Strawberry Pie is the ultimate summer dessert, i.e. lots juicy fresh strawberries piled into a crust and topped with a simple crumble. This is one berrylicious strawberry dessert you won’t want to miss.
Certain pies get all the glory, like blueberry, apple, and cherry. As a cook I like to go with the underdogs…have you seen my Apricot Pie? How about my Cranberry Pie? You won’t see them coming and going, and yet they’re amazing. Ditto this strawberry pie. And I’m not talking about the kind of deal where they just pile ginormous raw strawberries into a crust and call it pie. This is real honest to goodness hot jammy berry pie, with a buttery crumble topping and a big scoop of vanilla melting all over the top. Amen.
strawberry pie ingredient notes
strawberries
- In season strawberries are a must for this simple dessert. Don’t bother to make this pie until you can get your hands on some good ripe strawberries, rock hard berries with white centers won’t do. I don’t hull them, I just slice them horizontally, discarding the green tops as I go.
- I toss them with sugar and a little lemon juice to balance out their sweet flavor.
the thickener
- Strawberries, like many berries, are super juicy, so if you want to insure that your pie filling isn’t too loose, I recommend a product called Instant Clearjel. It’s basically a super duper starch thickener, and it works wonders. You can find it on Amazon.
the crumble
- This one is simple: flour, sugars, and butter.
the crust
- This easy pie starts with a frozen pie crust. (I like Marie Callendar’s) Carefully lift it out of its tin and place it into one of your own pretty pie plates. Once it bakes up, no one will be the wiser.
strawberry pie assembly
- Toss the berries with the sugar, lemon juice, and Clearjel thickener.
- Pop your frozen pie crust out of its tin foil and place in your own pie dish. No need to thaw it.
- Combine your crumble topping in a food processor or with your fingers to create a crumbly sandy texture.
- Pile the berries into the crust. Like all fruit pies, the filling will shrink down considerably as it bakes, so pile the berries up high to begin with.
- Top with the crumble.
- Bake until golden and bubbling.
Crumble toppings make pies so easy
This pie is so simple because all you need to do after slicing the berries is make a quick butter crumble topping. You can use your fingers or two forks to cut cold butter into a flour and sugar mixture. It’s like playing in a sandbox. I love crumbles so much I make a big batch crumble recipe to stash in my freezer all year long ~ it means I can make a crumble for one or twenty one any time the urge strikes!
strawberry pie baking tips
Place your pie on a baking sheet to catch any juicy drips.
Make sure you bake your pie long enough for the juices to be bubbling throughout. That’s important for activating your thickening agent.
Cover loosely with foil if your crust starts to brown too soon.
Let the pie cool before trying to slice. This allows the juices to settle and thicken further.
Food stylists trick ~ just before serving, lightly sprinkle with a little extra brown sugar to ‘refresh’ the crumble topping and make it look even more appealing.
Reader Rave ~
“This is absolutely the best strawberry recipe we’ve Ever come across!! Thank you so very much for this wonderful recipe!! ” ~Linda
Strawberry Crumble Pie
Ingredients
- 1 deep dish frozen pie crust, (do not thaw)
filling
- 1 1/2 pounds strawberries, washed and sliced
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 2 Tbsp Instant Clearjel (or you can use 4 Tbsp cornstarch or 5 Tbsp tapioca flour), You can buy Instant Clearjel here.
crumble topping
- 3/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 6 Tbsp cold butter, cut in small pieces
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F
- Toss the strawberries with the sugar, lemon juice, and Clearjel. Set aside.
- Make the crumble topping by cutting the butter into the flour and sugars. Use your fingertips or two forks to blend it all together until it becomes coarse crumbles.
- If you like, carefully remove the frozen pie crust from its tin and put it into your own pie dish. Set the dish on a baking sheet to catch any dripping juices.
- Transfer the berries to the pie crust, but leave any extra juices behind. Mound them in the center of the pie and top with the crumble mixture.
- Bake at 400F for 15 minutes, then turn the heat down to 375F for another 40 minutes, or until the top is browned and the juices are bubbling.
- Let cool completely before slicing.
I’ve made this pie 3 times this summer and tonight will be my 4th! Thank you so much for this amazing recipe! 🙂
Wow, that’s amazing, Chelsea, that’s more times than I’ve made it!!
Anyone ever try this with individual tart shells? Would love to be able to cut down on the mess and plates when I take this pie for a pot luck.
I just pulled the pie out of the oven and it looks and smells amazing! Thank you for sharing this super easy recipe!
You’re so welcome Giselle, hope it tastes as good as it smells <3
Could I use frozen strawberries?
I’m afraid they might be a bit too watery, Kate.
What does it mean to mound them in the middle of the pie?
I just mean you can create a rounded pile, since there will be lots of berries…it will shrink down as it bakes, you can see what I mean in the photos.
If you do not have lemons and can not go out to get any, how would that affect the pie? My daughter made this recipe last week and it was awesome!!
The lemon juice is just to sharpen the strawberry flavor, Patti, it will be fine without it.
Hi! Can’t wait to bake this – do you think it will work well with a refridgerated soft pie crust? Thanks!
I don’t see why not, Melissa, but be sure not to add too much juice into the pie crust, and be sure to add your thickener.
I am making this pie right now to take to a dinner party tonight. It smells amazing! Can’t wait to try it! Thank you for sharing!
Enjoy Kristin!!
Such a dreamy strawberry pie! I’m in love with that beautifully golden crumble topping, too!
Sue, Just finding your blog via Annie. Love this recipe and it looks beautiful too! I look forward to reading more of your blog. Have a good week! Kim
Welcome in Kim!