How To Make Strawberry Pie With Jello

This is a step-by-step guide on how to make Strawberry Pie With Jello. The best thing about this is that you can add any kind of berries for a healthier alternative to fruit pies.

For red angel food cake to turn out nicely, the key is preparing the pan properly and folding in gently while also paying attention to oven temperatures. I am going to show you how to make strawberry pie with Jello.

Retro Jello Strawberry Pie

• Prep15 MIN
• Total4 HR 0 MIN
• Servings6

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This gelatin pie filled with fresh strawberries is a classic taste of summer.

Make With

Pillsbury Pie Crust

Ingredients

• 3tablespoons cornstarch
• 1cup sugar
• 1 1/2cups water
• 1box (3 oz) strawberry Jell-O™
• 2cups sliced strawberries
• 110-inch pie crust, prebaked

Steps

• 1Line the bottom of a pie crust with sliced strawberries.
• 2Combine cornstarch, sugar and water in small saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer, stirring constantly, until thickened. Add the Jell-O™ and stir until dissolved.
• 3Pour gelatin mixture over strawberries and refrigerate until set.

Strawberry Pie with Jello

When faced with seasonal fresh strawberries, few desserts are as welcomed as pie, and this version with jello is one of those easy recipes that screams sunny days and outdoor eating, with a sweet well balanced filling and lots of strawberry flavor. It lasts for several days, but I never get to experience that as it disappears so quickly!

This is one of those great recipes that I made one day just because, and it was quickly labeled as one of the family’s favorites. A bit of a surprise, as using commercial jello is not something I ever envisioned doing, much less post about it. Yet, here I am. Sometimes a recipe just works and ends up being a delicious dessert alternative, and I’d be doing a disservice not sharing it with you.

It has several steps, but you can make the pie shell in advance or even use store-bought. And the gelatin mixture, which might sound complicated, is very easy to work with.

The strawberry cream pie I’ve been making for years is the one my grandmother handed down and it involves clear, plain gelatin. No funny colors or flavors. I love it and make it often. But this one today is different as it packs more strawberries, is taller, uses a different pie crust, and doesn’t have so much cream filling. A more relaxed, Summery version of this classic which is now filed under delicious pies to make often.

Like many old-fashioned bakers who do it for a living, I rarely use store-bought shortcuts except for cookies maybe, when making cookie crust or the best oreo cheesecake ever. Or should I say I rarely used, past tense, because I have been incorporating a few supermarket pantry staples lately, and I have to say I’m hooked with some of them, like using boxed cake mix for dump cakes. But that’s another conversation.

So let’s get into the details of each component.

The crust

Homemade pie dough is my first option, always. But I keep a few frozen doughs at all times in my freezer. For this pie I like the Flaky Homemade Pie Crust or the Sweet Shortcrust Pastry if you like a sweeter pie.

Pie shell

This recipe doesn’t go into the oven, so you need a fully baked pie shell (pie crust).

Fully bake it: the filling in this pie is cold and needs no oven which suits us very well for hot days, doesn’t it. Still, we first have to blind bake it (which means using pie weights or something similar during the first 15 minutes so that the dough holds its shape as much as it can) but then we continue after removing the weight until it’s completely baked and golden.

Make it ahead. You have different options:
1. Room temperature: fully bake the pie crust and leave it at room temperature. This works if making it the day before or several hours before adding the filling (it has to be completely cold), and if the room is cool.
2. Refrigerator: make the dough, line the pan or pie plate, cover it with plastic wrap and pop it in the freezer until ready to use. I’ve kept pie doughs ready like this for a month.
3. Freeze the dough: you can also make the dough and freeze it, well wrapped, before rolling it out. Take into account that you’ll need to defrost it first in the refrigerator which takes a day or so, and then roll it out and bake it with enough time to let it cool completely before adding the filling.

The filling

Did I tell you this is a no-bake filling? It does involve a bit in the stovetop to make the gelatin mixture, but it’s just a few minutes, I promise.

Fresh strawberries

This is a pie recipe that begs to be made with fresh fruit. The flavor is superior, there are different types in the markets, and they are also cheaper. So when there are in season strawberries available, we take advantage of them, don’t we?

How to prepare them.
The strawberries are washed, hulled, cut, and mixed with sugar (image 1). We let them macerate for a while and then we drain them (image 2). That juice is sweet and syrupy and will add a lot to the filling. An extra boost of flavor that you don’t want to miss!

Gelatin mixture or jello filling

Don’t be put off by the fact that there is gelatin (strawberry jello powder to be more exact) in this pie because the process is really easy and hard to mess up with since the jello is mixed with cold water from the tap. It’s then cooked with the rest of the ingredients. The important thing is to check the heat and whisk constantly.

Cornstarch

It’s also part of the filling, and is cooked together with the jello to help achieve that solid but smooth texture we all love. Cornstarch is a thickener, a white powder used a lot in baking and cooking, not to be confused with corn starch which is cornflour.

Whipped topping

Being a plain (in appearance only!) and simple fresh strawberry pie, I think adding a creamy topping adds a lot, both in looks and also when you bite and find many contrasting textures: the smoothness of the jello, the rusticity of the strawberries and the creaminess of the topping.

I have my favorite cream topping recipe that I use for pies, cakes and desserts in general and is a classic chantilly cream made firmer by the addition of cream cheese.

• More stabilized whipped cream: this is a tip from an old dessert cookbook by Nancy Silverton that I adopted years ago when I had a cafe, and never looked back. The whipped cream has more consistency without tasting like cream cheese. So it’s a win on all front.
• Chantilly cream: if you want to make it the traditional way, simply omit the cream cheese and follow the same instructions.
• Cool whip: since we’re already hopped on the strawberry jello bandwagon, we might as well open up to commercial whipped toppings, such as Cool Whip, which is an imitation whipped cream sold in supermarkets. If you like it, by all means use it.

When making whipped cream, start beating with an electric mixer until medium peaks form. Then change to a hand whisk until you have the firm peaks you need. This way you have a slim chance of over beating and curdling the cream.

Top tips

• Organization: always read the recipe first and make sure you have all the ingredients, at the right temperatures, and also the rest of the equipment and space to make it. This will make the process so much easier!
• Strawberries: use fresh ones. This pie is just not the same with frozen ones. I did try using frozen, and you can thaw them and use the water as part of the cornstarch gelatin mixture. But the flavor is just not there completely. And the appearance of shriveled strawberries is not very appealing either. So I don’t recommend them. If you only have frozen, I suggest making a different dessert, like the Strawberry Crisp recipe, or using them for our wonderful Strawberry Sauce and topping a cheesecake.
• Gelatin: my number one tip for working with this ingredient that many feel is difficult, is beware of the temperatures of the strawberry preparation when adding the gelatin. That said, this recipe makes it easier because it’s all dissolved and mixed before heating it. So there’s less room for issues. I use regular jello, but I don’t see why using sugar-free jello wouldn’t work. If it solidifies it’s good to use.
• Graham cracker crust: for an easier pie, you can also use a cookie crumb crust. Find all the ingredients and details in this graham cracker crust recipe post.

Let me know in the comments below if you made this recipe and loved it, and also if you had issues, so we can troubleshoot together. I love to hear what you think, always. Thanks for being here, it’s much appreciated.
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Fresh Strawberry Pie (similar to Shoney’s)

•  Prep Time: 50 minutes
•  Refrigeration time: 90 minutes
•  Total Time: 2 hours 20 minutes
•  Yield: 8 servings 1x
•  Category: Pies & Tarts
•  Method: Baking + Mixing
•  Cuisine: American

DESCRIPTION

A great seasonal dessert with homemade crust, a sweet, well-balanced filling, lots of strawberry flavor and a dollop of topping that adds creaminess. It’s a close copycat to Shoney’s strawberry pie with jello. 

*Not included is time making the homemade crust.

INGREDIENTS

UNITS USMSCALE1X2X3X

For the crust:

• 1 recipe for Flaky Pie Crust (or Sweet Shortcrust Pastry if you like a sweeter dessert), fully baked
• Or use a store-bought one, preferably all-butter

For the filling:

• 1 ½ pounds (25 ounces) fresh strawberries, weighed after hulled (about 1.8 pounds or 830g if weighed whole)
• 1 cup sugar
• 5 tablespoons (1.4 ounces) strawberry jello powder
• 1 cup water
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

For the topping:

• ¾ cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons cream cheese
• 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 8 whole strawberries

INSTRUCTIONS

For the crust: 

If you have the pie dough but didn’t bake it, here are the steps.

1. Roll pie dough on a lightly floured surface and line an 8-inch pie plate.
2. Prick the bottom with a fork and put in the freezer for 10-15 minutes. 
3. Preheat the oven at 350°F/180°C. This will take the ten or fifteen minutes that the dough needs to be in the cold. 
4. Put a large piece of foil or parchment paper on top of the dough and fill with weight, this might be ceramic weights, dried legumes, dry rice, even flour. Something that can go into the oven and adds weight so that the crust doesn’t rise and puff up while baking. 
5. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until you can easily lift the paper and remove the weight. You will see that the dough is white and starting to dry out. 
6. Bake for a further 10-15 minutes, until golden and dried. 
7. Let cool completely on a wire rack before filling. 

For the filling:

1. Wash, dry and hull the strawberries. 
2. Put in a large bowl and cover with the sugar. 
3. Mix lightly and let macerate at room temperature for 30 minutes. 
4. Transfer to a colander that is placed over a bowl and let the juice from the strawberries drain for about 15 minutes. 
5. Have ready a large bowl with ice and water. 
6. Gather this juice and mix with half the water. 
7. Sprinkle the jello powder on top and mix until it’s completely dissolved. 
8. Put the other half of water and cornstarch in a medium saucepan, mix until dissolved and put on the stove at medium heat. 
9. Add the gelatin mixture, whisking constantly. Don’t 
10. Cook until it thickens, stirring or whisking all the time, making sure it doesn’t stick to the bottom and adjusting the heat if it’s too high.
11. Remove when it comes to a soft boil and whisk quickly until completely smooth. 
12. Put in the ice water bowl in the same saucepan if it fits or transfer the jello mixture to a medium bowl. I usually use the same bowl from the strawberry juice. 
13. Whisk regularly while the mixture cools down and starts to thicken, but just until it’s like thick syrup. Important: don’t let it set too much because you won’t be able to mix it with the fruit! 
14. Add the strawberries to the gelatin, mix to coat and pour into the baked pie shell. 
15. Cover with plastic wrap or a freezer sheet and refrigerate until completely set. 

For the topping:

1. Beat cold cream and cream cheese in a large bowl, adding powdered sugar. 
2. When you start to have medium stiff peaks, change to a hand whisk and beat until you have stiff peaks. This is the best way to avoid over beating and curdling the preparation. 
3. Put in a piping bag and make rosettes on top of the pie. Decorate with a whole or half strawberry.

NOTES

Organization: always read the recipe first and make sure you have all the ingredients, at the right temperatures, and also the rest of the equipment and space to make it. This will make the process so much easier!

Strawberries: use fresh ones. This pie is just not the same with frozen ones. I did try using frozen, and you can thaw them and use the water as part of the cornstarch gelatin mixture. But the flavor is just not there completely. And the appearance of shriveled strawberries is not very appealing either. So I don’t recommend them. If you only have frozen, I suggest making a different dessert, like the Strawberry Crisp recipe, or using them for our wonderful Strawberry Sauce and topping a cheesecake.

Gelatin: my number one tip for working with this ingredient that many feel is difficult, is beware of the temperatures of the strawberry preparation when adding the gelatin. That said, this recipe makes it easier because it’s all dissolved and mixed before heating it. So there’s less room for issues.

Fresh Strawberry Pie I

Delicious pies made with fresh strawberries. Top with whipped cream if you like.

Recipe Summary

Prep: 15 mins

Cook: 15 mins

Additional: 2 hrs

Total: 2 hrs 30 mins

Servings: 16

Yield: 2 pies

Ingredients

Decrease Serving

16Increase ServingAdjust

Original recipe yields 16 servingsIngredient Checklist

• 2 (8 inch) pie shells, baked
• 2 ½ quarts fresh strawberries
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1 (3 ounce) package strawberry flavored Jell-O®

Directions

Instructions Checklist

• Step 1In a saucepan, mix together the sugar and corn starch; make sure to blend corn starch in completely. Add boiling water, and cook over medium heat until mixture thickens. Remove from heat. Add gelatin mix, and stir until smooth. Let mixture cool to room temperature.
• Step 2Place strawberries in baked pie shells; position berries with points facing up. Pour cooled gel mixture over strawberries.
• Step 3Refrigerate until set. Serve with whipped cream, if desired.

STRAWBERRY PIE

Strawberry Pie Is The Perfect Springtime Dessert! Fresh Strawberries Piled High, Coated In Strawberry Jello, And Placed In A Buttery Crust.

I love a good pie recipe for dessert, especially during warm spring and summer months. If you like this pie, you’ll love our Triple Berry Pie as well!

A LONG-TIME FAVORITE

If you are in need of a super easy yet really impressive dessert this is the one. I’m telling you…..you will return home with an empty pie plate….GUARANTEED!

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I have been eating this strawberry pie since I was a little girl. I remember it at every family gathering and I remember when I would go back for a second piece, but it was always gone. To this day I don’t know why I didn’t just take 2 slices to begin with, lol!

You really can’t go through life without trying a slice of Strawberry Pie!! It’s so easy to make and full of strawberry flavor!

INGREDIENTS:

• Pie crust: You can make a homemade pie shell or use a store bought.
• Strawberries: Only fresh strawberries will work for this recipe. And for best flavor, use strawberries that are in season.
• Strawberry Jello
• Cornstarch
• Sugar

HOW TO MAKE STRAWBERRY PIE

CRUST. Start by blind baking your crust. You will need to fully bake and cool your crust before starting the pie.

STRAWBERRIES. You need to wash and hull the strawberries. I like to cut the strawberries in half and place them in the shell cut side down for a prettier appearance. But if you are short on time you can leave them whole and place them with their points up.

FILLING. In a medium-sized sauce pan mix the sugar, cornstarch, and water. Cook over medium-low heat stirring constantly until thickened. Remove from the heat and stir in the jello until dissolved.

Let this cool in the refrigerator for 15ish minutes or until slightly cooled. This step is important because if you pour the strawberry filling over the strawberries when it’s really hot, it will just sink to the bottom of the pie instead of clinging to the strawberries.

REFRIGERATE. After it has cooled a little, pour over the strawberries making sure to coat each one. Refrigerate pie until fully set.

MAKING AHEAD AND STORING

Make-Ahead: The crust can be made ahead! Fully bake the crust and completely cool. Wrap in foil and freeze for up to 1 month. Thaw completely before using it.

Storing: Keep this pie in the refrigerator. It will only keep for up to 3 days and it’s best eaten on the day you make it. The longer it sits the juices from the strawberries start to weep and can make the crust soggy.

STRAWBERRY PIE RECIPE

Save

Strawberry Pie is the perfect springtime dessert! Fresh strawberries piled high, coated in strawberry jello, and placed in a buttery crust.

CourseDessert

CuisineAmerican

Prep Time20 minutes

Refrigeration Time30 minutes

Total Time50 minutes

Calories242 kcal

AuthorLil’ Luna

Ingredients

• ▢1 9″ pie shell, fully baked and cooled
• ▢1 cup sugar
• ▢3 tablespoons cornstarch
• ▢1 cup water
• ▢1 (3oz) box strawberry jello
• ▢2 pounds strawberries; washed, hulled, and cut in half

Instructions 

• Mix the sugar, cornstarch, and water in a medium-sized saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat stirring constantly until thickened. Remove from heat and stir in jello until completely dissolved. Refrigerate for 15 minutes or until slightly cooled.
• Place strawberries in baked pie shell and arrange as desired. Pour jello mixture over the top of the strawberries making sure to cover every strawberry. Refrigerate until set. If desired served with whipped cream.

Notes

1. Use strawberries that are in season for the best flavor.
2. Do NOT use frozen strawberries….they will not work.
3. Store this pie in the refrigerator until ready to use.
4. Eat this pie within 3 days. The longer it sits the juices from the strawberries will make the crust soggy.
5. Be sure to let the jello filling cool for at least 15 minutes in the refrigerator before pouring over the strawberries.

Strawberry Pie With Jello

Fresh Strawberry Pie with Jello is as easy as it gets for a summer dessert! So freaking tasty, the hardest part is waiting for it to chill!

Farmstand produce and easy recipes are my favorite parts of summer food. You can grab local fresh ingredients and get them prepared quickly and easily with minimal time spent in a kitchen getting too warm.

Strawberries are probably my absolute favorite fruit. They make the most beautiful desserts, with vibrant colors and juicy sweetness, have you tried my Strawberry Pretzel Salad? I love the combination of salty and sweet, crunchy and juicy, and jiggly and chewy! No-bake is always a win-win in the summer!!

Why We Love Strawberry Pie with Jello

This pie recipe is super easy, using a pre-made pie crust and jello with fresh fruit for the filling. You can have this pie whipped together and chilling in no time. Then make some fresh whipped cream to top it with and you’re done! Your friends and family will think you took all day to make this one, but it will be our little secret how easy it is!

This is a great dessert to have for the Patriotic holidays to add a bright red pop of color to your spread. You can keep the strawberries whole if you’re short on time, or slice them up to add to the pie crust. Either way, this will be your go-to pie recipe for those hot summer days when you need a cool dessert to bring the chill!

Ingredients

Strawberries: The star of this easy strawberry pie is of course strawberries.

Pie Crust: Grab a 9-inch premade pie crust in the freezer/cold dessert aisle.

Jello: The jiggly and wiggly dessert we all love from the gelatin family.

Cornstarch: Adding a bit more stability to the jello filling helps make this strawberry pie easier to slice and serve.

Sugar: Pies are supposed to be sweet, adding a little sugar to the jello mixture helps to make sure the filling tastes great!

Variations

• If you have a pie crust recipe you love already make it ahead and use it instead of the store-bought version.
• If you absolutely don’t have time to whip up the whipped cream, buy a can. No one will care. But homemade tastes AMAZING!
• You can use whole or sliced strawberries, but DON’T use frozen strawberries. They get way too mushy and soft when they thaw.
• Add some blueberries in place of half the strawberries if you want to make a red, white, and blue pie.

How to Make Strawberry Pie with Jello

BLIND BAKE the pie crust as directed on the package. Then let it cool completely.

PREP the strawberries by hulling them and them slicing in half.

MIX the water, sugar, and cornstarch in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Then add the jello mix and stir together.

CHILL the jello mixture so it thickens up a bit, about 15 minutes.

POUR the jello over the strawberries in the pie crust.

CHILL the pie until it is completely set. Then cut into slices and enjoy with a dollop of whipped cream on top!

Tips & Tricks

• Wash your strawberries thoroughly and allow them to dry before slicing.
• Use a whisk when you’re stirring the filling. You need to make sure everything dissolves fully, but don’t stir so fast that you get a frothy jello mixture.
• Add a tablespoon of vanilla instant pudding mix to the whipped cream ingredients to make it a little thicker and help it stay intact better during the summer heat. It also makes it easier to pipe the whipped cream if you’re going to use a pastry bag.

How do you thicken strawberry pie filling?

By using cornstarch and then adding the jello, your pie will have more of the classic strawberry pie consistency and less like jello cubes.

You also help the pie filling thicken when the jello mixture chills before adding it to the pie shell. This helps the jello stick to the strawberries and not sink to the bottom of the pie.

Can Strawberry Pie be frozen?

When you freeze fresh fruit it thaws out very soft and mushy. When you freeze jello-based desserts they get crystalized and tend to have separation when they thaw.

The answer here is yes, technically you could freeze this pie, but I wouldn’t recommend it. The pie would be messy and not very appetizing after thawing.

You’re going to love this strawberry pie recipe! Come back and let me know what you thought and how you made it your own unique dessert in the comments!

Strawberry Pie With Jello

Fresh Strawberry Pie with Jello is as easy as it gets for a summer dessert! So freaking tasty, the hardest part is waiting for it to chill!

PREP TIME10 mins

COOK TIME40 mins

CHILLING TIME5 hrs

TOTAL TIME5 hrs 50 mins

COURSEDessert

CUISINEAmerican

CALORIES

INGREDIENTS  1x2x3x

• 1 9-inch pie crust
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 3 ounces strawberry gelatin mix
• 1 pint strawberries hulled

Whipped Cream

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

INSTRUCTIONS

• Blind bake the pie crust according to the package directions. If you’re using a homemade pie crust, bake at 375 degrees F for 15 minutes with pie weights. Remove the weight, poke all over the bottom of the crust with a fork and bake for another 15 minutes. Cool completely.
• Place a medium saucepan over medium heat and add the water, sugar, and cornstarch. Cook until the sugar has dissolved completely and the mixture has thickened.
• Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the gelatin mixture. Chill the jello mixture in a bowl for 15 to 20 minutes. (The mixture needs to thicken so it sticks to the strawberries and doesn’t sink to the bottom of your pie.)
• While the jello chills, slice the strawberries in half and arrange them around the outside of the cooled pie crust and then work your way in towards the middle.
• Pour the chilled jello over the strawberries. Chill the pie for at least 4 hours or until set.

Whipped Cream

• Add the heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla to the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment. Beat until thickened and medium peaks have formed. (You can also do this with a hand mixer in a large bowl.)
• Slice the pie into 8 slices and serve. Top with a dollop of whipped cream and a sprig of mint, if desired.

NOTES

The timing of this recipe accounts for blind baking and cooling the pie crust. You can do this ahead of time and it’ll take over an hour off of the total recipe time.

All nutritional information is based on third party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods and portion sizes per household.