Ask Goodbaker:
Vegan Baking Questions and Answers

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Q: I tried to make a non-dairy vegan blueberry pie, but the filling was weird. I'm thinking it's because I used tapioca as a thickener. The little beads of tapioca did not "melt" all the way. Any hints as to working with tapioca so it would melt would be appreciated. If you have any other ideas for pie thickeners, like cornstarch, I'd love to hear those, too.

A: Did you use the tapioca balls or pearls? I think it would work much better if you used tapioca starch, which is powdered like cornstarch is. Or take the tapioca pearls and pulverize them in a clean spice grinder or coffee grinder to get powdered tapioca starch.
Powdered tapioca is an excellent thickener for fruit pies because it can tolerate fruit acids better than cornstarch, and it thickens at a lower temperature than other starches, so it works fairly quickly.
To prevent lumps, thoroughly mix the powdered tapioca with the sugar, then add it to the fruit and let it sit for at least 10 minutes so the tapioca can start absorbing liquid.
Tapioca is a better choice for fruit pies than arrowroot, because it stands up to acids better.

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Please note that we are not medical professionals, and our advice is not intended to treat any disease or to substitute for the knowledge and advice of a medical professional. We're just trying to help by passing on what we've learned from others.