Fresh Strawberry Pie
This Fresh Strawberry pie has got to be one one of favorite pies of the summer. It tastes like summer! Fresh juicy sweet strawberries in a buttery crisp crust served as is or with dollops of vanilla whipped cream. It’s the perfect summer pie and dessert made with simple ingredients and with a homemade pie crust or you can even use a store-bought one to make things even quicker. There is no jello or artificial colour or flavours in this pie which I love - just simple delicious ingredients. Summer for me always meant strawberry picking and the scent in the air while picking fresh berries is exactly what this pie reminds me of. A slice of summer in each bite!
Fresh Strawberry Pie Recipe Ingredients
- Pie Crust: this can be made with my recipe below or your own favourite all butter pie crust recipe (which I love for many of my pie recipes) or you can use a store bought pie crust or pie shell. Make sure to blind bake pie shell/crust using the instructions below. For a very simplified version you can even use a graham cracker crust for this pie - 2 cups cookie crumbs, 6 tablespoons butter melted and a pinch of salt mixed and pressed into pie pan - baked for 8-10 minutes at 350°F and cool completely before filling.
- Strawberries: Fresh strawberries are what you need for this fresh strawberry pie - nice ripe red ones full of flavor.
- Sugar: granulated sugar to add sweetness to the strawberry pie filling
- Lemon Juice & Lemon Zest: balances the sweetness and adds flavor and helps keep the berry colour bright red
- Vanilla Extract & Almond Extract: adds flavor to the filling - I like to use a touch of both the vanilla extract and almond extract but both are optional
- Corn starch: this thickens the strawberry filling without using strawberry jello/ strawberry jell-o adding artifila flavours and colours to your pie. You can also use arrow root starch if you prefer it over corns starch. If your berries are extra juicy feel free to increase amount by ½-1 teaspoon cornstarch
- Salt: just a pinch is all you need to balance all the flavours
How To Make Fresh Strawberry Pie
- Make Pie Crust: or use a store bought one
- Blind Bake Pie Crust: line crust with parchment or foil, fill with pie weights and par bake then remove pie weights brush with egg wash and bake again for a few more minutes (store bought or homemade crust should be blind baked unless your pie crust is already baked)
- Cool Crust Completely: Crust can be made a day ahead - once cool cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to fill
- Crush & Cook Berries: only crush 2 cups of strawberries then simmer with water, sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt and cornstarch for 1 min then cool (once cooled the strawberry puree can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to a day ahead)
- Combine Cooked Berries with Fresh Strawberries: Slice remaining fresh berries and stir them with the cooled strawberry puree
- Fill Pie Crust With Strawberry Filling & Chill Pie: Pour strawberry mixture into cooled pie crust and chill pie for at least 2-3 hours until set
- Slice & Enjoy: Slice pie serve with fresh whipped cream and enjoy
Fresh Strawberry Pie Storage & Make Ahead
- STORAGE: Fresh strawberry pie is best served fresh the day that you make it, to prevent the crust from being soggy when served. If you have leftovers, you can store this fresh strawberry pie lightly covered in plastic wrap for up to 2-3 days in the refrigerator (but expect the pie filling to get runny and the crust to get a little soggy).
- MAKE AHEAD: You can make the strawberry puree portion of the FILLING (without adding in fresh berries) 24 hours in advance. It needs to cool completely so it’s best to do it ahead. The mixture will be very thick once cooled. It should be COLD before you add the berries or the pie will weep. You can make the PIE DOUGH up to 1 day ahead at least stored in the fridge covered with plastic wrap. You can make and bake the CRUST a day a head and store it in the fridge covered in plastic wrap.
More Summery Desserts and Pies You Will Love
Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 All Butter Pie Crust pre-baked and cooled (recipe below for the pie crust if making from scratch)
For the Strawberry Pie Filling
- 2 pounds fresh strawberries, divided
- 1 cup sugar (granulated sugar)
- ⅓ cup water
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest (optional)
- 3½ tablespoons cornstarch or arrowroot starch
- Whipped Cream for garnish
For the Pie Crust
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1½ teaspoons granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 stick unsalted very cold butter, cubed
- 4-8 tablespoons ice water, divided (¼ -½ cup)
- 1 egg yolk, for egg wash for crust
Directions
Prepare Crust (Skip if using storebought pie shell)
- In a large bowl, whisk the flour, salt, and sugar. You could also make this in food processor pulsing a few times to combine.
- Add the butter, working it into the flour mixture with your fingers or a pastry blender until butter is pea-sized
- Stir in 4 tablespoons of ice water. Add more ice water, about 1 teaspoon at a time, until mixture begins to hold together.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and press until dough has formed. Do not overwork or the crust will be tough. Shape into a flattened disk. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes or overnight.
- When ready to bake the pie remove dough from fridge. On a lightly floured work surface, roll the pie dough into an 11-inch (28 cm) circle, about ⅛ inch (3 mm) thick. Roll the dough around the rolling pin and unroll it over a 9-inch pie plate or pie pan (23 cm) -regular not deep dish. Gently press the dough into the bottom and sides of the plate, (Be careful not to pull or stretch the dough). Trim dough as needed then fold any overhanging dough under itself along the lip. Crimp the edges.
Bake Crust
- Pierce bottom of the crust with a fork (this prevents air pockets or bubbles from forming while baking). Line the crust with two sheets of aluminum foil or parchment paper (Be sure to push/press foil against the edges of the crust). Then, fill foil with dried rice, dried beans or pie weights. Refrigerate 30 minutes or freeze for 10 minutes, or until firm to the touch.
- In the meantime, heat oven to 375°F. Place a baking sheet on a middle oven rack.
- Remove pie from fridge, place pie crust onto preheated baking sheet. Bake 12-16 minutes or until the crust edges start to brown.
- Make egg wash by whisking egg yolk and 1 tablespoon water in a small bowl. Then, remove pie crust from oven and carefully remove parchment and pie weights. Brush bottom and sides of crust with egg wash. Place pie crust back in the oven and bake until egg wash is dry and shiny, and crust is golden, another 12-16 minutes. Cool crust completely before filling.
For the Filling & Assembly
- Measure out two cups of berries, wash and hull them, then crush them with a potato masher or a fork
- Add the crushed strawberries, sugar, water, extracts, lemon juice, Lemon zezt, pinch of salt 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 a day ahead)
- To assemble the pie, hull and slice the remaining strawberries and place them in a bowl. Add the cooled strawberry mash to the bowl and fold to combine
- Pour strawberry filling into cooled pie crust and spread out evenly
- Chill for at least 2-3 hours before slicing and serving until filling has set
- Top with fresh whipped cream before serving.
Recipe Notes
- Feel free to use a refrigerated or frozen pie crust instead of my recipe.
- Don’t assemble the pie until the day you’re going to eat it.
- Do not over work crust or over bake - naturally this pie crust is nice and crispy so that it will hold up against the fresh berry filling.
- This pie is best eaten the same day it’s made. It will get weepy if refrigerated overnight. We have enjoyed it up to 2 days after - the flavour is still good but the cruat will soften and the filling will weep slightly.
- If you are using store-bought pie dough, blind bake according to the package instructions. (To help the crust stay in place while baking, you can fill with pie weights as stated in recipe). Once baked, transfer onto a wire rack and cool completely.
- How to store: Fresh strawberry pie is best served fresh the day that you make it, to prevent the crust from being soggy when served. If you have leftovers, you can store this fresh strawberry pie lightly covered in plastic wrap for up to 2-3 days in the refrigerator (but expect the pie to get runny and the crust to get a little soggy).