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Why I Love This Strawberry Pie
If you are unsure about making pie, this is the pie to make. Why is that? This is a stovetop pie, which takes away much of the uncertainty of pie-making, which makes it nearly foolproof.
This method uses fresh strawberries mashed together with cornstarch, water, and lemon juice. Mashing the berries causes them to release their juices, which combine with the cornstarch to create a slurry. Within a few minutes on the stove, the mixture becomes thick. Once poured into a baked pie crust, it just has to set up to be ready.
When a traditional pie is baked in the oven, the baking time can take anywhere from 45 to 90 minutes to activate the thickening agent. This fresh pie takes hardly a fraction of that time, using mostly the juice of the fresh berries and their pulp. All the filling is cooked on the stovetop, so there’s no waiting to see the filling bubbling throughout in the oven. Thus, there’s no guessing if or when it’s done.
Quick and easy and packed with summertime flavor!
Strawberry Pie Ingredients
The best part about this pie: it only takes 7 ingredients, and one of them is optional!
- Pie crust – Flaky and buttery, it holds the berries and filling. You can buy a frozen 9-inch pie crust at the store or make my pie crust recipe.
- Fresh strawberries – The star of the show! Make sure to look for the freshest, ripest ones, and hull them to remove the greens.
- Granulated sugar – Sweetens the berries just enough, complementing and enhancing their natural sweetness.
- Water – Helps dissolve the sugar and cornstarch in the filling.
- Lemon juice – Brightens the filling with a bit of subtle citrus.
- Cornstarch – Thickens the cooked berries so the pie sets while it cools.
- Red food coloring – This is completely optional, but it can be added if you want a deeper strawberry-red color.
The full amount of each ingredient can be found in the recipe card below.
How to Make This Strawberry Pie
Before you start, you’ll need a blind-baked pie crust for this pie. Preheat your oven and bake the pie crust according to your favorite method (blind-bake until golden).
Assemble the strawberries – Arrange half of the hulled fresh strawberries in the baked pie crust.
Cook the filling – In a saucepan, combine the other half of the strawberries with sugar, water, lemon juice, and cornstarch. Mash with a potato masher until it’s almost liquid, with a few soft berry chunks. Over medium heat, bring the mixture to a gentle boil, stirring until the mixture thickens and bubbles in big, slow bursts. Then, remove from heat.
If you’re using food coloring, stir it in now.
Finish the pie – Pour the cooked strawberry filling on top of the strawberries in the pie crust. Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until set. Serve each slice with whipped cream.
Serving
Serve each slice chilled (or at room temperature), with a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Storage
- Refrigerate: Keep the pie covered and in the fridge. It’s best eaten within 2 days, when the crust stays flaky and the berries are bright. When ready to eat a slice of the leftover pie, simply cut and serve cold. You can let the pie come up to room temperature if preferred.
- Freeze: I don’t recommend freezing this pie (or any pie, really). The berries will lose their texture, and the filling can turn grainy.
More Strawberry Desserts
- Strawberry shortcake cake
- Strawberry poke cake
- Roasted strawberry rhubarb pie – so much flavor!
- Strawberry and blueberry cookie tart
Watch How to Make This Strawberry Pie
Have I Convinced You to Make This Recipe?
I hope you make this recipe and put some food on your table. Leave a comment and share a star rating so you can let others know how much you love this recipe. This helps show others that this is a recipe they, too, can make, enjoy, and love!
Fresh Strawberry Pie
Ingredients
- 1 recipe 9-inch pie crust blind baked and cooled
- 4 cups fresh strawberries whole, hulled
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup water
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 3 tbsp cornstarch
- red food coloring (optional)
Instructions
- Assemble the strawberries: Add 2 cups of the hulled fresh strawberries to the fully-baked pie crust and set aside.1 recipe 9-inch pie crust
- Cook the filling: In a medium saucepan, combine the remaining 2 cups of strawberries with the sugar, water, lemon juice, and cornstarch. Using an old-fashioned potato masher, mash the strawberries until the mixture is nearly a liquid with some pieces of berry remaining. Heat the mashed berry mixture over medium heat, stirring occasionally, 3-5 minutes. When the mixture starts to bubble around the edges, stir constantly until bubbling throughout and thickened, 3 minutes. When done, the mixture will have slow, large bubbles and be thick. Remove from the heat and stir in the food coloring (if using).4 cups fresh strawberries, ¾ cup granulated sugar, ¼ cup water, 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice, 3 tbsp cornstarch, red food coloring (optional)
- Fill the pie: Pour the strawberry mixture immediately over the fresh strawberries in the pie shell. Allow to cool to room temperature, about 1 hour. Place in the refrigerator until fully chilled, 4-6 hours. Serve with fresh whipped cream.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did you make this? Leave a comment below!
Styling: Addelyn Evans | Photography: Dera Burreson
I love your recipes including this one. The one problem is the crust became very soggy even on the first cutting. Any suggestions?
Excellent pie! Make Kaleb’s crust too. People say it’s the best crust they ever had. Use the pie weights because at first I did not and the sides of the crust caved while baking. I ordered pie weights from Amazon $5.99 and worth every penny. Everyone loves when i make this pie!
this strawberry pie recipe was totally awesome and delicious and very easy to make
Excellent recipe. Pie turned out perfectly. I will cut the sugar to 1/2 cup. Just a little too sweet for me. Will that affect the outcome?
Watched the video & followed the print recipe. Mine did not firm up like yours when cut. I noticed in the video you used 4 Tbs of cornstarch. The print states 3 Tbs. Also, you used the juice of a whole lemon, whereas my half lemon yielded 2 Tbs. I will try again & juice a whole lemon & increase sugar if needed. I will cook the mixture till thicker. Hope this works better next time.
Simply put…the Strawberry Pie is OUTSTANDING!
Kaleb— great recipe! We loved it. I might just suggest, for benefit of any really novice cooks, that you mention something about baking off that pie crust and allowing it to cool BEFORE you fill it. I know, for most of us this is a no brainer, but for someone new it might not be clear. I just thought about if my sister were doing this she wouldn’t have a clue. Also mention to add some whole or sliced strawberries before you fill the pie shell with the cooked mixture.
This is the best Strawberry pie! My husband said it was ‘excellent’ & he doesn’t give out many compliments. I even ditched the ‘tub’ & made whipped cream. I forgot how good that tasted. Thank you! I will be making another soon.
I love all your recipes!! You make it look so easy !!! I love rhubarbs /strawberry pie do you have a recipe for that ? Thankyou for all your wounderful recipes !! Keep them coming !!🤗🥰
You are amazing.Don:t ever change.Thanks for sharing all You know. Blessings!