Strawberry Cream Pie

Made with fresh strawberries and real cream, this Strawberry Cream Pie is going to be a new family favorite. Homemade strawberry pudding is topped with whipped cream and more fresh strawberries and tucked inside of a graham cracker crust.

This Strawberry Cream Pie is made with exactly what you think it should be: fresh strawberries and cream. Fresh strawberries are pureed and incorporated into a really delicious homemade pudding, and then put inside a graham cracker and then topped with freshly whipped cream and more fresh strawberries.

Basically, this is the strawberry pie to make during strawberry season.

Ingredients Needed

Here is an overview of the ingredients needed for this recipe. The full recipe is listed below in greater detail.

• fresh strawberries
• heavy cream + whole milk
• sugar
• eggs
• cornstarch (for thickening the pudding)
• vanilla extract
• almond extract
• lemon juice
• unsalted butter
• Graham Cracker Crumb Crust or Pâte Sablée (Sweet Tart Dough)

Pie Crust Options

There are a few crust options for this pie.

The first recommendation is to use a Graham Cracker Crumb Crust. It’s so delicious and choosing a crumb crust option will make this pie easier to make! Another crumb crust option would be this Vanilla Wafer Crust.

Another option is a Pâte Sablée pastry, which is a sweet cookie-like crust that is very stable and a great choice for this pie. Since this pie is served cold, I don't recommend using a flaky butter pie crust, but if you really want to, here is a Pâte Sucrée (Sweet Pie Crust) recipe which is basically a butter pie crust with added sugar!

Need this to be gluten-free? Make this basic gluten-free butter pie crust. Just be sure to fully blind bake the crust.

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How to Make Strawberry Pudding from Scratch

The strawberry pudding takes center stage in the production of this pie. It uses fresh, pureed strawberries as the base, as opposed to a jello mix. The pudding is made in one pot and doesn't require any tempering of the eggs. You start by whisking together the sugar, cornstarch and egg yolks until it forms a paste. Next, add the pureed strawberries and cream and heat the whole mixture up slowly, while alternating between whisking and scraping up the bottom of the pot. The trick is to slowly heat the egg yolks with all of the ingredients at once so they don't scramble. The added cornstarch helps stabilize the egg yolk mixture so that doesn't happen. Additionally, it helps the mixture to thicken to the proper consistency. Once you've cooked the pudding, strain it, and whisk in butter and vanilla and almond extract. A few tips on making the pudding:

1. Make sure you have the correct amount of pureed strawberries called for in the recipe. I suggest measuring them after they've been pureed. If you have less than you need, the consistency of the pudding will be off.
2. Make sure to have a rubber spatula and a whisk handy. I use both to make sure the mixture cooks evenly. I swap between using them while I'm cooking the pudding to make sure I'm getting all the mixture out of the crevices of the pot while whisking to ensure a consistent cook.
3. Don't walk away from the pudding. It only takes a few minutes to cook. Also, it's especially important to stir almost constantly in the beginning when you are cooking it to ensure no egg yolks get stuck to the bottom of the pot and scramble.

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Options for Decorating

As with most pies, you can use your discretion with how to decorate the top of the!

Above are two examples of the decoration of this Strawberry Cream Pie. In one example with a graham cracker crust, whipped cream is piped on using a pastry bag and a star tip in a concentric circle, and decorated with fresh strawberries.

In the second photo above, the Strawberry Cream Pie is made in a Pâte Sucrée pastry, and topped with of fresh strawberries underneath a pile of whipped cream and freeze dried strawberries.

Have fun designing what the top using whipped cream and fresh strawberries.

Make Ahead Tips

As with most pies, there are a few steps you need to complete to get to the finished pie. A lot of these components can be broken down into steps and done ahead of time.

1. Make the Graham Cracker Crumb Crust or Pâte Sablée ahead of time. Either can be prepared a day ahead of time.
2. Make the strawberry pudding a day ahead of time.
3. Whip the cream: the cream is stabilized so it can be made up to 2 days ahead of time. It may need a quick mix with a hand whisk the further ahead it is made.
4. Assemble the pie: The entire pie can be assembled 1 day in advance, minus the garnish of freeze dried or fresh strawberries. It can last up to 2 days, but leave the cream off until you are ready to serve in case the cream needs a brief whisk.

More Strawberry Recipes:

• Strawberry and Cherry Slab Pie
• Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp
• Ginger Strawberry Rhubarb Pie
• Chocolate Covered Strawberry Pie

I am so honored when you make a recipe from my site! If you make this Strawberry Cream Pie, please leave a comment and a star rating with your experience! If you have any questions about this recipe, feel free to comment here, too!

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