Mulberry Pie

This easy Mulberry Pie Recipe delivers a rustic dessert that captures the sweetness of fresh mulberries and memories of days gone by.

Mulberries hold a special place in many hearts. Make this pie and serve it with ice cream or custard and mulberries will win even more hearts

Jump to:

• Why you'll love Mulberry Pie
• Ingredient notes
• How to make Mulberry Pie
• Serving and storage
• Can't get enough pie?
• Mulberry Pie

Why you'll love Mulberry Pie

Mulberries don't keep well after picking and are hard to find in stores. But people have always got around that problem by planting a tree in their own backyard! And in Australia, mulberry trees grow well.

Capturing those lovely mulberry flavours from the backyard tree in pie form has always been a popular option. And this pie recipe includes homemade pastry and stewing the mulberries beforehand (the old-fashioned way of making this pie) resulting in a truly wonderful pie.

(Psss... another wonderful way to enjoy mulberries is to make up some mulberry jam. You can also check out more mulberry recipes here.)

More about mulberries

From nursery rhymes to childhood tree climbing adventures to eating the berries straight from the tree, this fast-growing tree which bears an abundance of fruit through spring and summer is loved through the world.

I love this little story about a mulberry tree that was published in Sydney's 'The Sun' newspaper in 1945.

And a mulberry tree planted in 1836 in Australia during the first official European settlement of South Australia still stands tall today and is thought to be the oldest surviving fruit tree in the state.

The mulberry tree actually goes way, way back to ancient times, and is even mentioned in the Bible while the leaves were famously used in the Orient to fatten silkworms for the silk trade.

In fact, the leaves of the mulberry tree are the sole food of silkworms! And the popularity of the tree throughout the world goes hand in hand with the popularity of silk.

But, enough history, you're here for pie!

Ingredient notes

To make this pie, the first thing you'll need is fresh mulberries – 4 cups worth, ideally straight from the tree.

You can, however, store your mulberries in the fridge for up to two days before using them in cooking.

TIP: For best results, line a plate with paper towel before placing the mulberries (unwashed) on the plate and covering with plastic food wrap. When you are ready to make the pie, wash the mulberries in cold water and pinch off any remaining green stalks with your fingers.

In addition to mulberries, the other ingredients you'll need are regular kitchen staples: butter, sugar, icing sugar, egg, lemon juice, plain flour and cornflour.

The ingredient measurements can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.

How to make Mulberry Pie

Start with the pastry

TIME-SAVING TIP: You can substitute homemade pastry with store-bought frozen shortcrust pastry. But if you have time, making your own pastry will result in a more delicious pie.

To make homemade pastry, take the butter from fridge and allow to sit for about 30 minutes. Chop the butter into cubes and beat in a stand mixer on med-high for 1-2 minutes.

Add the icing sugar and mix on low speed until combined.

Turn up the speed to med-high and beat again for 1-2 minutes or until mixture turns a pale colour.

Add the egg yolk and lemon juice and combine with a spatula.

Fold through the sifted flour and salt.

The mixture should all be a pale yellow colour with no dry of floury parts. If it seems too dry, add a little more lemon juice.

Turn out the mixture onto bench and knead lightly to form two equal balls.

Wrap each ball in baking paper and place into the fridge for at least one hour.

Making the mulberry pie filling

Many of the modern recipes for mulberry pie involve simply placing the whole fruit into the pastry shell along with some sugar, flour and other ingredients and then baking.

The older recipes, however, involve stewing the fruit beforehand.

My Nan Mac (Nana Ling's daughter) made a wonderful Mulberry Pie and mum remembers her stewing some of the fruit and thickening with cornflour. I've used these memories to come up with this old fashioned Mulberry Pie recipe.

Okay, let's make this mulberry filling.

Oh, and it's a good time now to start pre-heating your oven to 180 degrees celsius / 360 degrees fahrenheit (fan-forced).

Place about ⅔ of the mulberries, 2 tablespoons water and sugar in a saucepan.

Gently heat to dissolve sugar and then bring to the boil before simmering for 10 minutes.

Mix the cornflour with a little water.

Take saucepan off the heat and add cornflour mixture. Stir well to combine.

Return to heat and stir until mixture thickens. Remove from heat and set aside along with remaining whole mulberries.

Baking the pie

Remove the pastry dough from fridge and roll out the first ball on a lightly floured surface to a thickness of about 3mm.

Roll the pastry back onto the floured rolling pin and use a spatula to lift the rest of the pastry form the bench.

Place in greased pie dish and gently press into dish, trimming sides to fit. Prick the base with a fork about 7 times.

Pour mulberry mixture onto top of pastry and then place whole mulberries on top.

Roll out the second pastry ball on a lightly floured surface to a thickness of about 3mm and use a spatula to lift the rest of the pastry form the bench. Place on top of pie and trim edges.

Next, use the side of your thumb to press indents into the crust, placing your thumb diagonally and pressing at intervals of around 3cm.

Use a sharp knife to insert about 4 small (2cm) vents into the top of the pie.

Before popping your pie into the oven, whisk the egg white and brush over the top of the pie.

Bake the pie at 180 degrees celsius / 360 degrees fahrenheit (fan-forced) for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

TIP: If the crust starts to brown too quickly during the baking, remove from the oven and carefully place alfoil over crusts to prevent further browning.

Allow the pie to cool to a warm temperature before serving.

Serving and storage

The pie is perfect served warm with ice cream or custard.

Store in the fridge, covered, and enjoy within a day or two.

Freeze, wrapped well, for up to a couple of months.

Can't get enough pie?

I get it. Pies make the perfect dessert. Check out these other lovely pie recipes:

Made this recipe and love it? Please take a moment to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. It’s such a help to others who want to try the recipe. (And it really makes my day to hear how Nana Ling's recipes are being made, shared and loved all around the world! - Libby x)

For more fun and deliciousness in the kitchen, follow along on Facebook, TikTok and Pinterest, and subscribe for new posts via email.