Blueberry Pie Filling

Step 1

Whisk water and Clear Jel (or cornstarch) together in a small bowl to make a slurry and set it aside.

Step 2

Place the blueberries and butter in a large pan over medium high heat and cook for about 1 minute. Pro tip - I like using frozen blueberries because they are always very ripe and tasty, and there’s no need to defrost them.

Step 3

Add the sugar, water, and salt to the pan and stir them together.

Step 4

Pour the Clear Jel (or cornstarch) mixture into the pan and cook on medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes until the mixture begins to bubble and thicken.

Step 5

Cook for 1 more minute to make sure the Clear Jel is fully cooked. Remove the mixture from the heat and add the lemon juice and zest. Pro-tip – Cornstarch doesn’t like acid, so it’s best to add the lemon after your cornstarch has cooked out a bit.

Step 6

Once it has thickened, remove the filling from the heat and pour it into a cake pan or heatproof bowl and cover with plastic wrap to avoid forming a skin. Store the blueberry filling in an airtight container for about 2 weeks in the refrigerator or freeze it for 6 months. Clear Jel will continue to thicken as it cools.

Step 7

Use this recipe to make a 9" pie, make hand pies, or cut the recipe in half to use it as a cake filling.

Step 8

If you would like to use this filling for pie, make sure the filling has cooled and your pie dough is prepared and ready to use. This recipe is enough to fill a standard 9-inch pie shell.

Step 9

For fruit pie or berry pies I prefer to use my flaky pie crust recipe, it's my favorite pie crust, and I use the mealy dough for custard-style pies.

Step 10

Roll the prepared dough to about 1/4" thick and line your pie plate, dock the dough lightly to avoid bubbles while baking.

Step 11

Fill the lined pie plate with the cooled blueberry filling.

Step 12

If desired, cover the pie with a full top crust and cut vents or designs in the top. You can learn how to make a lattice crust in my pie crust video.

Step 13

Bake the pie at 425°F for 15 minutes and then reduce the temperature to 350°F and continue to bake for another 30-40 minutes. The crust should be golden and the filling bubbling. Pro-tip: Bake your pie on a baking sheet or a piece of foil to prevent the filling from spilling over.

Step 14

Allow your blueberry pie to cool completely before serving, about 2-3 hours, or your filling will be runny. Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top!