Vintage Concord Grape Pie with Crumb Topping

Learn how to make the best concord grape pie with an easy-to-follow, old fashioned family recipe. The fruity, perfectly thickened grape filling is topped with a quick streusel crumb topping, served best with a melty scoop of ice cream. If you are looking for alternative concord grape recipes, check out the variations below, such as making with double crust or even a grape crisp.

Prep Time 40

Cook Time 50

Total Time 1 30

Servings

Author Melissa Erdelac

Ingredients

6 cups (1.42 kg) washed, de-stemmed concord grapes (about 2 ½ lbs. with stems on)
2 tablespoons (2 tablespoons) unsalted butter
1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
⅓ cup (41.67 g) all-purpose flour or gluten free flour (I recommend Cup4Cup gluten-free flour)
1 tablespoon (1 tablespoon) lemon juice
¼ teaspoon (1/4 teaspoon) salt

Streusel Topping

½ cup (62.5 g) all-purpose flour or gluten free flour (I recommend Cup4Cup gluten-free flour)
½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
¼ cup (56.75 g) unsalted butter softened
1 (1) pie crust shell store bought or homemade

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Gently squeeze the grapes so the pulp slips out of the skin into a medium saucepan. Separate the skins into a separate bowl and set aside to use in pie filling.
Bring grape pulp to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes.
Remove from the heat and immediately pour through mesh strainer fitted over a bowl to separate seeds from pulp. Press and stir so ALL the pulp is extracted into the bowl. Scrape the bottom of the mesh strainer occasionally to get the pulp from there too. When you are done you should be left with only the seeds, and you won't be able to get anymore pulp out. Discard the seeds.
Place butter into bowl of hot pulp and let it sit for a few minutes until it melts. When butter is melted, whisk in sugar, flour, lemon juice, and salt until smooth. Stir the reserved skins into the pulp mixture.
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, 1 cup granulated sugar, ⅓ cup all-purpose flour or gluten free flour, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, ¼ teaspoon salt
Pour grape mixture into the unbaked pie shell and prepare the streusel topping. With a fork mix all ingredients together until butter is well incorporated. Sprinkle topping over pie filling.
½ cup all-purpose flour or gluten free flour, ½ cup granulated sugar, ¼ cup unsalted butter, 1 pie crust shell
Bake for 40-50 minutes or until crust is golden brown and grape filling is bubbly throughout. (You may want to place a foil-lined baking sheet on the oven rack below the pie to catch any potential overflow). Cool for at least an hour before serving. Serve warm with ice cream or at room temperature. See recipe notes for storing tips.

Notes

Serving and Storing

Before cutting and serving allow it to cool 1-2 hours for filling to set. This pie may be served warm with ice cream or at room temperature.

Do not refrigerator leftovers. It can sit on the counter up to 2 days. Leaving it uncovered keeps the crust crisp and prevents the pie from becoming soggy. If you need to cover it, turn a large bowl over the pie, or loosely tent with foil.

Freezing Tips

This pie may be frozen fully assembled, unbaked. Growing up, my mom would always double the recipe making one to enjoy right away and one to freeze for later.

Prepare the pie according to recipe directions, but do not bake.
Place pie with streusel topping on a baking sheet and freeze until solid.
Once the pie has frozen completely wrap securely with plastic wrap. Cover plastic wrap with a double layer of foil. Freeze up to 6 months.
When ready to bake unwrap pie and bake from frozen. The pie will take up to twice as long to bake so make sure to protect the crust with a silicone pie shield or aluminum foil.

Nutrition