Homemade Blueberry Pie Filling tastes so much better than store-bought! And best of all, it’s super easy to make.
Use this awesome berry sauce to top pies, cheesecakes, pancakes, or waffles. It’s delicious on ice cream too!
Blueberry Pie Filling
This is my family’s Easy Homemade Blueberry Pie Filling Recipe. We use the recipe for just about everything you can imagine – and pie too!
We love it on all sorts of desserts and it’s our favorite pancake topping too.
You can use this blueberry pie filling to make Blueberry Crunch or No Bake Blueberry Cheesecake and these Blueberry Pie Bars too.
Blueberry Cobbler full of berries with a sweet, buttery, cake-like yet crispy topping served with ice cream is dessert perfection.
Blueberry Grunt is a sweet and delicious blueberry sauce-like filling smothered in flaky, buttery sweet dumplings that get crispy on top with a sprinkling of cinnamon sugar.
How To Make Blueberry Pie Filling
Have you made a homemade pie filling before? It’s super easy and I love having it on hand for pancakes.
It tastes much better than the canned version too. This recipe is simply water, blueberries, sugar, and cornstarch.
The lemon juice in the recipe isn’t required for the pie filling to work, but it does brighten the flavor nicely. (I highly recommend including it!)
Everything cooks together in a saucepan for just a few minutes until it is nice and thick and the fruit does a great job at giving it a gorgeous color.
Berry Recipes
If you’re as big a fan of the summer berries as we are, you’ll want to try the No Bake Raspberry Cheesecake and Blueberry Lime Quick Bread too.
These Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cupcakes are a must-make for your Valentine’s sweetheart too. Though your family and friends might also love these Lemon Blueberry Sweet Rolls.
Blueberry Pie Filling Recipe
- In a heavy, medium saucepan. Whisk together the cornstarch and sugar until there are no cornstarch lumps.
- Add the water, blueberries and lemon juice. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently until thick.
- Remove from heat and cool. Use as desired. It stores tightly covered in the fridge for one week.
Homemade Blueberry Pie Filling
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- In a heavy, medium saucepan. Whisk together the cornstarch and sugar until there are no cornstarch lumps. Add the water, blueberries, and lemon juice.
- Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently until thick. Remove from heat and cool. Use as desired. It stores tightly covered in the fridge for one week.
Nutrition
{originally published 7/9/18 – recipe notes and photos updated 7/25/23}
These Blueberry Turnovers and Blueberry Pie Sugar Cookies are a couple more great ways to use this pie filling. And these Mini Blueberry Pies are about the cutest handheld pies ever!
Barbara says
This was the easiest recipe i saw to use thanks for posting it..
Elaine says
So easy! Love it on ice cream.
Kena Waggoner says
How would you go about canning this
Mallory says
I’m not sure. I know canning is based on how acidic something is. I’d check out the Ball Canning site for a recipe.
Diantha Howe says
I am trying to can it using instructions from a similar recipe in my ball canning book. Putting it in pint jars leaving a 1/4″ head space and processing for 15 minutes using hot packing method.
Heather says
What ingredients did you use? Is it safe to use with cornstarch??
Miss Andi says
Thank you. I used 1/4 of powered sugar, instead of 2 cups of sugar, and it’s delicious! I love blueberry pie however I don’t care for pie crust. I’ll be making pancakes today to go with the blueberries. Yum!
Jane Streett says
In order to can this do not add cornstarch until you are ready to use. It will be thinner but is safe to hot water bath 15 minutes with lemon juice and zest. Cornstarch can be added once opened and ready to use for pie baking according to Ball Blue book and Stocking Up.
Mary says
Can I freeze this?
Susanne Wolf says
yes, thats what I do
Patti says
When canning this recipe omit the corn starch and use Clear Jel instead. Corn starch is not recommended for canning. You can find Clear Jel on Amazon and sometimes walmart but must ship it, they dont carry it as a regular ingredient in the store good luck Im doing this tomorrow Ill keep you posted as to how it turns out
Betty says
King Arthur Baking has instant ClearJel and it works great!
Grace N Krentz says
How do I can this recipe in a water bath process to seal glass jars?
Emma says
i loved it so much so sweet thank you!
Shelby says
Would this work with fresh blueberries that I froze to use later? If so, how would you recommend going about this using frozen blueberries?
Mallory says
Yes I make it with frozen blueberries all the time. Just add them completely frozen, it will take a little longer to simmer, but will turn out just as good!
Donna Lejeune says
Simple and delicious, what more do you need. Canned pie filling is so expensive and I wanted to use my frozen blueberries so this was perfect. Thanks for the great recipe. This is a keeper.
Lori Ebert says
Can this be frozen for later use? If so for how long.
Mallory says
I’ve never tried it. I would freeze the blueberries and then make the batch when you need it. It’s quick enough and will store in the fridge for a day or two.
Linda says
I make it and freeze in portion size containers. It keeps for months and when I want to make muffins, I just pop out a container and defrost. Super quick and easy
Travis says
You guys should really spell check, use even slightly proper grammar.
Mallory says
Yes, we probably should 🙂 Our passions lie in baking though, not proper English.
Elizabeth says
Travis, really? They’re discussing a recipe, not writing a research paper!! If you don’t like it and want to be judgmental, why don’t you get off this site and go somewhere else?
Nikki Collins says
Seriously! My goodness, people are so judgemental on absolutely everything huh? I’m assuming this young man has his certificate of perfection, and never makes any mistakes! Keep up the amazing work ladies! Thank you…. Nikki~
Pie Master PETE says
Travis, I’m not giving you any of my blueberry pie.
TruthSeeker says
😂🤣😜
Lily says
Now, that’s such a really nice way of saying, “Come on , Travis” without sounding judgemental yourself.
Thank you for putting my reaction across in words.
Donna says
How in the world does proper grammar or correct spelling relate to cooking??? Really??
Harry says
Really Travis lighten up it’s not a government document now go to the kitchen and boil your roast lmfao
Patti says
Gosh ! I sure wish I was as Perfect as You Think You Are ! I’ll put it on my “To Do” list !
Neri says
Can I use plain flour as substitute for cornstarch? Thanks
Mallory says
No. Cornstarch has much more thickening power than plain flour and cornstarch turns the liquid clear, where flour will make it cloudy.
Gloria says
I use clear jel as it works better for high heat.
Diane says
Try arrowroot. I’m not supposed to eat corn, and arrowroot is a good substitute. Try half as much as cornstarch.
Claire says
Could I add this to bottles and air tight covers like jam and keep it in cupboard or fridge if bottled off the stove boiling when bottled
Mallory says
This recipe hasn’t been tested for canning. If you’re looking to can blueberry pie filling. Check out tested canning recipes, such as on the Ball canning site.
Lynie says
Can you use wild blueberries
Donna Miles says
I made this simple recipe and everyone loved it. It is perfect for those who are gluten free. I love pie and this is a way I can have it minus the crust. We have it often and love it! I added cinnamon and only used 1/2 the sugar and it tastes delicious. Thank you for sharing this easy, delicious, gluten free recipe. Obviously, I don’t use a crust.
Jill says
Hi Donna,
I just wanted to say thank you for your comment. I altered the recipe as you’ve written the first time around and love it 🙂 I am also GF, so sometimes when I am feeling motivated I will buy pre-made GF pie crust dough and bake a pie.
Usually I don’t, though, and instead put this sauce on greek yogurt for a snack or with vanilla ice cream and crumbled GF butter/cinnamon cookies for a pie-like dessert! Maybe that is a welcome alternative to crust in case you haven’t tried it yet 🙂
Best,
Jill
Magy says
I am trying to go sugar free, but I just love sweets, so I substituted the sugar for an equivalent amount of stevia extract and it worked just fine. I love these blueberry pie bars (Also Chocolate With Grace): http://chocolatewithgrace.com/blueberry-pie-bars/ and I substituted some of the sugar for stevia as well. It, too, worked great, and i will continue doing more stevia and less sugar. Thanks so much Mallory for putting both recipes out there!!
Rhonda Maddox says
Do I have to put the lemon juice in it? What exactly does the lemon juice do for the filling?
Mallory says
It brightens up the flavor. It’s not essential.
Linda says
Will this make enough for a pie?
Casper P. says
Trying to bake in a pie, how long should I bake for?
Mallory says
Bake the crust first and then fill with the cooled filling.
L. S. says
This is delicious I added some vanilla and a pinch of cinnamon . Perfect I am a sucker for blueberry pie😂
Mary says
I’m so happy to hear that you love it!
Jody says
Amazing! Thank you!
Mary says
I’m thrilled that you like it, Jody!
TIFFANY BREWSTER says
Can I use this recipe for cherry filling from frozen cherries? My dad is asking for cherry pie for his birthday, but the canned stuff use nasty.
Thank you!!
Mary says
Sure thing, Tiffany. You can use frozen fruits to make pie filling. Enjoy!
TIFFANY BREWSTER says
Thank you so much! I’m doing a cherry and blueberry mix and putting the mixture in a pie shell made with peanut butter cookie dough. I’m hoping it turns out!
Noni the baker says
The best!!
Simple
Straight
DELICIOUS!!!!!!
Mary says
I’m glad you like it, Noni!
Shirley Bueche says
Best pie filling ever!!!!!!!!!!
But do you have to use cornstarch?
Or can you use Arrowroot?
Thanks!😁
Mary says
Arrowroot will work fine, Shirley.
Angela M. says
So easy to follow and very delicious (and not ridiculously sweet)! I didn’t make a pie, but an old family recipe called “Blueberry Crunch” in a cake dish. It called for the pie filling to top it and I was sure I could make it instead of going to the store. It was a **HIT** with the family! 🥰 I doubled your recipe because I needed a 21oz can worth of pie filling. Now, there is a 1-inch layer of blueberry pie filling, but no one is complaining here! 🤷♀️😄 Thank you very much! ❤
Mary says
I’m so glad you like it, Angela!
Julie says
Simple
Amazing
Versatile
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Mary says
I’m so glad you like it, Julie.
nora says
wonderful ! being diabetic i used one cup of splenda plus 1/4 real sugar one tablespoon lemon or lime juice 3 tablespoons corn starch and one cup of water follow recipe otherwise. did not raise sugar level.
Mary says
I’m so glad you were able to make it work for you, Nora!
Barbie says
Quick question…I don’t have any lemon/lemon juice, so would it b alright to use orange juice instead or just omit the juice?
Mary says
You can omit it, Barbie. Enjoy!
Paulette Codipilly says
It’s 2022 and a weird covid shortage is that there’s no canned blueberry pie filling to be found in San Jose grocery stores! I checked 6 Anyways. No one had any. I’m making a couple of blueberry cream pies and decided to look for a recipe to make my own. Because oddly enough, although there’s no canned blueberry pie filling to be had, but plenty of fresh blueberries! I made a double batch and followed the quantities listed. I did add about 1/4 tsp cinnamon and a little lemon zest. I noticed several recipes called for crushing half the berries and adding in the whole berries later. I added all of them at the beginning but about halfway through cooking it didn’t look like the berries were bursting on their own, so using a potato masher I just mashed maybe 1/4 of the berries keeping the rest whole. That brought out enough juice to create the luscious deep purple color. This is a GREAT recipe!!! Thank you so much for bailing me out the night before Easter. This will make my pies shine and it was simple and delicious! Better than expensive canned filling by a long shot! 5 stars!
Mary says
I’m so very happy that you love the homemade pie filling so much, Paulette! That’s awesome.
Lori says
I made baked hand pies with this for my mom
I love this recipe. I will use it again.
Thank you
Lori
Mary says
I’m glad you’re enjoying the pie filling, Lori.
HollyRae says
I work at a private lodge and needed a cooked blueberry filling to fill 80 tartlet shortcrust shells, for tonight. I looked all over and decided on this recipe. It turned out great! I did bump up the lemon juice a bit; and at the end added a couple pinches of salt and a couple lumps of unsalted butter. I don’t think there will be any leftover for me to try tomorrow but when I tasted the warm filling, it was so good. I can imagine how tasty it would be spooned over ice cream, yogurt, pancakes, pound cake…yum!
Mary says
I’m so glad you like it, Holly!
Patricia Habbyshaw says
Who Needs a Pie, Pancakes or Anything Else ! So Good right out of the pot !!!
Pie is in the oven Now !
I made an 8″ deep dish pie so It needed 4 cups (actually, a 1.5lb. bag of frozen blueberries !
Love that I was able to adjust the ingredients on your site recipe before I printed it !
Thank You So Much
It’s a Keeper !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :}
Patricia Habbyshaw says
I forgot to say…That I used the 4 cups from the recipe but had some berries left over, about 1 cup.
After I filled the pie, it could use a few more berries, so I added that last 1 cup and mixed it into the pie filling.
This is what I used for a pie dish ! 2″ Deep !!!! Oh Yummmm
Mary says
Patricia – I am so glad to hear you enjoyed it!
Kristine says
Just made this to top mini cheesecakes for tomorrow. It is so delicious-I could eat it without putting it on anything. I did cut down the sugar and added more lemon juice. So easy and tasty.
Mary says
Kristine – Have you tried it over ice cream? So good!
Sheryl says
Has anyone canned this? Trying to can our fresh blueberries rather than freeze them.
Mary says
I’m guessing it can be canned just like jelly or jams, however, we typically freeze it or simply use it right away. I don’t have the specific times for processing it.
Amy Embry says
I am making Black and Blue Berry Filling with an oat crumble. Hope it turns out as good as this looks!
Mary says
I hope so too, Amy!
Katy says
I tried it! It came out great. i canned for later use.
Brynlee says
I tried it and it was delish! I caned it to eat later!😋😋
Paul says
I’m making this now and added Vanilla and cinnamon like someone suggested. Had a taste and it’s delicious! Making blueberry tarts with blueberry cream cheese topping.
Margaret Coleman says
Paul – It will be delicious on your tarts. Thank you for sharing your tweaks.
Keith says
Loved it! I doubled the amount of blueberries, but didn’t add anything else extra. Just filled a deep dish shell. I used frozen shells – one underneath and one on top. It needed to bake longer than the instructions said, but came out great!
Mary says
Fantastic! Thank you for sharing your results, Keith.
Amy says
This is a great basic gluten free recipe. I substituted erythritol for the sugar and it turned out great. Used as a cheesecake topping. Thank you.
Mary says
Sounds delicious, Amy.
Jennifer says
Delicious. Added lemon zest. Will make again.
Corinne says
Made this tonight, and it was delicious! I didn’t think the kids would like it but they loved it! We made mini muffin pan pies with a graham cracker crumble for the tops. So yummy!
Jane says
Thanks for a great recipe! Great topping for ice cream, french toast, pancakes, waffles, the list is endless.
The second time I made this I increased the quantities by 50% and used 1ea cup of blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries. The filling went into mini muffin tins lined with a cream cheese crust dough from a Pecan Tassie recipe. I also used the Pecan Tassie recipe cook time.
Mary says
That sounds like an amazing combination, Jane.
Joanne Sucher says
It was so easy to make and it is great on French toast also
Mary says
That does sound good, Joanne.
Kookie Momster says
Works great!
Mary says
I’m happy to hear that you are enjoying the recipe!
Pam Panza says
I bought blueberries on sale. They were too tart to eat. This recipe is so easy. So glad I saved the blueberries! I made a cheesecake and put the pie filling on top. OMG so tasty!
Mary says
That is a great use of tart blueberries, Pam. They can be a bit hit or miss on flavor this time of year.
Virginia Lopez says
I used my leftover blue berry filling for breakfast waffles. It was delicious 😋
Mary says
That sounds delicious, Virginia!
Jane T Jimenez says
I substituted monk fruit for sugar at ratio 1/4 C monk fruit for 1/2 C sugar. Also used white grape juice for water. We’ll be using it over angel food cake and also over ice cream. Delicious! Thanks.
Mary says
Thank you for sharing, Jane.
Kathleen says
Thank you for posting this, it was very simple and came out great. I added just a little more water and a teaspoon of vanilla extract because we’re using ours as cheesecake topping!
Mary says
Sounds perfect, Kathleen.
Caitlin Condon says
Great recipe! I can’t wait to use it. My only question is, am I supposed to only place it the pie crust AFTER it is baked?? Or am I able to bake the filling along with the pie crust? I don’t want to ruin the filling by cooking it too much.
Mary says
You’ll make the regular pie filling recipe and allow it to cool completely. Then proceed with the pie as directed. Just don’t pour hot filling into a pie crust, that won’t turn out so well. Happy baking, Caitlin!
Shira Rosenberg says
WOW! this recipe is absolutely the BEST blueberry filling recipe I have ever had!! It has a perfect ratio of blueberries to sugar and was devoured in seconds ! Its so good I could eat it with a spoon .. will definitely be coming back for this recipe ! Thanks Grace !!!
Mary says
Thank you so much, Shira!
Shannon says
Super easy and came out perfect.
Mary says
Happy to hear that the pie filling turned out well, Shannon. Enjoy!
Deborah Harris says
Love this recipe, so easy to make and tastes so good.
Mary says
I’m so happy you’re enjoying the pie filling, Deborah.
Dena Ellis says
delicious, so easy and a nice way to use your frozen blueberries. thank you!
Mary says
You are welcome, Dena! I’m so glad you enjoyed the pie filling. Happy baking!
Hudson Sangree says
I tried to use this recipe for a blueberry pie based on the high ratings and apparent simplicity. However, 2 cups of blueberries aren’t nearly enough for a standard-size pie. You have to use 6 cups of blueberries and triple the recipe, but doing so produced a water blueberry soup. I was able to salvage the filling by thickening it on the stove and then draining off the excess liquid. Stil, I wouldn’t use this recipe again. It seems like it’s more for pancake topping, etc., not pie. Or am I missing something?
Char M. says
Super easy to prepare. After combing the sugar with cornstarch in the saucepan I added the water. Stir this until dissolved before adding the blueberries. At first I thought the amount of cornstarch was too much but I was mistaken. It turned out great. Used the sauce for cheesecake topping. Yum!
Mary says
That sounds delicious! I’m so glad you enjoyed the pie filling. Happy baking.
The Pie Fairy says
This is my Go-To Sauce/ Pie Filling recipe! I have modified for Huckleberries as well as Strawberries. It is a pure winner!! My family tells me that my pies are ‘Stupidly Delicious ‘. ( Surely that a good thing?!ha!)
This keeps fabulous on the fridge and also cans up nicely! Kudos Chocolate with Grace! You make me look like a great Baker!
Mary says
I’m so glad that your pies have been such a big success, and that the pie filling recipe helped you to do it. I hope you and your family continue to love the pies, and happy baking!
Salerino says
I doubled the recipe for my pie filling but since I was using a gluten free pie crust I added a little more cornstarch to thicken it.
Mary says
Happy to hear that you were able to make the recipe work for you. Enjoy the pie filling, and happy baking!
Laurie Dailey says
I made a blueberry pie and it was a hit
Mary says
I’m happy to hear it, Laurie.
Sharon Angel says
Perfect! Easy to make!
Mary says
Glad to hear that you’re loving the pie filling, Sharon.
Darren Yehuda says
I just made this recipe but the yield doesn’t look like enough to fill a pie. Maybe I’ll double it.
It was easy though –I switched out sweetener for the sugar because I’m diabetic—it worked fine.
Mary says
Glad to hear that the pie filling turned out well, Darren.
Stacy says
I am anxious to try this, but I would never use this within a week as we only occasionally have sweets. Can this be frozen after it’s cooked I am using fresh frozen blueberries.
Mary says
Hi, Stacy! Yes, you can freeze the pie filling. Enjoy, and happy baking!
Lana Barnett says
Easy as pie
Mary says
Glad to hear it, Lana! Happy baking.