Vegan Strawberry Pie

Ingredients You'll Need

Lots of strawberries and a few other simple ingredients you likely have on hand are all you need. Keep reading for notes on each ingredient.

Ingredient and Substitution Notes

Pre-Made Pie Crust - You can use any of my pie crust recipes (vegan pie crust, vegan gluten-free pie crust) or you can use your favourite pie crust recipe. You can also use a pre-made, frozen store-bought pie crust, a store-bought or homemade graham cracker crust or for something different, you can use a vegan chocolate cookie crust, like Oreo, or a chocolate graham cracker crust.

If you use a graham or chocolate cookie crust, you will need to bake it before adding the strawberry filling or it will make the crust soggy, the pie won't slice properly, and it will be messy. Use the directions on the package for pre-baking the cookie crust.

If you use a traditional flaky crust (pastry), it will need to be fully blind-baked before you can use it for this recipe. To learn how to do it, read my step-by-step about how to blind bake a pie crust.

Fresh Strawberries - Fresh, in-season strawberries will give your pie the best flavour. The strawberries are the star of this recipe, so look for bright red, firm, undamaged berries. Frozen berries are great for many recipes, but they are NOT suitable for this one. They cannot be used because they contain too much moisture and don't have the same bright flavour as fresh berries. They're also extremely soggy when they thaw, so your pie will not have the proper texture.

Cornstarch - Some homemade strawberry pie recipes use Jello or other gel-type ingredients to thicken the filling, but since this recipe is made without Jello, cornstarch is what is used as the thickener. Without it, the filling will not thicken so this ingredient cannot be left out. If you want to make your vegan strawberry pie filling without cornstarch, arrowroot starch (also referred to as arrowroot flour or arrowroot powder) can be used instead.

Sugar - I use granulated organic cane sugar, but white sugar can also be used. If the berries you're using are very sweet, you can reduce the sugar slightly. See the recipe notes for more info. Make sure the sugar you use is vegan, if you aren't sure, buy organic since organic sugar is always vegan. I haven't made this recipe with any other types (like coconut sugar or brown sugar), a liquid sweetener (like maple syrup or agave), or any sugar alternatives to make it sugar-free.

Strawberry Jam - Just a small amount is used to enhance the flavour and to help with thickening. Seedless or with seeds will both work fine, store-bought jam or homemade strawberry jam will also work.

Lemon Zest - This ingredient helps to add dimension to the flavour of your pie, along with lemon juice and vanilla. Without these ingredients, the flavour of the pie will be flat. When zesting, use a microplane grater or one of the finer panels of your box grater. Zest the lemon before juicing it and don't zest too deeply. If you go deeper than the yellow skin, you will be grating pith (the white part of the lemon under the skin) and it will add a bitter taste. Wash your lemon very well before zesting it and I recommend using an organic lemon if possible.

Salt - Just a little is needed to balance the sweetness and flavours.

Lemon Juice - Freshly squeezed lemon juice is best, juice the lemon after you zest it (it's not easy to do it the other way around!). I don't recommend using bottled lemon juice, you will not get the same flavour as when fresh juice is used, but if it's all you have, it will work.

Vanilla - A little is needed to enhance the flavour.

Want more easy vegan desserts? Have a look through all of my vegan dessert recipes for some more ideas!

7. Add the other half of the chopped strawberries to the pot.

8. Mix well until everything has been combined.

It's tempting, I know, but don't let temptation cause you to let the pie chill for less time than what is stated in the recipe below. If you chill for less time, the pie will not firm up completely.

Once the chilling time has ended, remove the pie from the refrigerator and carefully slice it. Since this pie is thickened with cornstarch and not gelatin, the filling does not fully solidify, it won't be as sturdy as other pies, it will still be soft, but firm after it has been chilled.

Serve with dairy-free whipped cream (homemade coconut whip or store-bought whipped cream are both great!). This is not an overly sweet pie, so it would also be great served with a scoop of vegan vanilla ice cream.

You can also keep it simple by garnishing your easy strawberry pie with some additional fresh sweet strawberries.

Find a list of vegan whipped cream brands to look for in this article: "Is Cool Whip Vegan."

Storing Leftovers

This delicious pie does not last too long and is best served on the day it was made; however, you can store any leftovers in the pie dish, covered with plastic wrap, aluminum foil, or a pie plate cover, and in the refrigerator for up to three days.

Always serve it cold, and always keep any uneaten pieces refrigerated, don't let it come to room temperature.

The berries in the pie will begin to "weep" (a fancy way of saying "release moisture") after a few hours and you'll notice it even more after the pie has been sliced since the liquid will sit at the bottom of the pie pan. To avoid this, which will make the pie soggy, use the pie up as quickly as possible.

Recipes that are thickened with cornstarch do not freeze well since the texture changes when defrosted, this pie is no exception. The berries will also retain a lot of moisture and then release it once thawed making them soft and mushy. I do not recommend freezing it.

For more delicious pies to try, look through all of my vegan pie recipes.