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
Made this pie yesterday afternoon to (finally) use up a left-over crust that was lying around my kitchen. It was so easy to prepare and tasted fantastic! I added fresh raspberries in between the strawberries, then drizzled chocolate over the whole thing. Incredible!
Just wanted to share that I made the pie for a party we threw but used the mini graham cracker crusts instead of one big one. The recipe filled 12 mini’s (two 6 packs from the store) perfectly and I put three to four strawberries on each one depending on the size of the strawberries. Also, next time I think I’ll wait and drizzle the melted chocolate on just before serving so that it’s still all melty and gooey. By the way, everyone RAVED about the cute little strawberry pies!!!
Super yummy, easy and cheap pie! I cut my strawberries in half and laid them cut side down just because that was my preference over the whole strawberry standing on end. It was a potluck success!! I wanted to make another today but my 2 and 4 year olds just ate all the strawberries! 🙁 Next time I think I’ll make a chocolate graham crust instead of honey grahams.
This recipe was so easy and SO yummy (oh, and pretty, too!) Made it for several friends and they all loved it. I would definitely make it again. Thanks for the great recipe!
Ok – so I had to improvise a little with this recipe today and it worked out awesome! So i decided to share! We don’t have a microwave at the moment so I panicked when I thought I couldn’t make this because I couldn’t melt the chocolate. So I had to get creative. I put the hershey candy bar while still in the wrapper under some hot water then left it in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes. It melted the chocolate perfectly and still kept the chocolate cool so i just clipped the edge of the wrapper and Voila! I just thought I would share if someone else doesn’t have a microwave and or doesn’t have a ziploc baggie on hand… which I also didn’t have. Also – my extremely picky 17 year old brother in law couldn’t get enough of this dish.. he had 3 helpings and told me it was to DIE FOR! so thank you for sharing a killer recipe!!!
This was amazing! So good and so easy and so beautiful. A real show-stopper. Mine looked just like the picture, too! When does that ever happen?!
I made this for Easter and my whole family loved it so much that I made it again for Mother’s Day. Thank you for sharing this recipe!!
SO FLippin GOOD!
Made this delicious pie last night. Yummmmmmmm! sums it up well, a great blend of flavors. As many discussed some issues with the cream cheese/whip cream becoming watery I added a tablespoon of vanilla pudding to the whip cream. My honey just cut a piece for breakfast and it is still looking good!! Thanks for this recipe!!
I made this Pie today and it was amazing!!!! Sooo easy to make and a great light dessert.