Fresh Plum Pie

Fresh plum pie recipe

The Spruce / Julia Estrada

Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 55 mins
Total: 70 mins
Servings: 8 servings
Yield: 1 9-inch pie

The irresistible aroma of sweet of fruit and warm spices filling your kitchen might be one of the best things coming out of your oven during the holidays. Served warm with a scoop of ice cream or cream on top, fruit pies are irreplaceable parts of the American traditions of Thanksgiving and Christmas. But you don't necessarily have to make apple or pumpkin pie to please your guests, as many other fruits make beautiful and tasty pies. Our plum pie has it all: sweet fruit, cinnamon, and butter all in a delicious filling that cooks to soft perfection between two layers of pie crust. The best part is that the mixture doesn't need to be cooked beforehand but rather can go into the pie dish after a quick mix. Beginning to end, this pie takes a little over an hour. Serve this pie at your next gathering and surprise your guests with a new and interesting flavor.

In North America, plums are in season from late May through the end of October, while in the United Kingdom the window is much shorter, just from August to early October. But now it's possible to get plums in the offseason thanks to delicious imports from China and Central and South America. Plums come in many sizes and varieties with different flavor profiles, but all share a common texture. There are black, red, purple, and yellow plums, amongst many others, which range from tangier to sweeter depending on the variety. Plums are said to be the first fruit cultivated by humans. Rich in vitamin C, they have been used in Western and alternative medicines in their fresh and dried form (prunes) as a digestive aid.

The plums we recommend for this pie are purple plums, but any sweeter variety such as Moyer, Japanese Elephant Heart, or Italian will do. If you can't find plums but do find pluots (a cross between apricots and plums with more plum character than apriums) use those instead, as their sweet favor is a great substitute for purple plums. Use homemade or store-bought pie crust and don't leave out our secret ingredient, quick-cooking tapioca which will thicken the filling without the need of cooking the fruit over the stove. Serve this great pie with ice cream, whipped cream, or a dust of powdered sugar, and keep any leftovers refrigerated and covered for up to three days.

Ingredients

  • 2 9-inch pie crusts, store-bought or homemade

  • 3 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca

  • 1 cup sugar

  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

  • Optional: 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

  • 3 cups fresh plums, pitted and sliced

  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients for plum pie
    The Spruce / Julia Estrada
  2. Pre-heat oven to 425 F. Prepare the pie pastry. Roll and line a 9-inch pie plate with half of the pastry.

    Roll pastry
    The Spruce / Julia Estrada
  3. Combine tapioca, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and plums in a large bowl.

    Plum filling
    The Spruce / Julia Estrada
  4. Pour plum mixture into the prepared pastry-lined pie plate. Dot with butter.

    Plum pie
    The Spruce / Julia Estrada
  5. Roll the remaining pastry; fold over and carefully cover the fruit mixture. Trim edges, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang then flute. Cut several 1 1/2-inch slits in a pinwheel design in top of pie to let steam escape.

    Dough pie
    The Spruce / Julia Estrada
  6. Bake in the pre-heated oven for 45 to 55 minutes, or until filling is bubbly and crust is browned. If edge browns too quickly, shield with a strip of foil.

    Plum pie
    The Spruce / Julia Estrada
  7. Enjoy!

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
151 Calories
2g Fat
35g Carbs
0g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8
Amount per serving
Calories 151
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 2g 2%
Saturated Fat 1g 5%
Cholesterol 4mg 1%
Sodium 67mg 3%
Total Carbohydrate 35g 13%
Dietary Fiber 1g 3%
Total Sugars 31g
Protein 0g
Vitamin C 6mg 29%
Calcium 5mg 0%
Iron 0mg 1%
Potassium 98mg 2%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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Article Sources
The Spruce Eats uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
  1. Lever E, Cole J, Scott SM, Emery PW, Whelan K. Systematic review: the effect of prunes on gastrointestinal functionAliment Pharmacol Ther. 2014;40(7):750-758.

    DOI: 10.1111/apt.12913