From-scratch Graham Cracker Crust Strawberry Pie

This is the fresh strawberry pie that doesn’t need Jell-O to hold itself together, and you’ll taste exactly why the second you cut into it. Half the strawberries get cooked down into a thick, jammy base that’s pure concentrated strawberry, and the other half go in fresh, so every bite has that bright, picked strawberry taste. It slices clean, holds together great, and it’s the kind of thing that everyone wants a slice of.

Living and growing up in South Central Texas, strawberry season meant one thing: the Poteet Strawberry Festival. If you’re not from around here, Poteet is a small town south of San Antonio that grows some of a house favorite strawberries in the country, and most people outside the area have no idea. When you grow up eating strawberries like that, straight from the source, you develop strong opinions about what deserves to be done with them. A Jell-O pie was never it.

That’s not us being dramatic; it’s that Jell-O has a flavor, and that flavor drowns out the fresh strawberries. We've been developing recipes most of our life, and that style of pie always felt like it was using the strawberries more as a garnish than as the whole point.

This version cooks a portion of them down into a thick, jammy filling that’s pure concentrated strawberry flavor, then folds in the rest fresh. The fruit is the star from the first bite to the last, and that’s exactly how it should be when you’re starting with berries worth celebrating!

Why Straightforward Strawberry Pie Recipe stays in the rotation

This is one of a house favorite pies for so many reasons.

• Straightforward to cook – with a few plain steps, you’ll have a satisfying pie that others will be asking you to make on repeat. You won’t need to blind bake any crust or worry about a strawberry glaze.
• No bake – There’s no baking involved in this. The pie sets up in the fridge.
• No jello or gelatin – This pie doesn’t use any jello or gelatin, so it won’t set up exactly the same, but tastes way better.
• Completely from scratch – There aren’t any weird ingredients or pre-packaged items. Some plain ingredients to grab from the grocery store.
• Uses fresh strawberries – This is a fresh strawberry pie recipe and has no strawberry flavored things. All of that sweet flavor comes from actual fresh strawberries.

No Bake Strawberry Pie Ingredients

Fresh strawberries – You’ll want to stick with the fresh berries here when they’re in season. While frozen strawberries can technically work, you won’t get the same taste or texture.

Granulated sugar – This is going to be added into the jam filling to give it that extra sweet taste.

Cornstarch – The cornstarch in this recipe is used to help thicken the jam-like filling and help it set up without gelatin.

Graham crackers – You can use either the honey or cinnamon graham crackers. Both taste great!

Brown sugar – We've done both brown sugar and granulated sugar in graham cracker crusts and find that the brown sugar gives a house favorite result. You’ll want to use either light or dark brown sugar for this.

Unsalted butter – This is the glue that will hold the graham cracker crust together.

How to cook No Bake Strawberry Pie

Make the Graham Cracker Crust

1. Combine the graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar, and butter in a large mixing bowl.
2. Mix to combine until all of the graham cracker crumbs are fully coated in butter.
3. Press the graham cracker mixture into the bottom of a springform pan and up the sides.
4. Be sure to firmly press down using the back of a measuring cup to make sure it’s fully compacted.
5. Place the crust in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

Make the Jam Filling

1. Add 2 cups of strawberries to a saucepan over medium heat. Using a meat chopper or potato masher, mash the strawberries down.
2. Add the sugar, water, and cornstarch. Mix to combine.
3. Bring the mixture to a low boil, stirring constantly.
4. Boil for 1 minute and then take it off the heat. Let it cool completely. It should be thick once cooled and have a jam-like consistency.

Make the Pie Filling

1. Add the remaining strawberries to a large mixing bowl with the cooled filling.
2. Mix until it’s fully coated.

Assemble the Pie

1. Pour the strawberry filling into the graham cracker crust.
2. Spread it out evenly, being gently near the crust edges.
3. Place it in the refrigerator and chill for 3 hours.

Remove the Pan and Serve

1. Once it’s chilled, remove it from the refrigerator, and remove the sides of the spring form pan gently.
2. Slice and serve on it’s own or topped with whipped cream.

Straightforward Strawberry Pie Recipe Tips

• It’s important to Make sure the crust is fully compacted So that the strawberry filling won’t leak through or make it soggy.
• This can also be made in a 9 inch pie plate, but you’ll need less crust.

How to Fix a Runny Strawberry Pie

A house favorite advice (while not what you want to hear) is to take the proper steps in advance to avoid the runny pie before it happens.

This means making sure the jam filling is completely thickened and cooled before you mix it with the strawberries or add it to the crust.

Another key to avoiding it being runny is to make sure that you fully compact the crust and give enough time to let the crust set in the fridge.

If your pie is already runny and you want to firm it up, you will want to put it in the refrigerator. The filling for this isn’t made with jello or gelatin so it won’t set up like one that is, but it should be a thickened jam consistency. Refrigerating it will help that thicken up.

Cutting Strawberries for Pie

The great thing about this fresh strawberry pie is that you can cut the fresh strawberries however you like and it will work. We actually often leave ours whole if they aren’t too big.

If you happen to have some pretty large strawberries, we'd recommend slicing them or at least quartering them.

• First, you’ll want to hull the berries. They make Special tools For this, or you can trim them with a knife. Hulling them means removing the stems and leafy portion.
• Once you’ve removed the leaves, you’ll want to sliced them length wise in either slices or quarters.

If they’re large, it’s best to slice them so that the jam filling can get in between and the pie will hold together better.

Substitutions and alterations for straightforward strawberry pie

You can substitute the graham crackers in the crust for shortbread cookies.

You would follow the same steps, but rather than using graham cracker crumbs, you’ll crush the shortbread cookies and use those instead.

How to keep This Straightforward Strawberry Pie

This strawberry pie is best kept chilled to maintain its structure and flavor.

• Refrigerator: Cover the pie loosely with plastic wrap or store it in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days. The filling will continue to soften slightly as it sits, but it will still be satisfying.
• Keep it Cold: Because this pie doesn’t use gelatin, it won’t hold it’s shape at room temperature for long. Be sure to return it to the fridge after serving.
• For Best Texture: If you’re making this ahead of time, plan to serve it within 24 hours for the freshest texture. The graham cracker crust can start to soften as it sits.

How to Freeze No Bake Strawberry Pie

Start by wrapping the pie in several layers of plastic wrap. You want to be sure to cover the entire pie, including the edges of the crust to prevent freezer burn and maintain it’s freshness.

Take the plastic wrapped pie and place it inside either a resealable freeze bag, an airtight container, or in aluminum foil. The extra layer will help further prevent it from freezer burn.

Place the wrapped pie in the freezer on a flat surface. Avoid stacking any other items on top of the pie.

Don’t forget to label it! It’s never fun trying to figure out what a wrapped item is in the freezer.

You can freeze this pie for up to 3 months if it’s stored properly while still maintaining a good taste and texture. While it’ll still be safe to eat beyond 3 months (if stored correctly), the taste and texture might decline over time.