Cooking Tips

Instant Tapioca Is Pie Season’s MVP

You need to add this magical powder to your pie baking essentials. Here’s why. 
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Published Nov. 11, 2022.

Pie season is in full swing which means it’s time to stock up on all the essentials.

Butter, flour, sugar, fruit . . .

. . . and instant tapioca.

(Aka pie season’s MVP.)

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Fruit pies require a thickener. Otherwise you’ll end up with a pie full of soup!

You can use pectin or cornstarch. But more often than not you’re left with a gloppy mess.

Ground tapioca is the way to go. Here’s why:

  1. It dissolves easily during baking. 
  2. It preserves rather than dampens fresh fruit flavor (as other common thickeners can). 
  3. The result is a cohesive, perfectly sliced piece of pie.
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Bake beautiful, foolproof versions of the corner bakery classics and French patisserie favorites—plus a host of whimsical, modern pies and tarts of all kinds with sky-high meringue pies, uniquely flavored fruit pies with intricate lattice-woven tops, and lush elegant tarts.

To grind tapioca into a powder, simply use your spice grinder. Transfer it to an air-tight container and it’ll keep in your pantry for up to 6 months.

How much tapioca powder should you use? Just a couple tablespoons will do the trick.

Here are a few of my favorite tapioca-thickened recipes:

  1. Blueberry Earl Grey Pie 
  2. Sweet Cherry Pie
  3. Pear Butterscotch Slab Pie

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