This lemony blueberry galette is as delicious as blueberry pie, but takes less than half the time and effort to make. The lemon-kissed blueberry filling tastes incredible paired with a homemade buttermilk cornmeal crust… and, of course, a scoop of vanilla ice cream!
It’s a slice of blueberry pie but with 10,843% less work. (I did the math on that one!)
So Much to Love About This Blueberry Galette:
- Bright blueberry flavor accentuated by fresh lemon… tastes like summer!
- Simple 4-ingredient filling, and you can use either fresh or frozen blueberries.
- The from-scratch buttermilk cornmeal crust is a flavorful upgrade to plain crust.
- Incredible texture: The juicy berry filling pairs perfectly with the tender-crisp crust, and coarse sugar provides a sweet crunch on the edges.
- Oh-so-easy: Blueberry galette is the perfect recipe for baking beginners who aren’t quite ready to try homemade pie crust, or anyone who craves the taste of homemade blueberry pie but doesn’t have all day to make it!
Start With the Buttermilk Cornmeal Crust
The dough for the crust needs to chill for at least 1 hour (or you can make it up to 3 days ahead of time, which is handy!) before you roll it out, so make it first.
This galette crust doesn’t taste like cornbread, but it has many of the same ingredients including fine cornmeal, buttermilk, flour, and butter. This particular crust crisps up beautifully, has a little crunch from the cornmeal and coarse sugar topping, and when paired with juicy, sweet, and warm blueberries? It’s absolute bliss. Think of it as a flavorful upgrade from regular pie crust; I also love it with quiche.
Don’t have cornmeal or buttermilk on hand? You can make this lemony blueberry galette with the plain crust from this recipe for blueberry peach frangipane galette, or use any single-crust pie crust.
4-Ingredient Filling:
- Blueberries: I love baking with fresh blueberries because they’re one of the easiest fruits to prepare: no peeling, pitting, or chopping! You can also use frozen blueberries in this galette, which makes this a lovely treat you can enjoy any time of year. Do not thaw before using.
- Sugar: Just enough to sweeten without masking the zingy lemony blueberry flavor.
- Cornstarch: To thicken the filling.
- Lemon: We’re using both the zest and juice of a lemon, to add a sunny brightness that really brings out the blueberries’ flavor. It’s a popular flavor combo around here, showing up in reader favorite recipes like lemon blueberry cake and lemon blueberry muffins.
Don’t Pre-Cook the Filling
This recipe really wants you to do less work! You do not have to pre-cook the filling; just rinse and pat the berries dry and then mix with the sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, & lemon zest. Gently work the ingredients together until the cornstarch and sugar are moistened and starting to dissolve. You want the blueberry filling to look slightly wet, not dry and powdery.
Just like this:
Shaping Your Galette
After the dough has chilled and your filling is ready, you can roll out and shape the crust. Actually, it doesn’t really require much shaping at all. Whatever shape the dough rolls out to be, you can leave it. No pie dish, no crimping or fluting the crust… Galette is truly a low-maintenance version of pie, and I love it for that.
One thing to keep in mind when topping the crust with the filling: unlike pies where you can pile the fillings sky-high, galettes don’t really like it when there’s too much filling.
Why? The crust can’t bake through properly and will turn out mushy and flimsy. To avoid that, keep this in mind: flat and compact. Flatten that filling down, compact the berries as much as possible, and leave a 2- to 3-inch border so you can fold the dough edges over.
Before baking, brush the crust with egg wash (egg + milk) and sprinkle with coarse sugar. These are my 2 main finishes for nearly all sweet pies, including apple pie and peach pie. The egg wash leaves a golden sheen on the dough as it bakes, and helps the crust to brown evenly. The coarse sugar provides a sweet, sparkly crunch that really takes this crust to the next level.
And if you’re looking to unlock top-level blueberry galette status, you can achieve that with a simple scoop of vanilla ice cream!
When berry season is over, use frozen blueberries; or try my always-beloved apple galette or this deeply flavored ginger pear galette—both are fall favorites!
And if you can’t get enough blueberries, here is even more inspiration for blueberry dessert recipes.
Other Galette Recipes to Love
Blueberry Galette
- Prep Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: 1 galette; about 6-8 servings
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
As delicious and impressive as blueberry pie, but takes half the time and effort! This lemon-kissed blueberry galette is an easy summer dessert and truly shines with a crisp and flaky buttermilk cornmeal crust.
Ingredients
Buttermilk Cornmeal Crust
- 1 and 1/4 cups (156g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled), plus more as needed
- 1/4 cup (30g) fine cornmeal
- 3 Tablespoons (38g) granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) cold unsalted butter, cubed*
- 1/4 cup (60ml) cold buttermilk, plus more as needed
Filling
- 4 cups (about 600g) fresh or frozen blueberries (do not thaw)
- 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 1 Tablespoon (7g) cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 1 Tablespoon (15ml) fresh lemon juice
- egg wash: 1 large egg beaten with 1 Tablespoon milk
- optional: coarse sugar for sprinkling
Instructions
- Make the crust: Whisk the flour, cornmeal, sugar, and salt together in a medium bowl. Using a pastry cutter or a couple forks, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse, pea-sized crumbs. Add the buttermilk and stir until the flour is moistened and the dough clumps up. Mix in 1 more Tablespoon of buttermilk if the dough seems dry. Pour crumbly dough onto a lightly floured work surface and bring it together with your hands. Shape the dough into a ball and flatten it into a 1-inch-thick disc. Wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least 1 hour and up to 3 days (or freeze for up to 3 months).
- Right before you roll out the crust, prepare the filling: Mix the blueberries, sugar, cornstarch, lemon zest, and lemon juice together in a large bowl. Stir gently until the berries are moistened all over (no powdery lumps of cornstarch or sugar). Place in the refrigerator until ready to use. Tip: Don’t mix the filling too much ahead of time—10 to 15 minutes is fine as you roll out the dough. You do not want the blueberry filling to sit for too long, as the berries will release too much juice.
- Preheat oven to 425°F (190°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Set aside.
- On a lightly floured work surface, roll the chilled dough into a 12- to 14-inch circle (or any shape, really!). Trim the rim of the circle to make a clean cut, if desired. Transfer dough to the prepared baking sheet.
- Remove the filling from the refrigerator and spoon it into the center of the dough, leaving a 2- to 3-inch border all around. Gently fold the edges of the dough over the fruit, overlapping the dough as necessary. Press gently to seal the edges. Brush the edges with egg wash and sprinkle with coarse sugar.
- Bake until the filling is bubbly and the crust is golden brown, about 28 to 32 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before slicing and serving. Tastes wonderful served warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: The dough can be made ahead of time and chilled in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before rolling out and filling.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Pastry Cutter | Zester | Citrus Juicer | Baking Sheet | Silicone Baking Mat or Parchment Paper | Rolling Pin | Pastry Brush | Coarse Sugar
- Plain Crust: Want a plain crust without buttermilk and cornmeal? You can make the blueberry galette with the plain crust from this recipe for blueberry peach frangipane galette, or use any single crust pie crust.
- Cold Ingredients in Dough: Make sure the butter and buttermilk are SUPER cold. Cold ingredients, as well as chilling, help the crust keep its shape.
- Buttermilk: Buttermilk adds unbelievable flavor and texture to this dough. If you don’t have buttermilk, use this DIY buttermilk substitute instead. Add 1/2 teaspoon of fresh lemon juice or white vinegar to a liquid measuring cup. Then add enough cold whole milk until it reaches 1/4 cup. Stir together and let it sit for 5 minutes before using in the recipe.
Hi Sally, I made this with blueberries and loved it! I want to make it with apples (from my tree). I know someone else asked about substituting apples and you suggested your Easy Apple Galette Recipe,…however,…I really love this dough! If I try this dough with apples, how long would you suggest to bake for and at what temperature? Many thanks!!!
Hi Pamela, you can definitely use this dough with the apple galette filling. Use the baking time from the apple galette recipe as a guide, but keep a close eye on it and feel free to tent the galette with foil if you find the crust is starting to brown too quickly. Enjoy!
Thank you so much for your speedy help!!
Disaster! The dough should have been rolled directly onto the parchment. It was IMPOSSIBLE to transfer the dough, it’s summer, warm kitchen, what a mess. I finally patched it together into a pie and made a freeform dough heart to place on top. I can’t wait to find out how this comes out. It certainly looks unusual.
Hi Judy, if you wish to make this recipe again in the future, you can certainly flour and roll your dough directly on the parchment. It sounds like your dough was getting too warm, making it stick to the counter. This can be common in hot/humid weather. If you find your dough is getting too warm, pop it back in the refrigerator to cool down a bit. Cold pie dough is key to the galette keeping its shape. Hope you still enjoy it!
Really delicious! The crust tastes like it came from a bakery.
Csn I use this recipe with fresh raspberries? Any more raspberry recipes? Picking them in garden. Love your recipes.
Hi Kim, raspberries can be particularly wet and juicy, so they’re typically best when used with other berries. We’d recommend them in this mixed berry galette. And here are all of our recipes that call for raspberries!
Could I use this recipe with plums instead of blueberries?
Hi Claire, we’d follow our recipe for a strawberry peach galette instead, since peaches are also a stone fruit. That filling has just a bit less sugar. You can swap out both the peaches and strawberries with plums. Hope you enjoy it!
I made this and it was delicious. Wondering if I can use the cream cheese filling from your pastry braid in there?
Hi Liz, we’re so glad you enjoyed it! We haven’t tested that, but we imagine that should work okay. You’ll likely want to reduce the blueberries a bit. Let us know what you try!
Hey Sally I follow your site religiously. You are my go to 1st for any cravings we have even if I see a recipe from another site I check to see if you have it or something similar. I’m very confident with all your tips and notes thx a bunch and keep it up!!
I made this yesterday and we so enjoyed. I used frozen mixed berries and did not thaw as per your recipe. I added the 1 tablespoon of corn starch but found the galette was still very juicy after baking. Should I try 2 tablespoons the next time I make?
Hi Carol, you may need to let the galette sit for a bit after baking if it still seems very juicy. You could try adding more cornstarch, but we fear that may make the texture a bit gummy. We’re so glad you still enjoyed it!
Can corn flour be substituted for fine cornmeal?
Hi Alisa, no, you do not want to use corn flour here. You’ll need cornmeal. If you don’t have cornmeal, you can use regular all-purpose (plain) flour in its place.
hello, Can you do this with apples?
Hi Leanne, here is our apple galette recipe instead.
So delicious! The crust is tender and tasty with a little crunch from the cornmeal. The lemon really compliments the blueberries. We loved this quick, easy dessert and I’ll make it again. I think the crust would be wonderful with a peach filling too.
This is delicious!! The slight lemony taste with the blueberries is perfect! This is the first time I made it with the new dough recipe which includes corn meal and a bit of sugar and it absolutely takes it to another level. Thank you Sally!!!!
Can Arrowroot starch be substituted for cornstarch?
Hi April, we haven’t tested it, so I can’t tell you what the result would be in this recipe, but I think it should be fine. The question is what ratio you should use. The internet says either twice as much arrowroot starch as cornstarch, or else 1:1.5. Because we haven’t tested it, I can’t tell you which would be best. If you try it, please report back!
Fabulous! I’ve made your wonderful blueberry pie so was pleased to see a galette recipe. I used my own homemade crust as I always have one in the freezer (for those crust emergencies don’t you know ). And I swapped lemon zest for lime zest (always do with blueberries). It was delicious and I like it a bit better than the pie! I think because it’s bakes for such a shorter time than the pie that you end up with a fresher tasting filling as it were. Anyway it was a big hit so thank you!!
Hi Cynthia, I’m so glad you tried and loved this! It really is quite easy!