This incredible Nectarine Pie recipe is delicate, tart, and sweet. It’s a perfect way to celebrate stone fruit season! While I recommend using the included homemade pie dough recipe for the best results, you can also use a store-bought crust to save time.
I’m so not ready for summer to be over. These past few months in particular have been really amazing and I’m not ready to move forward yet. Temperatures have been mild and the produce has been plentiful.
I got to the beach three times. I got the European vacation I’d been anticipating for years. I’ve been so incredibly spoiled. I don’t want it to end. I’m being selfish.
This nectarine pie is easing my pain a bit.
This homemade pie might be my last chance to celebrate stone fruit for awhile. I don’t know, maybe I’ll squeeze something else in. But you should really make this before nectarines have vanished for the year.
Each bite of this sweet, decadent pie tastes like summer. A beautiful, mild, adventurous summer that I’ll never forget.
Homemade Pie Dough Ingredients
(Note: store-bought dough can be substituted)
- All-purpose flour
- White granulated sugar
- Unsalted butter
Nectarine Pie Filling Ingredients
- Ripe nectarines
- Fresh-squeezed lemon juice
- White granulated sugar
- Light brown sugar
- Ground cinnamon
- Fresh nutmeg
- Cornstarch
Tips For Perfect Homemade Pie Dough
I realize many people get nervous about making pie dough from scratch, but I promise it’s not difficult if you’re willing to practice a few times to get the hang of it. Once you get a feel for the dough (and specifically, the butter temperature), it becomes second nature.
Here are a few tricks to help you along:
- I prefer using a food processor because it’s a fast way to incorporate the cold butter. The trick is to stop mixing as soon as the cold water combines with the other ingredients.
- At this point, the dough will look like it’s barely holding together. That’s ok, don’t overwork it! Turn the ingredients out into a large bowl, and finish combining by hand. It should come together after kneading a few times.
- Always let the dough chill before rolling it. You want the butter to be slightly soft while rolling so the dough doesn’t crack, but not so soft that it starts melting and sticking to the counter.
- Take breaks as needed to rest your dough on the counter or in the refrigerator if the butter temperature needs adjusting.
How to Measure Flour
For baked goods (as well as desserts like custard and ice cream), I always recommend using a kitchen scale to measure flour by weight instead of volume. Weight (ounces, grams, etc) will always give an accurate measurement of dry goods; volume (cups) can create varied results.
A cup of flour can weigh anywhere from 3 1/2 to 5 ounces. That could make a big difference in your recipe! If you still want to use cups, there’s a proper technique to make sure you get the best results possible.
My post How to Measure Flour explains all of this in more detail.
More Homemade Pie Recipes
If you like this nectarine pie, be sure to also check out my Key Lime Pie, Apple Pie with Cheesy Crust, Strawberry Pie, and Pumpkin Slab Pie!
Nectarine Pie
Ingredients
For the dough:
- 12 ounces all-purpose flour (2 1/2 cups)
- 2 ounces granulated sugar (1/4 cup)
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 8 ounces cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- 1/3 cup cold water
For the filling:
- 3 1/2 pounds ripe nectarines, approximately 6-7
- 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- a few gratings of fresh nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
For the topping:
- 1 tablespoon milk or cream
- 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar (granulated sugar may be substituted)
Instructions
Prepare the dough:
- To prepare the dough, place the flour, sugar and salt in a food processor. Pulse the dry ingredients several times to mix.
- Add the butter and pulse the machine until the mixture looks like coarse cornmeal (a few larger pieces of butter are fine).
- With the machine running, add the water and mix until the dough just begins to come together. It will still be very crumbly but should form dough when pressed together.
- Divide the dough into 1/3 and 2/3 portions, wrap in plastic wrap and flatten into round discs. Place in the refrigerator for a minimum of 1 hour (up to 48 hours).
Prepare the filling:
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Fill a separate large bowl with ice water. On the bottom of each nectarine, slice a 1-inch X shape (the goal is to cut the skin, not the fruit). Using a slotted spoon, carefully add a few of the nectarines to the boiling water. After 30 seconds to 1 minute you should see the skin separating slightly from the fruit. Use the slotted spoon to move the nectarines into the ice water bath. Repeat with the remaining nectarines.
- Peel the skin from the nectarines (discard the skins). If any of the skins are stubborn, use a small paring knife to assist in the peeling. Slice the fruit in half and remove the pits. Place the nectarines flat side down and cut into thin slices. Place the sliced nectarines in a large bowl and toss with the lemon juice.
- In a small bowl, stir together the sugars, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and cornstarch. Add to the nectarines, stirring to combine. Set aside.
Assemble the pie:
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
- On a generously floured surface, roll out the larger portion of dough to about 12-13 inches in diameter (flour the top of the dough as well). Carefully place in a 9 1/2 inch pie pan. There should be a slight overhang. Add the nectarine filling.
- Re-flour the surface and roll out the smaller portion of dough to approximately 10 inches in diameter. Use a pizza slicer to cut 8 even strips. Layer the strips in a decorative lattice pattern. Cut off any excess overhang from the strips and then fold the bottom overhang over the strips. Use a fork to gently crimp the edge of the crust all around.
- Brush the milk or cream evenly over the dough and sprinkle with the turbinado sugar (this will add a nice crunch).
- Place the pie pan on a baking sheet and place in the oven. Cook for 20 minutes and then lower the oven temperature to 375 degrees F. Bake for an additional 35-40 minutes, or until the crust is brown and the filling is bubbly.
- Allow to cool completely to room temperature before slicing (the filling will thicken as it cools).
Please read my full post for additional recipe notes, tips, and serving suggestions!
Nutrition
Recipe Troubleshooting
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I am so not ready for summer to be over yet. Although the thought of pumpkin recipes is making the end seem a little more bearable.
This pie is gorgeous! I can’t remember the last time I made a pie! At LEAST a year. This needs to change!
I get very depressed about the end of summer. I don’t like chilly or cold weather. It is very hard on my body. I’ll be happy when it’s summer again or I love to California :)
I make peach pie all the time, but never nectarine. Great idea!
I so love the lighting in these, and a lot of your photos! And the colors are beautiful! Thank you so much for the inspiration, I’ll be following you on Bloglovin :)
I made this pie the other day and it was fantastic. Thanks so much for making this!
I made this and it turned out great. It’s the first pie I ever made, and the instructions were simple, yet including everything I needed to know.
Delicious!`
My first double crust pie. I have made a bunch of pumpkin and key lime pies before, but a fruit pie was new to me. I skimped on the corn starch, and probably shouldn’t have. But the pie is still utterly delicious. I also did not peel the nectarines, and that was totally fine.
I made 2 pies and shared one with my neighbor. He said it was yummy. Thanks for sharing!
I made a simplified version of this pie last night, using pre-bought deep-dish crust and making a one-crust pie without topping. I have to say that it is a lot more work to make a nectarine pie than cherry or blueberry, what with boiling, pitting, peeling, and pre-slicing. However, the results were absolute delicious. I would definitely use this recipe again.
All I did was wash and slice. The nectarines I used were freestone, and I did not peel them.
Looks delicious! Would you be able to freeze this pie after it is cooked?