6 Tips For Thickening Up Your Fruit Pies (2024)

FAQs

How do you thicken fruit pies? ›

Cornstarch has thickening power similar to Instant ClearJel. Like flour, it lends a cloudy, semi-transparent look to filling. It can also give filling a starchy taste. For full effectiveness, make sure the pie filling is bubbling up through the crust before removing your pie from the oven.

Cornstarch as Pie Filling Thickener

Just like the name suggests, cornstarch is derived from corn. Cornstarch is faster-acting than flour and forms a smooth, relatively clear filling. Just be aware that too much cornstarch can create a slimy texture.

Let the pie cool completely — preferably overnight

As the pie cools, its filling will solidify. It takes time for pie to cool thoroughly and its filling to thicken completely, so control your appetite and let it rest for several hours.

Cornstarch makes for a shiny, glossy filling. A little goes a long way because it has twice the gelling power of flour. Flour thickens nicely but leaves more of a matte finish. You'll need to use twice as much as you would with cornstarch.

Crust dust is a 1:1 mixture of flour and granulated sugar. When baking a pie, especially a fruit pie, a couple of teaspoons of crust dust sprinkled into the bottom of the crust will help prevent the crust from becoming saturated with juicy filling as it bakes.

To summarize: We recommend using Instant ClearJel or Pie Filling Enhancer, but cornstarch, flour, and quick-cooking tapioca will also work well if you don't have other options available.

Very often flour or cornstarch is used, but in certain instances tapioca, arrowroot and potato starch can also help achieve the desired consistency. Tapioca starch is preferable for products that will be frozen because it will not break down when thawed. We like tapioca in blueberry, cherry or peach pies.

All-purpose flour is an easy substitute for cornstarch; in fact you may see recipes for thickening pie fillings or soups with either. You'll need 2 tablespoons of flour for every 1 tablespoon of cornstarch in a recipe.

One reason you'll often end up with a runny fruit pie is simply that it hasn't been baked long enough. Any thickener you use needs a little time to set up, and people often see their crust turning light brown and think the pie is done when it's really not.

10 Answers. There are several alternatives, but the most common I know of are tapioca flour and arrowroot powder/flour. That said, most cornstarch substitutes aren't appropriate for pies, because they break down under high heat. The only substitutes for corn starch that I'd use in a pie are potato starch and tapioca.

What are the three main methods used to prepare fruit fillings for pies? ›

The fruit can be fresh, frozen or canned. The starch can be flour, cornstarch, tapioca or a packaged commercial instant starch. The ingredients for a fruit filling are most often combined using one of three methods: cooked fruit, cooked juice or baked.

Fresh fruit needs just slightly less thickener than frozen. Flour is the only thickener that produces significant cloudiness, though cornstarch-thickened filling is somewhat more opaque than fillings thickened with other starches. Taste-wise, the best thickener is Pie Filling Enhancer.

No, when canning pie filling, there is no substitute for Clear Jel®. Other thickeners like cornstarch clump when canning and may interfere with heat being able to reach throughout the jar. Without heat penetrating throughout the jar, yeast, mold, or other harmful bacteria can form.

Very often flour or cornstarch is used, but in certain instances tapioca, arrowroot and potato starch can also help achieve the desired consistency.

Add Gelatin or Cornstarch

If your filling is really runny, you can add a little bit of gelatin or cornstarch to thicken it up. Gelatin is great for adding firmness, while cornstarch can thicken the mixture without making it too firm.

Flour and butter (sauce thickening) – In today's recipe, we are thickening the stew using a simple French finishing technique called a Beurre Manié. This is raw flour and softened butter mixed together, and then stirred into a liquid (a sauce usually). It makes the sauce shiny and thick.

If you don't have the thickener called for, or if you plan to create your own dessert, here's a general guideline: If 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour is used as thickener, you can substitute 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch (or potato starch or rice starch or arrowroot) or 1 tablespoon quick-cooking tapioca.