Strawberry Pie
Strawberry Pie: Fresh berries, buttery crust, and rich whipped cream to top it off. Making this easy strawberry pie recipe should be on your summer bucket list, it is the perfect pot-luck dessert.
There is no better dessert on a hot summer day than this fresh no-bake (filling) Strawberry Pie made without Jell-O. It uses those lush, ripe, summer berries to create the ultimate summer dessert, it comes together quickly, and is as visually stunning as it is tasty.
If you make one recipe this summer, make it this one.
This post has all the tips and tricks for the perfect pie, plus information on how to keep those summer berries, and all your other produce fresh in your fridge for up to 3 weeks with FridgeFresh®.
One of my favorite parts of summer is all the fresh produce. Can you blame me? Fresh shucked corn on the cob, big juicy berries that stain your hands, sweet vine ripened tomatoes. It doesn’t get any better than that!
I read once that fresh food is a luxury, and it really struck me that I had never once considered it one. It made me recognize how lucky we are to have so much access to fresh fruits, vegetables, meats, etc. I grew up on a small 16-acre farm where we raised a few animals and had a large kitchen garden.
All summer we’d harvest fruits and vegetables and put them up, and dry and freeze them for winter. We would sell corn at a roadside stand, and pick fresh berries to go with our breakfast each day.
I remember vividly one summer we had so many tomatoes there was no way we could keep up with the harvesting of them.
My parents had planted from seed and had way more successful plants than they expected, so we had over an acre of tomatoes. I remember picking huge laundry baskets full of tomatoes every single day.
Can you imagine how many tomatoes that is? For just one family?
My mom would spend her summers putting up tomatoes, bottling them for sauces and soups for the winter. And us kids spent HOURS upon HOURS each day out picking.
I picked so many I had rashes up and down my arms from the tomato plants, and went around wearing yellow rubber cleaning gloves so they wouldn’t get worse.
My parents worked hard and really valued the food we grew, and did not want to waste it. I had no idea how poor we were. But now I know, and I am so grateful they taught us to value that food, and that they never let us waste something that was usable.
Even the peaches that fell off the tree to the ground were gathered and fed to the chickens.
“Nothing wasted,” was their motto.
Well that summer, us kids eventually boycotted picking any more tomatoes. We refused to sit out there and pick any more. My parents totally understood and they found a solution.
They decided to contact a local radio station and let them know that if anyone needed or wanted tomatoes, they could come and pick them. They were free, they just had to leave half of whatever they picked for us to use.
I remember thinking, “Why would anyone do that? They are just tomatoes” I was shocked when after the radio station made the announcement droves of people and cars that came to our little farm. My parents unknowingly helped hundreds of families who were struggling to get by, and ended up sharing not just the tomatoes but other produce from our gardens, eggs from our chickens, and more. In fact, they made some lifelong friends from those acres of tomatoes and their desire to not waste a single one.
It wasn’t until I was older and buying my own groceries that I realized how lucky I was to be able to eat a peach fresh from the tree, a walnut we grew ourselves, a carrot I dug up that morning, or have homegrown watermelon and fresh corn on the cob with every meal during the summer. Everyone didn’t have a berry patch out the back door?
Fresh fruits and vegetables were something I took for granted because I had them in abundance in my life.
As I now have my own family and have spent a lot of time traveling around the world to places like South Africa, India, and Mexico, I have begun to see what I took for granted and barely even thought twice about (like simply having fresh food in my fridge). It’s something so many can only dream of. I am passionate about fresh food because I feel so blessed to have so much access to it.
When it comes to my kitchen, there is nothing worse than having produce spoil before I get a chance to use it. While most produce can last a week or so in the fridge, I have found strawberries never seem to last that long. And I have a silent funeral for them each time I dump a nearly full pint of berries into the trash because I didn’t get them used before they over-ripened and spoiled.
I hate wasting, but I am fortunate in the fact I have never been food insecure. But I am cognizant that this problem is not far from my door. I have seen food insecurity all over the world. But know it hits closer to home as well. In fact, in my state they say 1 in 6 children are food insecure. This breaks my heart.
Did you know Americans waste 40% of the food they buy?
And that if they saved just 15% of this it could feed 25 million people?
That statistic is staggering, and a little overwhelming to be honest. Where do we even start?
My parents always told me, if I wanted to make a difference or a change in the world I had to start with myself. And so that is what I am doing, I am starting at home.
I am constantly battling food waste in both my career and my home. Improper planning, over-zealous shopping, and an excess of recipe testing can create a big food waste problem if I am not careful.
I am committed to reducing the food waste in my own home, and one of the ways I am doing that is with FridgeFresh®, which extends the life of my fresh foods to up to 3 weeks. I can buy my berries on Monday, and make this Strawberry Pie on Sunday and my berries will still be good. How awesome is that?
I love going to the grocery store just once a week to get all of my fresh food, but hate when I buy something like big juicy berries and they go bad before I get a chance to use them. I love that with Fridge Fresh I can not only avoid my berries spoiling too quickly, but I can also do my part to reduce food waste, help our planet, and save some money and time in the process.
Reduce Food Waste with FridgeFresh®
What is FridgeFresh®?
I love being able to share products and gadgets I find that help you in the kitchen, and this may be my favorite find yet. I can’t believe what a difference it makes.
The FridgeFresh® is a device that keeps your food fresh up to three times longer without the need for plastic bags or wrap. So instead of produce staying good for a week, it may stay good for up to THREE WEEKS!
This small unit uses a patented technology to produce activated oxygen, also known as O3 or ozone. When you place this unit in the sealed environment of your refrigerator this extra molecule of oxygen does some pretty amazing stuff:
- It kills bacteria, pollutants, and odors.
- It extends the life of the fruit and vegetables you buy up to 3 weeks longer.
- It reduces the need for single use plastics.
How? The activated oxygen neutralizes ethylene gas. This is what causes produce to ripen. So it slows the ripening, and thus prolongs the life of the fresh fruits and vegetables. It is non-toxic. This isn’t a spray or chemical that lengths the life of your food, it is simply an extra molecule of oxygen in your refrigerator. How cool is that? Learn more here.
Can you imagine how nice this is for berries? I always buy berries in bulk and hate when they go to waste. But FridgeFresh® can extend the life of my produce, even strawberries, by weeks. Yep…weeks!
Now I don’t have to worry about buying in bulk.
Simply place the FridgeFresh® device on the top shelf of the refrigerator, and reap the rewards.
I save money, by wasting less and being able to buy in bulk. I save time, by reducing the number of times I have to go to the grocery store. And I feel better about doing my part to reduce food waste.
I have been using it for several weeks now, and love it. If for no other reason then having a FridgeFresh® unit can help you save as much as $2300/year, I recommend getting one. What would you do with an extra $2300??
It is small and unobtrusive, and it really does work. I have been using it for several weeks and have noticed a huge difference.
And want to know my favorite thing? It is under $30 (ships free within the United States) and comes with a 100% money back guarantee! Which means you have zero risk, and will recoup the cost quickly if you are anything like me.
Get your FridgeFresh® unit here.
The FridgeFresh® makes even pesky produce like berries last longer, so I can enjoy fresh strawberry pie without a same day grocery store visit, since I don’t have a big strawberry patch to pick from.
It was at an end of summer party my parent’s hosted on our farm, where they invited several of the people they met through the tomato picking that I first tasted fresh strawberry pie. My mom had us go pick a bushel of berries, and she made her homemade pie crust. She had my sisters and I wash and hull the berries, and I am pretty sure we ate more than we didn’t. But my mom was still able to make the pie, and I was sold from first bite.
I love having this pie with just strawberries, but want to know a secret? It is great with other berries mixed in as well. You can use blueberries, or blackberries, or raspberries too! Sometimes we just make it a mixed berry pie.
Should strawberry pie be refrigerated?
This is a fresh fruit pie, which means it does need to be refrigerated. While baked fruit pies can sit at room temperature for a couple of days without going bad, fresh fruit pies need the refrigeration.
Pro Tip: Wait to add the stabilized whipped cream until ready to serve.
How do you keep strawberry pie crust from getting soggy?
There are a few tricks to keeping this pie from having a soggy crust.
- Let the filling set up a little before pouring it into the crust. While you can just dump it all in, if you let it sit in the fridge for 5-10 minutes before filling the crust, it won’t get soggy as quickly.
- Let the crust cool completely before you add the fresh strawberry filling.
- If worried, you can paint the inside of the crust with a layer of chocolate. Simply melt some chocolate in the microwave in 20 second intervals, and use a pastry brush to brush it over the crust. Just a thin layer will suffice. And it makes for a fun flavor change too!
Can you freeze a strawberry pie?
You can, however, as it defrosts you may end up with a soggy crust. Keep that in mind, and make sure it is fully set up before you freeze it to help avoid the sogginess.
Cover it with plastic wrap before freezing, then wrap it in foil so you do not end up with freezer burnt berries!
Strawberry Pie Tips
Taste as you go: Are your berries really sweet? Maybe add less sugar? Are they tart? Maybe add a little more.
Pre-Bake Your Pie Crust: Baking a pie crust without a filling sides is called blind baking, and if you don’t do it right, you might end up with big air bubbles or an unsightly pie.
Because this is a fresh fruit filling, you want to bake the crust beforehand. And to get a great crust, without air bubbles, you will need to poke it with a fork to create a place for air to escape.
After you have created air holes, you will want to line the pie crust with parchment or foil, and fill it with pie weight.
Pie weights are great but if you do not have them, you can spray a piece of aluminum foil, and place the greased side down into the pie so it covers the whole crust. Then fill with dry beans or rice.
Bake at 450° for 8 to 10 minutes until the crust has firmed up, then remove the foil and beans or rice.
Continue baking the unweighted crust until golden brown, maybe 10 minutes more.
Make it pretty: Reserve some strawberries to arrange on the top after your pour the filling into the pie. Just be sure they are covered with the glaze so they do not dry out.
Thicken the glaze: Make sure the glaze is beginning to thicken before you add the whole berries. You don’t want to end up with a runny pie because the glaze didn’t thicken enough.
While I have tried to make this recipe as foolproof as possible, working with corn starch can be tricky, so just make sure it is starting to thicken before adding your berries. Continue cooking it down until a good thickness is reached, then add berries.
Click here to learn more about FridgeFresh and how to get yours today, it is way less expensive than you think!
If you love Strawberries, be sure to check out these other delicious recipes:
- Strawberries and Cream Puffs
- Summer Fruit Salad
- Strawberries and Cream Donuts
- Chia Breakfast Pudding (Strawberries and Cream)
- Sparkling Strawberry Limeade
Strawberry Pie
Ingredients
- 1 pie crust baked, 9 inch
- 1 1/2 quarts fresh strawberries
- 3/4 cup white sugar
- 3/4 cup apple juice divided
- 1 Tbs lemon juice fresh
- 1 lemon Zest of
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
Stabilized Whipped Cream
- 1/4 Teaspoon Unflavored Powdered Gelatin
- 3/4 Tablespoon Water
- 3/4 Cup Heavy Cream Chilled
- 2 Tbs Powdered Sugar
- 1/4 Teaspoon Vanilla or to taste
Instructions
- Pre-bake a pie crust, let cool, set aside.
- Clean and hull strawberries, and dry with a paper towel. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and ¼ cup apple juice. Set aside
- Take 1/4th of the cleaned and hulled strawberries, and place them in a medium sized saucepan with sugar and ½ cup of apple juice.
- Place saucepan over medium heat and begin cooking. While heating, use a potato masher or forks to mash the strawberries in the saucepan.
- Add in lemon juice and lemon zest and bring entire mixture to a boil, stirring frequently.
- Once mixture is boiling, gradually stir cornstarch mixture into boiling strawberry mixture.
- Reduce heat and simmer mixture until thickened, about 10 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Once thickened, pull off the heat, and carefully fold the uncooked strawberries into the mashed strawberry glaze.
- Let sit for about 5 minutes to let mixture begin to cool and set up.
- Add the whole mixture to the pie crust.
- Cover and chill in the refrigerator for several hours.
- Just before serving, in a small bowl, whip cream until soft peaks form.
- Serve each slice of pie with a dollop of stabilized whipped cream.
Stabilized Whipped Cream:
- Sprinkle unflavored powdered gelatin over water in a microwave-safe bowl and let it stand for 3 minutes.
- Microwave the mixture in 5-second intervals until the gelatin is dissolved and liquid is clear. Set aside momentarily.
- Whip chilled heavy cream, powdered sugar and vanilla extract on low speed for 2 minutes or until small bubbles form
- Increase the speed to medium, and when the cream begins to thicken, and you can see a trail where the beaters are beating, slowly add the gelatin mixture, and increase speed to high. .
- Continue to beat until soft peaks form.
- Transfer whipped cream into a piping bag.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Our recipe card software calculates these nutrition facts based on averages for the above ingredients, different brands, and quality of produce/meats may have different nutritional information, always calculate your own based on the specific products you use in order to achieve accurate macros for this recipe.
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