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    Home » Recipes » Dessert

    Published: May 24, 2023 · Updated: May 25, 2023 by Joanne

    Fresh Strawberry and Custard Pie

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    This fresh strawberry and custard pie is a summer dream! It's filled with an obnoxious amount of strawberries on top of a shortbread-style crust lined with creamy custard. And everything is surrounded by dollops of whipped cream. It's sure to disappear quickly!

    Closeup of a strawberry on strawberry custard pie.
    Jump to:
    • Pie Inspiration
    • Why You'll Love This Pie
    • Ingredients  
    • Substitutes
    • Recipe Tips
    • How to Make Fresh Strawberry and Custard Pie 
    • How to Serve
    • Frequently Asked Question
    • Fresh Strawberry with Custard Pie Recipe
    • Have You Tried This Recipe?

    Pie Inspiration

    This recipe takes inspiration from Anna Miller's fresh strawberry pie. Anna Miller's is a famous local diner in Oahu, Hawaii, and I grew up eating their pies. These fresh strawberry pies are in demand during a specific season, and you are limited to how many you can buy. The most frustrating part of these pies is that Anna Miller's keep their recipes on lockdown.

    Why You'll Love This Pie

    Now that I no longer live in Hawaii, I've decided to make my version of fresh strawberry pies by using my taste memory. Don't worry, I have decades of eating these pies! This strawberry pie recipe comes pretty darn close. Instead of a raw-ish pie crust, I decided to use pâte sucrée - a shortbread-style crust. But everything else is close to the real deal - fresh strawberries, pastry cream, bright strawberry glaze, and lots of whipped cream.

    Would I say it's better than Anna Miller's fresh strawberry pie? You'll have to find out by making this and judging for yourself.

    Ingredients  

    Ingredients for custard for strawberry with custard pie.
    Custard Ingredients
    Pastry crust ingredients
    Pie Crust Ingredients
    Strawberry glaze ingredients
    Strawberry Glaze Ingredients
    A bowl of hulled strawberries.
    ALOT of strawberries!!!

    It's a long list but these ingredients are easy to find at any grocery store!

    See the list below for items you will need for this recipe:

    • Strawberries
    • Sugar
    • All-Purpose Flour
    • Butter
    • Eggs
    • Cornstarch
    • Milk
    • Lemon Juice
    • Heavy Cream
    • Powdered Sugar
    • Vanilla Extract

    Substitutes

    • Pie Crust: A solid option is using pre-made flaky pie dough and par-baking it before adding the custard. You can also cut your time in half by using any pre-made crust such as graham cracker crust.

    • Milk: You can use a combination of half heavy cream and half water for your custard instead of milk. But just know that your pastry cream may come out with a heavier texture.

    Recipe Tips

    • Take Your Time: It's best to set aside about two days in order to complete this pie. The custard will need a few hours to set in the fridge. Meanwhile, both the strawberry glaze and finished pie crust need to cool down to at least room temperature.

    • Watch Everything: You are making different components that require some boiling. The glaze and pastry cream are sensitive to heat and can clump easily when they are heated too quickly.

    • Check That You Have Enough Strawberries: I bought around 1.5 kilograms of strawberries - it sounds like overkill, but I want to make sure I had enough to make a mini hill of strawberries and have the best looking strawberries to choose from.
      • Buy at least 1 kilogram of large cone-shaped strawberries.
      • Buy 200 grams of small strawberries.

    How to Make Fresh Strawberry and Custard Pie 

    Cooked custard in a pot.
    Cooked and thickened strawberry custard pie glaze.
    Strawberry custard pie crust after baking in the oven.
    Spread custard along the bottom of the pie crust.
    Place glazed strawberries on top of the custard in the pie.
    Homemade whipped cream next to strawberry custard pie.

    There are many parts of this pie, but we can break them down into separate straightforward steps:

    1. Make the custard or pastry cream filling.
    2. Make the strawberry glaze.
    3. Make and bake the crust.
    4. Put the pie together.
    5. Top with whipped cream.

    I know- the steps make it sound tooo simple! But once you go through the motions, it will all make sense. And in the end you will come out with a charming pie to show off!

    How to Serve

    Keep the strawberry pie in the fridge for about an hour in the fridge to set before serving. Slice the pie carefully because those strawberries will get chaotic. But if the pie has been chilled enough, it should hold its shape well.

    Frequently Asked Question

    Can I make this a no-bake strawberry pie?

    You can make this a no-bake strawberry pie by using pressed in graham cracker crumb pie crusts that you can find at grocery stores.

    Does this pie use gelatin or Jell-O?

    No, this pie does not contain Jell-O or other branded gelatin. Instead, the strawberry pie glaze uses cornstarch as a thickener.

    Why does my strawberry pie fall apart when it's sliced?

    It may be that you didn't let it chill in the fridge long enough to set. When the strawberry pie sits in the fridge for a few hours, it dries out a little bit and its form stabilizes making it easier to make neat slices.

    Strawberry custard pie next to other strawberries.

    Fresh Strawberry with Custard Pie Recipe

    This pie is perfect for strawberry season! Filled with lots of strawberries, a creamy layer of custard, and an irresistible shortbread-style crust.
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 8 hours hrs 10 minutes mins
    Cook Time 30 minutes mins
    Total Time 8 hours hrs 40 minutes mins
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American
    Servings 8 people
    Calories 499 kcal

    Ingredients
     
     

    Shortbread-style Pie Crust

    • 1 egg yolk
    • 113 grams unsalted butter cut in cubes
    • 67 grams sugar
    • ¼ teaspoon salt
    • 156 grams all-purpose flour

    Pastry Cream | Custard

    • 180 ml whole milk
    • 50 grams granulated sugar
    • 14.2 grams unsalted butter cubed
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 2 egg yolks
    • 4 tablespoon cornstarch

    Strawberry Glaze & Filling

    • 145 grams whole strawberries small and hulled
    • 150 grams granulated sugar
    • 3 tablespoon cornstarch
    • 118 grams water
    • 2 teaspoon lemon juice

    Whipped Cream

    • 2 tablespoon powdered sugar
    • 240 grams heavy cream

    Strawberry Filling

    • 864 grams whole large strawberries large, ripe, and hulled

    Instructions
     

    Make Pastry Cream

    • In a bowl, add the egg yolks sugar, and cornstarch. Whisk together until there are no lumps left and set it aside.
      Mixed custard ingredients in a bowl.
    • Add the milk to a pot and heat until the milk starts to steam or make tiny bubbles around the perimeter. Remove from the heat. Pour a little bit of the heated milk into the bowl with egg yolks while whisking vigorously to temper the eggs. Continue slowly pouring and whisking until you use all the milk.
      Pour hot milk into raw custard.
    • Pour the liquid custard back into the pot and set it on medium low heat.
      Pour the raw custard with milk into a pot.
    • Whisk as the custard thickens and bubbles. Remove from the heat and pour into a bowl.
      Cooked custard in a pot.
    • Cover the bowl with cling-wrap making sure it touches the surface area of the custard. Place in the fridge to set for about 8 hours or overnight.
      Add custard to bowl and cover with cling-wrap touching the custard.

    Make Strawberry Glaze

    • Take a cup of the small hulled strawberries and place them in a food processor or a blender. Puree the strawberries until smooth.
      Pulverized strawberries inside a food processor.
    • Add the sugar, water, cornstarch, and lemon juice. Mix until smooth and there are no longer lumps.
      A combination of cornstarch, water, and lemon juice in a pot.
    • Pour the pureed strawberries through a sieve into the prepared pot with the cornstarch mix. You may have to mash some strawberry flesh into the sieve to get as much liquid as possible.
      Pouring pureed strawberries through a sieve into the cornstarch, water, and lemon juice mix.
    • Place on medium low heat and allow to boil until it thickens, about 2-3 minutes, as you whisk. Remove from heat and pour into a clean bowl. Cover and set aside to cool to room temperature.
      Cooked and thickened strawberry custard pie glaze.

    Make Pie Crust

    • Add the flour, unsalted butter, sugar, and salt in a food processor. Pulse for a few seconds until sandy in texture. Add the egg yolk.
      Added egg yolk in a food processor with sandy flour mixture.
    • Pulse again until the texture starts to get clumpy.
      Crumbly, raw pie dough in a food processor.
    • Place the dough on parchment paper or cling-wrap. Press the dough together and place in the fridge for at least 1 hour to rest the dough.
      Raw pie dough shaped and covered in cling-wrap.
    • Remove the dough from the fridge and break it into pieces in a pie pan.
      Chilled pie dough broken in pieces laid out in a pie pan.
    • Press the piece of the dough alongside the inner part of the pan until it is fully covered. Place back in the fridge to rest for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180℃ (350℉).
      Raw pie dough pressed throughout the inside of a pie pan.
    • Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove the pie crust from the oven and place on the counter to cool it to room temperature.
      Strawberry custard pie crust after baking in the oven.

    Put the Pie Together

    • Add the large hulled strawberries to a large bowl. Add the strawberry glaze and gently mix everything until all the strawberries are saturated with the glaze.
      Strawberry glaze poured on top of strawberries.
    • Remove the set custard from the fridge, remove the cling-wrap, and re-mix the custard until it's smooth. Spread it across the bottom of the cooled pie crust until the bottom is covered.
      Spread custard along the bottom of the pie crust.
    • Add the strawberries on top of the custard leaving about a half inch space between the strawberries and the pie edge.
      Place glazed strawberries on top of the custard in the pie.
    • Make the Whipped Cream: In a bowl mix the powdered sugar and heavy cream until you get stiff peaks. Add to a piping bag and pipe the whipped cream along the empty area between the strawberries and pie crust.
      Homemade whipped cream next to strawberry custard pie.
    • Place the finished pie in the fridge to allow it to set at least for an hour before serving.
      Strawberry custard pie on top of a countertop.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 499kcalCarbohydrates: 65gProtein: 5gFat: 26gSaturated Fat: 16gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 98mgSodium: 96mgPotassium: 217mgFiber: 2gSugar: 41gVitamin A: 922IUVitamin C: 48mgCalcium: 72mgIron: 1mg
    Disclaimer: Nutritional values were calculated with the Spoonacular Food API and should be used for informational purposes only.
    Keyword dessert recipe, fresh strawberry pie, fruit custard pie, pie, pie recipe, strawberry custard pie, strawberry dessert, strawberry pie

    Have You Tried This Recipe?

    Simply rate the recipe by clicking on the ⭐️s on the recipe card. Have something to say? Please leave me a comment down below telling me what you think of this recipe.

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    Also, follow me on Instagram [@seesfoodwilltravel] and send me a DM with a picture of what you made. I would love to share and celebrate YOUR creation with our budding community 💞

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    Hi, I'm Joanne!

    Living abroad has taught me how food plays an important role in making connections worldwide. I love pies, Asian food, anything made from potatoes, and wine when it comes to food.

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