Say Goodbye To Runny Fruit Pies With This Thickening Tip

A slice of pie is a piece of paradise, especially when it's loaded with delicious, naturally flavorful fruit. But, as wonderful as this experience can be, the opposite is true when your filling winds up loose, runny, and oozing all over the place instead of firmly in your crust. Fortunately, there's a simple way to thicken up your filling to ensure your fruit stays put, and you may already have this secret ingredient in your pantry — cornstarch. By adding just a little of this powdery stuff and tossing it together with your chosen fruit in a bowl, you have the winning formula for firming up those juices.

An ideal starting ratio is about 1 to 2 teaspoons of cornstarch for each cup of fruit. You can also use tapioca to solve your messiest pie problems, as this style of starch can get the job done with around 1 to 3 teaspoons for each cup of fruit. You can also use all-purpose flour in a pinch, but the downside is that you need more of it, about 2 to 3 teaspoons for each cup of fruit. It may also interfere with the flavor of your fruit and can even create a gummy texture that isn't especially pleasant, so be cautious about overdoing it.

While these ratios are useful guidelines, keep in mind that not all fruit is created equal. Options such as blueberries, strawberries, peaches, and plums can be on the juicier side, so you may need to toss in a little more than you would for apples or pears. There are some other tips to help your pie set up properly, too. 

Make sure you allow it to cool entirely prior to cutting into it. Setting it aside overnight is the most reliable strategy, but a minimum of about four hours of cooling time is critical. Also, though it may sound basic, be sure your pie is baked through. Thickeners, including cornstarch, require heat to really activate their superpowers. You can even par-cook your fruit for the perfect jammy-not-soggy pie filling. But, of all the things you never knew cornstarch could do, this thickening trick might be one of its handiest.