Vegan Mustikkapiirakka (Finnish Blueberry Pie)

A delicious cookie like crust with a creamy custard filling loaded with blueberries, this Vegan Mustikkapiirakka is a dairy free and egg free take on the popular Finnish dessert.

Mustikkapiirakka is a wonderfully delicious dessert that is commonly enjoyed in Finland. The name translates to blueberry pie though this pie is really more of a tart.

There are many variations of this pie. It can be more like an American pie with a crisp crust and simple blueberry filling, with or without a top crust. Or it can be a soft crust, with a creamy filling surrounding the blueberries, like the one seen here. This was adapted to be vegan from a recipe that a Finnish friend gave me some time ago.

Blueberries are in season so be sure to try this salad or these cookies for more blueberry deliciousness.

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Substitutions
• Variations
• Equipment
• Storage

Ingredients

This Vegan Mustikkapiirakka is made with mostly simple everyday ingredients. Potato starch is the one ingredient that you may not keep on hand. If you don't have potato starch then corn starch can be used instead.

• vegan butter
• ground flaxseed
• wheat flour
• rye flour
• baking powder
• non dairy yogurt, plain and unsweetened 
• sugar
• potato starch or corn starch
• vanilla 
• wild blueberries

See recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and grease a 9-10 inch pie plate. Set aside. Whisk together the flours and baking powder and set aside.

The crust of this version of the pie is a soft, cookie like texture rather than the crisp flaky style you might associate with pie.

To achieve this texture, it's the simple process of creaming butter, in this case vegan butter, and sugar together. Use a hand mixer or stand mixer to whip softened vegan butter and ¼ cup + 3 tablespoon sugar together until fluffy and lighter in color. Add the flax egg and whip to incorporate. Add the flour mixture a bit at a time until combined.

Use a spatula to spread it in an even layer around a well greased pie plate or tart pan. You can make it thicker on the bottom or the sides, just be sure it's not too thin on the bottom or it may fall apart a bit when serving. And don't worry about it being perfect, this is a rustic pie that will look beautiful no matter what.

The filling for this pie is typically made with a Creme Fraiche or kermaviili (Finnish curd cream). Since neither are vegan friendly, I opted for non dairy yogurt for a comparable tanginess.

Mix together the yogurt, 3tbsp sugar, potato starch and vanilla until smooth and well combined. Spread the blueberries over the crust and pour the yogurt mixture over them.

Bake the pie for 25-30 minutes or until filling is mostly set. It's okay if the middle wobbles a little, it will continue to set as it cools. Cool Completely before slicing.

Note: Bilberries are European blueberries and what is traditionally used in this pie. Wild blueberries are similar in size and flavor and work well in place of bilberries. You can also use the larger blueberries commonly found in the grocery stores too.

Substitutions

• Flour - instead of rye flour you can use all whole wheat or all purpose or a combination of the two
• potato starch - corn starch may also be used instead of potato starch

Variations

• blueberries- you can use bilberries, wild blueberries or cultivated blueberries, fresh or frozen. if your berries are frozen don't thaw before use.

Equipment

You can use a hand mixer or a stand mixer to cream together the butter and sugar for the crust.

Storage

Any leftover pie can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days.

These ingredients don't stand up well to freezing.

If you try this recipe, I'd love to know how it turns out! Leave a comment below or snap a pic and tag it @weelittlevegans on Instagram so I’ll be sure to see it!