Description
This Strawberry Pie Filling recipe is a quick and easy way to prepare a delicious, homemade filling perfect for pies or desserts. Made with fresh ripe strawberries, lemon juice, sugar, and thickened with quick-cooking tapioca or cornstarch, this filling offers a perfectly sweet and fruity consistency that can be used immediately or stored for later use.
Ingredients
Scale
Strawberries
- 1 quart (16 ounces) ripe strawberries, washed, hulled, and sliced
Filling Base
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ⅓ to ½ cup (70 – 100 grams) sugar (depending on strawberry sweetness)
- 1 tablespoon quick-cooking tapioca or 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Prepare Strawberry Puree: Add ½ cup (3 ounces) of sliced strawberries to a blender along with the lemon juice and ½ cup water (omit water if using cornstarch). Blend until completely smooth to form the strawberry juice for the filling base.
- Combine Thickening Ingredients: In a pot, combine the sugar, quick-cooking tapioca (or cornstarch), and pinch of salt, stirring to mix evenly.
- Cook Filling Base: Pour the blended strawberry juice into the pot and stir. Heat the mixture over medium heat until it comes to a boil. If using tapioca, reduce heat and simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the sauce thickens and the tapioca softens. If using cornstarch, cook until the mixture thickens at the boil and then proceed to the next step without simmering.
- Add Strawberries: Stir in the remaining sliced strawberries into the thickened sauce. Cook gently, stirring frequently, just until it returns to a simmer, then immediately turn off the heat.
- Cool the Filling: Transfer the filling to a wide container to cool quickly. Once cool, pour it into a jar or container for storage.
- Store Properly: Keep the filling refrigerated for 3-4 days or freeze for up to 3 months, ready to be used in pies or desserts as needed.
Notes
- The recipe makes about 1 pint of filling; double all ingredients for a full pie but keep the pureed strawberry amount at ½ cup.
- You can precook the filling for no-bake pies or use it uncooked—refer to additional advice in the original recipe text for variations.
- Use quick-cooking tapioca for a softer, slightly textured filling, or cornstarch for a smoother consistency.
- The sugar amount can be adjusted to your preferred sweetness based on the natural sweetness of your strawberries.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/4 cup (about 60 ml)
- Calories: 60
- Sugar: 14g
- Sodium: 10mg
- Fat: 0.1g
- Saturated Fat: 0g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0.1g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 15g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 0.3g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
