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Three berries, one flaky lattice crust, and a filling that tastes like the best of summer. Strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries come together in a way that’s sweet, tart, and completely irresistible — especially with a scoop of vanilla ice cream melting into the warm filling.
Why You’ll Love It
- Three berries, one perfect filling — strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries each bring something different, and together they’re better than any single-fruit pie
- The crust is genuinely flaky — old-fashioned shortening dough gives you that classic, crisp texture every time
- The twisted lattice top looks impressive — but it only takes a few extra minutes and makes the whole pie look bakery-level
- Fresh or frozen berries both work — so you can make this any time of year, not just peak summer
- It slices cleanly — once it cools properly, the cornstarch filling sets up beautifully
Ingredient Notes
The berries — I’ve made this with both fresh and frozen, and honestly frozen works just fine, especially for the blueberries and raspberries, which can be hard to find fresh and not mushy. Just thaw them ahead and drain off some of the liquid or your filling will be too wet. The strawberries I try to get fresh when I can, but I’ve used frozen in a pinch and nobody complained.
The cornstarch is what holds the filling together. Some people use flour or tapioca, and I’ve tried both — tapioca gives it a slightly glossy look, which is pretty, but I always come back to cornstarch because I always have it.
Apple juice in a pie filling sounds strange. I thought so too. But it adds this faint sweetness that you can’t quite identify — you don’t taste apple, you just taste something a little more rounded. I’ve used white grape juice when I was out of apple and that worked too.
The shortening in the crust is old-fashioned and I know it. You can use butter and it’ll taste richer, but the shortening gives you that classic diner-style flake that I genuinely love. I grew up with shortening crusts and I’m not apologizing for it.
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2/3 cup vegetable shortening (or lard if you’re feeling old-school)
- 6–7 tablespoons ice water — start with 6 and see how it feels
For the filling:
- 1½ cups fresh or thawed strawberries, sliced
- 1½ cups fresh or frozen blueberries
- 1½ cups fresh or frozen raspberries
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- ¼ cup apple juice
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
Instructions
Start with the crust, because it needs to rest. Combine your flour and salt in a big bowl and then cut in the shortening. I use a pastry blender, but two forks work, or just your hands if you don’t mind the mess. You want it to look like coarse crumbs, uneven, not uniform. If it looks too perfect, you’ve probably worked it too much.
Add the water one tablespoon at a time, tossing with a fork as you go. This is where people rush and they shouldn’t. Stop the moment it just holds together when you press it. It’ll look almost too dry and that’s right. Divide it into two balls — one a bit bigger than the other — flatten them into disks, wrap them up, and put them in the refrigerator for at least thirty minutes. Longer is fine. I’ve left it overnight.
While the dough chills, deal with the berries. Toss all three together in a bowl with the cornstarch and apple juice, stir gently — raspberries fall apart if you’re aggressive — and let the whole thing sit for fifteen minutes. Then mix in the sugar and cinnamon. It’ll look soupy and you’ll wonder if you did something wrong. You didn’t. The cornstarch does its job once it hits the oven.
Preheat to 450°F. I know that sounds high and it is — that initial blast is what sets the crust and starts the filling bubbling. Roll your larger disk out to about a 12-inch circle on a floured surface. Getting it thin and even is the goal but it doesn’t have to be perfect. Fit it into a 9-inch pie pan with about an inch of overhang. Spoon the filling in. Dot the butter pieces across the top — this is the step I always forget and then remember at the last second.
Roll the second disk into an 11-inch circle and cut it into strips, roughly half an inch wide. Here’s where you can either do a classic lattice or twist each strip before you lay it. I twist them now. It takes maybe four extra minutes and it looks like you tried harder than you did, which is always a good quality in a pie. Weave the strips across the top, trim the ends, and crimp the edge however you like — I just press it with my thumb.
Put the whole thing on a baking sheet — always, always on a baking sheet, because the filling will bubble over and you do not want that on your oven floor, trust me on this — and bake at 450°F for 15 minutes. Then drop the temperature to 350°F and bake for another 55 minutes. The filling should be visibly bubbling and the crust should be a deep golden brown. If the edges start to get too dark before the center is done, tent some foil over them.
Let it cool for at least an hour before you cut it. I know. I know. But if you cut it hot, the filling runs everywhere and you end up with beautiful-looking soup.
Variations
Swapping the apple juice for orange juice and adding a little orange zest to the filling is very good — brighter, more citrusy. Adding a splash of balsamic vinegar is interesting but a bit much. I wouldn’t do it again.
If you want a full top crust instead of lattice, that works fine — just cut a few slits in the top so the steam escapes. A crumble topping would also work here, if pastry dough feels like too much. It won’t be the same pie but it’ll still taste like summer.
Storage
It keeps at room temperature for a day, covered loosely. After that, refrigerate it. Cold berry pie is honestly not bad — the filling sets up firmer and it slices cleaner. Reheat individual slices in the oven if you want to revive the crust, or just eat it cold standing in front of the refrigerator, which is also a completely valid option and probably what I’d do.
A slice of this with vanilla ice cream starting to melt into the berries — that’s the whole point. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
Three Sisters Berry Pie
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 2/3 cup vegetable shortening
- 6-7 tbsp ice water
- 1 1/2 cups strawberries sliced
- 1 1/2 cups blueberries
- 1 1/2 cups raspberries
- 3 tbsp cornstarch
- 1/4 cup apple juice
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 2 tbsp butter cut into pieces
Instructions
- Combine flour and salt, then cut in shortening until crumbly. Add ice water gradually until dough just holds together. Divide into two disks, wrap, and chill for at least 30 minutes.
- Toss strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries with cornstarch and apple juice. Let sit 15 minutes, then add sugar and cinnamon.
- Preheat oven to 450°F. Roll out larger dough disk and place in a 9-inch pie pan.
- Add berry filling and dot with butter.
- Roll out second dough, cut into strips, and arrange in a lattice pattern over the pie. Trim and crimp edges.
- Place pie on a baking sheet. Bake at 450°F for 15 minutes, then reduce to 350°F and bake for 55 minutes until golden and bubbling.
- Cool for at least 1 hour before slicing.