Easy Strawberry Pie with graham cracker crust is made with a few ingredients and is full of fresh strawberry flavor! Fresh sliced strawberries and preserves are layered over a homemade graham cracker crust and topped with whipped cream for a treat that’s perfect for any time of the year.
I’ll find any excuse to make a pie so I grabbed some fresh strawberries and a few other simple ingredients to make this easy yet impressive strawberry pie.
Fresh strawberries add fresh flavor. I added a few tablespoons of strawberry preserves to enhance the flavor and thicken the filling. The whipped cream topping is the perfect addition and gives great texture. Even if you don’t love pie, you will love this strawberry pie. Trust me.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Strawberry pie is a great way to use seasonal strawberries during the warmer months when they taste their best. Find them at your local grocery store or farmer’s market easily.
- You can make this pie ahead 2-3 days and store it in the fridge saving you time.
- The recipe uses strawberry preserves for extra sweet strawberry flavor.
- Homemade whipped cream is easy to make and gives the pie a creamy flavor that pairs well with the sweet strawberries.
- Make it simple by using a premade graham cracker crust from the store.
- This recipe is a great alternative to strawberry pies made with strawberry jello.
- The filling doesn’t need to be baked making it the perfect cool summertime treat!
Ingredients You’ll Need
For the Graham Cracker Crust:
- Graham Crackers – This popular cracker has a sweet taste and crumbly texture making it the perfect addition to pie crust.
- Sugar – Sweetens up the crust and adds texture.
- Unsalted Butter – Melted butter helps bind all the ingredients together to help it press into a crust in the pie pan.
For the Strawberry Pie:
- Fresh Strawberries – Slice and remove the green tops.
- Strawberry Preserves – Jam, jelly or any preserves with strawberries and sugar.
- Water – Helps thin out the ingredients in the pie filling making it easier to pour.
- Sugar – Gives the pie filling an additional sweet flavor.
- Cornstarch – Helps thicken the pie filling slightly.
- Salt – Balances all the flavors in the pie.
- Heavy Cream& Confectioners Sugar – These 2 ingredients whipped together to make a simple homemade whipped cream to top the pie.
How to Make Strawberry Pie
To Make the Graham Cracker Crust:
Step 1. In a food processor, combine graham crackers and sugar. Pulse until finely ground.
Step 2. Add butter and pulse until crumbs are moistened.
Step 3. Press the mixture into the bottom and up the side of a 9-inch pie plate.
Step 4. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit until crust is lightly browned, about 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
To Make the Strawberry Pie Filling:
Step 1. In a medium saucepan combine 2 cups of strawberries, strawberry preserves, water, sugar, cornstarch, and salt.
Step 2. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to simmer.
Step 3. Using a fork or potato masher, gently mash strawberries. Cook, stirring frequently, until sauce thickens, about 4 to 5 minutes.
Step 4. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Stir in the remaining strawberries.
Step 5. Pour strawberry mixture over cooled pie crust.
Step 6: Refrigerate until set, at least 4 hours or overnight.
Step 7. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat cream until soft peaks form. Add confectioners’ sugar and beat until combined. Spread whipped cream over pie, garnish with a few additional berries. Serve immediately.
Expert Tips
- The pie filling must cool slightly before adding in the fresh strawberries. If it is too hot, it will cause the fresh strawberries to become too soggy.
- If you don’t want to use cornstarch, you can also use tapioca, arrowroot, and potato starch to help thicken the pie filling.
- Baking the graham cracker crust before adding the filling is a step that should not be skipped! This helps the crust set and the filling stay in the crust.
Variations
- Use cinnamon graham crackers for a light cinnamon taste.
- If you find beautifully fresh berries, use a mix of blackberries, blueberries, or raspberries along with the strawberries.
- Give this easy strawberry pie a fresh herb flavor by topping it with freshly cut mint or basil.
- Add some vanilla extract or fresh vanilla bean to the whipped cream for an infused vanilla flavor that pairs well with the fresh flavors of strawberries.
FAQs
You’ll first want to remove the green stem. Then slice the strawberry longways in quarter-inch slices. The thickness depends on your personal preference, just make sure they are all roughly cut the same size.
Absolutely! This pie can be made with a premade pie crust or a premade flour crust. Both must be prepared according to the individual instructions.
The best strawberries for pie are ones that are medium in size. They are a bright red color with no bruising or molding.
You’ll want to eat this pie cold. If the filling is heated, it may melt out of the crust.
More Recipes Using Fresh Strawberries
Wondering what to do with more fresh strawberries on your hands? Try making these delicious recipes!
- Strawberry Red Wine Popsicles
- Strawberry Cheesecake Dip
- Strawberry Cupcakes
- Strawberry Scones
- Strawberry Crumble Bars
- Angel Food Cake with Strawberries
- Strawberries and Cream Oatmeal
Did you try this easy strawberry pie? Leave a recipe rating and review below.
Easy Strawberry Pie
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 12 graham crackers, (2 1/2 x 5 inches)
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
For the filling:
- 2 quarts about 5 cups fresh strawberries,, hulled and thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons strawberry preserves
- 1/3 cup water
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar
Instructions
To make the crust:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a food processor, combine graham crackers and sugar. Pulse until finely ground.
- Add butter and pulse until crumbs are moistened. Press the mixture into the bottom and up the side of a 9-inch pie plate.
- Bake until crust is lightly browned, about 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
To make the strawberry filling:
- While pie crust is cooling, in a medium saucepan combine 2 cups strawberries, strawberry preserves, water, sugar, cornstarch and salt. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to simmer.
- Using a fork or potato masher, gently mash strawberries. Cook, stirring frequently, until sauce thickens, about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Stir in remaining strawberries.
- Pour strawberry mixture over cooled pie crust. Refrigerate until set, at least 4 hours or overnight.
For the whipped cream:
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat cream until soft peaks form. Add confectioners’ sugar and beat until combined. Spread whipped cream over pie, garnish with a few additional berries. Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published in 2015. It was updated with new process photos and tips in April 2021.
This is a wonderful version that doesn’t have the strawberry jello flavor that hides the taste of amazing fresh strawberries. I do love using Sprite instead of water to make the filling taste fizzy.
I have also used gluten free graham crackers or digestive biscuits. I also love to sub almond meal for the graham cracker crumbs. Use a recipe where you bake the crust to brown the almonds. Soo delicious with fruit desserts and cheesecake. I did the almond meal crust for a gluten free cheesecake I made my SIL, and everyone agreed that the almond meal crust was so much better.
Great, easy recipe! So delicious!
Strawberry pie is our family’s favorite summer time dessert!! It’s always so delicious and no one complains!