When Jon Rowley was a child, his grandmother used to make juice from fresh-picked blackberries. In it, he says, "you could taste and smell the briar." In this recipe, Rowley's wife, Kate McDermott, has combined that flavor from his youth with a tender, flaky pie crust to create an exemplar of the Pacific Northwest's cuisine. Get the recipe for Blackberry Pie »Nicole Franzen
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We just can’t resist pie in any of its forms. What’s not to love about a flaky crust holding a delicious filling? Pies are versatile enough to satisfy any craving—sweet pies can be rich and chocolatey or light and fruity, and savory pies present a whole other world of possibilities. From lemon meringue and pumpkin to chicken and crawfish, we’ve rounded up our favorite sweet and savory pie recipes.
One of the best pie fillings is fresh summer fruit. Our summer peach pie gets a comforting warmth from bourbon, cinnamon, and nutmeg. The sweetness is our plum pie is intensified by grape jelly. Some fruits are delicious in pie, but produce fillings that are too loose. To get around this, our black and blue berry pie and concord grape pie use tapioca, which thickens the filling without adding any off flavors or making it gummy.
Chocolate pies are wonderfully decadent. Our chocolate cream pie is simple and nolstalgic, with puddinglike filling and a crunchy chocolate wafer crunch. Our chocolate chess pie is a little more grown up—the crust contains bitter cocoa nibs and a nutty cornbread crumble acts as a topping.
Sweet pies dominate, but savory meat pies deserve your attention. Creamy chicken pot pie is iconic, but that’s just the start. Our stargazy pie is a show-stopper. It features a thick, cider-rich rabbit and crawfish sauce baked into a biscuitlike beef suet crust with whole crawfish poking out.
Find all of these recipes and more in our collection of our favorite pie recipes.
Inspired by his neighbor Olivia Pattison’s recipe, chef Chris Fischer uses tapioca in the filling of this pie because it thickens the juicy berry mixture without imparting its own flavor or becoming gummy. Minute tapioca pearls are easy to find in grocery stores, but if you like, substitute an equal amount of cornstarch. Get the recipe for Black and Blue Berry Pie »
Phoebe Lawless of Scratch Bakery in Durham, North Carolina makes cream pies all summer long that incorporate different fruits as they become available. This recipe works just as well with strawberries, peaches, cherries, or whatever is in peak season. It’s also a great way to use fruit that is just beyond its usability, whether bruised or overly ripe.
Erin Patinkin and Agatha Kulaga of Ovenly in Brooklyn give us their recipe for nectarine, blueberry, and vanilla bean hand pies, which work equally well for breakfast as they do dessert. Nectarine, Blueberry, and Vanilla Bean Hand Pies »
Maple syrup is folded into the filling of this take on a classic. Just before serving, the chilled pie is brûléed, yielding a caramelized top with a dramatic crunch. Get the recipe for Maple Pumpkin Brûlée Pie »
Browned butter accentuates the flavor of earthy walnuts and a sour cream topping offsets the richness of the filling for a balanced, delectable dessert.
This flaky double-crust pie, from Prince Edward Island resident Marion Buote, is filled with a sumptuous beef, chicken, and pork stew. Get the recipe for Marion Buote’s Meat Pie »
Fresh and dried fruits steep in hazelnut liqueur for three days to make the filling for this holiday pie. Suet, a traditional mincemeat ingredient, adds moisture and richness, but vegetable shortening works just as well.
A cloud of meringue is piled sky-high over lemon-curd filling in this recipe inspired by a diner classic served at the Modern Snack Bar in Aquebogue, New York.
In this whimsically constructed pie from restaurateur and cookbook author Mark Hix, rabbit and sweet crawfish form a thick, creamy, cider-rich sauce under a biscuit-like beef suet crust. Get the recipe Rabbit and Crawfish Stargazy Pie »
The silky, custardlike base of this autumnal pie is made from sweetened navy bean purée spiced with nutmeg, vanilla, and cinnamon. Get the recipe for Navy Bean Pie »
In this pie, orange zest nicely offsets the sweetness of fresh strawberries. Get the recipe for Strawberry Pie »
A back-of-the-box recipe for lemon icebox pie gets a gourmet upgrade with real whipped cream, lemon simple syrup, vanilla shortbread, and homemade candied lemon peel scattered over the top—it’s a lovely dessert for a special occasion.
This sweet, tart fruit pie is a beautiful showcase for the flavors of fall and winter. It’s great on a holiday table, and is at its best when served alongside a plate of cheese: the rich quince flavor balances beautifully with a wedge of funky, crumbly blue beside it on the plate.
This spicy, curry-flavored meat pie, a staple of Lagosian food culture, came about when a traditional Cornish pasty met the Nigerian spice palate. Get the recipe for Nigerian Meat Pies »
A popular snack along Senegal’s coast where seafood is plentiful, these small fried hand pies are filled with a spicy herb and fish filling. Get the recipe for Fried Fish Pies (Pastels) »
This summery pie can be made any time of year by substituting frozen, thawed raspberries and peaches for fresh fruit.
This clever dessert fills a spicy gingersnap pie crust with an apple pie-inspired ice cream. The dish works just as well made with pears, quince, or even sweet potatoes in place of the apples. Get the recipe for Apple Pie Ice Cream Pie »
Pecan Pie Ice Cream Pie
The toffee-like interior and beautiful bronze top layer of halved pecans won Rubyane Surritte first place in the pie contest at Oklahoma’s Drummond Ranch. Get the recipe for Blue Ribbon Pecan Pie »
A pie filled with fresh pears, drizzled with cream, and sprinkled with sugar and flour makes an incredibly simple, elegant dessert. Get the recipe for Nelson Pear Pie »
Strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, and raspberries are brightened with lemon juice and zest to make the filling for this juicy pie. Get the recipe for Razzleberry Pie »
When Jon Rowley was a child, his grandmother used to make juice from fresh-picked blackberries. In it, he says, “you could taste and smell the briar.” In this recipe, Rowley’s wife, Kate McDermott, has combined that flavor from his youth with a tender, flaky pie crust to create an exemplar of the Pacific Northwest’s cuisine. Get the recipe for Blackberry Pie »
