This fresh strawberry cream pie is light, fluffy, and so delicious! With a premade pie crust and just five simple ingredients, this easy-to-make no-bake favorite is ready to chill in under 15 minutes. Perfect for picnics, potlucks, and backyard barbecues!
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Why You Will Love this Recipe
This strawberry cream pie is light, airy, creamy, and smooth as silk. Full of fresh strawberry flavor, it is one of our favorite warm-weather treats!
Not only is it delicious, but it's easy to make, with a no-bake filling that takes just five simple ingredients. A true cream pie, it has no artificial flavorings or colors from prepackaged Jello, no cream cheese, and no cornstarch.
In the course of developing this recipe, Mr B and I ended up making about ten strawberry cream pies. The last five (at least) weren't about fine-tuning the recipe; they were about all that delicious strawberry cream! Oh, my gosh! We could not get enough! (Just so you know, we did not eat ten pies by ourselves. We shared with family and gave a few away to friends for taste-testing.)
What Goes into this Recipe
★ Fresh strawberries: Use fresh strawberries if at all possible. You can also make this pie with frozen strawberries.
★ Heavy cream: If you are looking for a lite strawberry pie recipe, this ain't it.
This recipe employs all-natural ingredients, and heavy whipping cream is at the heart of it. You can use regular whipping cream, but the pie won't turn out quite as firm.
★ Gelatin: Use unflavored gelatin. Gelatin is a pure, natural protein derived from collagen. No artificial flavors or colors.
★ Sugar: Use white granulated sugar.
★ Vanilla: Use pure vanilla extract. (You can leave this out if you need to.)
★ Pie Crust: Use your favorite sweet pie crust. You can make strawberry cream pie with any baked pastry crust (packaged or homemade), or with a graham cracker, or even a chocolate pie crust.
How to Make this Recipe
Pie Crust
If you need to bake your pie crust, do that first and allow it to cool completely before making the filling.
For reference, we baked the empty pie shell below using our Basic Sweet Pie Crust recipe at 400°F | 232°C for 28 minutes (fully baked). We weighted it (with navy beans on parchment) for the first 17 minutes, and then remove the weights and bake it empty for the remaining time.
For best results, chill your mixing bowl, cream, and strawberries before starting the filling.
Strawberry Purée
Puree enough cold strawberries in a blender to make 1½ cups. Set aside.
In a small sauce pan, sprinkle 3 teaspoons of gelatin over 5 tablespoons of cold water and let stand for 1 minute.
Gently heat over medium-low, whisking until the gelatin has completely dissolved. Pour gelatin into a batter bowl or mixing bowl with a spout.
Add the strawberry puree to the gelatin, and whisk together. Set aside.
Strawberry Whipped Cream Filling
Be sure to start with COLD whipping cream.
In a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, whip the cold whipping cream on medium until it thickens to the no peaks stage, when the cream changes from runny with big bubbles to thicker and smoother, and has the look and feel of melting ice cream.
Reduce the mixer speed to Low and slowly add ⅓ cup of sugar and the vanilla. You won't add all the sugar yet because strawberries vary wildly in natural sugar content, and each pie will need a little more or less sugar.
Once all the sugar has dissolved in the cream, increase the mixer speed to medium.
When the cream begins to make very soft peaks, start pouring the strawberry puree mixture into the cream in a slow stream.
Do not pour too fast, or the strawberries may overwhelm the whipping cream.
Once all the strawberries are mixed in, stop the mixer for a moment and taste the strawberry cream. If your strawberries are summer sweet, you may not need anymore sugar. If they are very tart, you may need more. Adjust according to your own tastes.
Once you are satisfied with the level of sweetness, whisk the mixture on medium-high until it barely reaches the firm peaks stage. (Do not overwhip!)
HINT: The cream mixture will easily stay on an upturned spoon when it is ready.
Fill & Chill
Fill the prepared pie shell with the strawberry cream mixture.
This is totally optional, but I like to fill the pie shell about halfway with the filling, and then add a handful of whole strawberries to the pie, and cover them up with the remaining strawberry cream. This makes for a little more texture and concentrated strawberry flavor inside the pie.
Using whole strawberries instead of sliced ones prevents the fruit from leaking into the whipped cream and watering it down. It also gives the slices a pretty profile.
Refrigerate the prepared pie for a minimum of 4 hours, until firm. (Overnight is even better.) Top with additional strawberries and whipped cream as desired.
If your cream wasn't cold enough, or you make this pie on a particularly warm day, the whipping cream may not get as lofty as it could. Never fear. Just pour it into the pie and chill. Literally.
FAQs & Expert Tips
Stages of Whipping Cream
✿ No Peaks: The cream thickens, and changes from runny with big bubbles to smoother with small bubbles, and has the look and feel of melting ice cream.
✿ Soft Peaks: When the beaters are lifted, the cream will barely its shape, and peaks will fall over immediately.
✿ Medium Peaks: When lifted, the cream will form stiff peaks that curl on the end.
✿ Firm (or Stiff) Peaks: When lifted, the cream will form stiff peaks that stand straight up and do not curl.
✿ Over-Beaten: The cream will become granular in appearance. (Keep beating and you'll have butter.)
If the cream is too warm when you start, the fat becomes ineffective as a stabilizer, and the whipping cream falls flat. You will not be able to whip it into peaks, and the pie will not be as lofty or light. (It will still firm up as it chills, so all is not lost.)
Both the friction of the mixer whisk and the temperature of the strawberries will warm the cream as you mix it, so you want everything start out as cold as possible. (Including the mixing bowl!)
Strawberry Recipes
If you love strawberry cream, you will love our easy-to-make Fresh Strawberry Crepes!
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Fresh Strawberry Cream Pie
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 teaspoons plain gelatin
- 5 tablespoons water
- 3 cups strawberries chilled
- 1⅔ cups heavy cream chilled
- ½ cup sugar divided
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 9½-inch deep dish pie shell baked; or two standard 8-inch pie shells
Instructions
- For best results, chill mixing bowl, whipping cream, and strawberries before starting.
Pie Crust
- If you need to bake your piecrust, do that first and allow it to cool completely before making the filling.
Strawberry Puree
- Puree enough strawberries in a blender to make 1½ cups. Set aside.
- In a small sauce pan, sprinkle 3 teaspoons of gelatin over 5 tablespoons of cold water and let stand for 1 minute.Gently heat over medium-low, whisking until the gelatin has completely dissolved.
- Pour gelatin into a batter bowl or mixing bowl with a spout. Add strawberry puree to gelatin and whisk together. Set aside.
Whipped Strawberry Cream Filling
- Be sure to start with COLD whipping cream.In a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, whip the cold whipping cream on medium until it thickens to the no peaks stage.
- Reduce the mixer speed to Low and slowly add ⅓ cup of sugar and the vanilla. You won't add all the sugar yet because strawberries vary wildly in natural sugar content, and each pie will need a little more or less sugar.
- Once all the sugar has dissolved in the cream, increase the mixer speed to medium. When the cream begins to make very soft peaks, start pouring the strawberry puree mixture into the cream in a slow stream. Do not pour too fast, or the strawberries may overwhelm the whipping cream.
- Once all the strawberries are mixed in, stop the mixer for a moment and taste the strawberry cream. If your strawberries are summer sweet, you may not need anymore sugar. If they are very tart, you may need more. Adjust according to your own tastes.
- Once you are satisfied with the level of sweetness, whisk the mixture on medium-high until it barely reaches the firm peaks stage. (Do not overwhip!)HINT: The cream mixture will easily stay on an upturned spoon when it is ready.
Fill & Chill
- Fill the prepared pie shell with the strawberry cream mixture.
- OPTIONAL: Fill the pie shell about halfway with the filling, and then add a handful of whole strawberries to the pie, and cover them up with the remaining strawberry cream.
- Refrigerate the prepared pie for a minimum of 4 hours, until firm. (Overnight is even better.)
- Top with additional strawberries and whipped cream as desired. Serve cold.
Notes
Stages of Whipping Cream
✿ No Peaks: The cream thickens, and changes from runny with big bubbles to smoother with small bubbles, and has the look and feel of melting ice cream. ✿ Soft Peaks: When the beaters are lifted, the cream will barely its shape, and peaks will fall over immediately. ✿ Medium Peaks: When lifted, the cream will form stiff peaks that curl on the end. ✿ Firm (or Stiff) Peaks: When lifted, the cream will form stiff peaks that stand straight up and do not curl. ✿ Over-Beaten: The cream will become granular in appearance. (Keep beating and you'll have butter.)Nutrition facts include filling only; they do not include values for pie shell.
Nutrition
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.
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Tayler Ross says
I made this pie over the weekend and it was a huge hit with all of my friends and family! I will definitely be making it again!
Chenée says
This is the perfect recipe for summer! I love strawberry desserts so I know I'll love this pie!
Amy says
So, so good! This is our new favorite pie of the summer! Love the classic crust (although it would be good with a graham cracker or biscoff crust too) and the filling is so light and fresh and divine!
Renée says
Oh my gosh, a Biscoff crust would be fabulous!
Janessa says
Such a great way to use my fresh garden strawberries! So simple yet delicious.
Renée says
One of the things we love most about this recipe is how simple and easy it is.
Shadi says
This was amazing and such a treat! Thank you! Everyone in my family loved it.
Renée says
That fresh strawberry cream gets me every time!