No-Bake Strawberry Cream Pie

Whip up this dreamy No-Bake Strawberry Cream Pie for an easy summer dessert! Berries and whipped cream are a match made in heaven. 

Summer is almost to an end, but not in Arizona! So I thought I’d share one last summer recipe. 

Right now we are grilling out a ton (I still love these Italian grilled pork chops), enjoying hikes and other people’s pools on hot days. 

Soon it will cool down, but until then, I’ll be making summer desserts like they’re going out of style. 

As much as I love my raspberry peach mini pies, no-bake desserts are a godsend during Arizona summers. 

From No Bake Buckeye Bars to Nutella Oreo mousse, anything that doesn’t involve standing over a stove or near a hot oven is a win in my book.  

No-bake strawberry cream pie is another favorite recipe. My grandma has been making this dessert for years and it’s always a hit in our family.

Her recipe is what inspired my mini whipped cream pies which are made with Greek yogurt, but I decided to share the large size of her classic version because it’s just so good. I couldn’t keep it to myself anymore! 

I tweaked my grandma’s recipe a little so that the custard is thicker and creamier, and it sets faster in the fridge. 

No-Bake Strawberry Cream Pie

If you’re looking for an easy, fruity dessert to make for any get-together, this no-bake strawberry whipped cream pie is a treat. 

Let me say now that my no-bake strawberry pie is different than a strawberry jello pie. 

Mine is different than a strawberry jello cool whip pie because I use instant pudding mix and not jello. (Though the Jell-O brand does make instant pudding mix, which is confusing.)

Instead, this recipe involves making a creamy custard filling that you mix with fresh strawberries, and then you top it off with whipped cream. 

My grandma has made many versions of this dessert over the years, but my favorite is always strawberry pudding pie. There’s something about summer berries that I just can’t get enough of. 

An easy, no-bake strawberry pie

One thing I love about this recipe: it takes hardly any time at all, even if you make your crust and whipped cream from scratch! 

The most time-consuming parts of this pie are chopping the berries, baking the crust and making the whipped cream, but even still, it’s a quick summer dessert. 

A strawberry pie with a graham cracker crust and Cool Whip would still be simply delicious though if you want to go the store-bought route. ​​

After you put it together, it needs about an hour to set up in the fridge, but you’re welcome to put it in the freezer to help it set up faster if needed. Just remember to take it out and keep it in the fridge! 

If you have leftover strawberries you can try out this Strawberry Napoleon dessert with puff pastry!

How to make strawberry cool whip pie 

There are just a few steps to this easy no-bake dessert: 

1. Make or buy a pie crust. Let cool, if baking.
2. Make the custard with diced strawberries and add it to the pie crust.
3. Top with whipped cream.
4. Let it set up in the fridge for at least an hour before serving.
5. Top with fresh strawberries and serve!

Now let me take you step-by-step with photos:

Make or buy a pie crust: As I mentioned above, you can either buy or bake a pie crust. Feel free to use boxed pie dough — Pillsbury makes a good one. A pre-made graham cracker crust will also work just fine.  

When I have the time (or when it’s not blazing hot outside), I love to make my own homemade pie crust because it takes this easy pie to the next level. You will need to blind-bake it in your favorite pie dish with parchment paper and pie weights. 

Just make sure that if you bake a crust, that you let it cool completely before making the pie filling. 

Make the filling: The custard comes together with milk, sour cream and instant vanilla pudding. Mix it with chopped strawberries.

Finish it off: Top with a layer of whipped cream. I prefer to use my homemade whipped cream recipe if I have the time (and making your own really doesn’t take that much time!) 

Feel free to make this into a strawberry Cool Whip pie by using store-bought whipped cream. I have made it this way before and it’s still very good! 

Set it up: Put the pie in the fridge for at least an hour to let the pudding mix set up to get that creamy but sturdy filling. Otherwise, the slices will not have much shape to them. If you need it to set up faster, you can place the pie in the freezer for 30 minutes.  

Serve! Before you do, top the with a few slices of fresh strawberries. It’s important to do this step last because the berries will “bleed” into the whipped cream. 

Whipped cream pie variations 

Even though strawberry cream pie is my favorite, there are some other amazing combinations you can try simply by swapping the fruit and flavor of instant pudding! 

Here are a few of my favorites: 

Mixed berry cream pie: Keep the recipe the same, but instead of all strawberries, use a combination of blueberries, blackberries and raspberries.

Lemon cream pie: Use lemon instant pudding mix and skip the addition of fruit to keep this one nice and light. Top with some lemon zest.  

Coconut pineapple cream pie: Use coconut instant pudding mix and add fresh pineapple. Top with toasted coconut. 

Banana pudding cream pie: Use slices of fresh bananas and either vanilla instant pudding mix or banana cream instant pudding mix. Don’t forget to add crumbled vanilla wafers! Drizzle caramel over the top. 

Butterscotch apple cream pie: Butterscotch instant pudding mix and diced apples would make a delicious no-bake fall pie!  

Oreo cookie cream pie: Mix the filling with Oreo cookie crumbles and use cookies and cream-flavored instant pudding mix. Top with a sprinkle of oreo cookie crumbs. This Turtle Pie is similar!

Pumpkin spice cream pie: Add diced apples and pumpkin spice instant pudding mix to make this fall-friendly option —perfect for a no-bake Thanksgiving pie! 

Another idea is you can spoon the filling into small jars to make single-serve desserts. Alternate the filling and whipped cream layers like I did with these deconstructed pumpkin pies. Set up as usual! 

Let me know in the comments or in a review if you love this recipe as much as my family does! I’ll be sure to tell my grandma. 😉