Homemade Blueberry Filling

Fresh blueberry filling that’s tangy, sweet and comes together in less than 10 minutes. Combine fresh or frozen blueberries with some sugar, water, butter and cornstarch, and add lemon to brighten it up and bring out all the natural delicious blueberry flavor. You can use it as a topping for cheesecake, waffles, as a cake filling, and of course inside pies or hand pies. 

I’ll admit, I wasn’t the biggest fan of blueberry pie or blueberry filling before. I thought it was kind of boring! But when I made blueberry hand pies smothered in lemon glaze, I was very pleasantly surprised.

BLUEBERRY FILLING INGREDIENTS

BLUEBERRY FILLING STEP-BY-STEP

Step 1 – In a separate cup, whisk water and ClearGel (or cornstarch) together to make a slurry, set aside.

Use 1 ounce (28 g) of ClearGel or 1/2 ounce of cornstarch.

Pro-tip – If you want extra shiny, beautiful filling, use ClearGel instead of cornstarch. This is what bakeries use in their fruit fillings. 

Step 2 – Place blueberries in a large pan over medium heat. They can be fresh or frozen. No need to defrost your berries. I like using frozen blueberries because they are always very ripe and tasty but if you have a ton of fresh blueberries you want to use, go for it! Add the butter to the blueberries and cook on medium-high about 1 minute.

Step 3 –Add sugar, water, salt, and the cornstarch or ClearGel mixture. Cook on medium-high for 2-3 minutes until the mixture begins to bubble and thicken.

Step 4 – When it starts bubbling, cook for 1 more minute to make sure the ClearGel is fully cooked. Remove the mixture from the heat and then add in 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 5 – Once thickened, remove the mixture from the heat and pour it into a cake pan or heatproof bowl and refrigerate to cool quickly. Store the blueberry filling for about 2 weeks in the fridge or freeze it for 6 months. ClearGel will continue to thicken as it cools.

WHY IS MY BLUEBERRY FILLING WATERY?

Make sure you are measuring your ingredients accurately. If you have too much liquid then your blueberry filling will be runny. If you are using more liquid, make sure you increase the amount of ClearGel or cornstarch that you’re using as well. 

Be sure to cook your blueberry filling for 1 minute after it begins to bubble, stirring constantly so that the filling properly thickens. 

Blueberry filling will continue to thicken as it cools so it might look runny while it’s hot but will get thicker as it cools. If you want to test to see if your filling is thick enough, put a small amount on a spoon and place it into the freezer for a couple of minutes. 

This will cool down the filling quickly and you will be able to assess if it needs more ClearGel. 

HOW DO I STORE MY BLUEBERRY FILLING?

Your blueberry filling will stay fresh in the refrigerator for about two weeks or 6 months in the freezer. You can also can your blueberry filling! 

RELATED RECIPES

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Homemade Blueberry Filling

How to make the best homemade thick blueberry filling. Perfect for blueberry pie, hand pies, cheesecakes, and even cake filling!

4.5 from 4 votes

Print Rate

Prep Time: 15 mins

Cook Time: 10 mins

Total Time: 25 mins

Serves: 2 cups

Calories: 371kcal

Author: Elizabeth Marek

Ingredients

Blueberry Filling

• ▢ 16 ounces (454 g) blueberries fresh or frozen (no need to thaw)
• ▢ 6 ounces (170 g) water or lemon juice
• ▢ 1 ounces (28 g) butter
• ▢ 2 ounces (57 g) white sugar
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1 ounces (28 g) ClearGel 1/2 ounce cornstarch
• ▢ 1 ounce (28 g) water
• ▢ 2 Tablespoon lemon juice
• ▢ 1 tsp lemon zest optional

Instructions

• In a separate cup, whisk water and ClearGel (or cornstarch) together to make a slurry, set aside.
• Place the blueberries in a large pan over medium heat. Add butter and cook about 1 minute.
• Add sugar, water, salt and ClearGel slurry. Cook and stir for 2 to 3 minutes on medium-high until the mixture begins to bubble.
• When it starts bubbling, cook for 1 more minute on medium heat to make sure the cornstarch is fully cooked. Add the lemon juice and lemon zest and stir to combine.
• Remove the mixture from the heat and pour it into a cake pan or heat-proof bowl and refrigerate to cool quickly before using. Store about 2 weeks in the fridge or freeze for 6 months. The filling will continue to thicken as it cools.

Notes

If you want extra shiny, beautiful filling, use ClearGel instead of cornstarch. This is what bakeries use in their fruit fillings. 

Cornstarch is much stronger than ClearGel so if you're using cornstarch, cut the amount in half (for every 1 ounce of ClearGel, use 1/2 ounce of cornstarch)

Make sure to cook your filling for 1 minute after it begins to bubble to ensure it's fully thickened and the ClearGel is cooked

Cornstarch doesn't like acid, so it's best to add the lemon after your cornstarch has cooked out a bit. 

Nutrition

Serving: 4ounces | Calories: 371kcal (19%) | Carbohydrates: 81g (27%) | Protein: 1g (2%) | Fat: 6g (9%) | Saturated Fat: 4g (20%) | Cholesterol: 15mg (5%) | Sodium: 212mg (9%) | Potassium: 366mg (10%) | Fiber: 6g (24%) | Sugar: 64g (71%) | Vitamin A: 300IU (6%) | Vitamin C: 13mg (16%) | Calcium: 50mg (5%) | Iron: 1mg (6%)