Amish strawberry pie is a sweet and refreshing dessert made with fresh strawberries and a simple strawberry jello filling. This easy strawberry pie is perfect for spring and summer, with a bright, fruity flavor that's hard to resist.
You can make this fresh strawberry pie with a flaky pie crust or a graham cracker crust, and top it with Cool Whip or homemade whipped cream. It's a simple, no-fuss dessert that's perfect for picnics, potlucks, or any time.
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Why You'll Love This Amish Strawberry Pie
- Fresh, sweet strawberry flavor in every bite
- Easy to make with simple ingredients
- Works with a flaky or graham cracker crust
- Topped with Cool Whip or homemade whipped cream
- Perfect for spring and summer gatherings
Ingredients
- Water: Forms the base of the filling and helps dissolve ingredients.
- Sugar: Sweetens and enhances the strawberries.
- Lemon Juice: Adds brightness and balances sweetness.
- Salt: Enhances overall flavor.
- Clear Jel mixed with Cold Water: Thickens the filling for a smooth, glossy texture.
- Strawberry Gelatin: Adds flavor, color, and helps set the filling.
- Fresh Strawberries: The star of the pie!
- Pie Crust: Holds the filling (use a pre-baked traditional flaky pie crust or a graham cracker crust).
- Cool Whip or Whipped Cream: Adds a light, creamy topping.
These ingredients work together to create a delicious and balanced Amish country strawberry pie with a sweet, fruity filling and a creamy topping, all nestled in a flaky or crumbly crust.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Prepare the Sauce:
- In a large saucepan, combine water, sugar, lemon juice, and salt.
- Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat.
- Mix Clear Jel:
- In a cup or small bowl, mix ¼ cup Clear Jel with approximately ½ cup cold water until smooth.
- Thicken the Sauce:
- Once the water and sugar mixture is boiling, slowly whisk in the Clear Jel mixture.
- Stir continuously until the mixture is smooth and slightly thickened.
- Add Gelatin:
- Remove the saucepan from the heat.
- Add the 3-ounce package of strawberry gelatin to the hot mixture.
- Stir until the gelatin is completely dissolved.
- Set the mixture aside to cool.
- Prepare the Strawberries:
- While the sauce is cooling, stem, wash, drain, and slice approximately 1 - 1 ½ pounds of strawberries.
- Combine and Chill:
- Once the sauce has cooled, add the sliced strawberries and mix well.
- Pour the strawberry mixture into the prepared 9-inch pie crust.
- Refrigerate:
- Refrigerate the pie for several hours or overnight to allow it to set.
- Serve:
- Before serving, top the pie with Cool Whip or whipped cream.
Tips for the Best Strawberry Jello Pie
- Let the filling cool before adding strawberries to keep them fresh and firm
- Slice strawberries evenly for a better texture
- Use ripe, in-season strawberries for the best flavor
- Don't skip the chill time - this helps the pie fully set
Clear Jel vs. Cornstarch (Which Is Better?)
When making fresh strawberry pie filling (or any pie filling), I prefer using Clear Jel instead of cornstarch. Clear Jel creates a smooth, glossy filling, while cornstarch makes it look slightly cloudy.
Clear Jel can be found at Amish or Mennonite bulk food stores or online. Be sure to use cook-type Clear Jel, not instant. (PermaFlow and ThermoFlo work similarly.)
If you don't have Clear Jel, you can substitute cornstarch. For this recipe, use about 3 tablespoons of cornstarch in place of the ¼ cup Clear Jel.
Mix the cornstarch with cold water before adding it to the hot mixture to prevent lumps. Keep in mind that cornstarch thickens more as it cools.
Strawberry Pie With Jello Topped With Cool Whip or Whipped Cream
My Amish mom always used Cool Whip to top her pies. However, I started using whipped cream, and in my opinion, it tastes so much better than Cool Whip.
Whipped cream is not as stabilized as Cool Whip. So depending on the circumstance, I use Cool Whip. But I LOVE whipped cream, and it's usually my first choice.
To substitute the Cool Whip with whipped cream, whip approximately 1 ½ cups of cold heavy whipping cream, a teaspoon of vanilla, and sugar (approximately 2 tablespoons or to taste) until thickened.
Frequently Asked Questions
Fresh strawberries work best for this pie. Frozen strawberries release too much liquid and can make the filling runny.
However, if fresh strawberries are not an option, you could use frozen and just reduce the amount of water.
Yes, you can substitute about 3 tablespoons of cornstarch in place of the ¼ cup Clear Jel. Just mix it with cold water before adding it to the hot mixture.
Yes, if you're using a traditional pie crust, it should be pre-baked and cooled before adding the filling.
The pie should chill for at least 3 hours, but overnight is best for a fully set filling.
This recipe uses strawberry gelatin for flavor and structure, which gives it that classic texture. If you prefer, you can make a version using only Clear Jel or cornstarch, but the flavor and consistency will be slightly different. (You will need to add more clear jel until you reach the desired thickness.)
Strawberries
Many Amish women plant several rows of strawberries in their gardens. So when the springtime harvest ripens, there are plenty of strawberries to make all kinds of strawberry desserts such as:
- Strawberry Danish Dessert
- Strawberry Tapioca Pudding
- Strawberry Shortcake
- Fruit Jello Cake with Strawberry Topping
- Amish Fruit Pizza
- Fruit Slush
We ate lots of strawberry pies and desserts at home and still had plenty of strawberries left to freeze for the winter.
More Amish Pie Recipes
- Peach Crumb Pie
- Traditional Blueberry Pie
- Raisin Cream Pie
- Chocolate Shoofly Pie
- Lemon Sponge Pie
- Creamy (Less-Sweet) Pecan Pie
- Rhubarb Custard Pie
- If you prefer strawberry pie with a graham cracker crust, check out my recipe for cherry pie with a graham crust for a crust recipe.
This Amish strawberry pie recipe is similar to the classic strawberry jello pie many of you probably grew up with, but it's made from scratch. If you try this delicious fresh strawberry pie recipe, I'd love it if you left a comment and star rating below. Thank you!
📖 Recipe Card
Amish Strawberry Pie Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups water
- ½ - 1 cup sugar (depending how sweet you like it)
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup clear jel mixed with ½ cup cold water
- 1 (3-ounce) pkg. strawberry gelatin (approx. ⅓ cup)
- 1 - 1 ½ pounds strawberries, washed and sliced
- 1 (9") prepared pie crust (flaky pie crust or graham cracker crust)
- 1 (8-ounce) tub Cool Whip, thawed (or whipped cream)
Instructions
- Combine water, sugar, lemon juice, and salt in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil.1 ½ cups water, ½ - 1 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, ¼ teaspoon salt
- In a cup or small bowl, mix the clear jel with ½ c. cold water. When the water/sugar mixture comes to a boil, slowly whisk in the clear jel and stir until smooth and slightly thickened.¼ cup clear jel mixed with ½ cup cold water
- Add the strawberry gelatin. Remove from the heat and stir until dissolved. Set aside to cool.1 (3-ounce) pkg. strawberry gelatin
- Meanwhile, wash and slice the strawberries. Add the strawberries to the cooled sauce, pour it into the pie shell, and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.1 - 1 ½ pounds strawberries, washed and sliced, 1 (9") prepared pie crust
- Top with Cool Whip before serving.1 (8-ounce) tub Cool Whip, thawed
Anna
One of my favorite springtime desserts!
Jeannie Beck
I'm a little confused by the 'cornstarch and clear jel explanation. If a recipe calls for 1 Tablespoon cornstarch what would be the amount of cook-type clear jel I should use. I enjoy your recipes so much!! Thank you.
Anna
I'm sorry about the confusion. I will change it in the post.