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Elderberry Pie

A classic elderberry pie, made from whole berries. This recipe is a celebration of the fact that, when cooked, like the rest of the berry, the seeds of elderberries are not poisonous! Instead, the seeds add a pleasant mild crunch texture to the pie. Served with vanilla ice cream, this is one of my favorite desserts ever!
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Cooling Time3 hours
Total Time4 hours
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 540kcal

Ingredients

  • 2 cups Elderberries frozen
  • 1/3 cup sugar Add more if you prefer a sweeter filling.
  • 1½ tbsp cornstarch 2 tbsp if using acorn starch
  • 1 tsp lime or lemon juice
  • 1 dash cinnamon
  • 1 pie crust

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 400°F and place a baking sheet inside to also preheat. The pie dish will be placed on top of this to help the bottom of the crust bake more evenly.
  • Combine the frozen elderberries and brown sugar in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat and stir occasionally, until the berries have released their juices and the sugar has mostly dissolved.
  • Meanwhile, combine the starch with warm water, adding the water about 1 teaspoon at a time until you have a very thick, smooth slurry.
  • Slowly stir the slurry into the elderberry mixture. Continue stirring over medium heat until the filling has reached your desired thickness. Refer to our video for a texture reference.
  • Remove the filling from the heat, then stir in the lime juice and cinnamon.
  • Prepare your crust and add the filling. If making a double-crust or lattice pie, we like to brush the top lightly with milk or egg wash.
  • Place the pie on the baking sheet and bake at 400°F for 15 minutes. Then, reduce the oven temperature to 375°F and continue baking for another 20–25 minutes, or until the crust is golden and the filling is bubbling.
  • Remove the pie from the oven and allow it to cool for 3–4 hours before slicing. This resting period allows the filling to set.

Notes

We developed this recipe for a 12 oz ceramin pie dish. If you want to scale it to a larger pie or experiment with using dried elderberries for it, consider these two blog posts for reference: