Fresh Strawberry Pie with Jello in the Glaze
Sneak Preview: Fresh Strawberry Pie with Jello in the Glaze is not overly sweet. It is formulated for maximum enjoyment of your fresh strawberries. The recipe also includes directions for an easy pat-in-the-pan cookie crust.
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Are you a fan of fresh strawberry pie? Cooked or fresh? What are your requirements? For me, the berries must be fresh. Flavorful strawberries would be nice, but they’re getting more difficult to find these days where I live in Texas.
I hope you have access to sweet, medium-sized, dark red berries. That would be the best! Either way, these glazed strawberries will make your pie taste even better.
Four Reasons Why This Will Be Your New Favorite Fresh Strawberry Pie
- The strawberry glaze is translucent, glossy, colorful, light, thick, and sweet. It’s the perfect foil for beautiful and tasty spring strawberries.
- Make the glaze in the microwave.
- You don’t have to cook the strawberries.
- The pat-in-the-pan crust is super easy to execute. Make it by hand or use a food processor.
Happy Bakers Speak Up
“It is awesome!“–JUDY W.
What You Can Expect
My Aunt Marg’s recipe for fresh strawberry pie is not cloyingly sweet but just sweet enough to enhance the berries. The texture of the gel is not so thick that it seems rubbery nor so thin that it is runny or watery. Jello helps with that, even though you can’t discern the flavor or texture in the pie.
The first picture posted above was taken 24 hours after the pie was made, so you can see exactly what to expect. Of course, any dessert made with fresh fruit is better eaten the day you make it. Otherwise, one risks a soggy crust as the strawberries release moisture.
The Crust
A regular flaky pie crust (this pie crust with yogurt is super flaky) is acceptable. A cookie-type crust, although richer, is more memorable.
This pat-in-the-pan recipe is adapted from Joy the Baker, a fabulous baker and blogger worth checking out. Her crust is a cross between a regular pie crust and a sweet-tart crust. No rolling is required.
Be sure to let the crust cool before adding strawberries and filling. This is key to keeping it crispy as long as possible.
Interestingly, my aunt didn’t mention the crust in her recipe. If memory serves me right, she didn’t assemble the pie until we were ready to eat. Consequently, the crust was crisp and flaky. (She used a standard crust like this one.)
At least part of the time, she broke off large pieces of the crust and laid them on individual serving plates. Then, strawberries covered in glaze were poured on top. Maybe not very photogenic, but exceedingly edible!
Two Ways To Make Pat-in-the-Pan Pie Crust
1. Hand-grating the butter
2. Make the crust in a food processor
Pat-in-the-Pan Piecrust is perfect for any fresh fruit pie. However, I am adding a second option in the recipe for putting it together using a food processor.
Personally, I think this is an easier method for making the crust. If you don’t have a food processor, Joy’s method described above works fine, even if it’s a bit more labor-intensive.
P.S. In looking at the original recipe my aunt emailed, I noticed she specifies adding a touch of almond extract to the glaze.
I tried it. I liked it. Optional, of course, but it’s a nice touch!
FAQ About Fresh Strawberry Pie
It’s best eaten the same day you make it. Otherwise, the fruit may weep, causing the glaze to be too thin and the crust to get soft.
No. Not only does the glaze contain Jello (it doesn’t freeze well), but the fresh fruit will not fare well as it thaws.
First, it may need to be microwaved longer. If your oven is small or old, cook it longer. It should coat a spoon thickly. Second, slicing strawberries or de-stemming them will cause them to weep water into the glaze. Try to eat a fresh strawberry pie as soon as the pie is cold and the glaze is set.
Yes. The filling will get soft in the same way Jello gets soft when it is left out of the refrigerator. The strawberries will also age faster when they are left at room temperature or warmer, especially after they have their stems removed.
More Strawberry Recipes
- Strawberry Yogurt Salad Dressing
- Strawberry Snowball Cake
- Frosted Strawberry Cake Donuts
- Pie Crust My Way
Help at Your Fingertips: For questions or suggestions, email Paula at saladinajar.com. If you need help, I’m happy to troubleshoot via email (faster than leaving a comment). Attach pictures and as many details as possible for the best advice.
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Fresh Strawberry Pie Recipe with Jello in the Glaze
Video
Ingredients
Filling
- ½ cup + 2 tablespoons (142 g) cold water
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons powdered strawberry Jello do not sub diet Jello
- ¾ cup (255 ¾ g) corn syrup
- A few drops of red food coloring if desired
- ⅛ teaspoon almond extract optional
- 2 quarts (1893 g) fresh strawberries cleaned and de-stemmed
Pre-baked 9-inch pie crust
- 1 ½ cups (180 g) unbleached, all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ cup (57 g) frozen butter grated (This process is much easier if you start with a whole stick so you have something to hang on to.)
- 1 tablespoon cream cheese room temperature
- ¼ cup (54 g) vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons cold milk
Instructions
Glaze
- Combine water, cornstarch, Jello, and corn syrup (in that order) in a microwave-safe glass bowl. Stir or whisk until dissolved. Cook until mixture boils and thickens to the consistency of maple syrup.
- Microwave on HIGH for 4-7 minutes, stirring once or twice. The mixture should boil and thicken to the consistency of thick maple syrup.
- Add food coloring and flavorings if using. Set aside to cool.
Assembling the pie
- Arrange 2 quarts (1893 g) fresh strawberries in a pretty pattern in a pre-baked and cooled pie crust. If the fruit is very large, cut in halves or quarters. I try to buy smaller berries so I don’t have to cut them. They seem to last longer. Pour glaze over strawberries, taking care to cover every berry.
- Alternately, pour glaze over strawberries in a large bowl. Gently mix. Pour strawberries/glaze mixture into pie crust. Although not as pretty as arranging individual strawberries, I like the way the gel holds the berries together better.
- Refrigerate at least 2 hours. Best eaten the day it’s made. Serve with whipped cream.
Pie Crust-Original Instructions
- Whisk together the 1 1/2 cups (180 g) unbleached, all-purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 2 tablespoons sugar, and 1/8 teaspoon baking powder in a medium bowl.
- Add grated 1/4 cup (57 g) frozen butter and 1 tablespoon cream cheese to dry ingredients and combine them with your fingers. The texture should be coarse with pieces of varying sizes like oatmeal and fine bread crumbs combined.
- Mix 1/4 cup (54 g) vegetable oil and 2 tablespoons cold milk. Pour into flour and butter mixture all at once. Use a fork to mix until all flour/butter particles have been kissed by moisture. The mixture should have a “shaggy” appearance.
- Dump into a clean pie plate and pat out the crust with your fingers as smooth as possible, taking care to evenly cover the pie plate and sides. It probably won’t be perfect, but it will be fine if you have no holes or terribly thick places. Place the crust in the freezer while you preheat the oven to 375˚F.
- Place rolled and twisted parchment paper on top of the pie crust (see picture on this post) or use beans or rice to weigh down the crust. Bake for 12 minutes. Remove weights or paper and continue to bake another 8-10 minutes until golden brown. Watch closely in the last 2-3 minutes. It can go from gloriously golden to badly browned faster than you can answer the doorbell. Set aside to cool. Assemble pie according to directions in step 4 in the Glaze directions.
Pie Crust-Method 2 (in a food processor)
- Add flour, salt, sugar, and baking powder to the food processor bowl and pulse several times to mix thoroughly.
- Add frozen or very cold butter (cut into 6-8 pieces) and cream cheese to the dry ingredients. Pulse until the mixture looks similar to raw oatmeal flakes.
- Combine oil and milk and pour over ingredients already in the bowl. Pulse just until the mixture looks shaggy. The mixture should stick together if you press on it with your fingers. If too dry, add a little bit more milk and pulse 2-3 times.
- Remove blade from the bowl. Dump dough mixture into a clean pie plate and pat out the crust with your fingers as smooth as possible taking care to evenly cover your entire pie plate. It probably won’t be perfect but as long as you have no holes and no terribly thick places, it will be fine. Place crust in the freezer while you preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Using non-stick aluminum foil to cover raw crust. Place a flat piece of foil over the top with the non-stick side next to the crust. Use your hands to press the foil down into contact with the crust. No need to place weights on top.
- Bake 12 minutes, then remove foil and continue to bake another 8-10 minutes until golden brown. Watch closely in the last 2-3 minutes. It can go from gloriously golden to badly browned faster than you can answer the doorbell. Set aside to cool. Assemble pie according to directions in step 4 in the Glaze directions.
Equipment
Nutrition
All images and text ©️ Paula Rhodes for Salad in a Jar.com
Paula Rhodes, owner
As a retired home economist, I created Saladinajar.com to share my belief that you don’t have to be a chef to find joy in creating homemade food worth sharing. Bread machines (used in an unconventional way), homemade yogurt, and quick microwave recipes are my specialty.