This fresh strawberry cream cheese pie combines a crumbly, buttery graham cracker crust, mousse-like whipped cheesecake filling, and a jammy strawberry topping made without artificial flavor. This is a great make-ahead recipe because it takes a while to set up, so it’s actually best made a day ahead.
One reader, Paula, commented: “The best pie my family has ever had! We all loved it. It was perfect! Two pies gone in two days!! Followed the directions and it came out just like the picture. โ โ โ โ โ ”
Another reader, Mary Rose, commented: “This was perhaps the best pie I’ve ever made. Absolutely over the top. โ โ โ โ โ “
No lie, when I first tasted this summery strawberry cream cheese pie, I said out loud to an empty kitchen: “Well this is the best pie I’ve ever had.” And, well, I’ve made many pies before.
I also make a strawberry cheesecake pie, but today’s pie more closely resembles this blueberry cream pie; the filling is a light cheesecake/whipped cream hybrid, and we’re cooking the strawberry topping into a preserves-like consistency, before folding in more fresh strawberries.
Tell Me About This Strawberry Cream Cheese Pie
- Texture: Oh, this pie sure delivers on texture! Enjoy 3 layers of very different textures in every magnificent bite. It has a crunchy, crumbly graham cracker crust, a creamy-yet-light whipped cheesecake filling, and a jammy topping made with plenty of fresh strawberries.
- Flavor: Do you like strawberries? Do you like graham cracker-crusted cheesecake, and cream pies? You’re in the right place. The filling is similar to no-bake cheesecake and has a delightful tang from the cream cheese and lemon juice. Lemon zest in the sweet topping keeps the natural strawberry flavor bright and fresh. I use it in the filling for these strawberry shortcake cupcakes, too. You could even mix up the flavor by using a Biscoff pie crust instead.
- Ease: You’ll bake the graham cracker crust and cook the strawberry topping on the stove, but the cheesecake filling doesn’t need to bakeโjust set up in the refrigerator. Since there’s a few different layers, read through the recipe before starting so you don’t get stuck in the process. A homemade whipped cream garnish is optional, if you want to dress it up a bit before serving.
Success Tip: Temperature is Everything
You have 3 layers in this recipe and you need 10 ingredients total. Here are the layers:
- Fully Baked Homemade Graham Cracker Crust
- Mousse-Like Cream Cheese Filling
- Fresh Strawberry Topping
Even though it’s the topping on the pie, your first step is to make the strawberry mixture. The topping must completely cool before layering on top of the cream cheese mixture otherwise your pie will be runny and fall apart. Also, it’s ideal that the baked crust is still slightly warm when you spread in the filling so the filling can adhere. Follow the recipe below and youโll be all set.
The great news is that many of the ingredients are repeated in each layer. Not pictured are 2 of the 3 graham cracker crust ingredients (the graham cracker crumbs and the butter).
Recipe Testing: Strawberry Topping
When I tested this recipe, my first attempt at the strawberry topping was too runny. I found what works best is using a mix of mashed, cooked strawberries (we’re basically making a simple homemade jam, or strawberry sauce), and fresh sliced strawberries. Let me break it down for you.
- Start with 1.5 lbs (24 ounces or about 680 grams) of fresh strawberries.
- Rinse and hull all the berries.
- Chop some of the strawberries until you have 1 cup, or 150โ160 grams/5.5 ounces. We’re going to mash these (use a pastry cutter, potato masher, or a fork) and cook them with sugar, water, and cornstarch. Mix in the lemon zest and then cool completely. This will act as a binding to hold the rest of the berries together.
- Quarter the remaining strawberries. Strawberry size varies greatly, so if your strawberries are massive, you might need to slice the quarters again. You should end up with about 3.5 cups, or about 500 grams/18 ounces, of quartered strawberries.
- Once the cooked topping has cooled, fold in the quartered strawberries. Now we have a strawberry pie topping that will set up nicely in the refrigerator.
Roughly mash your chopped strawberries (below left) and then cook down on the stove according to the instructions (below right). Cool the mixture completely.
Here are the quartered strawberries. Mix them with the cooked & cooled strawberry mixture:
Let Me Show You How to Assemble the Pie:
Crust: Mix your graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter together. Press into your pie dish and bake for 15โ16 minutes. This is the only baking the strawberry pie requires.
Filling: Have you ever made cookies & cream pie or no bake cheesecake jars? Today’s filling is similar. Whip heavy cream into peaks and then set aside. This unsweetened whipped cream adds a stable, yet creamy foundation without the need for gelatin or other thickening ingredients. Then mix cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, and lemon juice together (below left). Fold in the whipped cream (below right).
Spread filling into your slightly warm graham cracker crust. I like using a large or small offset spatula to make this step easier. Finally, pile on the strawberry topping. The topping would be excellent on regular cheesecake too!
Chilling & Serving Your Strawberry Cream Cheese Pie
This pie takes at least 8 hours to set up in the refrigerator, so plan ahead. Between cutting up the strawberries, making and baking the crust, cooking and chilling the topping, and whipping up the cheesecake filling, prep time is about 50โ60 minutes. This pie is a great choice if you donโt have time to make dessert the day you plan to eat it, because itโs best made a day ahead.
Be warned: slicing into this pie can be messy. The first slice is never the prettiest!
Special Tools
- Pastry cutter, potato masher, or a fork
- Electric mixer (handheld or stand)
- Food processor for graham crackers
- 9-inch pie dish (this is my favorite pie dish)
- Offset spatula
Strawberry Cream Cheese Pie
- Prep Time: 55 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 9 hours (includes refrigeration)
- Yield: one 9-inch pie
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Whipping
- Cuisine: American
Description
This is fresh strawberry cream cheese pie made without artificial strawberry flavor. To ensure your pie not only looks nice, but stays intact, it’s important to follow the instructions closely. Read through the recipe and review the step-by-step photos before starting.
Ingredients
Strawberry Topping
- 1.5 lbs (24 ounces or about 680 grams) fresh strawberries, rinsed and hulled
- 2 Tablespoons (30ml) water
- 1.5 Tablespoons (11g) cornstarch
- 1/3 cup (67g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
Graham Cracker Crust
- 1ย and 1/2 cups (180g)ย graham cracker crumbsย (aboutย 12ย full sheet graham crackers)
- 1/4 cup (50g)ย granulated sugar
- 6 Tablespoons (85g)ย unsalted butter, melted
Filling
- 1 cupย (240ml) coldย heavy cream
- 8 ounces (226g) full-fat brick cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup (60g)ย confectionersโ sugar
- 1 teaspoonย pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoonย lemon juice
- optional for topping:ย homemade whipped cream
Instructions
- Make the strawberry topping first so it can cool:ย Chop some of the strawberries until you have 1 cup, or 150โ160 grams/5.5 ounces. Quarter the remaining strawberries (you should end up with about 3.5 cups, or about 500 grams/18 ounces, of quartered strawberries) and set aside until step 5. Lightly mash the chopped strawberries with a pastry cutter, potato masher, or a fork. Using a fork, mix the cornstarch and water together in a small bowl until the cornstarch has dissolved. Warm the mashed strawberries, cornstarch mixture, and sugar together in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook until boiling, stirring often. Mixture will be cloudy. Boil 1 minute or until it’s thick like a jam (no longer liquid-y). Remove from heat, stir in the lemon zest, and cool completely. (Must completely cool, so transferring to a bowl out of the saucepan helps speed that up. Feel free to refrigerate it. You can complete a few other steps in the recipe as the mixture cools.)
- Preheat oven to 350ยฐF (177ยฐC).
- Make the crust: If youโre starting out with full graham crackers, use aย food processor or blender to grind them into fine crumbs. Stir the graham cracker crumbs and granulated sugar together in a medium bowl, and then stir in the melted butter. The mixture will be thick, coarse, and sandy. Try to smash/break up any large chunks. Pour the mixture into an ungreased 9-inch pie dish. With medium pressure using your hand, pat the crumbs down into the bottom and up the sides to make a compact crust. Do not pack down with heavy force because that makes the crust too hard. Simply pat down until the mixture is no longer crumby/crumbly. For more shaping technique tips, see the graham cracker crust recipe page. Bake the crust for 15 minutes, remove from the oven, and cool for just 15 minutes as you prepare the filling in the next step.
- Make the filling:ย Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the cold heavy cream into stiff peaks on medium-high speed, about 3 minutes. Set aside. Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk or paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a silicone spatula as needed. Add the confectionersโ sugar, vanilla extract, and lemon juice and beat on medium-high speed until combined. Make sure there are no large lumps of cream cheese. If there are lumps, keep beating until smooth. Using your mixer on low speed or a silicone spatula, fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture until combined. This takes several turns of your rubber spatula. Combine slowly as you donโt want to deflate all the air in the whipped cream.
- Assemble layers: Spread cream cheese filling into slightly cooled crust. Use an offset spatula to smooth down the top. Fold quartered strawberries into cooled strawberry mixture from step 1 and then spoon evenly on top of the cream cheese filling.
- Cover with plastic wrap or aluminum foil. I usually just carefully lay aluminum foil on top so the topping doesn’t get messed up. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours and up to 48 hours. The longer refrigerated, the better the pie will set up. Do not exceed 2 days because the topping begins to break down.
- Feel free to garnish the pie with whipped cream right before or a few hours before serving (keep pie refrigerated after adding whipped cream). I usedย Wilton 1M piping tipย for the whipped cream in the pictured pie. Using a clean sharp knife, cut into slices for serving. For neat slices, wipe the knife clean between each slice.ย Tip:ย The first slice is never pretty! Much easier to slice after that 1st piece is out.
- Cover and store leftover pie in the refrigerator or freezer for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: You can prepare the cooked strawberry mixture (step 1) 1โ2 days in advance. Cover and refrigerate before using. (I recommend folding in the quartered strawberries when you’re assembling the pie and not in advance.) You can prepare the crust (step 3) up to 2 days in advance. Cover and store baked and cooled crust at room temperature. It must be slightly warm when you spread in the filling so the filling can adhere, so warm in a 350ยฐF (177ยฐC) oven for 1โ2 minutes before adding the filling. You can prepare the filling (step 4) 1 day in advance before spreading into the crust in step 5. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Pastry Cutter, Potato Masher, or Fork | Glass Mixing Bowls | Small Saucepan | Food Processor | 9-Inch Pie Dish | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Silicone Spatula | Offset Spatula | Piping Bag (Reusable or Disposable) | Wilton 1M Piping Tip
- Can I Use Frozen Strawberries? Frozen strawberries work in a pinch, but the topping holds MUCH better shape using fresh strawberries. I strongly recommend using fresh. If using frozen, thaw and pat dry before starting.
- Cream Cheese: Make sure you are using brick cream cheese and not cream cheese spread. Bricks of cream cheese are typically 8 ounces each, so you need 1 brick.
- Other Pie Crust: Feel free to swap the graham cracker crust for traditional pie crust. This is my favorite pie crust and I also have this all butter pie crust too. You will need to fully par-bake the pie crust shell.
- Non-US Readers: If graham crackers are not available where you live, we have also tested this pie with a crust made from digestive biscuits, and it turned out great. Use 200g ground digestive biscuit crumbs (about 2 cups; 13โ14 biscuits), 1/3 cup (67g) granulated sugar, and 6 Tablespoons (85g) melted butter. Pre-bake the crust for a bit longer, about 16-17 minutes. And from what I understand, spreadable cream cheese sold in a tub in countries outside of the US is a little different from the spreadable cream cheese in the US. It’s thicker, sturdier, and more solid and should be OK to make this pie. I have no experience with it, but this is what I’ve heard from other non-US readers. If you try it, let us know how it turns out!
- Can I make this with other berries? Yes. I recommend blueberries and you can make this similar blueberry cream cheese pie instead. Strawberries are so heavy, so I had to slightly reduce the filling for today’s strawberry version.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Hi
Love your recipes, I live in Australia and the cream cheese we have in a tub as well as block so Iโm guessing thatโs the one I use.
Also confectioners sugar is our icing sugar. Thank you
I was nervous about making this as I do not like the syrupy strawberry topping on store bought pies. Boy was I wrong – this pie was AMAZING!! The topping tastes like fresh strawberries – it is not syrupy or artificial at all. Sallyโs recipes are always top notch!!
darn it…. i should have just used your whole recipe, but i was being lazy/cutting corners because i was sick. i so wish i hadn’t. the cheese pie part is fantastic, but the store bought crust i used kinda ruined it. i subbed strawberries for marionberries i bought locally and that was alright, too. i was trying to recreate a pie that was sold at one of our favorite diners that recently shut down nearly all of their locations on, it was a marion cheese pie. i think it would have been further elevated if i had made the whipped cream as well, but as i was sick i just didn’t have the energy for it. really hoping to leave you an honest review once i follow the recipe fully, but until then i just wanted to support you by dropping a line! wish your YT shorts allowed comments, i always want to promote your recipes in the replies. your apple bread has become what im known for the most by the people i bake for (family, friends, neighbors..) and all of your recipes i try turn out well. looking forward to your book when it comes out!
Hi Sally,
If Iโm making this the day before serving, should I put the strawberry topping on and refrigerate the whole thing together or wait until right before serving to fold in the fresh strawberries and top the pie?
Thanks!
Hi Sonya, we refrigerate everything together for up to 48 hours so it’s fine to add it ahead of time!
Can I add some blueberries to the topping for the 4th of July? If so, at what stage would I add them?
Hi Kristi, you could try swapping some of the strawberries for blueberries in step 1 for more of a mixed berry topping. Let us know how it goes!
I gave this recipe 3 stars because as written, the pie is good, but I found additional simple ways to improve the flavor to rise to excellent. The reason the recipe as written states it takes at least 8 hours for the pie to be sliceable is since using room temperature cream cheese. I used cold cubed, cream cheese into the mixture, which made the cream mixture have a lot more structure so 4 hours was plenty. In addition, I added a teaspoon of the homemade strawberry preserve into the cream mixture instead of that teaspoon of lemon juice and the flavor was amazing. And, I added a layer of chocolate ganache on the crust that another reviewer recommended, doubled the crust since I used a deep dish pan, and I use stabilized chantilly cream to beautifully pipe all throughout the top of pie. This end product with these additions was 5 stars. Iโm an experienced home baker as well and knew these additions would produce an excellent added flavor for the pie. Also, as an aside, I always recommend stabilized chantilly cream versus the whipped cream that is written in this recipe because whipped cream starts weeping after a day and will spoil the pie. With stabilized chantilly cream, the pie has a much longer delicious life. My 2 cents.
Literally soooooo good. We picked fresh strawberries at a local farm and I made this pie with some of the 8lbs that we picked. It was pretty easy which getting maximum praise from my kids. My daughter said itโs the best pie sheโs ever had and I have to agree the recipe is pretty darn delicious.
Could this recipe work in either an 8″ or 9″ square pan as more of a bar?
Hi Jillian, we haven’t tested it, but that should work here. Please let us know if you give it a try!
I made this recipe in a 9โ square pan (lined with parchment paper). I did substitute the graham cracker crust with a shortbread crust instead and it came out fantastic! Still a little messy, but I find the squares are easier to cut and serve than a traditional round pie. I would probably increase the cream cheese filling the next time around, but that would be my only change. Big hit with my family!
Hi Sally,
You’re my fave! I love every recipe of yours that I’ve tried. Do you happen to have a nice recipe for fresh strawberry pie that would be great for hot summer days? I see your strawberry w/cream cheese, but I’m looking for just the basic strawberry pie, Baker’s Square style. I’m up for either pastry or cookie crust.
Thanks!
Hi Lesley! For a strawberry pie recipe, we have the cream cheese one you mentioned, or this strawberry rhubarb pie – let us know if you find exactly what you’re looking for!
This was the first of Sallyโs recipes I baked and it was delicious. Everyone loved it and it immediately made me a huge fan and follower. Pre ordered your book and canโt wait to read it
Can I use mascarpone instead of cream cheese in this recipe?
Hi Amanda! Mascarpone is looser than cream cheese so the pie may not set up as firm, but we have not tested it ourselves. Let us know if you do!
I love this recipe so much. thank you! After partaking the crust and cooling it. I added melted chocolate and put in fridge while I made the filling and strawberries. So yummy! Will add this to summer stawbery harvest! Thank you!
Well this pie was a hit!!! Your recipes are always top notch
I made this for 4th of July with your biscoff pie crust recipe. A perfectly delicious summer treat! My family loved it too!
Amazing as written, but if (when) I make it again, I will cut the lemon juice in half.
I have enjoyed making many of your recipes and want to say Thank You for sharing.
Here’s what I did. I used Pillsbury ready made crust (baked). Cream cheese filling as stated. Fresh strawberries with store bought Strawberry Glaze. (NOT pie filling). Simple turns out perfect and I can’t keep it in the house. It’s only the two of us and I make a 10 inch pie. Thank you.
Just Wanted You To Know…
I have enjoyed making MANY of your recipes and want to Thank You for sharing.
This pie is so good! I make it every June with fresh strawberries from our local u-pick. My favorite extra lazy shortcut is to use premade graham cracker crusts and cool whip instead of homemade whipped cream. Itโs not quite as fluffy and rich as when made with homemade whipped cream as in the recipe, and you have to be extra careful folding in the more delicate cool whip, but itโs a super easy and tasty way to use our haul of strawberries!
This is INCREDIBLE in taste! Not too sweet, used up my strawberries before going bad. It looks spectacular as well. Piping a ring of whipped cream only adds to it!
I tried this recipe out last week & the pie was consumed in less than 24 hours! This pie is delicious & perfect for hot weather. I am now making it again, just a week later. Definitely a keeper recipe! It has earned a spot in my pie rotation! In the near future I might try making a mixed berry topping with strawberries, black berries, and raspberries.
Made this yesterday and served it tonight for Memorial Day. I only had to make me adjustment which was to add more water to the strawberry gpjam as it was way too thick. It turned out perfect and even the first slice came out cleanly! Filling was nice and light and fluffy. Thank you Sally!!!
Do you think you could add Rhubarb into the strawberries?
Hi Anna, we havenโt tested the recipe this way, but substituting some rhubarb for some of the strawberries in the topping and making it a strawberry-rhubarb pie would probably work. You may need to add some extra sugar, as rhubarb is quite tart, and it may take a bit longer to cook down. If you try it, let us know how it turns out!
Thank you! Just the question I came here with. Will attempt and report back.
Hi, I made this pie before and absolutely loved it. I want to make it for a larger crowd and need more servings but donโt want to make multiple pies. Is it possible to make this in a 9×13 pan and increase the ingredients? If so, by how much? Or just make two separate pies? Thanks you!!!!
Hi Stephanie, we have not tested this but we do fear that doubling the recipe for a 9×13-inch pan will be too much. 1.5x would perhaps work better. Let us know if you try it!
Great pie! Well worth the effort. Getting the crust to form onto the pie tin lip is really pretty frustrating. Haven’t had any luck with that part of it yet, as of 4 tries.
This was incredible! Eager and excited to make this again -and again! We could not find Graham crackers where I live, so I substituted Belgian waffle cookies for the crust – and it was absolutely outstanding. Thanks for this recipe! Amazing!
Hello! Hoping you can help me for an upcoming project. I’m wanting to make individual chocolate strawberry trifles, and I was planning on using the filling and topping here and layering it with chocolate cake. Which cake recipe would you recommend? I want to make sure it holds up with the moisture from the cheesecake-y goodness and strawberry topping.
I was also wondering if you had any experience adding chocolate/cocoa powder to the cheesecake filling? Thank you so much for your help, and any other success tips would be greatly appreciated!
Hi Kate, sounds delicious! You could use the sour cream version (outlined in the recipe Notes) of this chocolate cake for the cake portion. We haven’t tried adding chocolate to this cheesecake filling, but you could try adding 1 and 1/2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder or chocolate ganache to the filling. Let us know what you try!
Can I make this in a springform pan?
Hi Kim! We haven’t tested this recipe in a springform pan. It may be a bit thin, but other readers have reported making is successfully that way before. For a larger dessert, you could make our no bake cheesecake recipe, and top it with this strawberry topping ๐
Oh. My. God. If youโve ever had Pretzel Salad (Strawberries, strawberry jello, pretzels, cool whip)โฆ This taste like if Pretzel Salad and a light airy cheesecake had a baby. I used salted butter for my graham cracker crust, which is why itโs probably tasting like a sweet and salty pretzel. Would definitely recommend trying it with salted butter. This was finger-licking good.