Frozen Strawberry Pie
This is a wonderfully easy, no-bake strawberry dessert, similar to an icebox pie. It has a graham cracker crumb crust, a layer of strawberry sauce, and condensed milk in the filling. You can have it frozen for a month or more, so it's perfect to plan ahead.
Servings 8 servings
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 1 ¾ cups graham cracker crumbs
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted
For the filling:
- 8 oz cream cheese at room temperature
- 1 can 14oz of condensed milk
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
For the strawberry sauce:
- 1 pound strawberries fresh or frozen
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 4 tablespoons water divided
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- Fresh strawberries to serve
Instructions
For the strawberry layer:
- Wash, hull, and cut the strawberries into pieces.
- Put half a pound of strawberry pieces in a medium saucepan and add ¼ cup brown sugar, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, and 2 tablespoons water. Cook until it breaks into a boil and foams, stirring occasionally.
- Dissolve 1 teaspoon cornstarch in the remaining 2 tablespoons water and add to the strawberries in a thin stream. Stir constantly and cook for 1 minute.
- Remove from the heat, transfer to a bowl and add the remaining half pound of strawberries. Mix and let cool.
- Store in the refrigerator for up to a week in a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid or other types of airtight container. It can also be frozen for a month and thawed at room temperature.
For the strawberry swirl:
- Place ¼ cup of the strawberry sauce (above) in a small bowl and process it until completely smooth. If you don't have an immersion blender or other appliance to puree it, you can omit the swirl and use the whole amount of sauce for the bottom layer.
For the crumb crust:
- You can make a no-bake crust or bake it for 10 minutes (it will make it firmer).
- Preheat the oven to 325°F (170°C) if choosing to bake it.
- Have ready a 9-inch round pie dish (pie plate).
- Grind 1 and ¾ cups graham cracker crumbs in the food processor. Add 2 tablespoons brown sugar and pulse once or twice to mix.
- Drizzle ½ cup melted butter over the crumb mixture and pulse until combined and no dry spots remain. It will look like wet sand. Or transfer the crumbs to a medium mixing bowl, add the brown sugar and mix it with a spoon until it is well combined. Add the melted butter and mix with a spoon or spatula until the mixture looks like wet sand.
- Put this mixture in the prepared pie pan and press firmly onto the sides and bottom. I recommend you start with the sides and make sure the angle where the side meets the base is firm.
- Refrigerate or freeze until ready to fill OR bake for 10 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack while making the filling.
For the cream cheese filling:
- Mix 8 oz cream cheese in a large bowl until very smooth and no lumps remain. It’s easier if you use a handheld mixer but you can do with a hand whisk.
- Gradually add the 1 can condensed milk and mix until well incorporated. Scrape the sides a few times with a rubber spatula.
- Add 3 tablespoons lemon juice and mix. The batter will instantly stiffen and thicken.
- Add ½ teaspoon vanilla and mix. I use a spatula at the end to fold everything and make sure it's all one well-integrated mixture.
To assemble:
- Spread the strawberry sauce on the bottom of the cold graham cracker crust.
- Pour the cream cheese mixture over the strawberries and spread it carefully to cover them completely.
- Add dollops of the pureed strawberry sauce on top and lightly swirl it a few times with the tip of the knife.
- Freeze the pie until firm, about 3 hours, but it will depend on how cold your freezer is. Cover it well with plastic wrap when it’s solid and you can keep it frozen for a month.
- Take out from the freezer 10-15 minutes before cutting, and serve with fresh strawberries.
- Freeze leftovers, covered.
Notes
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 purchased strawberry 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. 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 has softened a tad, so it's easier to cut. That said, some people in my family 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: substitute the strawberries for other berries, such as blueberries or raspberries. Or a mix.
Ingredients I use:
Cream cheese: regular, full-fat cheese is needed for consistency and richness.
Vanilla: I use pure vanilla extract or pure vanilla paste when available, but a good vanilla essence (artificially flavored) also works.
Cream cheese: regular, full-fat cheese is needed for consistency and richness.
Vanilla: I use pure vanilla extract or pure vanilla paste when available, but a good vanilla essence (artificially flavored) also works.
