This no bake Strawberry Cream Cheese Pie is the best way to turn juicy strawberries into a delicious sweet and salty treat! It's such an easy dessert with layers of fresh strawberries, homemade strawberry preserves, a lightly sweetened cream cheese filling and salted pretzel crust! This recipe is like a no bake cheesecake with strawberry topping in pie form.
This post was originally published on May 17, 2021. It contains affiliate links, meaning that I could earn from purchases made through them. It doesn't add any extra cost to you, but it does help support this blog!
Why We Love This Recipe
- It's a delicious strawberry dessert that can be topped with whipped cream for a little extra sweetness!
- This is one of my favorite recipes to share in the summer! The whole pie is bursting with strawberry flavor and is more than enough for the entire family to enjoy.
- If you go strawberry picking during strawberry season, this recipe is a great way to use up a few cups of them.
- It's a tasty sweet and salty combination with the berries, cheesecake filling and pretzel crust.
- It's cool, refreshing and you don't have to turn on your oven at all, making it the best summer pie!
Looking for more delicious pie recipes?
Ingredients
- Pretzels
- Heavy whipping cream
- Light brown sugar: feel free to use dark brown sugar instead for a deeper flavor.
- Corn starch
- Lemon juice
- Granulated sugar
- Ground cinnamon
- Vanilla extract
- Sour cream
- Unsalted butter
- Cream cheese: full-fat cream cheese is best, but low-fat can be used as well.
- Strawberries: fresh or frozen can be used for the filling but I recommend topping it off with fresh strawberries!
- Whipped cream (optional for topping): whip some heavy cream with a bit of powdered sugar and vanilla extract for homemade, or grab a tub of Cool Whip from the store!
See recipe card below for quantities.
Equipment
This recipe doesn't require any fancy kitchen equipment, you'll just need a few basic things!
- A standard pie dish to layer everything in.
- A food chopper to make the pretzel crust.
- An electric hand mixer is useful for mixing the ingredients, but isn't necessary.
- A medium saucepan to cook the strawberry filling.
Step by Step Instructions
STEP ONE (Picture 1 above) - Make the crust by chopping the pretzels in a food processor with the melted butter, sugar, and a hint of cinnamon (optional). Then press the crumb mixture firmly along the bottom and sides of a pie dish and plop it in the freezer.
STEP TWO (Picture 2 above) - In a medium bowl with an electric mixer, whisk the heavy whipping cream until soft peaks form. This is when you lift the whisk, the cream is thick enough to hold its shape but still falls down a bit.
STEP THREE (Picture 3 above) - In a large bowl, beat the softened cream cheese until it's smooth. Mix in the sour cream, vanilla extract and sugar really well.
STEP FOUR (Picture 4 above) - Gently fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture just until combined. Be careful not to mix it too much - you don't want it to lose its airiness! When the crust is cold and firm, spread this filling across the bottom of it. Let it chill in the refrigerator while you make the strawberry filling.
STEP FIVE (Picture 5 above) - Add the sliced fresh or frozen strawberries to a medium saucepan over medium/low heat. Mix in the brown sugar, corn starch, lemon juice and vanilla extract. Continue stirring until the strawberries are soft and the mixture is slightly thick and bubbly. Let it cool completely.
STEP SIX (Picture 6 above) - Spread the cooled strawberry filling on top of the layer of cream cheese filling.
STEP SEVEN (Picture 7 above) - Top off the pie with fresh sliced strawberries and let it chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour before serving!
Tips For Success
TIP #1 - Make sure your cream cheese has softened enough. Let it sit out at room temperature for 30-60 minutes before making this recipe. It should be smooth after creaming it so that it doesn't leave any clumps in the filling.
TIP #2 - Let the homemade strawberry preserves cool completely before adding them to the fluffy cream cheese layer. If it's warm when you add them to the pie, it might melt the cheesecake a bit.
TIP #3 - Make this easy strawberry pie with cream cheese ahead of time! Each layer can be made separately a few days in advance. A few hours before you're ready to serve it, combine the layers in the pie crust and let it chill.
Substitutions & Variations
- Crust - Feel free to make this strawberry cream cheese pie with a different type of crust. It can also be store-bought instead of homemade. A graham cracker crust or flaky pie crust also work great! If you do use a pie dough crust, be sure to blind bake it with pie weights before adding the fillings. (Here's a great pie crust recipe/tutorial if you want to go the homemade route.)
- Strawberry Preserves - Homemade preserves are the best, but if you don't have enough strawberries or feel like turning on the stove, you're welcome to use your favorite strawberry jam instead!
This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions. If you do replace any ingredients, please let us know how they turned out in the comments below!
Storage
This strawberry cream cheese pie is best enjoyed within the first day. Leftover pie can be covered with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
FAQ
Yes, each layer can be made a few days in advance - just layer everything together when you're ready to serve it!
Sure you can! Feel free to mix and match with other fruits as well.
This is likely due to the cream cheese being too cold. Be sure to let it sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes and mix it until it's smooth before adding any other ingredients to it.
No, but I highly recommend it!
📖 Recipe
Strawberry Cream Cheese Pie
Equipment
- Standard pie dish
- Food Processor
- Mixing bowls
- Medium saucepan
- Spatula
- Hand mixer
- Measuring spoons
- Measuring cups/scale
Ingredients
Pretzel Crust
- 1½ cups salted pretzel crumbs
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Cream Cheese Filling
- 8 ounces (1 block) cream cheese room temperature
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream cold
Strawberry Preserves
- 3 cups strawberries fresh or frozen, chopped
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- ¼ cup light brown sugar packed
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
Topping
- 2 cups fresh strawberries sliced
- whipped topping optional
Instructions
Pretzel Crust
- Chop the pretzels in a food processor until you have 1½ cups (150g) of crumbs. Mix in the melted butter, sugar, and cinnamon and continue chopping until well combined.
- Press the crumb mixture into a pie dish. Start with the edge and work your way to the bottom of the dish.
- Let the crust chill in the freezer while making the filling.
Cream Cheese Filling
- In a medium/large bowl, whisk the heavy whipping cream to soft peaks. This is when the cream is thick enough to hold its shape but still falls down a bit. Place it in the refrigerator while you whip up the rest of the filling.
- Make sure your cream cheese has softened to room temperature and then stir it in a large bowl with a hand (or stand) mixer until it's creamy. Add the sour cream, vanilla, and sugar and continue mixing until well combined.
- Gently fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture.
- When the crust has frozen together, spread the cream cheese filling on the bottom in an even layer.
Strawberry Preserves
- In a medium saucepan, heat the chopped strawberries, light brown sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, and vanilla over low/medium heat. Stir constantly until the strawberries are soft and the mixture is slightly thick and bubbly. Remove from heat and let it cool completely.
- Once the preserves are room temperature or colder, spread them on top of the cream cheese layer.
Toppings
- Add the fresh chopped strawberries on top of the pie and let it chill in the refrigerator for another hour before indulging. Serve with whipped topping (optional).
Abi says
This was so fun to make! Everyone was dying for seconds 😂 thanks for the yummy recipe Kayla!
Kayla says
Thank you Abi!! I'm so happy everyone liked it so much!