Easy Homemade Strawberry Pie (No Sugar Added + Vegan!)
The most lovely and fresh homemade strawberry pie for the summer! With a secretly no sugar added filling that’s still super sweet and gooey, and a flaky “buttery” vegan pie crust, this healthier strawberry pie is the perfect summer treat!
Why you’ll love this fresh homemade strawberry pie
I just know that this homemade strawberry pie is going to be your go to summer pie! It’s filled with fresh strawberries that are cooked together and caramelized to become super gooey in the most lovely naturally vegan pie crust.
Yes, this is an entirely vegan strawberry pie as well! Yet you’d never know it. The strawberry filling is just so lovely and sweet (yet no added sugar!) and perfectly baked in a pie crust that everyone is going to rave about, vegan or not.
Plus, this is such an easy fruit pie recipe! The filling takes all of 3 minutes and the entire strawberry pie is only 7 ingredients! This is the homemade strawberry pie to make!
The best dang vegan pie crust
I’m not going to be modest here, I love this pie crust with my whole heart. It’s just so freaking easy, requires zero flaxseed egg or vegan egg replacement, and is just the most beautifully flaky and “buttery” pie crust. All while being entirely vegan!
You’ll first make the pie dough, and then we’ll move onto the strawberry pie filling (which is even easier to be honest!). I have a whole YouTube video on how to make a perfect vegan pie crust every time, so be sure to give that a watch, even if you’ve made a pie crust before. Vegan pie crusts are slightly different!
The video is full of tips and tricks, along with walking you through how to actually make a pie crust start to finish!
I also have a full written blog post on everything you need to know about vegan pie crusts. This might seem like a bit much, but I really want you to experience how amazing a flaky vegan pie crust can be. And honestly, even people who don’t eat vegan will just love this crust.
For this crust, you’ll just need:
- Flour: you can use gluten free 1:1 baking flour here. I personally recommend Bob’s Red Mill in the blue bag. It’s honestly the best match for a regular flour!
- Arrowroot starch: you can also swap in cornstarch- they’re interchangeable!
- Cold water
- Vegan butter: I personally prefer my vegan pie crusts with vegan butter over coconut oil. I made vegan pie crusts for years with coconut oil. And then I discovered just how amazing vegan butters have shaped out to be and now I can’t go back! I personally recommend Flora Plant Butter. They’re entirely nut free and soy free!
- Coconut sugar: just a bit of sweetness for this strawberry pie! This is the only added sugar part to our pie actually!
For this homemade strawberry pie, we’ll be using a double crust, so the measurements reflect that below in the recipe card. You can do just one pie crust if you’d like, but keep in mind that you’ll need to divide the pie crust recipe (and only that one- not the strawberry filling!).
Once you’ve made your pie dough and shaped the first half of it into the pie dish, it’s time to make your strawberry pie filling!
How to make an easy strawberry pie filling from scratch
This is just the easiest fresh strawberry pie filling ever. There’s absolutely no added sugar and it’s entirely refined sugar free. We’re just using the sweetness of the strawberries here, so it’s really important that your strawberries are very sweet and ripe! Here is a great article to check if strawberries are in season near you.
I do not recommend using frozen strawberries here. You could potentially thaw them, but I worry it will be too runny and cause a soggy pie crust.
Now onto this super easy strawberry pie filling. For the filling, you’ll need:
- Fresh strawberries: 6 cups generally equals about 800 grams, more or less. However, I do recommend using weighted measurements, even for the pie filling. This will give you the most accurate bake!
- Arrowroot starch: using this again for the thickener of the strawberry pie! You can also, again, swap in cornstarch.
- Lemon juice & zest: unlike our vegan blueberry pie, I actually really love lemon and strawberry together! So that’s what I decided to pair the filling with here. Lime and strawberry can taste nice together though- let me know if you try it!
- Vegan butter: you can swap in coconut oil if you’d like. Either works!
To make this filling, you’ll simply toss all of the ingredients together and add into your pie dish! Then we’ll finish off with the second pie crust, and bake the strawberry pie.
Making a strawberry pie actually doesn’t take long, but it’s the resting time that does. For this pie in particular, you’ll need about 3 hours in the fridge or 4-5 hours at room temperature. Then you can serve your strawberry pie with homemade cashew milk ice cream or even coconut whipped cream!
Why is my strawberry pie runny?
A runny strawberry pie filling could happen for a few reasons. You either didn’t add enough arrowroot starch or cornstarch, your arrowroot/cornstarch were expired, or you didn’t allow your strawberry pie to rest long enough once being baked.
Not enough arrowroot/cornstarch:
You really need to measure out two full tablespoons of starch for this strawberry pie recipe! Once heat-activated, the starch will begin to thicken up the liquid from the strawberries. This is what creates that beautiful gooey consistency of strawberry pie. You can use either arrowroot starch/powder (both the same, but some brands name them differently) or cornstarch.
Expired arrowroot starch/cornstarch:
This is more common than people think, even with baking powder as well. If the arrowroot starch isn’t stored in the fridge, or maybe you’ve had it for more than 6 months, the arrowroot starch will go bad and not be useable for recipes.
Always make sure to properly store arrowroot starch and cornstarch!
Not enough resting time
This one is a super easy fix because it just means you need to allow your strawberry pie to sit for longer! To thicken a strawberry pie filling, it really just needs time to cool and rest. If you’re using a double pie crust, though, it can be hard to tell when the strawberries are truly set.
What I like to do for a test to see if the strawberry pie is done is to feel the bottom of the pie. If it’s at all warm, the arrowroot starch probably hasn’t finished cooling and setting.
FAQ’s + Tips
Let’s go over some final tips and tricks for baking this vegan strawberry pie, and some questions that might pop up while baking!
- Always measure and weigh out your ingredients before beginning. This is a good baking practice to get into, as it ensures that you’re not missing anything while you’re in the process!
- Make sure to read through the instructions first before beginning. Since making a homemade pie crust can be tricky for first time pie crust bakers, it’s always a good idea to read through the steps so that you have an idea of what’s coming up next. It will also help you to better gage how long something will take you!
- If your pie crust is cracking when you roll it. It either is too cold to roll or it needs more water. If your pie dough feels at all crumbly when you’re first making it, add in some more water (in tablespoon increments). If the pie crust is simply too cold, not to worry! You can pinch the cracks together and allow the dough to rest for a minute or two. Then continue rolling.
- For the top pie crust: I used mini cookie cutter hearts that I purchased years ago at Crate and Barrel. However, you can use any shapes you’d like! Stars, flowers, even letters.
Can I make this vegan strawberry pie gluten free?
Absolutely! The only ingredient you need to watch out for is the flour. Use gluten free 1:1 baking flour in place of all purpose. This pie crust works wonderfully gluten free!
How do I store leftover pie?
This pie is best kept stored in the fridge and covered for up to 3 days. You can also freeze the pie! To reheat, simply place a slice onto parchment paper or tinfoil and on a baking sheet. Warm the oven to 300F and bake for 5-6 minutes.
What makes this a vegan strawberry pie?
Don’t worry- you won’t be able to tell that this strawberry pie is vegan if you don’t personally subscribe to that diet label. But essentially, what makes this strawberry pie vegan is that we’re using dairy free butter and not using any eggs. That’s really the only thing that wouldn’t be vegan in a more classic strawberry pie! Some classic strawberry pies are made with Jello, which I personally don’t like the idea of that. I like a gooey consistency, like blueberry!
I cannot wait to hear how this secretly vegan strawberry pie came out for you! You’re going to love it. If you try this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and a rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️down below. This helps others find the recipe!
As always, I absolutely love to see your beautiful creations on Instagram and Pinterest, so be sure to tag me there!
Happy pie baking!
More vegan pie recipes you’ll love:
Want to save this recipe for later? Add it to your favorite recipe board on Pinterest!
Easy Homemade Strawberry Pie (No Sugar Added!)
- Prep Time: 120
- Cook Time: 55
- Total Time: 2 hours 55 minutes
- Yield: 10 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
The most lovely and fresh homemade strawberry pie for the summer! With a secretly no sugar added filling that’s still super sweet and gooey, and a flaky “buttery” vegan pie crust, this healthier strawberry pie is the perfect summer treat!
Ingredients
- 3 cups (375 grams) all purpose flour or gluten free 1:1 baking flour
- 2 tbsp coconut sugar
- 1 tbsp arrowroot starch (or cornstarch)
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1 cup (226 grams) vegan butter, cubed
- 5–7 tbsp chilled water
- Vegan “egg” wash: 1 tbsp coconut oil, melted + 1 tbsp maple syrup
Vegan Strawberry Pie Filling:
- 6 cups (800 grams) sliced strawberries
- 2 tbsp coconut oil or vegan butter, melted
- 2 tbsp arrowroot starch or cornstarch
- juice from 1 lemon
- zest from 1 lemon
Instructions
- Make the vegan pie crust: Add the flour, arrowroot powder, coconut sugar, baking soda, and sea salt to a food processor, and pulse the ingredients together. Then add in the cubed vegan butter to the food processor, and pulse the ingredients until the mixture resembles a sand texture. Place the lid back onto the food processor, and begin to blend again. Remove the top insert from the lid and carefully slowly pour in the water 1 tablespoon at a time until it forms a smooth dough ball. Allow the dough to blend until it forms a large dough ball.
- Stop the food processor and remove the dough. Divide the dough in half and place it onto two separate pieces of parchment paper. Form each dough ball into a flat disk. Wrap the dough in the and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes. While the dough is chilling, lightly grease a 9″ pie dish with olive oil and set aside.
- Form the pie crust: When the pie crust is ready to be rolled, remove one dough disk from the fridge and allow it to rest for 15 minutes. Sprinkle a piece of parchment paper with flour, as well as the dough disk and a rolling pin. Gently roll the dough to be about 1/4″ thick and 1″ wider than the pie dish edge. See this pie crust video help. Gently drape the pie dough over the pie dish and gently press the dough into the sides of the pie dish. Place the pie crust into the fridge to chill, and remove the second dough disk.
- Make the blueberry pie filling: while the second dough disk is resting on the counter and the pie dish is in the fridge chilling, make the strawberry pie filling. In a large bowl, combine the sliced strawberries, arrowroot starch, coconut oil or vegan butter, lemon juice, and zest together until completely mixed. Remove the pie dish from the fridge and gently pour the strawberry filling into the pie dish. Place the pie dish back into the fridge and prepare the second dough disk.
- Make the top crust: Roll the second dough out like in step 3. Then use your favorite cookie cutter shapes to cut out designs in the pie crust. Remove the strawberry pie from the fridge, and then carefully flip the pie crust on top of the pie. Pinch and shape the edges of the crust as you’d like. You can also make a lattice crust if you’d prefer!
- Place the pie dish into fridge again and preheat the oven to 400F.
- Once the oven is preheated, make the vegan “egg” wash by mixing together the melted coconut oil and maple syrup. Use a pastry brush to brush the mixture over the top of the pie crust. Place the pie dish onto a baking sheet and gently cover with aluminum foil.
- Place the strawberry pie into the oven to bake for 25 minutes covered. Then remove the cover and reduce the heat to 350F. Bake the strawberry pie for an additional 25-30 minutes.
- The crust should look lightly golden, and the blueberries moist. Remove the strawberry pie from the oven and allow the strawberry pie to cool for 10 minutes at room temperature and then set completely in the fridge for 3 hours. Serve a la mode and enjoy!
Notes
For gluten free: use gluten free 1:1 baking flour, such as Bob’s Red Mill in the blue bag.
For lattice crust tips & tricks: please see this apple pie post.
Pie Crust tips: I find that using a pastry cutter or pizza cutter is the easiest way to make straight lines with your lattice crust.
Please read the full post above for all tips & tricks on making this strawberry pie absolutely amazing!
I ended up with a ton of ripe strawberries this week and found this recipe and it worked great! I used a pre-made gluten free crust, and 1 tbsp cornstarch/1 tbsp tapioca starch because I didn’t realize I was low on cornstarch, and it still turned out great. I skipped the top crust and just baked it open, then ate it with some lightly sweetened Greek yogurt and it hit the spot. I’ve been trying to cut back my sugar intake and while this might seem a little tart if you’re used to supercharged sweets, I found it perfect. Thanks!