It's the fruit pie of your dreams, one that cuts easily, with each slice revealing a luscious, vibrant fruit filling that flows gently onto the plate. But what if it's done wrong? The slice is more like a puddle, falling apart when you try to serve it and leaving behind a lake of fruit juice in the middle of your pie pan. Or it's too thick, the fruit filling is so strong it brings to mind bouncy balls. Given that moisture content varies from fruit to fruit and throughout the season, how can you ensure a proper filling? Read.
The key to achieving the former, rather than the latter, is to thicken your fruit pie filling correctly. Essentially, this means adding a starch that can absorb the liquid released by the fruit as it ripens, giving the fruit texture and helping it go into the oven.
You can thicken fruit pie filling with many different starches—including all-purpose flour, cornstarch, tapioca, and more—and how much you use will depend on the fruit you're using. For example, some fruits have more natural pectin and less moisture (such as apples) and thus need less thickener, while others, such as strawberries, have little natural pectin and rely on that extra starch to thicken. hardened. It's not an exact science, but to guide you, we have a whole Pie thickness chart. our Fruit Pie Recipes they are also written with different thickness options to best suit the pie itself; if you are following a King Arthur recipe, follow the amount listed in the recipe for best results.
While many different thickeners will work, they each give slightly different results. For example, some give a different mouthfeel or darker appearance, while some can make the pie filling firmer.
Photography by Kristin Teig; food styling by Liz Neily
Pie thickener options
- All purpose flour: the most common thickness of pie filling, in part because it's in almost everyone's pantry.
- Corn starch: A fine white starch derived from corn, often used for its thickening properties when heated.
- Instant Clear Gel: A modified starch made from corn that has been milled and processed to grade specific starches with desired gelling properties; almost like cornstarch, but better. (Learn more: What exactly is Instant ClearJel and why do bakers swear by it?)
- Improver for pie filling: An all-in-one pie thickener that combines Instant ClearJel with ascorbic acid for bright fruit flavor and refined sugar for better mixing; unlike other thickeners, this replaces some of the filling sugar as it is already included.
- Quick-cooking tapioca: A starch derived from cassava, quick-cooking tapioca isn't often called for in recipes because it's harder to find, although some pie bakers swear by it; the filling should stand for at least 15 minutes before baking for the tapioca to soften.
Test method
As mentioned above, how you thicken and how much thickener you use will depend on the types of fruit and the pie recipe itself. But for this test, we bake five mini Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie. Each fill used a different type of thickener, following the instructions listed in our Pie thickness chart.
Photography by Rick Holbrook; food styling by Kaitlin Wayne
General pie thickeners
In short, all of these pie-thickening methods worked. They provided a fruit filling that was sustainable instead of soup; when cut into each, the filling remained intact and did not run out on the plate. I would happily serve a portion of each to friends.
Photography by Rick Holbrook; food styling by Kaitlin Wayne
wINNERS: Fruit pie fillings thickened with Instant ClearJel and Pie Filling Enhancer had the best texture – runny without being mushy or starchy. These two fillings also had the clearest appearance, which really allowed the bright color of the fruit to shine through.
Photography by Rick Holbrook; food styling by Kaitlin Wayne
The runners-up: Thickened cornstarch, tapioca, and all-purpose flour fillings were a little cloudy. In addition, the all-purpose flour also had a slight starchy feel (though not noticeably unpleasant), while the tapioca filling was stickier.
To summarize: We recommend using Instant Clear Gel OR Improver for pie fillingbut cornstarch, flour, and quick-cooking tapioca will also work well if you have no other options available.
Three more tips for thickening fruit pie
A few additional pie tips to keep in mind:
Fresh from the farm? Raise your pie crust.
Farmers market fresh fruit, especially berries, are often juicier than the fruit you buy at the supermarket. You'll want to increase your thickener accordingly to account for this extra moisture. Because all fruit will vary, the amount you increase is not a perfect science, but we recommend increasing the thickener by about 25% for particularly juicy fresh fruit.
Your style of pie matters
In past testing, we've found that a double-crust pie needs more thickener than an open-faced pie, or a single-crust pie. lattice crust or pastry cut out on top. What it makes sense: Even with the holes in the top crust, that layer of dough is preventing steam from escaping as the pie bakes. The liquid that would evaporate from an open-faced pie is trapped in a double-crust pie. Thus, more thickener is needed to account for the additional liquid.
Food photography and styling by Liz Neily
Remember to cut before chopping!
Whichever thickener you use, wait until your pie is cool before slicing. This extra time gives the fruit filling a chance to set completely. If you cut it too early, while the pie is still warm, it's much more likely to collapse and run. We know it's hard, but for firmer slices, make sure you wait until your pie is completely cooled; in warm weather, this can take many hours, so plan accordingly!
Learn more essential tips and techniques for the best pie in our guide How to bake a pie.
Cover photo by Rick Holbrook; food styling by Kaitlin Wayne.
