Saskatoon Pie Recipe: How to make the world's best Saskatoon pie

An easy and GREAT saskatoon pie recipe!

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Want to make the best saskatoon pie you've ever had, with a crumbly topping and a sweet deep saskatoon flavor, and don't want to spend all day in the kitchen combing the Internet or studying overly complicated recipes? This pie is so easy and has stood the test of time; read the comments near the bottom of the page. What makes it different from other saskatoon pies is: it's mostly saskatoons, not crust or sugar; and the combination of spices is superb! And it doesn't matter if you're not a chef or have never made a pie before! Following these illustrated directions ANYONE can cook a perfect saskatoon pie! Take this pie to a Fourth of July picnic and be the hit of the party!

Ingredients and Equipment

(per 9 inch deep dish pie)

• 3 to 4 cups of Saskatoons - fresh or frozen (without syrup) (3 cups if you like a thin pie, 4 cups if you like it a little higher!)
• 7 Tablespoons corn starch (for those of you in the British Isles, you know it as "corn flour"). You may also use an equivalent amount of flaked tapioca instead - the tapioca balls don't dissolve well.
• 3 Tablespoons water (or grape juice)
• 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
• One 9 inch pie crust (see this page for the world's easiest flour pie crust recipe and directions!) OR.. if you are like me, you will DEFINITELY prefer a graham cracker pie crust (again, in England, this would be made from "Digestive" biscuits!) - if you haven't tried the graham cracker crust - I highly recommend it.
• Spices:
  1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
  1/4 teaspoon allspice
• One 9 inch deep-dish Pie Plate - (grocery stores sell both disposable pie pans and glass pans. Get the deep type!
  • Sweetener:
    • 2/3 cup granulated (ordinary table) Sugar
      OR
    • 1/3 cup sugar and 1/3 cup Stevia (in a prepared form like Truvia, it measures same as sugar; if you use another form, you will need do your own conversion) . Or Splenda, if you prefer, works in pie recipes, but not by itself. The pie turns out heavy and with much less flavor).

  And now, choose the topping you prefer:

  • Crumb topping (my preference, again):
    • 1/4 cup sugar (OR 1/8 cup sugar and 1/8 cup Stevia (in a prepared form like Truvia, it measures same as sugar; if you use another form, you will need do your own conversion) - or Splenda, if you prefer, )
    • 1/2 cup flour
    • 1/4 cup butter or margarine
  • Dough topping:
    See the pie crust recipe and double it to make extra to roll out as a topping to cover the pie.

Step 1 - Make the pie crust

Never made a crust, either? Fear not, they are really simple. Click here for instructions about making a flour pie crust. It will open in a new window, so just close the new window to return here. I prefer saskatoon pie in a graham cracker crust; click on the link for directions. .Now is also a good time to get the oven preheating to 375 F.

Step 2- Wash the saskatoons

Just rinse them in a colander or sieve in cold water, no soap.

Pick out and remove any bits of stems, leaves and soft or mushy berries. It is easiest to do this in a large bowl of water and gently run your hands through the berries as they float. With your fingers slightly apart, you will easily feel any soft or mushy berries get caught in your fingers.

Step 3 - Mix the dry filling ingredients.

Combine the 2/3 cup sugar (or sugar/Stevia (in a prepared form like Truvia, it measures same as sugar; if you use another form, you will need do your own conversion) - or Splenda, if you prefer, blend), 7 Tablespoons of corn starch in a bowl and mix well! Some people like 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon and/or 1/4 teaspoon of allspice, mixed in, also. That's optional, but it is nice!

Step 4 - Mix in the liquids

Add the 2 Tablespoons of lemon juice, and 3 Tablespoons of water (or grape juice) and stir it up. If you use Stevia (in a prepared form like Truvia, it measures same as sugar; if you use another form, you will need do your own conversion) - or Splenda, if you prefer, , it will be pretty gloppy, rather than drier crumbs, but it still works the same!

Step 5 - Add the saskatoons to the pie crust

Add the saskatoons to the pie crust. Just pour them in! There's lots of air space and it will cook down, so don't worry if they mound up about an inch (2.5 cm) above the edge of the plate.

Step 6 - Pour the liquid mix into the pie

Just pour the mixture of sugar, juice, etc. into the pie all over the saskatoons. If it is a gloppy liquid, don't worry, just pour it somewhat evenly over the top. But it doesn't take perfection; it will smooth itself out in the oven.

Step 7 - Make and add your topping

If you want the crumb topping, just mix

- 1/4 cup sugar (OR 1/8 cup sugar and 1/8 cup Stevia (in a prepared form like Truvia, it measures same as sugar; if you use another form, you will need do your own conversion) - or Splenda, if you prefer, )

- 1/2 cup flour

- 1/4 cup butter or margarine

together in a small bowl and sprinkle it over the pie.

If you want to the dough topping instead, roll out a circular section of dough that you made in step 1, to 1/8 inch thick, then place it over the pie. Seal it against the edges with the pie crust, and make decorative slits with a knife.

Step 8 - Put the pie in the oven!

Cook the pie at 375 F (or 190 Celsius) for 1 hour.

Step 9 - Remove when the pie is golden and pie is bubbling

Check to see if it is bubbling and crust is golden brown. If if not, check every 3 or 4 minutes until it is.

Step 10 - Enjoy!

Set the pie on a rack to cool and enjoy! Here is a slice of the finished pie! Serve warm with ice cream. Refrigerate after it is cooled. It easily lasts a week in the fridge (that is, if there is no one there to eat it. Most of the time, people eat it all within a day!)

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Tips

• If you use frozen berries, it helps to sprinkle 3 tablespoons of corn starch in pie crust/pan just before you add the saskatoons! That helps to suck up any additional liquid, so the pie won't be runny.
• Making a Saskatoon pie for Passover:
  Comments from a visitor on March 24, 2012: "I'm going to bake it for this year's big Passover feast on April 6 (2012). Because of Passover's restrictions against using wheat and corn, I can't use either flour or cornstarch or graham crackers.
  I'll use potato starch instead of corn starch, and will use Passover matzoh cake meal (very, very, finely ground matzoh) instead of flour.
  For the crust, I'm going to try using Passover macaroons. Maybe coconut macaroons smashed up and then mixed with coconut oil instead of butter. (Passover has no restriction against using butter, but I've been substituting coconut oil instead of butter in all my daily cooking year round, just for nutritional health reasons.) I'm thinking it will be delicious. Here's hoping. -Carolyn"

Comments and feedback

Here's what some visitors had to say:

• A visitor writes on July 2, 2015: "Still baking your Grandma's pie recipe and share it with my customers ! Love it!"
• A visitor writes on July 12, 2013: "I love saskatoon pie and I love to cook. ( I was a gourmet waiter before I became a Christian). I tried different recipes and then found yours. It was the best I found and then I think I improved it just a little by sprinkling 1 tablespoon of butter over the top of the berries before putting the top crust in place. Thank you very much for a great recipe! Rev. Charles "
• A visitor writes on June 13, 2013: "The BEST saskatoon pie. I came across the website last year looking for an easy pie to make for someone like me who's never made one. It's simple and fantastic, and I always use grape juice and allspice and cinnamon. It just makes it all wonderful! It's 11 pm and my boyfriend and our friends are staying late, despite a long work day tomorrow, just to have some of the amazing saskatoon pie. Thank you!!!"