Strawberry pie with frozen strawberries and cream cheese

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. Around here it's a crowd-pleaser and we make it often during the strawberry season.

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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.

• Strawberry Pie with Jello

• Fresh Strawberry Cream Pie

• Easy Strawberry Crisp Recipe

• Easy Strawberry Cobbler

Let me know in the comments below if you made this recipe and loved it and if you had issues so we can troubleshoot together. I love to hear what you think, always. Thanks for being here. It's much appreciated.
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Print

For the crust:

• 1 ¾ cups graham cracker crumbs
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• ½ cup butter

For the filling:

• 8 oz cream cheese
• 1 can (14oz) of condensed milk
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 ½ cups strawberry sauce or strawberry pie filling
• Fresh strawberries, to serve

For the strawberry layer:

1. Prepare the strawberry sauce as instructed and have it cold (preferably) or at room temperature, but not hot. 
2. For the strawberry swirl, put ¼ cup of the sauce in a small bowl and process it until completely smooth. If you don't have an immersion blender or some type of appliance to puree it, you can omit the swirl and use the whole amount of strawberry sauce for the bottom layer. 

For the crumb crust:

You have the alternative of making a no-bake crust or baking it for 10 minutes (it will make it firmer). 

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F /170°C if choosing to bake it.
2. Have ready a 9-inch round pie dish (pie plate).
3. Grind graham crackers in the food processor until you have very fine crumbs.
4. Add the brown sugar and pulse once or twice to mix.
5. Drizzle the melted over the crumb mixture and pulse until combined and no dry spots remain. It will look like wet sand.
6. OR transfer the crumbs to a medium bowl, add the brown sugar and mix with a spoon until well combined. Add the melted butter and mix with a spoon or spatula until the mixture looks like wet sand. 
7. 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.
8. Refrigerate or freeze until ready to fill OR
9. Bake for 10 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack while making the filling.

For the cheese filling:

1. Mix 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 it by hand with some arm muscle or if it’s at room temperature. 
2. Gradually add the condensed milk and mix until well incorporated. 
3. Add the lemon juice and mix. The batter will instantly stiffen and thicken.
4. Add 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:

1. Spread the strawberry sauce on the bottom of the cold graham cracker crust. 
2. Pour the cream cheese mixture over the strawberries and spread it carefully to cover them completely. 
3. Add dollops of the pureed strawberry sauce on top and lightly swirl it a few times with the tip of the knife. 
4. 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. 
5. Take out from the freezer 10-15 minutes before cutting, and serve with fresh strawberries.
6. Freeze leftovers, covered.

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. 

Ingredients I use:
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. 
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. 

• Author: Paula Montenegro
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Freezing time: 120 minutes
• Category: Pies & Tarts
• Method: Mixing + Freezing
• Cuisine: American

Nutrition

• Serving Size: ⅛
• Calories: 468
• Sugar: 7.7 g
• Sodium: 178.8 mg
• Fat: 22.3 g
• Carbohydrates: 64.5 g
• Fiber: 1.6 g
• Protein: 3.4 g
• Cholesterol: 60.8 mg

Keywords: frozen strawberry pie