How much fruit do I need for a pie?

The fruit quantity depends on your tin size and how generously you fill it. This calculator fills about 75% of the tin volume, so a standard 23cm (9 inch) dish 4cm deep works out at roughly 1kg of prepared fruit for a well-filled double-crust pie. A shallower or less heaped pie uses less — around 600-700g if you only fill to about half depth. Deeper, mounded American-style pies use more (6 cups, ~1.1kg). Remember to account for prep waste — apple peel and core adds about 25% extra to your buying weight. Adjust the filling fraction in Advanced options to match how full you like your pies.

How much sugar should I add to pie filling?

It depends on the fruit. Tart fruits like rhubarb and gooseberry need about 25-28g sugar per 100g fruit. Sweeter fruits like apple and pear need only 10-12g per 100g. Always taste your fruit first — ripeness varies and you may want to adjust. You can also replace some sugar with honey or golden syrup.

What thickener should I use for pie filling?

Cornflour is the most common thickener for fruit pies. The amount depends on juiciness and pectin, not just weight. Apple is the least juicy and highest in natural pectin, so it needs the least — about 1.2g per 100g of fruit. Juicy, low-pectin fruits like blueberries, gooseberries and rhubarb need the most, around 2.8-3g per 100g. King Arthur Baking's pie-thickener guide grades fruits this way. Arrowroot gives a clearer result and tapioca starch holds up better to freezing. Frozen fruit releases more liquid, so add a little extra.

How much pastry do I need for a double-crust pie?

For a 23cm pie about 4cm deep, you need roughly 400-450g of shortcrust pastry total for a double crust — covering the bottom circle, the sides and the top circle. The calculator estimates pastry weight from the tin's surface area at 3mm thickness, which is standard for a good pie. A shallower tin needs a little less; rolling thicker for a more substantial crust needs more. As a guide, that is about 250g plain flour to 125g fat plus water for a 23cm pie.

Should I pre-cook the fruit for a pie?

For apple pies, it is best to briefly cook the apple with sugar to drive off excess moisture — this prevents a gap forming between the filling and top crust. For berry pies, you can use raw fruit with cornflour mixed through. Rhubarb benefits from a light pre-cook with sugar to reduce liquid. The thickener amounts in this calculator assume raw fruit filling.

Pie Filling Calculator — Free Pastry & Desserts Tool

How We Calculate This

This calculator works out filling and pastry quantities based on your pie tin dimensions and chosen fruit type.

How it works

Tin volume is calculated as a cylinder: π × radius² × depth
Filling volume defaults to 75% of tin volume (allowing for top-crust space and fruit shrinkage) — adjustable in Advanced
Fruit weight uses a heuristic packed-fruit density of 0.8g per ml of filling volume (prepared chopped fruit sits between loose ~0.6 and whole ~0.9 g/ml) — adjustable in Advanced
Sugar uses fruit-specific ratios (e.g. apple ~12g, gooseberry ~28g per 100g fruit), in line with Mary Berry-style UK recipes
Thickener (cornflour) is graded by juiciness and pectin per King Arthur Baking: apple needs the least (~1.2g/100g), juicy berries the most (~2.8g/100g)
Pastry weight covers bottom crust, sides and top crust at a heuristic 3mm thickness and 1.3 g/cm³ shortcrust density — adjustable in Advanced

The density and filling-fraction defaults are practical heuristics for estimating shopping quantities, not precise lab values. Taste your fruit and adjust sugar to ripeness.

Frequently Asked Questions

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Last updated: March 2026

All calculations are based on standard ratios and conversions. Results may vary with specific ingredients, equipment, and conditions.