Black raspberry pie is one of those recipes that stops people mid-bite and asks, "Wait - what is that?" It's not blackberry. It's not red raspberry. It's something deeper, wilder, and more complex than either. This recipe came from our church lady cookbook - the kind of community cookbook where every recipe has been made a hundred times before it ever got printed. Ready in about 1 hour 15 minutes (15 minutes prep, 1 hour bake).
This black raspberry pie is a two-crust pie and has a hint of cinnamon and nutmeg to bring your fork back for another piece of this delicious pie.
I use my favorite easy pie crust recipe for this pie, as well as other pies I make in my house. The is the same pie crust that makes an appearance in my apple cranberry pie. If you love black raspberries as much as I do, you will want to make my black raspberry jam. I even show you how to make it seedless!
Church cookbooks don't lie. Nobody submits a bad recipe when their name is printed next to it. This pie has been made by generations of home cooks who knew exactly what black raspberries needed: a two-crust shell to trap the steam, cornstarch to set the filling without making it gummy, and just enough cinnamon and nutmeg to warm the flavor without masking the berry.
Ingredients needed:
Substitutions
- Frozen Black Raspberries Instead of Fresh This is a straight swap that works well. What you gain: the ability to make this pie year-round, since black raspberry season is brutally short. What you lose: nothing significant, as long as you thaw the berries at room temperature for 30 minutes and add every bit of the thawed juice to the filling. The juice is flavor - don't drain it.
- Blackberries Instead of Black Raspberries The pie will still be good, but it will be a different pie. Blackberries are larger, less complex in flavor, and milder. You lose the wild, floral depth that makes black raspberry pie distinct. If blackberries are all you have, go for it - but know what you're trading.
- Tapioca Instead of Cornstarch Some bakers swear by tapioca as a pie thickener. It gives a slightly glossier filling and handles high-moisture berries well. The texture is subtly different - a touch more jammy. If you use instant tapioca, use the same amount (3 tablespoons). Make sure it's instant, not pearl - pearl tapioca won't cook through in a standard pie bake time.
- Reducing the Sugar If the berries are very ripe and sweet, pulling back to ¾ cup sugar works. If the berries are on the tart side - especially with frozen berries that were picked before peak ripeness - stick with the full cup. Taste a berry before you decide.
Recipe Card?
To find the full printable recipe with specific measurements and directions CLICK HERE to go to the recipe card.
How can you tell a black raspberry instead of a blackberry?
- Is the berry in question hollow?
- Is the berry about the size of your thumbnail instead of the size of your thumb?
- Does the berry make up of small fruit cells?
If you say yes to all of these questions you have a black raspberry NOT a blackberry.
How to make this recipe
This is a straightforward two-crust pie with one critical rule: don't rush the cooling. The bake is easy - the patience is the hard part.
Prep the Berries
Check each black raspberry for stems and plugs before anything else. A thorn baked into a slice of pie is a miserable discovery. If using frozen berries, thaw at room temperature for 30 minutes and keep all the juice.
Preheat Oven
Heat oven to 425º F.
Mix the dry ingredients
In a medium bowl, whisk together 1 cup sugar, 3 tablespoons cornstarch, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, 6 grinds of fresh nutmeg, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Whisk until no cornstarch lumps remain - this takes 30 seconds but matters. Wet cornstarch clumps, and those clumps don't cook out.
Grand Champion Winner!
Flaky Pie Crust
This easy Crisco pie crust recipe is my family recipe.
Coat the Berries
Add the 5 cups of black raspberries to the bowl and sprinkle the dry mixture over them. Gently shake the bowl to distribute the sugar through the berries. The goal is whole coated berries, not crushed fruit. Use a gentle hand.
Roll out the bottom crust
Roll out the bottom crust and place in a 9" pie plate. Don't stretch it - lay it in and let it settle. A stretched crust shrinks during baking.
Fill the Pie
Pour the sugar-coated berries into the prepared, unbaked pie crust. Cut 2 tablespoons of butter into small pieces and dot them evenly across the top of the filling.
Dot the berries with butter.
Top the pie
Roll out the top crust and cut it into strips for a lattice top, or leave it whole for a traditional two-crust pie. If going with a full top crust, fold the top crust under the bottom crust edge to seal, then crimp and flute the edges. Cut several slits in the top crust to allow steam to escape. If making a lattice top, weave the strips and crimp the edges the same way.
Shield the Edges
Place foil around the outer edge of the pie crust before it goes in the oven. At 425°F, the edges will over-brown long before the filling is done without this protection. Put the foil on now - not after you notice color.
Bake at High Heat
Place the pie in a preheated 425°F oven and bake for 45 minutes.
Finish at Lower Heat
Remove the foil from the edges and drop the oven temperature to 350°F. Bake for an additional 15 minutes, or until the filling in the center is visibly bubbling and the crust is golden brown. The bubble is your signal - if it's not bubbling in the center, give it more time
Cool
Transfer the pie to a wire rack and cool completely. Then refrigerate until chilled through before slicing. This is not optional. The filling needs the full cool time to set. A warm slice is a runny slice.
Serve
Serve with fresh whipped cream or a scoop of ice cream for a la mode pie.
Did you make this recipe?
Do you have feedback that would be helpful to others? If so can help this small business owner by leaving a rating and a review in the comments section? Thank you for being part of the Savoring The Good Community. ~ Sarah
Make-Ahead Instructions
This pie actually benefits from being made a day ahead - the filling sets more firmly and the flavors settle into something even better by the next morning.
- Assemble the pie fully, right through the top crust and crimped edges.
- Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate unbaked for up to 24 hours.
- When ready to bake, pull the pie from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for 15 minutes.
- Bake as directed, adding 5-10 minutes to the initial bake time since the pie is starting cold.
- Cool completely and refrigerate until chilled before slicing.
Storage Instructions
Black raspberry pie keeps well and is honestly better on day two once the filling has fully set.
- Cool to room temperature completely before covering - trapping steam makes the crust soggy.
- Cover loosely with foil or plastic wrap, or store slices in an airtight container.
- Refrigerate for up to 4 days.
- To freeze: bake and cool the pie completely, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and then foil, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Serve cold or warm individual slices in a 350°F oven for 10-15 minutes.
Seasonal Favorite
This is the best homemade seedless black raspberry jam recipe made with fresh or frozen black raspberries.
Recipe questions and answers:
Yes. Black raspberry season is short, and frozen berries are a reliable year-round option. Thaw them at room temperature for about 30 minutes and add all of the thawed juice to the filling - that juice is flavor and helps the cornstarch do its job.
If the wild black raspberries do not come free of their stems and plugs when you pick them in the field it can be a bit painful to remove the plug when you are cleaning them at home.
I found it easiest to gently hold the berry between your thumb and forefinger with one hand and use tweezers to gently remove the stem and plug with the other hand. Be sure to remove the entire stem as there are tiny thorns on the stem.
Black raspberries are smaller, hollow at the center when picked (like a red raspberry), and have a more complex, slightly floral flavor. Blackberries are larger, have a solid white core, and a milder taste. They look similar, but they're distinct fruits and they do not taste the same in a pie.
Two likely culprits: the pie wasn't cooled long enough before slicing (the filling needs to set as it cools - refrigerating it through is the move), or the cornstarch wasn't whisked into the dry ingredients before it hit the wet berries, leaving clumps that didn't thicken properly. Both are fixable next time.
Black raspberry seeds are more pronounced than red raspberry seeds - it's a real consideration. The pie cannot be made seedless without fundamentally changing the recipe. If seeds are a concern, the seedless black raspberry jam is worth making - it's not a pie, but it is a genuinely seed-free way to get all that black raspberry flavor in a different format.
You can. The filling will taste the same. The crust will taste different. A homemade Crisco crust is flakier and more flavorful than most store-bought options, but if time is the constraint, a refrigerated crust works.
The high heat sets the crust quickly and gives it structure and color. Dropping to 350°F lets the filling cook through gently without burning the edges or over-browning the top. It's a two-stage bake that produces a better pie than a single temperature would.
Black Raspberry Pie Tips:
- Be sure to whisk together the sugar, cornstarch and spices. Not whisking them together could lead to a pie with lump from cornstarch lumps.
- Cool completely and refrigerate until chilled through for best slicing results.
- Check each berry for the stem and plug. Biting into a black raspberry thorn is not fun.
- Toss the berries gently to do your best to keep as many whole as possible.
More Black Raspberry Recipes:
- Seedless Black Raspberry Jam - This is the best homemade seedless black raspberry jam recipe made with fresh or frozen black raspberries. There is also a low sugar recipe option for this small-batch black raspberry jam that is equally as delicious.
- Black Raspberry Pie - This is the best black raspberry pie because of it is a two crust pie and has a hint of cinnamon and nutmeg to bring your fork back for another piece of pie.
- Black Raspberry Ice Cream - Black raspberry ice cream can be made with fresh or frozen black raspberries. Heavy cream, milk, sugar, and a hint of vanilla along with ripe black raspberries make for a creamy, fruit ice cream.
Sarah's Culinary Insight
- Whisk the dry ingredients together before they touch the berries. Cornstarch lumps are stubborn once they're wet. Thirty seconds of whisking prevents a lumpy filling.
- Toss gently, not aggressively. Black raspberries are fragile. The goal is whole berries suspended in the filling - not purple mush. Shake the bowl more than you stir it.
- The foil shield on the crust edges is non-negotiable at 425°F. Skip it and the edges will be dark before the filling is set. Put it on before the pie goes in, not after the damage is done.
- Cool completely before you slice - and I mean completely. The filling is still setting as the pie cools. Cutting into a warm pie gives you soup. Refrigerate until chilled through for clean slices.
- Frozen berries work, but add every drop of the thawed juice. That juice carries flavor and helps the cornstarch do its job. Don't drain it.
- Check every berry for the stem and plug before it goes in. A black raspberry thorn in a bite of pie is not a pleasant surprise.
Ingredients
- 5 Cups (600 g) Black Raspberries Fresh
- 3 tablespoons (3 tablespoons) Cornstarch
- 1 Cup (200 g) Sugar plus extra sugar for sprinkling
- 6 grinds (6) nutmeg freshly ground
- ½ Teaspoon (½ Teaspoon) Cinnamon
- ¼ Teaspoon (¼ Teaspoon) salt
- 2 tablespoon (1 tablespoon) Butter unsalted
- ½ (½) recipe Easy Pie Crust Recipe
Instructions
- Heat oven to 425º F.
- Whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, nutmeg, cinnamon and salt. Do your best to break up the corn starch lumps.3 tablespoons Cornstarch, 1 Cup (200 g) Sugar, 6 grinds (6) nutmeg, ½ Teaspoon (½ Teaspoon) Cinnamon, ¼ Teaspoon (¼ Teaspoon) salt
- Roll out the bottom crust and place in a 9" pie plate.½ (½) recipe Easy Pie Crust Recipe
- Sprinkle the sugar mixture over the black raspberries and gently shake the bowl to distribute the sugar through the berries.5 Cups (600 g) Black Raspberries
- Pour the sugar coated berries into the prepared, unbaked piecrust.
- Dot the berries with the butter.2 tablespoon (1 tablespoon) Butter
- Roll out the top pie crust and cut the crust into strips for a lattice top or leave whole for a more traditional crust.
- Follow my instructions for weaving a lattice top pie or place the top crust on the berries.
- Fold top crust under bottom crust edge to seal.
- Crimp and flute edges. Cut slits in top crust to allow steam to escape if not making a lattice top pie.
- Place foil around the edges of the pie to prevent over baking.
- Bake at 425 for 45 minutes.
- Remove the foil from the edge of the pie and drop the temperature to 350.
- Bake for an additional 15 minutes or until the filling in center is bubbly and crust is golden brown.
- Cool to room temperature before serving and chill until firm for best slicing results.
- Serve with fresh whipped cream or a scoop of ice cream for a la mode pie.
Nutrition
Notes
- Be sure to whisk together the sugar, cornstarch and spices. Not whisking them together could lead to a pie with lump from cornstarch lumps.
- Cool completely and refrigerate until chilled through for best slicing results.
- Check each berry for stem and plug. Biting into a black raspberry thorn is not fun.
- Toss the berries gently to do your best to keep as many whole as possible.
Cindy watson says
How long would you bake 3 6 inch pies? Still at 425?
Noreen says
The flavor of the wild black raspberry is absolutely outstanding!
And I would give the pie 5 stars for flavor.
The reason for 3? I really can't handle the seeds of the black raspberry.
Way more intense than red raspberries.
Curious if one could do like a reduced seed version? Would it hold up if one made a puree and filled the pie with the puree? Would there be a need for more corn starch or tapioca starch?
Cayla says
Just curious if this can be frozen and baked later. If so…what would the instructions be? Thanks so much!
Stef says
I need to go find some black raspberries now! This pie is incredible! Thanks so much for the recipe.
Robin says
Delicious pie and great advice about Black Raspberries.