Easy Strawberry Pie Recipe, Gluten Free Option

Easy Strawberry Pie with Gluten Free Option

I had a barbecue last week and along with that a very strong craving for old fashioned strawberry pie.

What I really wanted was a tart crust that could handle the strawberries and bake like a tart, only without the pastry cream that is generally associated with a fruit tart. I just wanted an amazing gluten free pastry crust and the freshest, sweetest strawberries I could find.

I got my wish and you will too. My dinner guests LOVED this pie. I call it a pie, even though I baked it like a tart, because I didn’t use pastry cream. Making a tart is always an option, but I was looking for that old fashioned strawberry pie we all grew up with. No one knew this was a rice flour based pastry crust as opposed to a wheat flour crust.

The biggest compliments were actually for the pastry crust and Mr. Spinach Tiger said, “this is good period, not good for a gluten free dessert.” That is why I will make a separate post for the tart crust which comes from America’s Test Kitchen will publish later today.

If you are not eating gluten free you can make this tart crust. It’s tried and true.

If you are eating gluten free, you will be blown away. I used the recipe from the America’s Test Kitchen, and dessert will never be the same again. I think I will use this for everything, including cobbler, so stay tuned.

Having said that, I did make their gluten free  flour after ordering a LOT of various flours from Bob’s Red Mill. However, you can use the Bob’s Red Mill one to one flour and it will be just as good. The only thing I would add is tablespoon of non-fat dried milk, but that’s not totally necessary.

The tart recipe is outstanding. Not just outstanding for gluten free. It stands all on its own and when I served this strawberry tart (more like an old school strawberry pie), my guests couldn’t stop talking about it. I sent home the last big piece because they liked it so much. I kept one small piece for the morning, and even overnight in the refrigerator, the tart crust remained stable and actually even more delicious.

Easy Strawberry Pie Recipe

As for the strawberry filling, I didn’t add sugar or any kind of gelatin. Instead, I mixed the strawberries in a very small amount of a combination of apple jelly and strawberry preserves. As odd as this sounds, trust me; it was a magical flavor profile.

This is the dessert to make for guests when you want something a little special without a lot of time involved. You can make the tart crust in advance and keep in freezer. You can bake it that day at anytime, making sure you have enough time to have it cool off.

The strawberries can be prepared in the morning and can sit happily in the refrigerator. When it’s time to serve, it’s as simple as dumping the berries into the crust. I actually did this two hours before dinner and kept in the refrigerator.

You can always buy a pre-made crust if you need super easy, but it may not have the wow this easy strawberry pie recipe has.

We served this with ice cream, but of course whipped cream is an option. Prepare a stabilized whipped cream as I did here and refrigerate until serving time. It will be lovely.

Turn this Easy Strawberry Pie Recipe into a Tart by Adding Pastry Cream

You could also prepare a tart cream filling,  as I did in this recipe, prior to adding the fruit.

You can also make your own gluten free flour. Recipe here.