Clear Jel vs. Flour or Cornstarch
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Clear Jel…try it, you’ll like it! Before I knew any better, used to can apple pie filling and other pie fillings with flour or cornstarch as a thickener. Now I know… It is NOT recommended for canning purposes. If you are making pie fresh, it is great. But for canning you want to use a product called Clear Jel.
When I finally tried it… I was sold. Not only is it safe, it makes a fantastic home canned pie filling!
What is Clear Jel?
Clear Jel is a modified corn starch made to withstand the heat of canning. Use it just like you would flour. The wonderful difference is…it stirs in much easier, without clumping. Be sure you purchase the non-instant Clear Jel or regular type Clear Jel. The regular is made to withstand the high temperatures of canning.
Instant will not hold up. It is good for using in gravies and other non-canning thickening.
If you’ll look at these pictures, you’ll see why. These are both apple pie fillings that I’ve canned. I’ll bet you can tell which one has flour as a thickener. Yep, the one on the left. The right one is much nicer!
Why Use Clear Jel in Canning?
Flour and/or cornstarch, even tapioca, may be a safety risk. All extension websites don’t mention this risk; most only relate the quality issues. However, at least one extension does have this to say:
“Canning apple pie filling using tapioca or cornstarch as the thickener is an outdated and risky method. Botulism is not a major risk with this product because of the high acid content of the apple filling. However, using cornstarch or tapioca may cause the filling to be too thick for the heat to penetrate to the center of the jar and kill spoilage organisms throughout the product, which is a food safety issue. Cornstarch and tapioca will also break down during the canning process and your pie filling will be runny, which is a quality issue.”
Source: University of Minnesota Extension. (Edit update – It appears that the page where I got this quote has been moved or deleted.)
Where to Buy Clear Jel
Clear Jel can be hard to find sometimes. It often be found in old fashioned or Amish-type stores. Or possibly in health food stores. It can also be ordered online at Amazon.
What If I Can’t Find Clear Jel?
If you don’t have access to Clear Jel, your best bet is to just can the fruit and then create your filling by thickening it when you want to make your pie.
Can You Substitute Cornstarch or Sure Gel for Clear Jel?
Question: Can I ask you if it is safe to use cornstarch as a thickener when canning (say apple pie filling)…and do you know if Sure Gel and Clear Gel are interchangeable?
No, you can not interchange Sure Jell and Clear Jel. Sure Jell is a pectin. You use it in jams and jellies, whereas Clear Jel is what you want for pies.
Another product some people get confused is gelatin. I did a comparison and explanation of the purposes of each of these 3 thickers here.
Runny Pie Filling with Clear Jel
Question: I am having problems with my pie filling holding it’s jell after I have canned. I canned some blueberry pie filling last year, and it was great when I put it in the jars. But when I used it nine months later, it was runny when I opened it.
When I make a pie I use a gram cracker crust and heat it up at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. It stays runny. I have added Clear Jel to thicken it up when it comes out of the jar and it has helped. But I give away the pie filling to my kids and they don’t use it because it is so runny. HELP!
Duane
Answer: Duane, the only thing I can think of is maybe you need to use a bit more. I’ve not had any issues like this so possibly your personal taste is that you like it thicker. Be sure and measure carefully when you make your filling.
I have read reports of setting up issues if it is too old. Is yours out of date?
One last possibility…did you use instant, or the regular (sometimes called the cook type)? Remember, instant won’t hold up as well. That may be the issue.
Only other thing I can suggest is change the label on the jar to…blueberry syrup. 🙂 Great over ice cream or pancakes. 🙂
~Sharon
No, potato starch is not something you’d want to use in your jars.
This is the message I recieved from Michell that introduced me to clear jel.
Michell’s Message.
As for buying it, you can find it the cheapest if you live in an area that has Mennonite or Amish Bulk Foods; there it runs about 2.00 per lb. Online you can find it, but they rob you at 6.00 per lb.
It is called Clear Jel. You would buy the “Cook Type”. It is a specially modified cornstarch that does not break down like regular cornstarch or get watery.
Believe me, once you get to using it, you will never go back to reg. cornstarch again. I mean for reg. cooking, homemade custards etc.
I wanted to tell you also that the one nice point on the “Cook Type” (there is an instant type–you don’t want that, you want the “Cook Type”) is that when you use this, when you thicken your pie fillings custards, etc., it gets as thick as it is going to get when it is hot in the pan, so what you see is what you get. So you know that your pie fillings in the jars is going to be as thick when you open and dump them out as they when they went into the jars.
You know when you make Cornstarch Custard at home for dinner, and you use cornstarch, how when it went into the bowl looking nice, then when it got cold and you could cut it like jello (what a disappointment)? Well, Clear Jel takes care of that; the way it was in the pan is the way it will be in the bowl out of the fridge.
You will love it. Mix it up as your thickening just like using reg. cornstarch.
Mitchell
Related Pages
Have you ever wondered what’s the difference between pectin, gelatin, or Clear Jel thickening products? Let’s discuss how you use these ingredients, which foods they go with, and the proper way to use them in your kitchen.
Pomona’s Pectin is a very low-sugar alternative for canning jams/jellies.
Canning apple pie filling is for more than making pie. Pop open a jar and heat for a delicious treat, or pour over ice cream!
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Page Last Updated: 10/7/2021
Hi, every Christmas I make a veggie and mustard relish/chutney to serve with ham. Its so amazing, and stays well in the fridge for months at a time. Out of curiosity I canned it on two occasions last year. Both sets have lost the colour and consistency and have turned ransid. Could this be the flour in the recipe? How can I substitute with Clear Jel? Would it be 1:1 as with corn starch?
I would not recommend canning this. Many homemade recipes are simply not suitable for canning. Neither for quality reasons nor safety. You might try freezing it. Flour is not recommended for canning. I like to emphasize that canning is not the same as cooking. There is some science involved and you should stick with tested recipes and methods.
How do you know how much to use when canning, like pot pies and meals that need to be thickened?
Hi Lisa, I suggest you look for tested recipes that include that information. For the most part pie filling is the one that will have the ingredients thickened in the jar. For pot pies or things like that I suggest you can your ingredients without thickener, then thicken it when you open the jar to use it. You can use a quart of mixed vegetables, add a pint of your choice of canned meat, mix it together and thicken to your liking and bake the pie. You could also use some home canned meaty soup, then thicken it and use… Read more »
Can clear Jel be used in pressure canning Mrs. Wages salsa?
No, you would not want to add clear to salsa. If you’ve got Mrs Wages packets then it should not be needed anyway. If you want your salsa thicker you could add something when you open the jar. But not prior to canning. I’ve done things like add tomato powder, or tomato paste when I open the jar.
Hi! I am looking at making a pecan pie filling to be used with hand pies. I think that by using a “canned type” filling, I might be able to achieve a filling thick enough to hold up in my turnover style pies. One recipe I am looking at uses Clear Jel. I was wondering if I could substitute cornstarch for Clear Jel, since it will be used immediately (once cool) and I won’t have to worry about shelf life? Also if in your opinion its possible, do you happen to have an idea on substitution ratio? Clear Jel to… Read more »
If you are just going to make your pies and you will not be storing this in jars on the shelf then yes… you can use cornstarch instead. Clear jel is the only one that will make it shelf stable. (Just want to be sure there is no misunderstanding.) You can substitute one for one on the cornstarch. so 1 cup cornstarch = 1 cup clear jel.
And just for anyone reading this later… I want to emphasize I only recommend substituting cornstarch for making pies fresh. Never for canning purposes. 🙂
Thank you for the measurements! My pie filling calls for 1 cup cornstarch, and since it is an outdated recipe, I will use 1 cup Clear Jel for my Apple Pie Filling.
Can Clear Jel be used after the fruit has been canned with a runny syrup?
Yes if you are simply opening jars of home-canned fruit you can add any thicker you want as you open the jars to make your pie. Just don’t try to process it with flour or cornstarch. 🙂 I like to use the clear jel even when I’m just making a pie and not canning. I like the look of the pie filling.