Blueberry Cream Cheese Pie

Assemble this blueberry cream cheese pie at your leisure, then let it chill until serving time.
Cream Cheese Blueberry Pie Recipe photo by Taste of Home

Cream cheese and blueberries have become a winning pair for everything from French toast to after-dinner dessert. The mild richness of cream cheese balances the sharp, bright juiciness of blueberries for a combination that’s not too heavy and not too sweet. In our blueberry cream cheese pie, these two ingredients are married within a wonderfully flaky crust. The pie comes together in a series of simple steps and chills until serving time. You can prep it in advance, then chill yourself, and relax with your guests.

Blueberry Cream Cheese Pie Ingredients

A bowl of blueberries and various ingredientsTMB Studio

  • Pie dough: Make your own pie dough for this dessert, or use a premade pie crust. Fully blind baking the crust lets you add the filling without cooking the entire pie.
  • Cream cheese: This pie uses half of a block of cream cheese, a better choice than a whipped tub that likely contains extra liquid. Turn the rest of the block into a snack you can enjoy while the pie chills, such as these spinach puffs.
  • Blueberries: You can use either fresh or frozen blueberries for this pie. Frozen ones will thaw as you bring them to a boil, but you may want to stir the cornstarch into a little of the water separately until dissolved, then add it to the bubbling topping to ensure it sets.

Directions

Step 1: Prepare the dough

A hand holding a purple tweezers over a pie crustTMB Studio

On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into an 1/8-inch-thick circle. Transfer it to a 9-inch pie plate, trim the dough to 1/2 inch beyond the rim, and flute the edge. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425°F.

Step 2: Blind bake the crust

Beans in foil over the pie crustTMB Studio

Line the chilled crust with a double thickness of aluminum foil, then fill it with pie weights, dried beans or uncooked rice. Bake on a lower oven rack for 20 to 25 minutes, until the edge turns golden. Remove the foil and weights. Continue baking until the crust bottom is golden brown, three to six minutes. Transfer to a wire rack, and let cool.

Step 3: Mix the cheese layer

A person mixing cream in a bowlTMB Studio

In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese and confectioners’ sugar until smooth. Fold in the whipped cream, turning it in slowly so that it doesn’t deflate. Spread the mixture into the pie shell.

Editor’s Tip: If you use a hand mixer or stand mixer with a whisk attachment to whip the cream into stiff peaks, you can swap the whisk for a paddle attachment to beat the cream cheese and sugar.

Step 4: Thicken the blueberries

A person stirring a pot of cranberry sauceTMB Studio

In a large saucepan, combine the granulated sugar, cornstarch, water and lemon juice, stirring until the mixture is smooth and the cornstarch dissolves. Stir in the blueberries, and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring as needed to help the berries thaw and release some juice. Once bubbling, cook while stirring for two minutes, until thickened. Let cool.

Step 5: Finish the pie

A person spreading cream cheese and blueberry paste on a pieTMB Studio

Spread the cooled blueberry mixture over the cream cheese layer. Cover with loose-fitting foil, or enclose in a pie container, and refrigerate the pie until serving.

Cream Cheese Blueberry PieTMB Studio

Blueberry Cream Cheese Pie Variations

  • No-bake crust: Opt for a graham cracker crust as a crunchy base. You could bake it to bind in the sugar and butter, but it’s easiest to just pack in the crumbs, and chill the crust before adding the filling.
  • Mixed berry pie: Short on blueberries? Replace some of them with strawberries, blackberries, raspberries or even cherries. For more intense single-berry flavor, swap in huckleberries for all the blueberries.
  • Blueberry mini tarts: Instead of one pie crust, cut the dough into six circles, and fit them into muffin cups. Chill them, then blind bake with weights for about 12 minutes. Let the shells cool completely in the pan, then remove them before adding the cream cheese filling and blueberries.
  • Garnish with sugared berries: To make a photo-ready garnish, roll fresh blueberries in simple syrup, then toss them in granulated sugar, and let them dry on a wire rack. Arrange the sugared berries on the pie, and add a sprig or two of fresh mint on your finished beauty!

How to Store Blueberry Cream Cheese Pie

This pie needs to be stored in the refrigerator, ideally in a container that keeps air out without smashing the berry-topped surface. Expect the crust to soften somewhat if refrigerated for more than two days, and plan to finish leftovers within three to five days. The filling typically needs about four hours to set up but will become firmer if refrigerated overnight. It’s best not to freeze this pie, because the cornstarch-thickened topping can take on a spongy texture when thawed.

Blueberry Cream Cheese Pie Tips

Cream Cheese Blueberry PieTMB Studio

What happens if I don’t chill the pie dough?

Whether you start with homemade pie dough or a premade crust, resting the dough makes the crust easier to roll, while chilling before rolling produces a flakier crust. Chilling again after fitting the crust in the pan also encourages flakiness, and it has another benefit: It can keep the crust from shrinking and slumping into the pie plate as it bakes. Be sure to use a pie plate that can withstand the transition from fridge to oven temperatures.

How can I avoid a runny blueberry filling?

A thickener turns juicy fruit into a firm pie filling. Cornstarch plays that role in this recipe. It needs to be dissolved fully before it is heated to avoid clumping. Undercooked cornstarch is chalky and less effective. Since the whole pie doesn’t finish in the oven, be sure to let the filling bubble on the stovetop for a full two minutes to properly thicken. When the juices change from opaque to glossy and shiny, the filling is ready. If you still struggle with a runny filling, replace some of the lemon juice, which can weaken cornstarch, with water.

Blueberry Cream Cheese Pie

This blueberry cream cheese pie is guaranteed to please. —Lisieux Bauman, Cheektowaga, New York
Cream Cheese Blueberry Pie Recipe photo by Taste of Home
Total Time

Prep: 40 min. + chilling Cook: 10 min. + chilling

Makes

8 servings

Ingredients

  • Dough for single-crust pie
  • 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
  • 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream, whipped
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/4 cup lemon juice
  • 3 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

Directions

  1. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to a 1/8-in.-thick circle; transfer to a 9-in. pie plate. Trim to 1/2 in. beyond rim of plate; flute edge. Refrigerate 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 425°.
  2. Line crust with a double thickness of foil. Fill with pie weights, dried beans or uncooked rice. Bake on a lower oven rack until edge is golden brown, 20-25 minutes. Remove foil and weights; bake until bottom is golden brown, 3-6 minutes longer. Cool on a wire rack.
  3. In a small bowl, beat cream cheese and confectioners' sugar until smooth. Fold in whipped cream. Spread into pie shell.
  4. In a large saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch, water and lemon juice until smooth; stir in blueberries. Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook and stir 2 minutes or until thickened. Cool. Spread over cream cheese layer. Refrigerate until serving.

Nutrition Facts

1 piece: 414 calories, 22g fat (14g saturated fat), 61mg cholesterol, 205mg sodium, 52g carbohydrate (31g sugars, 2g fiber), 4g protein.