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This Fresh Strawberry Pie Recipe is the perfect berry pie for summer. I made this pie without jello so it uses the fruit to naturally gel the pie filling. It’s my GO TO recipe and one that everyone who tastes it loves.

The fresh berries taste are juicy and sweet and so good with the pie crust and fresh whipped cream on top!

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slice of strawberry pie on white plate

Why this is the BEST Strawberry Pie Recipe

You will love this easy pie for so many reasons:

  • It’s completely from scratch – from the pie crust to the filling
  • Made without jello or gelatin – the fruit makes it’s own!
  • Great way to use up fresh summer strawberries

If you love strawberries this is the best way to use them! I cannot think about strawberries and summer without thinking about the strawberry fields in Anaheim – the sweet sticky air of the early summer mornings walking from the campground to Disneyland. This pie brings back those memories and it will bring back your childhood summer memories too!

How to make Strawberry Pie Video

Ingredients in strawberry pie

Ingredients for Strawberry Pie Filling and Crust

Just a few simple ingredients are needed:

  • Fresh Strawberries (see below for details)
  • Granulated Sugar for sweetness
  • Cornstarch for thickening – no gelatin
  • Water
  • Pie Crust: you can use any you like but traditionally this is made with a pastry crust.

How many Strawberries do you need for a pie?

It’s always a question, isn’t it? A recipe calls for a pound but you can only buy a pint, or you have a pound and the recipe calls for 6 cups. How many strawberries do you actually need for a fresh strawberry pie?

The rule of thumb is that 2 cups of berries is about 3/4 of a pound, also called a pint. A quart of berries is about 2 pounds (or around 2 pints) depending on the size of the berries. 

For this recipe you need 5-6 cups of berries, which is about 2 pounds. Buy 2 pounds of berries, just to be safe.

fresh strawberry pie

Strawberry Pie Recipe without Jello or Gelatin

You can easily make a strawberry pie without jello or gelatin.

I know the traditional strawberry pie recipes use jello but I don’t love it. I’m not a jello lover so I try to avoid it unless I’m making jello shots or pretzel salad.

When you’re making a fresh strawberry pie filling, you cook some of the fruit like you would jam. The pectin in the fruit gels it enough when mixed with sugar and cornstarch that you don’t need the gelatin for it to solidify.

It’s almost like you’re making an apple pie filling, but with strawberries, and then you mix the filling with more fresh berries to take the shape of the pie. That makes it super simple and such a fresh and delicious pie recipe.

6 photos showing how to make strawberry pie

How to make Fresh Strawberry Pie

  1. Crust: Blind Bake your crust according to package or recipe directions.
  2. Berries: Measure out two cups of berries, wash and hull them, then crush them with a potato masher.
  3. Cook the filling: Add the crushed strawberries, sugar, water, and cornstarch to a medium saucepan.
  4. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until it boils. Boil for 1 minute, then remove from heat. Cool completely before continuing. (You can also make this the day before.)
  5. Assemble: To assemble the pie, hull and slice the remaining strawberries and place them in a bowl. Pour the cooled strawberry filling over the top and stir.
  6. Place berries in pie crust.
  7. Chill and Serve: Chill for at least 2 hours before slicing and serving. Top with fresh whipped cream before serving.
slice of strawberry pie

What crust goes best with Strawberry Pie Filling?

Traditionally I think you see pastry crusts with strawberry pie, but you can really use any pie crust recipe.

For this recipe I used my all butter pie crust but you can also use a graham cracker crust, shortbread crust or Oreo crust if you want this to be a no bake pie.

If you’re using a pastry crust, you’ll want to blind bake it before filling.

You can also use a store-bought crust, I won’t tell.

How to store Strawberry Pie

Store this pie in the refrigerator, but I don’t recommend making it until the day you serve it. It won’t last more than a day.

Make Ahead Instructions:

  1. Blind bake your pie crust up to 2 days ahead. Store in refrigerator or on counter.
  2. Make your cooked strawberries 24 hours ahead since it needs to cool.
  3. Assemble the pie the day you are serving it.
fresh strawberry pie with all butter pie crust

Expert Pie Making Tips

  • You can make the filling (without the added in fresh berries) 24 hours in advance. It needs to cool completely so it’s best to do it ahead.
  • Don’t assemble the pie until the day you’re going to eat it.
  • Make this a NO BAKE Strawberry Pie by using a graham cracker, shortbread, or Oreo crust.

Strawberry Pie Recipe FAQs

Do you need to refrigerate Strawberry Pie?

If you want to make your strawberry pie ahead of time, you can make the jam filling the day before then chill it until you’re ready to make the pie. I highly recommend making this fresh strawberry pie recipe the day you’re going to serve it. You’ll need to chill it to set for an hour or so, but leftover strawberry pie is not good. Strawberry pie is best the day it’s assembled.

Why is my strawberry pie runny or weepy?

This is the complain I see most often and 99% of the time it’s because you didn’t let the filling cool before adding the berries. You have to let the cooked filling cool COMPLETELY before adding any fresh berries. If it’s warm or hot, it’ll cook the berries, causing them to leak moisture, causing your pie to be runny, weepy, or not set up. This also happens if you let the pie sit too long in the refrigerator, which is why it’s best eaten the day it’s assembled.

Can I freeze strawberries for pie?

I don’t recommend using frozen berries in this – they will be too wet and cause the pie to be runny.

How do you make strawberry pie filling from scratch?

The key is making the strawberry puree thick with cornstarch and then mixing it with fresh berries once it’s cooled.

slice of strawberry pie on white plate

When you have an abundance of fresh picked strawberries, you can make so many recipes!

Strawberry pie is the perfect summer pie recipe. Be sure to grab a few extra cartons while you’re at the store so you can make this pie and some strawberry shortcake too.

Love fruit pies? Be sure to make some of my other favorite fruit pie recipes:

Have you made this recipe?

Tag @crazyforcrust on Instagram or hashtag it #crazyforcrust

slice of strawberry pie on white plate

Strawberry Pie Recipe

4.96 from 41 votes
A fresh strawberry pie is the perfect summer dessert. This pie is made with a pastry crust but you could use a graham cracker crust. This pie is made without jello and just uses the fruit to naturally gel the pie filling.
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Yield 10 servings
Serving Size 1 slice

Ingredients
 

  • 1 All Butter Pie Crust pre-baked and cooled
  • 2 pounds fresh strawberries
  • 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
  • 1/3 cup (79 ml) water
  • 3 tablespoons cornstarch
  • Whipped cream for garnish

Instructions

  • Blind Bake your crust according to package or recipe directions.
  • Measure out two cups of berries, wash and hull them, then crush them with a potato masher.
  • Add the crushed strawberries, sugar, water, and cornstarch to a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until it boils. Boil for 1 minute, then remove from heat. Cool completely before continuing. (You can also make this the day before.)
  • To assemble the pie, hull and slice the remaining strawberries and place them in a bowl. Pour the cooled strawberry filling over the top and stir. Place in pie crust. Chill for at least 2 hours before slicing and serving. Top with fresh whipped cream before serving.
  • This pie is best eaten the same day its made. It will get weepy if refrigerated overnight.

Recipe Notes

  • Feel free to use a refrigerated or frozen pie crust instead of my recipe.
  • Learn how to blind bake your crust here.
  • Want a completely no bake pie? Use a graham cracker crust instead.

Recipe Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 187kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 71mg | Potassium: 127mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 23g | Vitamin A: 10IU | Vitamin C: 42.3mg | Calcium: 15mg | Iron: 0.7mg
Nutritional information not guaranteed to be accurate
Course Dessert
Cuisine American

**Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!**

collage photo of fresh strawberry pie

This easy FRESH Strawberry Pie Recipe has a filling with no gelatin and tons of fresh strawberries. Make it with your favorite pie crust for the perfect summer pie recipe!

Last Updated on April 20, 2022

Dorothy Kern

Welcome to Crazy for Crust, where I share recipes that are sometimes crazy, often with a crust, and always served with a slice of life.

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54 Comments

  1. Such a delicious pie. It is a family favorite. I use a pre made gluten free graham cracker crust and make the filling as instructed. Comes out perfect every time.

  2. I love this recipe and appreciate it not using (and in my opinion – ruining) it by using boxed gelatin that would give the fresh strawberries that artificial taste. I’ve made it with half pineberries with nice results. I also like to make a cream cheese and butter pie crust. Just replaced 1/2 the butter in the recipe with cream cheese. The little bit of tang from the cheese makes it less sweet overall.