Strawberry Cream Cheese Pie
Strawberry Cream Cheese Pie is a no-bake dessert with a graham cracker crust, a luscious, thick cream cheese layer and a homemade strawberry topping!
AN EASY DESSERT PIE
This Strawberry Cream Cheese is a classic dessert from my childhood. It’s a mix between a no bake cheesecake and a strawberry pie. You don’t even need to turn on the oven! It mixes up fairly quickly and it’s such a cool and refreshing dessert for those warm summer days headed our way. Also, if your family loves going strawberry picking as much as mine does, this is the absolute perfect recipe to make with those beautifully ripe berries!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
Strawberry pies can become watery because of the strawberry topping. It’s important to cook the strawberry topping until it has thickened up. If the sauce isn’t thick then the liquid will seep into the rest of the pie. To prevent this from happening, make sure to follow the recipe carefully and use ripe yet firm strawberries for maximum flavor with minimal liquid.
Yes. If you want to use light cream cheese instead of regular cream cheese, you can make the swap no problem.
This recipe is based all around cream cheese so it’s not easy to substitute. Your only other options might be Neufchatel cheese or maybe mascarpone cheese although I have not tested those out to see how it would work.
Nope! This isn’t a strawberry pie with jello on it like my strawberry pie recipe. Instead, it’s a pie with fresh strawberries and a cream cheese layer on a graham cracker crust. Very different things.
I don’t recommend it. It would make the strawberry filling a little too watery when they started to thaw and release their juices.
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. I don’t suggest trying to freeze this pie, the texture will change when thawed.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)
- graham cracker crust – I used store-bought but you could make your own from scratch, see my recipe for cheesecake where there is a homemade crust recipe.
- fresh strawberries – washed, tops cut off and sliced into fourths – I do not recommend frozen strawberries. Use ripe and firm strawberries for best results.
- granulated sugar – I have not tried this with a sugar substitute.
- cornstarch – this is used to thicken the strawberry filling.
- fresh lemon juice – this brightens the color of the strawberries and balances the sweetness of the fruit filling.
- cream cheese – you need to make sure that it is at room temperature, if it isn’t, you will end up with a very lumpy batter. See my post on How to Soften Cream Cheese Quickly.
- powdered sugar – also called confectioners sugar.
- heavy cream – you will be beating this into a thick whipped cream so milk cannot be substituted here.
HOW TO MAKE STRAWBERRY CREAM CHEESE PIE
Starting with the strawberry topping, in a small saucepan add in 2 cups of the strawberries, sugar, cornstarch, and lemon juice. Place on medium-low heat.
Stir until the strawberries start to release juice. Mash the strawberries using a spoon or potato masher.
Increase the heat to medium- high and bring to a boil. Allow to boil for 1 minute making sure to consistently stir so it doesn’t burn. Once the strawberries have been boiling for 1 minute, remove from the heat and set aside and allow to cool.
Start on the cream cheese layer. In a mixing bowl, add in the cream cheese and beat until smooth. Add in the powdered sugar and vanilla extract and mix until smooth.
In a separate bowl, add in the heavy cream and beat until stiff peaks form. Gently fold in the heavy cream into the cream cheese mixture until fully combined. Once completely mixed, pour the cream cheese filling into the pie crust, and spread evenly. Set aside.
To finish the strawberry topping, pour in the remaining 3 cups of strawberries into the cooked strawberries. Mix until the fresh strawberries are fully coated in the glaze.
Pour the strawberry topping over the cream cheese filling and spread evenly.
Cover and place in the refrigerator to chill for at least 4 hours.
Cut and serve!
CRAVING MORE RECIPES?
Strawberry Cream Cheese Pie
Ingredients
- 9 inch graham cracker crust
Strawberry Topping:
- 5 cups fresh strawberries, tops cut off and sliced into fourths (divided use)
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 ½ Tablespoons cornstarch
- 3 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
Cream Cheese Filling:
- 8 ounce block cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Starting with the strawberry topping, in a small saucepan add in 2 cups of the strawberries, sugar, cornstarch, and lemon juice. Place on medium-low heat.
- Stir until the strawberries start to release juice. Mash the strawberries using a spoon or potato masher.
- Increase the heat to medium- high and bring to a boil.
- Allow to boil for 1 minute making sure to consistently stir so it doesn’t burn.
- Once the strawberries have been boiling for 1 minute, remove from the heat and set aside and allow to cool.
- Start on the cream cheese layer. In a mixing bowl, add in the cream cheese and beat until smooth. Add in the powdered sugar and vanilla extract and mix until smooth.
- In a separate bowl, add in the heavy cream and beat until stiff peaks form.
- Gently fold in the heavy cream into the cream cheese mixture until fully combined.
- Once completely mixed, pour the cream cheese filling into the pie crust, and spread evenly. Set aside.
- To finish the strawberry topping, pour in the remaining 3 cups of strawberries into the cooked strawberries. Mix until the fresh strawberries are fully coated in the glaze.
- Pour the strawberry topping over the cream cheese filling and spread evenly.
- Cover and place in the refrigerator to chill for at least 4 hours.
- Cut and serve!
Notes
- Please refer to my FAQ’s and ingredient list above for other substitutions or for the answers to the most common questions.
- I don’t recommend using frozen berries. Use ripe yet firm strawberries for best results.
- Make sure you cook the strawberry topping long enough so it doesn’t get too watery and is thickened.
- Leftovers should be stored in a container and kept in the fridge for up to 4 days. Don’t try to freeze this pie it won’t thaw well.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
So good! Definitely a new favorite – thank you!
You’re using the heavy cream to make a homemade whipped cream. I suppose that would be entirely up to you if you don’t want it in there. This is the only way I make it so I couldn’t tell you how it would turn out. If you try it please let me know!