This strawberry pie features a buttery graham cracker crust, an easy no-bake cream filling and a pile of fresh berries on top. You could slice the berries if you prefer, and I might suggest that if your berries are extra large in size. I pick my little bite-sized berries from my garden, so popping them on top whole like this is fun and makes for impressive presentation! A drizzle of melted chocolate on top creates a chocolate-covered-strawberry vibe and makes this pie extra delicious.
Ingredients Needed
- Graham Cracker Crust – I love a homemade graham cracker crust, but you can use a shortcut and just purchase a ready-made one at the store if you like.
- Fresh strawberries – This pie is equally delicious with other fruits, like raspberries or blackberries. I also love fresh peaches- but I personally skip the chocolate with those.
- Vanilla extract
- Light brown sugar
- Heavy whipping cream – heavy cream helps give this pie a firmer texture, but you can use regular cream if that’s what you have. It’s important to whip it firmer than you normally would.
- Powdered sugar
- Chocolate chips or a chocolate bar – Use your favorite chocolate! I prefer dark chocolate or semi-sweet because I think it creates a good balance and contrast with the sweet filling.
How to Make a Strawberries and Cream Pie
- Crust: You can either use a store-bought graham cracker crust, or easily make your own at home. I definitely prefer a homemade crust, but feel free to use the short-cut if you need to!
- Cream Filling: You’ll start by mixing cream cheese, vanilla extract, and brown sugar together until light and fluffy. Then you’ll fold in some sweetened whipped cream for the most delicious fluffy base. Spread it out in your crust and chill this part for a few hours, or up to overnight.
- Berries: I like to slice the greens off my berries and then place them cut side down on some folded paper towels to absorb extra moisture and prevent seeping onto the pie. I also like to chill the pie first without the berries because that prevents them from leaking moisture onto the top.
- Assemble: place the strawberries, cut side down, on the whipped cream mixture. You can press them way down if you want (and even add another layer of berries if you feel the urge) or just have them sticking out like I do. You can also slice berries and layer on top. My berries are small so I love keeping them whole. If they’re extra large, I usually slice.
- Chocolate Drizzle: Break some chocolate into chunks (or use chocolate chips) and place in a small glass bowl with a tiny bit of coconut oil. Microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring in between, until melted and smooth. Drizzle over pie. You can chill the pie at this point if you need to, until serving. The chocolate will harden but stay a little soft to the bite because of the coconut oil. I like to eat it freshly drizzled, but chilling is fine, too!
Storing and Other Tips
- Store your pie, covered, in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Promptly refrigerate any leftovers.
- Feel free to experiment with how you like your strawberries. You could cut them in half or in slices and lay them out in a circular pattern or even dice them up and pile them on for easier eating.
- You can definitely sub out other fruits if you like! Rasberries and blackberries are delicious with chocolate, and peaches are super good on this pie (though I usually ditch the chocolate for those, or sub white chocolate!)
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make mini versions of this pie?
yes! This recipe will fill 12 mini store-bought graham cracker crusts.
Could I make my own graham cracker crust?
Absolutely! They are quick and easy to make. Check out this post on how to make a perfect graham cracker crust.
Can I make this gluten free?
Of course! Follow the directions on this perfect graham cracker crust post but use gluten free graham crackers (or really any gluten free, crunchy style cookie). You can also find nut-based crusts on the baking aisle that are gluten free.
I can’t find good strawberries, what else can I put on top?
Use any fruit, or a combination of fruits, you like! You can arrange a medley of colorful fruits similar to a pie version of a fruit pizza . You could do diced apples with a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar in the fall, or any berries or sliced stone fruits you like.
How far in advance can I make this?
You can prepare the pie 6-8 hours in advance and store in the fridge. I would wait to add the berries until closer to serving. You could make it a night before, just keep in mind the crust softens a bit with extended wait time- still delicious though!
Can I use Cool Whip in this recipe?
This pie tastes better with the whipped cream as written, but you can substitute 2 cups Cool Whip for the whipped cream and powdered sugar if you like.
Could I put this in a chocolate oreo cookie crust instead?
Yes! Delicious!
Chocolate-Drizzled Strawberries and Cream Pie
A delicious no-bake pie with a creamy filling and chocolate covered strawberries on top!
Servings servings
Ingredients
Homemade Graham Cracker Crust
- 1 ½ cup graham cracker crumbs 165g
- 6 tablespoons butter, melted
- 4 tablespoons packed brown sugar
Pie
- 8 ounces cream cheese at room temperature light is fine, avoid fat-free
- ¼ cup packed light brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
Topping
- 1 quart fresh strawberries
- 2 ounces chocolate chocolate bar or chips
- ¼ teaspoon coconut oil
Instructions
Crust
- Combine graham cracker crumbs, butter, and brown sugar to combine well. Press into the bottom and just up about 1 inch of the side of the pan and press in well. Set aside.
Pie Filling
- In a large bowl, (I do this in my stand mixer) beat the whipping cream and powdered sugar until medium-stiff peaks form. Be careful to not create butter, but it's very important to whip it firmer than you normally would for whipped cream. It should be fairly firm and hold stiff peaks. If using a stand mixer, transfer the whipped cream into a separate bowl while you do the next step in your stand mixer. Otherwise, just grab another bowl for the next step.
- In a medium bowl, beat the softened cream cheese, brown sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy. It's important for the cream cheese to be room temp or softer so it will mix well without lumps.
- Add about 1 cup of the whipping cream mixture to the cream cheese mixture. Beat until smooth and well-combined. Add the remaining whipping cream mixture by hand and fold in until just combined.
- Cover the pie and chill in the fridge for several hours before adding strawberries. I would say 3 hours *minimum*, but the center will be firmed up better with more like 4-6 hours or more of chill time. *Note: you may add the berries and chocolate before chilling if you need to for timing purposes, but I prefer to chill the pie un-topped and then add the berries and topping close to serving time.
Topping
- Wash the strawberries and pat dry, well. Cut off stems and place berries cut-side down on some folded paper towels while you work, to absorb extra liquid. You may also simply slice berries, if you prefer. The whole berries look gorgeous and impressive, but they can be a little messy to cut and serve, just be prepared! Arrange berries on top of pie however you choose.
- Place chocolate and coconut oil in a heat-safe bowl. (If you're using a chocolate bar, break it into small equal-sized pieces first or finely chop) Microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring in between, until melted and smooth. Drizzle chocolate on top of pie. Serve immediately, or chill until serving. Note that the chocolate will firm up once chilled, or stay soft and melted if served immediately.
Notes
- Store your pie, tightly covered, in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Promptly refrigerate any leftovers.
- Feel free to experiment with how you like your strawberries. You could cut them in half or in slices and lay them out in a circular pattern or even dice them up and pile them on for easier eating.
- Shortcut Substitutions: You can use a store-bought prepared graham cracker crust in place of the homemade one.
Nutrition
Serving: 1slice, Calories: 481kcal, Carbohydrates: 44g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 33g, Saturated Fat: 20g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 9g, Trans Fat: 0.3g, Cholesterol: 85mg, Sodium: 274mg, Potassium: 315mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 31g, Vitamin A: 1095IU, Vitamin C: 70mg, Calcium: 93mg, Iron: 1mg
Calories: 481kcal
Cost: $12
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Questions & Reviews
HAHA thanks for the info Kate-and about those caramel chocolate pb bars, don’t trip. My family iis Polynesian, maybe you should take on our policy-when you get full or its bad for you, just push it down and eat more! Theres a reason people say fat and happy! HAHA…im kinda kidding…
So during the refrigeration process, do the strawberries get mushy? I don’t like that frozen strawberry taste and was wondering if this has that. It looks SO good!
Nope, not mushy at all. For the very best (berry best? Again, laaaaaaame… 🙂 ) results, I wouldn’t refrigerate the berries longer than 24 hours, but even if you do, you’re a long way off from freezer berries.
Thanks! Good to know.
This is so pretty! I have definitely bookmarked it Happy Easter!
I made this for dessert tomorrow, and I didn’t beat the cream cheese mixture enough, so the cream base of the pie wasn’t as light and airy. It tastes great, and I am hoping it will set up nicely overnight. Woopsies!
When will you come out to NY/NJ to do a signing? That would be the best awesomest thing! Especially if you came this Wednesday for my birthday :0)
I wish!!! 🙂 Tell Deseret Book you want us there. And bat your eyes and smile sweetly. 🙂
We totally need a Deseret Book out here. I miss it (we moved from Utah). Thanks for this recipe. I made it today for Easter and it was delish. . made an Oreo crust. . Mm-mm good! You can’t go wrong with chocolate, strawberries, cream cheese and whipped cream.
I am making this tonight to take to Easer lunch tomorrow. It looks so good. I was actually thinking of slicing the strawberries and putting them in a little sugar to make their own sweet juice. Then drizzling chocolate on them. I hope that works!! I think it will be super tasty even if it comes out a little “wrong.”
Thanks for your blog! I have made so many of your recipes and have loved them all.
I made this for dessert tonight and it was sooooo good! I had to have 2nds. Very easy to make too. I used semisweet chocolate chips for the drizzle and it was a nice contrast.
Hi there…I’m also making this for Easter tomorrow…I don’t know if you’ll have time to respond tonight but if you do, I’m going to make this tonight ahead of time…should I wait and put the strawberries on it tomorrow before serving? I’m thinking that might work out best. Thanks and Happy Easter 🙂
Either way. If you add the strawberries ahead of time, there’s a little more strawberry flavor and everything sets up nicely, but you run the risk of the strawberries drying out while they’re in the fridge. On the other hand, the berries will be prettier if you add them later, but then you run into the possibility that the whipping cream will be too set up and it will be hard to get the berries right where you want them. Maybe make the night before but make sure it’s well-covered so the berries don’t dry out? I don’t know. 🙂
This looks DELISH! And I love your site/book ladies! I use it all the time!
Question about this though: If I have unsweetened bakers chocolate, could I use that for the chocolate drizzle on top, or do you think that would be to bitter, even with all the other stuff?
I think it would probably be too bitter (the pie isn’t overwhelmingly sweet to begin with. Sweet yes, but not like those stupid caramel chocolate peanut butter bars that completely derailed my diet… 🙂 ). I know you can add sugar, I just don’t know how much or when or how. I’d look it up for you, but I’m tired. 🙂
I’m hoping to make this tomorrow for Easter as my contribution to a dinner I’m invited too. The host likes banana’s do you think I could substitute the strawberries for banana’s. I know it would be a sad day in the berry world or do half and half?
What is your thoughts? Thanks for sharing.
Melissa, you could definitely do it that way! 🙂 Either. Whatever. Can’t go wrong with chocolate and bananas. 🙂