Description
This Strawberry Pie Filling recipe offers a luscious, homemade alternative to store-bought pie fillings, perfect for creating fresh, vibrant strawberry pies. It uses ripe strawberries blended with a touch of lemon juice, sweetened with sugar, and thickened with quick-cooking tapioca or cornstarch for a smooth, glossy finish. The filling can be cooked or used raw depending on your pie preference and is easy to refrigerate or freeze for later use.
Ingredients
Scale
Strawberry Puree
- ½ cup (3 ounces) sliced ripe strawberries, washed, hulled, and sliced
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ cup water (omit if using cornstarch)
Filling
- 1 quart (16 ounces) ripe strawberries, washed, hulled, and sliced
- ⅓ to ½ cup (70-100 grams) sugar (adjust based on strawberry sweetness)
- 1 tablespoon quick-cooking tapioca or 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Prepare the strawberry puree: Add ½ cup of sliced strawberries to a blender with lemon juice and ½ cup water (omit water if using cornstarch). Blend until completely smooth to create a fresh strawberry juice base.
- Mix dry ingredients and combine: In a pot, add sugar, quick-cooking tapioca (or cornstarch), and a pinch of salt. Stir to combine the dry ingredients evenly.
- Cook the strawberry juice mixture: Pour the blended strawberry juice into the pot with the dry ingredients. Heat over medium and bring the mixture to a boil. If using tapioca, lower the heat to a simmer and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently until the sauce thickens and tapioca pearls soften. If using cornstarch, cook only until the mixture thickens from the boil, without simmering.
- Add remaining strawberries and finish cooking: Stir in the remaining sliced strawberries and cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture returns to a simmer. Immediately remove from heat once simmering again.
- Cool the filling: Transfer the hot filling to a wide container to cool quickly. Once cooled, pour into a jar and store in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days or freeze for up to 3 months until ready for use.
Notes
- This recipe yields about 1 pint of filling. To make enough for a full pie, double all ingredients but use only ½ cup of pureed strawberries as directed.
- Quick-cooking tapioca creates a slightly textured filling, whereas cornstarch yields a smoother consistency.
- The filling can be precooked for no-bake pies or used raw without cooking by following additional guidelines in pie preparation.
- Store the filling refrigerated for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
- For best results, use ripe, fresh strawberries and adjust sugar amount based on their natural sweetness.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ¼ cup (approximately 60 ml)
- Calories: 70
- Sugar: 14 g
- Sodium: 5 mg
- Fat: 0.1 g
- Saturated Fat: 0 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0.1 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 17 g
- Fiber: 1.5 g
- Protein: 0.5 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
