Amish Country Strawberry Pie
Amish strawberry pie is a delightfully refreshing and delicious strawberry dessert made with a strawberry jello filling and fresh strawberries. This fresh strawberry pie filling can be placed into a regular flaky pie crust or a graham cracker crust. It's excellent either way!
Many Amish women plant 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, and lots of strawberry sauce for pies.
We ate lots of strawberry pies at home and still had plenty of strawberries left to freeze for the winter.
Ingredients
- Water provides moisture, a base for the pie filling, and helps dissolve the sugar and gelatin.
- Sugar sweetens the pie filling and enhances the natural sweetness of the strawberries.
- Lemon juice adds a hint of acidity, which balances the sweetness of the strawberries and enhances their flavor.
- Salt enhances the overall flavor of the pie filling by balancing the sweetness and adding depth.
- Clear jel is a thickening agent similar to cornstarch. It helps thicken the pie filling and gives it a smooth consistency.
- Strawberry gelatin adds flavor and helps set the pie filling. It also contributes to the vibrant red color of the filling.
- Strawberries are the star ingredient of the pie!
- Prepared pie crust (9") forms the base of the pie and provides a delicious contrast in texture to the fruity filling. You can use a pre-baked traditional flaky pie crust or a graham cracker crust.
- Cool Whip is a creamy topping that adds a light and fluffy texture to the pie. It complements the sweetness of the filling and provides a refreshing contrast. Substitute with whipped cream if desired.
These ingredients work together to create a delicious and balanced Amish strawberry pie with a sweet, fruity filling and a creamy topping, all nestled in a flaky or crumbly crust.
Clear Jel or Cornstarch
When thickening Fresh Strawberry Jello Pie filling or any fruit filling, I prefer clear jel over cornstarch. Clear jel can be found at most Amish or Mennonite bulk food stores or on Amazon (affiliate link). Make sure to get the cook-type, not instant.
Corn starch makes the filling cloudy while clear jel produces a more visually appealing fruit filling.
When substituting cornstarch for clear jel, it's not a straight one-to-one substitution. The substitution ratio can vary depending on the recipe and desired consistency. As a general guideline, use a little less cornstarch than the amount of clear jel called for in the recipe.
Jello Strawberry Pie 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 1/2 cups of heavy whipping cream, a teaspoon of vanilla, and sugar (approximately 2 tablespoons or to taste) until thickened.
If you try this delicious Amish strawberry pie recipe, I'd love it if you left a comment and star rating below. Thank you!
Amish Strawberry Pie Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1/2 - 1 cup sugar (depending how sweet you like it)
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup clear jel mixed with 1/2 cup cold water
- 1 (3-ounce) pkg. strawberry gelatin (approx. 1/3 cup)
- 1 - 1 1/2 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 1/2 cups water, 1/2 - 1 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, 1/4 teaspoon salt
- In a cup or small bowl, mix the clear jel with 1/2 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.1/4 cup clear jel mixed with 1/2 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 1/2 pounds strawberries, washed and sliced, 1 (9") prepared pie crust
- Top with Cool Whip before serving.1 (8-ounce) tub Cool Whip, thawed
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. In the post I was suggesting that you use less cornstarch. In this recipe we use 1/4 c. clear jel so use a little less cornstarch. When a recipe calls for 1 Tbsp. cornstarch, use approximately 1 1/2 Tbsp. clear jel. Maybe I need to clear it up in the post and just say use a bit less cornstarch.