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Jump to RecipeWe’ve all heard the saying, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” I’m going to kick that up a notch, and instead of just making lemonade, I made lemonade pie. Better yet, I added strawberries to it. Strawberry Lemonade Pie – YUM!!! Seriously, this pie will put a smile on anyone’s face – especially yours, when you see how simple it is to make this beautiful, colorful pie. This pie does have a couple of steps as you have two distinct layers, strawberry and lemon, but nothing complicated. Plus, several shortcuts allow you to control how much time and effort you want to invest.
A store-bought graham cracker crust is the first shortcut. It’s the perfect base and doesn’t require baking! To give it a more home-made look (and the real benefit of providing stability), place your store-bought crust in a glass pie plate. If you have a fancy pie plate, go for it! I use my reliable Pyrex pie plates. I like the clear glass.
There are all sorts of shortcuts with the strawberry sauce. First, if you aren’t in the mood to make your own strawberry sauce, you can buy it. Well, you can buy strawberry glaze – which for the purposes of this pie, will work just fine. It won’t have the same depth of flavor that you get with fresh, but it will save you at least a half-hour between prepping the berries and cooking the sauce. While I’m all for using store-bought, I prefer making my own sauce. The taste is vastly superior, and I like controlling the sugar. I prefer to let the natural sugars do their thing, so this recipe only calls for ¼ cup. I also like the thicker texture.
The strawberries need to be thoroughly rinsed, hulled (cored), and chopped. The berries can be hulled with a knife, but I love my strawberry huller. It’s a nifty little gadget that is a huge time-saver. Now, there is a middle option between store-bought strawberry glaze and fresh berries. Frozen strawberries are available whole or sliced. If they are sliced, they are ready for the saucepan. Make sure to read the label. Some frozen berries have sugar added. If that’s the case, reduce the added sugar (you can always add more).
When the sauce cools, it needs to be blended to a smooth consistency. An immersion blender is perfect for this task. A food processor or regular blender will also accomplish this job. The sauce needs to be at room temperature before it is added to the filling.
The lemon filling is made from a 6 ounce (small) can of frozen lemonade concentrate, a can of sweetened condensed milk, and one cup of whipped topping. A few drops of food coloring added to the mixture enhance the lemon yellow color. Knox unflavored gelatin gives the filling stability. The result is a lemony sweet filling that has a deliciously smooth texture. For a more tart filling, change out one tablespoon of water with lemon juice when mixing up the unflavored gelatin.
When the sauce and filling are ready, it’s time for the fun! Pour 1/3 of the filling in the crust. On top of the filling layer, spoon a third of the strawberry sauce in a random pattern. Using a table knife, swirl the layers together to form a decorative pattern. Repeat the process for the second layer and top layer. Refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight. Before serving, if desired, garnish with fresh strawberries, a lemon slice, and whipped topping, like Reddi-Wip. It’s almost too pretty to eat!!
Strawberry Lemonade Pie
Course: DessertCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy8
servings45
minutesA silky smooth lemon filling layered with swirls of strawberry sauce come together in a store-bought graham cracker crust for a beautiful and colorful presentation.
Ingredients
1 pound strawberries chopped
1/4 cup sugar
1 (1/4-oz.) packet unflavored gelatin (Knox)
3 tablespoons cold water
6 oz can frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
1 (14-oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup whipped topping (Cool Whip), thawed
Yellow food coloring
1 (9-inch) graham cracker crust
Optional: Aerosol whipped topping for decoration (Reddi-Wip)
Optional: Sliced strawberries and lemon slices for garnish
Directions
- Place strawberries and 1/4 cup sugar in a medium-sized saucepan and cook over medium high until very soft, stirring occasionally. Continue cooking until liquid becomes thick and syrupy, about 20 minutes. Set aside to cool. When cool enough to touch, blend until smooth using an immersion blender or food processor.
- In a microwave safe small bowl, combine unflavored gelatin with 3 tablespoons cold water. Stir with a fork and set aside while preparing filling.
- In a medium sized bowl, mix thawed lemonade concentrate, sweetened condensed milk, whipped topping, and yellow food coloring until completely combined. .Microwave gelatin mixture for 10 seconds. Stir until smooth and pour gelatin mixture into the filling mixture and stir well to combine.
- Pour a third of the filling into graham cracker crust. Pour a quarter cup of strawberry sauce on top of the filling in a random design. Use a table knife to swirl the strawberry with the lemon filling to create a pretty design. Repeat for two more layers. (There may be a little left over strawberry sauce – save for another use)
- Refrigerate pie for 3 hours or overnight. Garnish with whipped topping before serving.
Notes
- Frozen strawberries can be substituted for fresh.
- Time Saver: Use store-bought strawberry glaze instead of making the sauce. (You won’t need the fresh strawberries or sugar)
- *For a more tart lemon flavor, use 2 tablespoons water and one tablespoon lemon juice
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