Make a delicious pie filled with ripe strawberries, perfect for spring or summer. Enjoy sweet strawberries in a golden, flaky pie crust with a large dollop of cool whip on top. Delight in a fresh strawberry pie after you enjoy dinner in the fresh mountain air.

a strawberry pie with 4 whole strawberries sitting beside the pie dish

This pie is fresh and light with the perfect balance of sweetness. The strawberry pie filling doesn’t require baking so the pie is chilled which makes it absolutely perfect for a hot summer night. This high altitude strawberry pie is the perfect way to finish off a beautiful day spent in the mountains.

This strawberry pie recipe is my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE pie. My mom made it for me on every birthday. When I moved to Colorado at 8,000 feet of elevation in 2017, I tried making my mom’s recipe and it was completely runny, like watery strawberry soup. I was devastated! It took me six attempts at adjusting ingredients to get perfect strawberry pie at high altitude. So don’t let high altitudes and a decrease in boiling point prevent you from making strawberry pie, instead enjoy this perfect recipe!

a glass bowl filled with rip strawberries

Recommended tools:

9″ pie plate – I like to use a glass pie plate so I can check the color of the pie crust

Small saucepan

Medium bowl – check out my favorite set of glass mixing bowls below, I use them for ALL of my cooking and baking

Measuring cups and spoon

Check out all of my favorite kitchen products!

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High Altitude Strawberry Pie ingredients:

Fresh strawberries – the strawberries should be diced or quartered

Tip: don’t use frozen strawberries as they will add too much liquid to the filling

Corn starch – thickens fruit pies to ensure there are no soggy bottoms or runny pie filling

Sugar – adds the perfect kiss of sweetness

Cold water – mixed with the cornstarch and jello to create the perfect filling consistency

Strawberry jello – helps the filling set up by adding extra strawberry flavor

Pie crust – use a homemade pie crust or store-bought crust that has been blind baked. Check out my favorite pie crust recipe that turns out a flaky crust, even at high altitude.

glass bowls filled with high altitude strawberry pie filling ingredients

See the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.

How to make strawberry pie:

1. Make the filling

Add the cold water, corn starch, and sugar to a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir frequently and bring the mixture to a boil. The mixture will thicken very quickly once it starts boiling.

Tip: do not add the cornstarch and sugar after the water has started boiling

a black saucepan with the cold water, sugar, and cornstarch that has thickened after boiling it. A whisk is shown with the thicken mixture on it.

Remove the pan from the heat and add the jello.

a silicone whisk and black saucepan with strawberry jello added to the thickened mixture of corn starch, water, and sugar.

2. Add the strawberries

Combine the strawberries and the filling mixture in a medium bowl. Allow the strawberry mixture to cool completely in the refrigerator.

a glass bowl filled with the completed strawberry filling read to be cooled

3. Fill the prepared pie crust

The pie dough should be blind baked in a pie pan and cooled to room temperature. Fill the pie crust with the cooled strawberry mixture to the top of the pie crust.

a completed high altitude strawberry pie with a flaky pie crust in a glass pie dish

4. Enjoy!

Slice the pie and enjoy!

a slice of high altitude strawberry pie on a white plate with a whole strawberry on top

Ingredient variation:

Strawberry pie with graham cracker crust and cool whip – don’t want to mess with baking a pie crust? No worries, use a premade graham cracker crust from the grocery store to enjoy the sweetness of the strawberries without any extra bake time.

Cool whip – add cool whip to the top of the pie for an extra sweet treat

a whole high altitude strawberry pie with a golden brown flaky crust and a whole rip strawberry in the center

Try these other delicious desserts:

High Altitude Pecan Pie

Strawberry Fluff Recipe with Jell-O and Cool Whip

Rich and Fudgy Chocolate Espresso Brownies

Delicious Fudgy Chocolate Cookies with 3 Ingredients

Flaky Pie Crust – 4 Ingredients

How to make easy brown butter

Best High Altitude Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

High Altitude Oatmeal Cookies

FAQs:

Is strawberry pie filling gluten free?

This high altitude strawberry pie filling is gluten free. For those with Celiac make sure to use corn starch that has not been made in a facility with gluten. Use a gluten free pie crust for a delicious gluten free strawberry pie.

Can strawberry pie be frozen? OR Can strawberry pie filling be frozen?

Sadly no. Freezing this strawberry pie will cause the gelatin to change consistency. The smooth, soft pie filling will change to a grainy, chewy texture.

Why is my strawberry pie runny?

A runny strawberry pie could be caused by 2 different things:

The filling was not boiled long enough to thicken up
More jello and cornstarch are needed

Tip: If you are making this pie at a higher altitude than 8,000 feet increase the jello and cornstarch by adding 1/2 tablespoon at a time.

Does strawberry pie need to be refrigerated?

Yes. Strawberry pie should be stored in the refrigerator. Leftover pie should be eaten within 5 days. Make note that the bottom crust will start to become soggy as the liquid can start to leak from the strawberries.

Fresh Strawberry Pie

For anyone making this AMAZING pie not at high altitude (or as we call you “flatlanders”) use the following ingredient amounts:

1 cup cold water
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons strawberry jello
2 cups strawberries – diced