Description
This Strawberry Pie Filling is a luscious and easy-to-make topping featuring ripe strawberries enhanced with lemon juice, sugar, and thickened with either quick-cooking tapioca or cornstarch. Perfect for pies, tarts, or as a dessert condiment, it offers a smooth, sweet, and slightly tangy flavor with a beautifully thickened texture.
Ingredients
Scale
Fruits
- 1 quart (16 ounces) ripe strawberries, washed, hulled and sliced
Liquids and Sweeteners
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ⅓ to ½ cup (70 – 100 grams) sugar (depending on sweetness of strawberries)
Thickening Agents
- 1 tablespoon quick-cooking tapioca or 1 tablespoon cornstarch
Other
- Pinch salt
Instructions
- Prepare Strawberry Juice: Place ½ cup (3 ounces) of sliced strawberries, lemon juice, and ½ cup water (omit water if using cornstarch) into a blender. Blend until completely smooth to create the strawberry juice base.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a pot, mix sugar, quick-cooking tapioca (or cornstarch), and a pinch of salt thoroughly to ensure even distribution of the thickening agent and sweetness.
- Cook the Mixture: Pour the prepared strawberry juice into the pot with the dry ingredients. Heat over medium heat and bring to a boil. If using tapioca, reduce heat to simmer and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the sauce thickens and tapioca pearls soften. If using cornstarch, do not simmer; once the mixture thickens upon boiling, move to the next step immediately.
- Add Remaining Strawberries: Stir in the remaining sliced strawberries, cook while stirring frequently until the mixture comes back to a simmer, then remove the pot from heat immediately to prevent overcooking.
- Cool the Filling: Transfer the hot filling to a wide container to cool quickly and evenly.
- Store: Once cooled, pour the filling into a jar. Refrigerate for up to 3-4 days or freeze for up to 3 months for longer storage.
Notes
- The recipe yields about 1 pint of strawberry pie filling. To make enough for a whole pie, double all ingredients but keep the pureed strawberries at ½ cup.
- You can use this filling for no-bake pies or simply as a topping; cooking can be adjusted based on your use case.
- If using cornstarch, omit water from the puree to maintain proper consistency.
- For thicker texture, quick-cooking tapioca is recommended; cornstarch yields a smoother, slightly less chewy consistency.
- Store refrigerated filling in a sealed container and consume within 4 days or frozen up to 3 months.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/4 cup (about 60g)
- Calories: 70
- Sugar: 15g
- Sodium: 10mg
- Fat: 0.1g
- Saturated Fat: 0g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 17g
- Fiber: 1.5g
- Protein: 0.5g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
