This best-ever blueberry crumble pie recipe ditches the top crust and bakes the fresh, homemade blueberry pie filling beneath a crispy oat crumble instead!

This post is sponsored by Danish Creamery, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

A slice of blueberry crumble pie on a white plate topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Easy Blueberry Crumble Pie Recipe

Summer is fast approaching, and in Oregon, that means blueberry season. One of my favorite things to make is this easy blueberry crumble pie with fresh, juicy blueberries and real lemon zest. It’s an easy twist on a classic pie topped with a crispy crumble instead of your usual flaky top crust. Serve it a la mode with ice cream or dolloped with homemade whipped cream for the ultimate summer dessert.

What Sets This Blueberry Pie Above the Rest

Crispy crumble. I love the contrast in textures between the whole, bursting blueberries and buttery oat crumble. It reminds me of a summertime version of apple crisp.
Simple to make. This blueberry crumble pie is a very approachable, beginner-friendly pie recipe. The oat crumble topping is a quick, fuss-free way of covering a pie (without the rolling and pinching that comes with a classic flaky top crust). I use this method for my apple crumble pie, too.
Easy to adapt. I still use an all-butter crust for the pie shell, and while I’ll always recommend a homemade crust first, you can absolutely cut down on the prep even more with a refrigerated pie crust. You can also make the filling with fresh or frozen blueberries (or any berries you’d like, really).

Blueberry crumble pie in a round pie dish with a slice missing.

Is an All Butter Pie Crust Better?

Even though I skip the top crust for this recipe, everyone always raves about the crisp and flaky, homemade pie crust that I use for the pie shell. While you can make pie crusts with shortening or lard, I much prefer the flavor and richness of an all-butter pie crust. And the secret to the best all-butter pie crust is choosing the right butter.

If you’re not familiar with Danish Creamery, all of their butter is made from open pasture-raised cows, as the foundation of any dairy product relies on healthy cows. That’s why their cows are grass-fed and humanely raised.

The rich, European-style butter is slowly churned in small batches, allowing for maximum flavor. The company has been making the same recipe since 1895. Their freshly churned butter has 85% butterfat, higher than most European-style butter. This makes it ideal for flaky all-butter crusts like the one in this recipe.

A slice of blueberry crumble pie on a white plate.

Ingredient Notes

I’ve included notes on the key ingredients you’ll need to make the crust, blueberry pie filling, and crumble topping. Scroll down to the printable recipe card for the full ingredients list, recipe amounts, and instructions.

Butter – I use sticks of Danish Creamery European salted butter. Make sure your butter is cold from the fridge before you start, and cut it into cubes. Cold ingredients are key to a flaky pie crust and crispy, crumbly topping.
Vinegar – Vinegar serves a unique purpose in pie dough. It makes it more pliable, and easier to roll out. I recommend distilled white vinegar.
Egg – My second secret to perfect pie crust? Add an egg! The egg helps bind the crust together so that it won’t fall apart, making it a dream to handle.
Blueberries – I love Oregon for its blueberry harvest every year, and I often buy fresh blueberries from my local grocery store or farmer’s market in the summer. However, you can make this pie with fresh or frozen blueberries, see below.
Lemon – Fresh lemon juice and zest, to brighten up the filling. Zest the lemon before you juice it! If needed, refer to my tutorial on how to zest a lemon for tips.
Oats – Rolled oats, also called old-fashioned oats, are best for baking in crumbles (and cookies). I don’t recommend instant or quick oats as they become mushy. You’ll combine the oats with cold butter, brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon to make the crumble topping.

Fresh vs. Frozen Blueberries

Fresh blueberries are best, but frozen berries also work. If you use frozen blueberries, you don’t need to defrost them first. Instead, toss the frozen berries in a light coating of cornstarch like I do for the berries in my mini blueberry pies. The cornstarch absorbs the excess moisture a prevents the pie from becoming soggy.

Blueberry crumble pie ingredients with text labels overlaying each ingredient.

First, Prepare the Pie Crust

I make my crust using a food processor, but you can make it with a good old-fashioned pastry cutter and some elbow grease if needed. Here are the steps:

Combine the dry ingredients. Start by pulsing flour and salt with cold, cubed butter in a food processor. It should have a light, crumbly texture.
Add the wet ingredients. Next, add the egg, vinegar, and about 2 teaspoons of ice-cold water, and pulse until the dough starts to clump. Add more water, 1 teaspoon at a time, if needed.

Egg and wet ingredients added to the four mixture inside a food processor. — Combine the dough ingredients.

Pie crust mixture blended inside a food processor. — Combine the dough ingredients.

Chill the dough. Use your hands to shape the dough into a disc, then wrap it in plastic wrap and place it into the fridge to chill. Aim for at least 30 minutes.
Roll out the pie crust. Once chilled, turn the dough out onto a floured countertop. Roll it out into a circle wide enough to fit into a 9-inch pie plate. Then, transfer the pie crust to the pie plate. Trim the excess dough and crimp the edges.

Rolled out pie dough next to a marble rolling pin. — Chill and then roll out the dough.

Pie crust pressed into a ceramic pie plate. — Chill and then roll out the dough.

Dock the crust. Finally, prick the bottom of the crust with a fork. This is called docking a pie crust, and it allows steam to escape between the crust and the pie plate during baking. Afterward, place the pie crust into the fridge again while you prepare the filling and topping.

Can I Make the Pie Crust In Advance?

Certainly. I’ll usually prepare a few unbaked pie crusts in advance. I’ll keep the ones I’m going to use in the fridge while freezing the rest for future desserts. Wrap the crust tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate it up to 3 days ahead of when you’ll fill and bake it, or you can freeze it for up to 1 month. Thaw frozen crusts in the fridge before you use them.

How to Make a Blueberry Crumble Pie

Next, follow the steps below to prepare and bake your blueberry crumble pie:

Prepare the pie filling. Toss blueberries with flour and brown sugar to coat, then stir in lemon zest and juice. Afterward, leave the berries to sit and macerate (release their juices) for 10 minutes.
Make the crumble. Meanwhile, use a pasty cutter or a fork to cut cold butter into the flour, sugar, and cinnamon for the topping. Once that’s crumbly, cut in the oats. At this point, you can use your hands to pinch the crumble into larger clumps.

Blueberry filling ingredients combined in a glass bowl. — Prepare the blueberry filling.

Crumble topping in a glass bowl. — Prepare the blueberry filling.

Fill the pie crust. Evenly spread the blueberry filling into the prepared pie crust. Then, add the topping, generously sprinkling the crumble over the filling. I always use up all of the crumble.

Pie crust filled with blueberry pie filling. — Fill the pie crust.

Blueberry pie filling topped with crumble in a pie crust. — Fill the pie crust.

Bake. Lastly, bake the pie at 375°F for about 65 minutes. Allow your blueberry crumble pie to cool for at least 2 hours afterward. This allows the filling to set up and makes the pie easier to slice.

Julianne’s Recipe Tips

How to tell when it’s done: This pie bakes at a lower temperature, so it takes more time for the berries to cook down and release their juices. The filling should be bubbling up the sides of the pan before you take the pie out of the oven and if you gently shake the pan, the pie shouldn’t be loose or jiggly in the middle.
Don’t underbake. An underbaked pie will have a lot of leaky juices when sliced. The baking times for this recipe can vary quite a bit, depending on how deep the pie dish is as well as the size and freshness of the blueberries. Check the pie at the earliest suggested baking time and go from there.
Avoid a shrinking pie crust. Pie crusts made with an egg tend to be very soft. If you have a fluted pie plate or one with a rim, wrap the pie crust over the edge of the pan to keep it from shrinking while the pie bakes.
Bake in the lower part of your oven. To prevent the pie from browning too quickly, I recommend baking it in the lower third of your oven.
Use a pie shield. If you feel like your crust is browning faster than the filling is baking, cover it with a pie shield, or wrap the crust with foil while it continues baking.
Make it gluten-free. If you’re looking for a gluten-free option, check out my recipe for gluten-free pie crust. Substitute the flour in the filling and topping with your preferred gluten-free flour instead.

A slice of blueberry crumble pie on a white plate with a forkful missing, topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Can I Replace the Crumble Topping?

Absolutely. If you’d prefer to make a more traditional blueberry pie with a top crust, you can leave off the crumble and roll out additional pie dough. Place the crust over the filling, crimp the edges, and don’t forget to cut small holes in the top to vent the steam. Alternatively, you can also top this pie with a lattice crust like I use for my homemade apple pie and peach pie recipes.

How to Store

Refrigerate. Store any leftover blueberry crumble pie covered airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Freeze. The baked pie can be frozen for up to 2 months. After it’s cooled to room temperature, wrap the pie tightly in plastic wrap, plus a layer of foil, and then place it into the freezer. Thaw the pie in the fridge overnight before serving.

More Blueberry Desserts