Who doesn’t love Strawberry Pie? It’s especially good when local strawberries come out in the spring. Believe it or not, it’s quite easy to make. The best fresh strawberry pie consists of sweet ripe berries bound together with just enough of a good glaze to add flavor. You can purchase a tasteless ready-made glaze in a plastic bag next to the strawberries in any produce department. Or, you can go through a time-intensive scenario which involves cooking fresh strawberries with sugar and cornstarch, then running the mixture through a sieve. Neither version tastes particularly good. My family thinks the best tasting glaze is raspberry flavored Junket Danish Dessert which is found in the gelatin and pudding aisle. This pudding/glaze can be prepared in about 5 minutes in the microwave and when chilled, always sets up perfectly. Why raspberry flavored glaze instead of strawberry? Since Danish Dessert is artificially flavored, imitation strawberry flavor clashes with the fresh strawberries, where the raspberry flavor actually accentuates the flavor of the strawberries.

One more note on fresh strawberries in the pie: Although giant strawberries look impressive when piled high in a pie shell, the whole berries are too big to fit in most mouths, and must be cut with a knife, which is highly inconvenient, not to mention the fact that the only glaze is on the outside of the berries; when cut, the whole berries lack glaze, so the pie doesn’t taste as good. (I believe restaurants serve the berries whole because their cooks are too lazy to slice them and also to save on glaze since it takes a lot less.) The following recipe is the one my mother always made, and I haven’t tasted anything that compares. While I usually prefer to make most things from scratch, this pie is one exception, since the Junket Danish Dessert makes a delicious pie. Of course, a pie crust from scratch is the best, but the ready-rolled crusts are actually passable.

8 Servings

1 package raspberry flavored Danish Dessert
4 cups sliced strawberries

1 9” baked pie shell
2 cups sweetened whipped cream

1. Mix the Danish Dessert with 1 3/4 cups water in a microwaveable container.


2. Whisk well, then microwave on high power for 2 minutes.


3. Whisk again, then microwave for 2-3 additional minutes or until the mixture boils.


4. Whisk again and fold in the strawberries.


5. Pour the mixture into the baked pie shell.


6. Cover the pie with plastic wrap, making sure the plastic touches the filling to avoid a film.


7. Refrigerate the pie at least 4 hours or until chilled thoroughly.


8. To serve, cover the pie with the sweetened whipped cream and cut into 8 wedges.

Amount Per Serving
Calories 354 Calories from Fat 178
Percent Total Calories From:
Fat 50% Protein 4% Carb. 46%

Nutrient Amount per Serving
Total Fat 20 g
Saturated Fat 10 g
Cholesterol 48 mg
Sodium 276 mg
Total Carbohydrate 40 g
Dietary Fiber 0 g
Sugars 12 g
Protein 4 g

Vitamin A 13% Vitamin C 70% Calcium 0% Iron 3%