Can you freeze pie filling after you make it? I am doing 250 mini pies for a wedding in September and I want to make the filling in July to make the process faster. I have great recipes for the fillings which all call for canning once it’s cooked. Canning it is possible but freezing it would be so much easier. Help!
Yes, but it’s better to make the handpies and freeze them. High water content fruit like blueberries and cherries breaks down into a watery mess when baked, and that tends to occur more when the filling has been frozen.
If you make the filling separate, you have to thaw it to use it. So it’s going to become mushy even if it’s not a high water fruit. But if you make the pies and freeze them, nothing is thawed. Pies go straight in the oven. You get a far superior end product and less work on the deadline end where the pressure is on.
I recommend you read and follow Stella Park’s article and method on thickening high water fruit fillings. I use this method every time I bake high water fruit pies and it works every time. I bake a lot of pie. I bake a lot of hand pies. And I freeze a lot of pies. And this method works every time.
I’d also recommend you make a small test batch.
https://www.seriouseats.com/2016/07/how-to-make-the-perfect-blueberry-pie.html
