, sweet vegan blueberry pie made with a simple gluten-free pie crust. Classic dessert without the dairy or refined sugar.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 9" pie
- Category: Pie
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Dessert
Ingredients
Crust:
- 2¼ cups of my gluten-free flour blend {Combine 1¼ cups brown rice flour, ½ cup tapioca starch, ½ cup sweet sticky rice flour, ½ teaspoon guar gum} {or if using store-bought, I highly recommend using just 2 cups of Pamela's Artisan Flour Blend}
- 1 cup non-dairy butter
- 6-8 tablespoon cold water
- 3 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla
- ¼ tsp almond extract
- pinch of salt
Filling:
- 4 cups blueberries {I used frozen wild blueberries}
- ½ cup maple syrup
- 1 tbsp tapioca starch {see notes on thickening options}
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp allspice
- ⅛ tsp cardamom {optional -- I used ½ teaspoon personally, but please see notes first}
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Oil a 9" pie plate and set aside.
- Place all pie crust ingredients into a food processor {start with 6 tablespoon water, and only add more if dough is too dry} and process until the mixture somewhat forms into a ball. Scoop everything out and transfer into the prepared pie plate. Use your hands to press the dough into a pie base shape, spreading it everywhere evenly and making sure there are no rips or tears anywhere. Shape the edges to look pretty {I just crimped it down with my fingers to create a subtle wavy effect}. Set aside aside.
- Place all filling ingredients into a mixing bowl and toss to combine. Pour into the prepared pie crust.
- Bake in a preheated oven for 40 minutes {until the edges are lightly golden}. Remove and allow the pie to cool on a wire rack. If you love your pie hot, dig in {it will be saucy!}, or place it in the fridge once it has cooled a little and it will firm up by the morning. It's delicious either way -- enjoy it whatever way you like!
Notes
A note on thickening: I like my pie a little runny, so I used very little thickener here {only 1 tablespoon tapioca}. I also chill my pie though, which helps it set {chilled this one overnight}. My first slice was a tad runny, but the rest of the slices were clean and easy to serve. If you want your pie firmer/slice neater, here are 2 options: 1. increase the tapioca to ¼ – ⅓ cup or 2. add 2 tablespoon agar agar flakes to the blueberry mixture and when the pie is ready chill it in the fridge for at least a few hours for it to set. Both techniques worked well for me in the past.
A note on the cardamom: I used ¼ a teaspoon cardamom in my pie and I was absolutely in love with it. I know it's a strong flavor though and I got some mixed reactions on it -- my friends were evenly divided on the verdict. Those that loved it, LOVED it, and those that didn't like the cardamom were vehemently opposed to it in the pie. Personally, I had a hard time keeping away from it, but I do understand the reaction -- I have my anti-cardamom moments too {like when it kept being added to my coffee against my will while traveling in Greece... Or when you accidentally bite into a pod in an Indian dish... So you see, I get it. But I still thought it was delicious in this pie!}.
So, I leave it entirely up to you. If you want to play it safe and are unsure about the cardamom, leave it out {maybe up the cinnamon by ½ a teaspoon instead}. If you like to live dangerously -- then give cardamom a chance :). Or go half way and only add a teensy pinch and see how it goes. Either way -- it's still blueberry pie, and it'll be delicious no matter what way you go! :)
Sara Smith says
I have to add another comment about runny pie. I tried the tablespoon on tapioca starch. Cooked it and put it in the refrigerator overnight. It was so runny that I added granola on top and cooked it again. Still runny. Like eating a crumble. I think the way I did it before with cooking and mashing half the blueberries works better. I pick these blueberries and wait all year to have a gluten free blueberry pie for thanksgiving. This was a total wreck.
Audrey says
Hi Sara, sorry it didn't work out for you, but thank you for sharing your experience. It's always good to hear what works and what doesn't for folks visiting the site.
Emily Keef says
This came out AWESOME! I made a few modifications, 1.) I only used this recipe for the blueberry filling as I had a pre made crust, however am going to try this crust recipe next time !. 2.) I did not have tapioca flour , so instead used cassava flour, which can often be substituted. I used about 1/3 - 1/2 ish of a cup, and the consistency came out VERY gooey, just how I love to have my blueberry pie . I omitted the cardamom as I was going for more of a cinnamon vibe. This was an tasty recipe !! Thank you
★★★★★
Audrey says
Thanks so much for sharing your swaps, Emily. I'm glad you enjoyed the filling!
Pat McKeen says
The recipe didn't work out for me either. I added 1/4 cup of tapioca starch to the filling and it is still watery after being in the fridge overnight. The filling ingredients taste great though.
★★
Audrey says
Hi Pat, thank you for sharing your experience and sorry it didn't work out for you.
Theresa says
Blueberry soup in a crust. Filling never formed up even though I added 1/3 cup of tapioca. I recommend cooking the filling until thickened before putting it into the crust.
I would not make this pie again.
★
Audrey says
Hi Theresa. Thanks for your feedback and sorry it didn't work out for you. Was the pie runny for you even after refrigerating it overnight? For me I find that the filling firms up just right at that point.
Mia says
Are there any substitutuons to vegan butter that are still healthy?
Audrey says
Hi Mia, you can use coconut oil, but then make sure to use room temperature water instead of iced water to make sure the coconut oil doesn't harden too much and make the dough difficult to work with. I'd also add a pinch more salt because vegan butter tends to be on the salty side.
Megan says
This is my kids favorite pie in the world. I just made two of the for Thanksgiving! Thank you!
Audrey says
Thanks so much for sharing, Megan. Best feedback ever :) So happy your little ones are enjoying it.
GardenMaker says
I made this amazing pie last night with wild huckleberries picked on Mt. Adams in WA. When I mixed the crust ingredients in the food processor, it didn't turn into a ball, but into a frosting like consistency. I knew that wasn't right and wanted to put a top crust on the pie anyway, so I doubled the dry ingredients and added no additional wet ingredients and threw it all into a bowl and mixed it up with a fork which broke up all of the mushy bits into a fantastic new crust. I pressed 1/2 of the mixture into the prepared pie pan and rolled the rest on a piece of parchment and flipped it onto the pie which I made with the larger amount of tapioca starch to keep the filling firmer.
the result was more like a shortcake/biscuit or cookie texture to the crust which held up well to the huckleberries and vanilla ice cream. It was a hit at my friend's birthday party.
Audrey says
Thanks so much for the lovely feedback and for sharing what worked for you. Glad it got "rescued" into a party success :)
Tam says
I made the pie according to the directions, but I'm trying to figure out what went wrong. I used fresh berries and the tapioca in the filling but it turned out very soupy. After it chilled in the fridge overnight, a hardened layer of butter coated the top. I made sure my crust ingredients were very cold, but the dough was moist and sticky. Did I add a little too much water maybe? I started with the 6 TBS and didn't add any more. It was soupy and looked gross but it tasted amazing so we just ate it with spoons. I will be making this again because it was so good, but would like to know how to make it better next time.
Audrey says
Hi Tam. Thanks very much for your feedback, and sorry the pie didn't turn out exactly as expected.
It does sound like somehow there was too much water in the dough, and since water and oil tend to separate from one another, it seems like that's what might have caused the butter to separate out of the crust and float up to the top. The dough shouldn't be too sticky, so if it seems like that just add a bit more flour next time.
If you're interested, you can also try an alternative pie crust I love much more these days, which is from this recipe, for example (though I have other variations with the same crust on the blog). Just note that recipe is for a tiny pie, so you'll need to quadruple it for a 9" pie size.
Barbara Culleen says
Can you tell me the nutritional information?
Audrey says
Hi Barbara. Sorry, I don't track nutritional information for each recipe, so don't have any handy to offer for this pie. However you can use a variety of free online calculators to get all the details you need. In the FAQ section on this site (in the top menu) there's a link to one I can recommend as easy to use.
Caitlin says
Can you put the crust on top as well?
Audrey says
Hi Caitlin, this crust works differently to a typical "roll-out" crust, so it probably won't work great as a pie covering (because you shape the crust in this recipe directly in the pan).
Megan says
Made this pie for Thanksgiving and got requests for it for Christmas! It's in the oven!
★★★★
Audrey says
Yay, that's amazing! Thanks so much for the feedback, Megan -- and glad everyone liked it :)
Ella Cattani says
Can you freeze the pie before baking for another time?
Audrey says
Hi Ella, yes, that shouldn't be a problem.
Nkechi says
I just made your pie this evening!!! I have been dairy free for about a month now and missed pie so bad! I forgot to buy tapioca, but I went ahead and made it anyway.
The crust was delicious and the filling was yummy! I like my pie runny so didn't mind the absence of tapioca.
Will be making more pie in the future thanks to your awesome recipe!
Audrey says
Thanks so much for the lovely feedback, Nkechi. So glad you enjoyed this recipe :)
D L says
Cardamom is used as an Ayurvedic remedy against caffeine/theobromine toxicity. It is used in Afghan coffee, too...
Audrey says
Interesting! Thank you for sharing. I wonder if that's why they sometimes add it in Turkish or Greek coffee as well? I never considered that it might be for a "secret" health reason. Very clever, if that's the case.
Hannah Leigh says
I am gluten intolerant and haven't had the chance to have pie in a really long time. I have been searching for a good pie recipe and finally found it! It was super easy and I already had most of the ingredients. It's nearly impossible to find gluten free and vegan recipes that are delicious, but this one definitely makes the cut! Thanks for posting!
★★★★★
Audrey says
So so happy to hear you enjoyed it, Hannah! Makes me super happy :) Thank you for sharing!
Shawn Huetter says
What is the size of the pie pan? and does that crust recipe make more than whats needed? looking to add lace to the top!
Audrey says
Hi Shawn,
Good question and thanks for pointing out I forgot to add the pie plate size to the recipe (fixing that now). It's a standard 9" plate. The crust doesn't make more than necessary, so you'll need to double the recipe for any extras.
Shawn Huetter says
Thank you SO MUCH... My girlfriend is going to LOVE this!!! SO Will I! making it for a work potluck and then my girlfriends family thanksgiving dinner.
And you're welcome, its the least i could do.
★★★★★
Audrey says
Thank you, Shawn. Appreciate it :) Enjoy it!
Sarah C says
Tried it and it worked great for a pumpkin pie. My non gluten free family loved it.
★★★★★
Audrey says
That's great. So glad it worked out well!
Sarah C says
Wow! I am so excited to try this crust my daughter requested a pumpkin pie and I didn't know how to pull it off. Yay!
Audrey says
Yay, Sarah -- I hope your daughter enjoys the pie! :)
If you're looking for other alternatives by the way, there are some great recipes here: https://www.unconventionalbaker.com/35-paleo-vegan-and-gluten-free-pumpkin-desserts-treats/
And I also have this recipe, which I love: https://www.unconventionalbaker.com/gluten-free-vegan-and-paleo-carob-pumpkin-tart-aip-friendly-refined-sugar-free/
But for a traditional pumpkin pie, the crust from this blueberry pie will work a treat! <3
swathi says
Looks delicious, thanks for sharing with Hearth and soul blog hop, pinning and tweeting
Audrey says
Thank you Swathi!
Lois says
Only using 1 TBS tapioca flour to thicken the blueberries would make them very runny it seems. How do you serve a piece with out the filling running all over?
Audrey says
Hi Lois, good question :)
I actually like my pie a little runny/softer so I tend to add less thickener. Chill the pie helps it firm up too. I chilled this one overnight and that was enough. My first slice was a little runny, but after that it sliced cleanly and I was able to serve it neatly to others.
If you want a firmer pie with a nice slice though, I have two ways for doing that: 1. increase the tapioca to 1/4 - 1/3 cup or 2. add 2 tbsp agar agar flakes to the blueberry mixture and when the pie is ready chill it in the fridge for at least a few hours for it to set. Both techniques worked well for me in the past.
Thanks for mentioning it though -- I'll add this to the notes in the recipe in case others want a firmer consistency too.
Laura@Baking in Pyjamas says
Audrey this looks so dark and decadent, I'd love to try wild blueberries. Thanks for linking up to Sweet and Savoury Sunday, stop by and link up again. Have a great day!!
Audrey says
Thanks Laura! I love wild blueberries when they're in season. We have so many growing on our property in the summer. This is a great way to use them up.
Sunny@andloveittoo says
This looks amazing! We love blueberries and while we have done cobbler, I have never made a pie with them. Thank you for sharing!
★★★★
Audrey says
Thanks Sunny! Sounds like a blueberry pie is in order then! ;) It's such a classic -- I'm sure you'll love it :) {Although blueberry cobbler is delicious as well, of course}.
Raia says
Mmm... Blueberry is my hubby's favorite and his birthday is this month... Might have to make this for him!
Thanks for sharing it at Savoring Saturdays, Audrey; I'm featuring it at this weekend's party. :) Can't wait to see what deliciousness you'll bring! ;)
Audrey says
Raia, sounds like we're living parallel lives sometimes -- Blueberry pie is my husband's favorite too! :)
Gingi says
This looks like heaven!! Thank you for sharing!!! <3 - http://www.domesticgeekgirl.com
Audrey says
My pleasure, Gingi :)
Gingi says
<3
Ali the Skinny GF Chef says
Spring is coming and all of the lovely fruit. I can't wait to bake with fresh berries again. Your pie is gorgeous!
Audrey says
Thanks Ali. I think if I had to choose just one type of food to sustain myself with, it would most definitely be fruit -- all fruit! Berry season is therefore always much anticipated...
Medha @ Whisk & Shout says
Love that this is gluten free and vegan! Yum :)
Audrey says
Thank you Medha. I see you've been busy making something delicious too -- a brownie with vegan white chocolate chips? I'm in! ;)
Christina @ The Beautiful Balance says
This is gorgeous! I love that you used maple syrup as a sweetener, it has to be so perfect with the blueberries! Pinning now!
Audrey says
Thanks Christina. Maple syrup is sort of my go-to sweetener these days. It tastes good with EVERYTHING and most certainly in this blueberry pie!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Wow, what a beautiful pie! Blackberries are SO good!
Audrey says
Thanks Rebecca :)
Michelle ~ My Gluten-free Kitchen says
I haven't had a blueberry pie in YEARS so you've got me drooling with this one! So pretty and I bet it tastes delicious!
Audrey says
Thanks Michelle. I think you'll have to make some room in your schedule for a blueberry pie soon -- YEARS is way too long to go without one ;)
Sharon @ What The Fork Food Blog says
Fruit pies are one of my favorite desserts... there's just something about them that I LOVE. Wish I could grab a slice through my screen!
★★★★★
Audrey says
I share your fruit pie ♥ -- makes me wish summer was here sooner!
Alyssa @ Simply Quinoa says
This reminds me of summer in Maine when I was growing up! We always have blueberry pie with vanilla ice cream, but since going gluten-free, I haven't been able to find a recipe that replicated that one that I remember. This is going to be it! I can't wait to try it with the fresh berries that we pick :)
Audrey says
That's wonderful, Alyssa! I can totally picture your memories -- Maine is so beautiful in summer! We have lots of wild blueberries in the forest on our property in the summer too I can't wait to make this with fresh blueberries when they're in season again!
Carolyn says
Do you put the wild blueberries in frozen?
Audrey says
Hi Carolyn, I usually thaw out frozen berries for pie first.