Usually we’re all about healthy everyday recipes. But sometimes, you need stunning dessert to impress everyone. Introducing…the best-ever fresh Strawberry Pie! It highlights the summery ripe berry flavor, perfectly sweet tart with a delicious hint of cinnamon. The flavor is almost beyond words. Our neighbors promptly declared it was “the best pie I’ve ever had.” Don’t believe us? Well, you’ve got to test for yourself!
Why to make this strawberry pie
This strawberry pie is one of the favorite desserts to come out of our kitchen. To make sure we weren’t exaggerating, we had a few Instagram readers test the recipe for us. Here’s what a few recipe testers said:
“Oh my gosh this is delicious! I made it for a summer BBQ with my in-laws, and everyone raved!” -Erin “Everyone in my family loved the filling! The cinnamon made the pie feel a little more elevated than your typical strawberry pie. Everyone also enjoyed how “real” it tasted. It didn’t have the artificial strawberry flavor.” -Elizabeth
Use homemade or storebought pie crust
You can use your favorite pie crust recipe for this strawberry pie. It’s great with homemade pie crust, but easiest with homemade. Here’s what to know about the options:
Homemade pie crust: This Quiche Crust is our favorite, but you can use your family favorite recipe if you prefer. Store-bought pastry crust: This is a great shortcut! If you use it, keep in mind the timing for the blind baking may vary.
Tips for blind baking the crust
This strawberry pie highlights the best juicy flavor of fresh strawberries. In fact, the filling itself is completely no bake. But this recipe uses a standard pie crust, not a graham cracker crust. So you’ll need to first bake the pie crust using a technique called blind baking. Here’s the general overview of this process:
Freeze the crust 30 minutes. Why? This helps the crust to hold its shape while blind baking. (This freezer method shortcuts refrigerating for a few hours. You’re welcome!) Prick holes with a fork all over the crust. This is called docking the crust: it makes it puff up less while in the oven. Add parchment paper then pie weights, dried beans, or rice! Pour them right into the crust! Then bake it for 15 minutes. Here are the pie weights we use. Remove the pie weights and bake until golden brown. Once the crust bakes 15 minutes, remove the weights and bake another 15 minutes.
Then, you’ll just need to cool the crust before you fill it. One trick we use: we like to slide the crust into a separate pie pan that’s already cool. It speeds up the process for cooling and you can go right to the filling step.
Keys to the strawberry pie filling
How did we make this pie taste so “real” and avoid the artificial flavors? Well, here are our secrets to the strawberry pie filling:
The filling has no strawberry jello or gelatin. There’s nothing artificially flavored here, and no gelatin or jello. The tricks? Smashed strawberries and a bit of cornstarch make the very thick sauce. It’s flavored with both honey and sugar, to bring in a delicious nuance in flavor from the natural sweetener. Cinnamon takes it home. The hint of cinnamon in this strawberry pie sends it to over-the-top goodness.
Cool for 2 hours until it sets
The filling for this strawberry pie will set after 2 hours in the refrigerator. The key to setting the pie is that the cornstarch mixture makes an extremely thick sauce. After refrigeration, it will set and become even more solidified. No Jello needed! When you’re ready to serve, topping it with homemade whipped cream makes it pretty darn special! Here’s our best homemade recipe: you’ll never go back to store-bought.
Storage info for strawberry pie
This strawberry pie is great the day it’s made, but it also stores well. Store this pie for up to 3 days refrigerated, and it holds its flavor well. We were surprised at how well it holds up! It’s perfect for serving at summer barbecues, picnics, potlucks, or as a 4th of July recipe.
Variations: make it vegan and gluten-free
This strawberry pie is easily made vegan, and there’s a simple swap for gluten-free too. Here’s what to do:
Dairy free strawberry pie: Use this Vegan Pie Crust. Top with Vegan Whipped Cream. Vegan: For vegan you could possibly use all granulated sugar instead of honey, but we haven’t tested this. Don’t substitute maple syrup because the texture comes out too loose. Gluten free strawberry pie: Use your favorite gluten-free pie crust recipe (try this one from King Arthur).
More great strawberry recipes
Summer is all about ripe summer berries! Here are a few great strawberry recipes to make this time of year:
Mix up a deliciously easy Strawberry Crumble Bake a pan of Strawberry Bread Mix up frosty Strawberry Sorbet or blend up Strawberry Milk Opt for a Classic Strawberry Shortcake Add a dollop of Strawberry Puree to your summer cakes (or eat it straight up) Make a pitcher of nostalgic Strawberry Lemonade
This strawberry pie recipe is…
Vegetarian. 4.8 from 5 reviews **Arrowroot may work as a substitute, but we have not tested it. Try at your own risk!
