|

Saskatoon Berry Pie

This Saskatoon berry pie takes me right back to childhood. I would run through the field with an old yellow Tupperware cup, picking berries and racing home, completely excited about my bounty, only to be told I didn’t have nearly enough for a pie. I was crushed, because I loved to help bake and then eat Saskatoon berry pie. I still remember the field across the street from our house where I played every time I was sent outside.

I wrote a full post all about picking and freezing Saskatoon berries. If you can find Saskatoon berries, I really hope you try them. If not, you can substitute blueberries in any Saskatoon recipe you find and like.

This is my mom’s Saskatoon berry pie recipe, and I took the time to carefully work out the ingredient amounts for you. Some people add lemon to their Saskatoon pie, but I do not. My mother’s recipe was much loved, so I see no reason to change it.

This recipe makes a very large pie with a thick, juicy Saskatoon berry filling.

A large slice of saskatoon pie with the large pie in the background. The pie is has a thick fresh blueberry pie filling that is homemade.

What Does Saskatoon Berry Taste Like

Although similar to blueberries in size and you can interchange blueberries and saskatoon berries in any recipe Saskatoon berries are different. If your American you may know Saskatoon berries at June berries.

Saskatoon berries are similar to blueberries with a hint of almond flavour. We absolutely love them, and were thrilled to find them growing in our new yard.

Cleaning and Prepping Saskatoon Berries

If your baking up a saskatoon pie using fresh berries the first step is to clean and prep the saskatoons. Here is my post about how to clean and freeze saskatoons. Once cleaned you can use either fresh or thawed frozen saskatoons in this pie recipe.

Ingredients for Saskatoon Pie

  • 1 double pie crust, store-bought or homemade
  • 6 cups fresh or thawed frozen Saskatoon berries
  • 3/4 cup granulated white sugar
  • 3 tablespoons minute tapioca
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 egg
  • Granulated sugar, for sprinkling

If you would like a pie crust recipe with a step-by-step tutorial, I have a very detailed pie crust tutorial you might enjoy.

All the ingredients needed for making from scratch saskatoon pie. There is lemon juice, fresh saskatoon berries, sugar, butter and minute tapioca.

How to Make a Saskatoon Berry Pie

Step 1: Prepare the Pie Crust and Oven

Preheat your oven to 400°F. Roll out one pie crust and line a large pie plate with the crust. Wrap the second crust and set it aside while you prepare the filling.

Step 2: Make the Saskatoon Berry Filling

In a large bowl, combine the Saskatoon berries, granulated sugar, and minute tapioca. Gently mix until the berries are evenly coated.

Step 3: Assemble the Pie

Pour the berry mixture into the prepared pie shell, spreading it evenly. Place the second crust over the top. Pinch the edges to seal and trim away any excess crust. Cut a few slits in the top crust to allow steam to escape during baking.

Step 4: Egg Wash and Sugar Topping

In a small bowl, beat the egg. Brush the egg wash over the top crust using a pastry brush, then sprinkle lightly with granulated white sugar.

Hint: Cover a cookie sheet with parchment paper and place it under your pie in the oven. This does nothing for the baking of your pie, but if juice happens to bubble over it will save you from having to clean your oven.

Step 5: Bake the Pie

Bake the Saskatoon berry pie at 400°F for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F and continue baking for about 50 minutes more. Because this pie bakes for a long time, keep an eye on the crust. If it begins to brown too quickly, loosely cover it with a piece of tin foil.

Remove the pie from the oven and allow it to cool before serving.

A fresh saskatoon pie cooling on a wood board to protect the counter. The pie is golden brown and you can see sugar sprinkles on top.

Serving Fresh Saskatoon Pie

It’s important to let your Saskatoon pie cool before serving. Let the pie cool for about 30 minutes before cutting. This helps prevent burns from hot pie filling and gives the filling time to set, making for prettier slices with clean, solid edges. Store the pie in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.

How to Freeze Saskatoon Pie

I prefer to freeze all my fruit pies uncooked. For freezing, I like to use small metal pie pans instead of my large porcelain ones. Wrap each Saskatoon pie in tin foil and then plastic wrap, and add a date. The pies can be frozen for up to 4 months. When ready to bake, let the pie thaw on the counter for about an hour while still covered. Remove the wrapping and bake as usual.

A large slice of fresh saskatoon berry pie.

A large slice of fresh saskatoon berry pie.

Saskatoon Berry Pie

A traditional Saskatoon berry pie with a thick, juicy filling, made using simple ingredients and baked just like Mom used to make it.
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 35 minutes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 double pie crust bought or a homemade recipe
  • 6 cups fresh or thawed frozen Saskatoon berries
  • ¾ cups white granulated sugar
  • 3 tablespoons minute tapioca
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 egg
  • sprinkle of white granulated sugar

Instructions
 

How to Make a Saskatoon Pie

    Prepare the Pie Crust

    • Preheat your oven to 400F. Roll out your pie crust and line a large pie plate with the crust. Wrap and then set the second crust aside.

    Mix the Saskatoon Berry Pie Filling

    • In a large bowl, add the saskatoon berries, sugar, and minute tapioca. Mix to coat the berries.
      All the ingredients needed for making from scratch saskatoon pie. There is lemon juice, fresh saskatoon berries, sugar, butter and minute tapioca.

    Assemble and Bake the Saskatoon Pie

    • Pour the berries into the center of the pie shell. Cover with the second crust. Pinch the pie edges to seal, and trim off the excess crust. Cut some slits in the top of your pie crust to let the steam escape.
    • In a small bowl, beat the egg. Brush onto the top of your pie with a pastry brush, sprinkle with granulated sugar. Bake your pie at 400F for 15 minutes, then reduce the oven to 350F. Bake for about 50 minutes more. As this is a long time for a pie, double check that your crust isn’t getting too brown. If it starts to darken cover with a loose piece of tin foil.
      A fresh saskatoon pie cooling on a wood board to protect the counter. The pie is golden brown and you can see sugar sprinkles on top.
    • Remove from the oven and let cool. Its important to let your Saskatoon pie cool before serving. Let the pie cool for about 30 minutes before cutting. This will both prevent mouth burns from hot pie filling and it gives the pie filling time to solidify making for prettier slices with nice solid edges.
    • Store it in the fridge for up to 7 days.
      A large slice of fresh saskatoon berry pie.

    Notes

    Cover a cookie sheet with parchment paper and place it under your pie in the oven. This does nothing for the baking of your pie, but if juice happens to bubble over it will save you from having to clean your oven.

    If you love traditional pie recipes, be sure to save this Saskatoon berry pie to Pinterest so you can find it again when berry season rolls around.

    Slice of Saskatoon berry pie in the foreground with a full pie in the background showing the thick berry filling

    Other Pie Recipes

    flapper pie, flapper pie recipe, vintage pie recipe, vintage recipes,

    Classic Flapper Pie

    This flapper pie recipe is another Canadian classic and one of my most popular posts. I love that its made with the simplest of ingredients and is so very delicious. Perfect for new bakers as it doesn’t have a traditional pie crust.

    A large lemon meringue pie with thick meringe in a white porcelain glass plate. The pie is sitting on a bright blue tablelcloth and there are real lemons in the background.

    Lemon Meringue Pie Recipe – From Scratch

    This lemon meringue pie features a from scratch lemon filling. A real lemon filling isn’t any harder to make then a cooked filling is and trust me the fresh taste is worth the extra step. Every man over 40 seems to go nuts over this particular pie.

    Two slices of homemade apple slab pie sitting on parchment paper. The apple pie has really light and flakey crust and a thin layer of fresh apple filling.

    Apple Slab Pie Recipe

    Instead of making an everyday apple pie, try making it in a large cookie sheet. Its a great apple pie recipe to feed a crowd and it even wraps up in parchment for a hand pie version.

    Leave a Reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.