Frozen Strawberry Pie

Summer calls for fruit pies and berry ones are a staple here. From the popular strawberry pie with jello to my grandmother's strawberry cream pie, we love them and make them often in spite of the hot weather.

This frozen strawberry pie is made for Summer eating with its no-bake crust and filling. It's sweet, fresh, and creamy. And who doesn't love strawberries and cream cheese, right?

Plus, it only needs a few chopped strawberries on top to serve. No need to have ice cream or whipped cream ready. It's great on its own.

Why you should make this pie

• Easy-to-make pie shell: a simple graham cracker crust is used that takes 10 minutes to put together and can be made ahead.
• Great strawberry flavor: there's a lot of it with the strawberry sauce on the bottom and the strawberry puree swirled into the creamy filling.
• Easiest filling ever: you simply need to mix cream cheese with condensed milk, lemon juice, and vanilla. No need for gelatin.
• Plan ahead: it lasts for a month in the freezer, so you can have one frozen and not worry about dessert for your next gathering. Or when the craving hits!

Ingredients

• Graham crackers. I'm sure you have your favorite type, so use those. I use the original graham crackers from Nabisco or honey graham crackers from Honey Maid.
• Unsalted butter.
• Strawberries: I always use fresh strawberries when available. They're used for the first layer, the swirl, and to serve this pie. But you can use frozen strawberries to make the homemade strawberry sauce or pie filling in this recipe. Or even use a store-bought filling that you like.
• Sugar: white granulated sugar is used for the sauce and the puree. Brown sugar is used for the crumb crust.
• Cornstarch: it's used to thicken the sauce that is used as the first layer in this pie.
• Lemon juice: fresh is always better than bottled.
• Condensed milk: use the regular type, not the light version.
• Cream cheese: regular, full-fat cheese is needed for the right consistency and richness. I always use Philadelphia original cream cheese.
• Vanilla: I use pure vanilla extract or pure vanilla paste when available, but a good vanilla essence (artificially flavored) also works. 

How to assemble a frozen fruit pie

There are three parts to this strawberry pie recipe:

1. Crumb crust: we always use our recipe for homemade graham cracker pie crust but you can cut corners and buy one.
2. Strawberry layer: the bulk of the strawberry flavor comes from this part. We make a simple strawberry sauce or topping and spread a thick layer of it on the bottom of the pie shell.
3. Creamy filling: it's a lemon-flavored no-bake cheesecake filling with condensed milk and a swirl of fresh strawberry puree.

How to make a swirl

How much should you mix the strawberry puree? The most important tip is not to mix it too much with the cream cheese filling. A swirl should stand out on its own and not become part of the cream cheese mixture.

What type of utensil should you use? The tip of a knife is the best way to lightly swirl this fruit puree. You should not reach the strawberry layer with the knife.

Freezing the strawberry pie

• Wrap it: or cover it. I like to use plastic wrap and then aluminum foil after the initial few hours that allow the filling to solidify so the wrapping doesn't cling to it.
• Label it: so you know what it is and the date you froze it.
• How long does it keep: it keeps well for a month, maybe a few weeks more. After that, it starts to have some freezer burn from my experience. The flavor is not as sharp.

Kitchen notes

• Organization: read the recipe first and make sure you have ingredients at the right temperatures, equipment needed, and enough workspace. This will make the process so much easier!
• Strawberries: fresh strawberries are always my favorite and homemade strawberry sauce is highly encouraged. But this pie is meant to be easy so you can use a purchased pie filling.
• Strawberry swirl: it's made by pureeing part of the strawberry sauce, but you can also use homemade strawberry puree if you happen to have some. And you can also omit it and simply use the total amount of sauce for the bottom layer of this pie.
• Storing this strawberry dessert: this pie is not meant to be kept in the refrigerator because the strawberry juice from the sauce will eventually seep into the crust and you'll have a soggy bottom.
• Serving a frozen pie: take it out 10-15 minutes before serving so you serve it cold but it's easier to cut. That said, there are some people in my family that eat it almost at room temperature if the pie has been at the table for a while but I find it lacking in structure, a little soggy, and too soft to cut.
• Variation: you can substitute the strawberries for other berries such as blueberries or raspberries.