Why Your Blueberry Pie Always Turns Out Watery (And How To Fix It)

Is there anything more delicious than a warm slice of juicy blueberry pie? Fresh, comforting, and bursting with flavor, it's one of the best seasonal desserts, especially when served at the height of summer. That is, of course, if it's done right. No one wants a watery pie and, unfortunately, blueberries can be one of the biggest offenders in that department.

Every fruit pie recipe runs the risk of turning out runny because fruit naturally contains water -– and blueberries have higher levels than most. When baked in a hot oven, the cells inside the berries break down and release that water, leading to a runny filling and dreaded soggy bottom. Luckily, there's an easy fix. All you need to do is add a thickener to your blueberry pie filling, which will absorb all of the excess liquid without adding any weird flavors.

Some common thickeners include flour, tapioca, cornstarch, and Instant ClearJel, a type of modified cornstarch.Cornstarch is particularly popular for berry pies because of their high moisture content. To try it, just add about one tablespoon for every cup of blueberries used when you're preparing your filling. Mix everything together, and let the berries drain for a little while in a colander before adding them to the pie crust.

If you don't have cornstarch, all purpose flour will also work, but it could make the filling appear a little cloudy. Again, just sprinkle a few spoonfuls on the berries and toss them before baking, aiming for about three teaspoons per cup of berries if they're particularly ripe. You can also use a mixture of cornstarch and flour, and turn the oven up at the start of baking to encourage it to work faster.

Tapioca is another option, but it doesn't lead to the best texture.The same goes for gelatin. You can even use instant pudding mix, but beware of the flavor you use –- you don't want any banana essence in that lemon blueberry pie. If you want to buy a thickener especially for your pies, try ClearJel. You just apply it in the same way, and it works really well on blueberries. Plus, it doesn't break down in the freezer, so it's perfect for frozen pies. You only need to use very little -– a teaspoon or so should do.

Fresh berries will need less thickener than frozen, and vice versa, so keep that in mind when preparing your filling. And avoid using more than a few spoons of any thickener, as you don't want the filling to turn gummy. Finally, make sure you cook your pie for long enough and let it cool completely before cutting, and you'll be making the best fruit pies in no time.