• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Travel
  • Recipes
  • About Me
    • Contributors

Sees Food, Will Travel logo

menu icon
go to homepage
  • Travel
  • Recipes
  • About Me
    • Contributors
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • Travel
    • Recipes
    • About Me
      • Contributors
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×
    Home » Recipes » Dessert

    Published: May 24, 2023 · Updated: Jun 18, 2024 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 Questions
    • Fresh Strawberry with Custard Pie Recipe
    • Have You Tried This Recipe?

    Pie Inspiration

    This recipe takes inspiration from Anna Miller's fresh strawberry pie. They also have an amazing chocolate haupia pie which inspired this recipe. 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.

    Want something colder? Try this strawberry ice candy recipe for a cool summer treat!

    Frequently Asked Questions

    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
    Disclosure

    The equipment and ingredients sections contain affiliate links to products I love to use as well as items that I personally believe make this recipe the best version of itself.

    Ingredients
     
     

    Shortbread-style Pie Crust

    • 1 egg yolk
    • ½ cup unsalted butter cut in cubes
    • ⅓ cup sugar
    • ¼ teaspoon salt
    • 1¼ cups all-purpose flour

    Pastry Cream | Custard

    • ¾ cup whole milk
    • ¼ cup granulated sugar
    • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter cubed
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 2 egg yolks
    • 4 tablespoon cornstarch

    Strawberry Glaze & Filling

    • 1 cup whole strawberries small and hulled
    • ¾ cup granulated sugar
    • 3 tablespoon cornstarch
    • ½ cup water
    • 2 teaspoon lemon juice

    Whipped Cream

    • 2 tablespoon powdered sugar
    • 1 cup heavy cream

    Strawberry Filling

    • 6 cups 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. Whisk in butter and vanilla extract.
      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.

    Bonus: Let me and other readers know what you did to make this recipe your own - 💫 let's inspire each other!

    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 💞

    Check out Sees Food, Will Travel on Pinterest and Facebook for more delicious updates.

    More Dessert

    • Ube tres leches cake recipe
      Ube Tres Leches Cake Recipe
    • Close up of cross-section of black sesame paste above a bowl of tang yuan in ginger tea
      Black Sesame Glutinous Rice Balls in Ginger Tea - Tang Yuan
    • Filipino coconut dessert soup with sago or ginataang bilo bilo in white bowl
      Filipino Coconut Dessert Soup with Sago - Ginataang Bilo Bilo
    • A slice of matcha tiramisu next to a container
      Rich and Creamy Matcha (Green Tea) Tiramisu

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Jackie says

      June 15, 2024 at 5:14 pm

      When do you add the butter and vanilla extract in the custard process? They are listed as ingredients but there's no mention of adding them in the recipe instructions. Thanks!

      Reply
      • Joanne says

        June 18, 2024 at 8:17 am

        Hi Jackie, thanks for catching that 🤗 It should happen at step 4 under "Make Pastry Cream", after you finish cooking the custard. I updated the recipe card too. Let me know how it turns out!

        Reply
    2. Natasha says

      October 17, 2024 at 5:33 pm

      This recipe was so delicious thank you soo much 🌸

      Reply
      • Joanne says

        October 21, 2024 at 2:04 pm

        Hi Natasha, I'm so glad you enjoyed the pie! Thank you! 🤗

        Reply
    3. Nicole says

      December 04, 2024 at 3:49 pm

      Can I make all the ingredients several days ahead and assemble it later? Can I make the pie dough, but wait to cook it?

      Reply
      • Joanne says

        December 09, 2024 at 3:49 pm

        Hi Nicole, good questions!
        I would make the different components in this order if making about a week ahead:

        1. Pie crust dough (refrigerate up to 2-3 days before baking)
        2. Cook strawberry glaze (refrigerate up to 4 days)
        3. Bake pie crust (store at room temp up to 2 days)
        4. Pastry Cream (refrigerate up to 3 days)

        Reply
    4. Tofu says

      March 08, 2025 at 7:46 am

      Step 1 doesn’t get unclumpy for me at all!! The dry ingredients make it less like a liquid and more like pasty clumps, I hope that’s fine :’)

      Reply
      • Joanne says

        March 11, 2025 at 12:51 pm

        It should be okay because it'll melt in the heat. I hope turned out okay!

        Reply
    5 from 1 vote (1 rating without comment)

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    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.

    You can learn more about me here.

    I created this site to track my gastronomy adventures, record inspired recipes, and help others build meaningful (and delicious!) travel itineraries.

    Cheers!

    Just Ube Things

    • Ube tres leches cake recipe
      Ube Tres Leches Cake Recipe
    • Ube crunch cake close up with whipped cream
      Ube Crunch (Dump) Cake
    • Ube butter mochi squares of different sizes
      Ube Butter Mochi

    Latest Food Guides

    • Chkmeruli with white garlic sauce in a clay pan
      Classic Georgian Main Dishes To Try in Tbilisi
    • 10+ Georgian Appetizers and Snacks
    • Flat white in a teal mug on a wooden table at a cafe in Budapest
      10+ Budapest Cafes Worth a Visit

    Don't know where to start? See everything I've ever written here.

    Footer

    Currently

    I love anything that has to do with travel, eating, and cooking.

    Nowadays I am getting to know my Filipino heritage by developing some recipes of my own. Check out some Filipino recipes - you will love it 💕

    • Contact
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy

    Get the Latest Recipes

    stay connected

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest

    Other Useful Links

    • Recipe Index
    • Travel & Food Guide Index

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Sees Food, Will Travel is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program and other affiliate programs designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to these affiliate sites.

    Copyright © 2025 Sees Food, Will Travel

    We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
    Do not sell my personal information.
    Cookie SettingsAccept
    Manage consent

    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
    Necessary
    Always Enabled
    Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
    CookieDurationDescription
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
    viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
    Functional
    Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
    Performance
    Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
    Analytics
    Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
    Advertisement
    Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
    Others
    Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
    SAVE & ACCEPT

    Rate This Recipe

    Your vote:




    A rating is required
    A name is required
    An email is required

    Recipe Ratings without Comment

    Something went wrong. Please try again.