My made from scratch Strawberry and Cream Cheese Pie with a Cookie Crust is a delicious, creamy dessert for the warmer seasons. There is no gelatin or Jello used in the creation of it. This chilled pie is one of our favorites! Save it to Pinterest so you can find it when you want to make it.
When it comes to summer sweets, I really enjoy easy desserts that are chilled. Summer here can be so hot and humid. Any food items – especially desserts – that are served cold are almost alway my preference. Strawberries are still in season here through the end of June or so (weather dependent) and they are one of my favorite spring and summer fruits. My Strawberry and Cream Cheese Pie is the perfect combination of my love of chilly desserts and strawberries all in one.
What is Strawberry and Cream Cheese Pie?
So you might be wondering what this little, beautiful creation is exactly. It starts with a cookie crust. I use crushed Nilla Wafers (which my family cannot keep in the house for more than a day) along with sugar and butter to help firm up the crushed cookies. The I fill it with a mixture of my homemade Strawberry Jam and a kind of no-bake cream cheese layer. I happen to also love pudding and to me the texture of the pie is so pudding-like. Even with the jam in it, it is so smooth and creamy. It is really one dreamy dessert for the season.
Nila Wafer Crust
There is minimal baking when it comes to my Strawberry and Cream Cheese Pie but that little bit of baking can be found in making the crust. To crush the cookies, you can use a food processor or you can crush them in a plastic baggie. Just make sure you get them nice and small to help form into the crust.
Because we are working with crusted cookies, this crust will not have the defined edges of a normal pie crust. But I love it so much and think it works perfectly with the filling. Almost like a crunch topping on a parfait, but on the bottom.
Once you combine everything and form it into your pie pan, it takes just 10 -12 minutes to bake up. Then you set it aside for about an hour to cool before making the filling.
The Strawberry Jam
As I mentioned, I use my homemade, small batch strawberry jam in my Strawberry and Cream Cheese Pie. You can find that recipe {HERE}. You can also use your own homemade strawberry jam or even a store bought jam that you love. If you are going to make mine or your own, I recommend making a day or so before making the pie. I actually ended up making mine about a week in advance. Mine stores up for about a month without needing to can.
The Cream Cheese Filling
The bulk of my Strawberry and Cream Cheese Pie comes from the cream cheese filling. It is very similar to a no-bake cheesecake filling except it uses a touch more heavy cream. Combining the cream cheese, powdered sugar, cream and vanilla with the strawberry preserves really helps this filling to stand out from other desserts. And the way ti works with the crust is kind of magical.
Topping it off
On top of that luscious filling is a strawberry topping mix. I use fresh strawberries, a little bit of sugar and some lemon zest to really kick up the flavors. Then I top it with basil. I love the combination of basil and strawberries. Truly a match made in heaven. However, if you prefer mint you can substitute the basil out for mint. The Strawberry and Cream Cheese Pie is really just about creating layers of flavor so having those fresh herbs on there just completes the dish.
Tips for making my Strawberry and Cream Cheese Pie
- Give yourself some time for this one. The crust doesn’t take long to make but I do recommend chilling the pie at least 4 hours in the refrigerator. Then I recommend freezing it for one hour. I love how it tastes best somewhere between chilled and frozen.
- You can make the crust the day before if you like and want to save some time on the day of making it.
- Again, if making your own jam, make that in advance too.
- Don’t add the strawberry topping until just before you are ready to serve.
- You should be able to pull it from the freezer and slice it since it will only be in there for an hour. You can also wait 5 minutes if it is too hard.
- To save the leftovers, you can lightly cover the pie and keep it in the refrigerator for 2 days. Or you can freeze it for about a week. Let it thaw in the refrigerator in order to cut through it.
Looking for more summer recipes?
Here are a few more summer recipes for you to build out a summer menu!
Dinners
- Summer Sausage Skillet {HERE}
- Sausage Stuffed Zucchini {HERE}
- Coconut Crusted Mahi Mahi {HERE}
- White Wine and Flank Steak Marinade {HERE}
- Barbecue Ribs on the Grill {HERE}
- Marinated Steak Skewers {HERE}
- Barbecue Chicken Salad with Jalapeno Basil Ranch Dressing {HERE}
Sides
- Rotini Pasta Salad with Homemade Italian Dressing {HERE}
- Herb Ranch Pasta Salad {HERE}
- French Potato Salad {HERE}
- Mustard Potato Salad {HERE}
- Grilled Corn Salad with Avocado and Red Pepper {HERE}
- Classic Macaroni Salad {HERE}
- Classic English Pea Salad {HERE}
Desserts
- Homemade Angel Food Cake {HERE}
- Blueberry Pie Ice Cream {HERE}
- Cherry Cobbler {HERE}
- Watermelon Sorbet {HERE}
- Triple Berry Trifle {HERE}
- Classic White Cake {HERE}
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Thank you so much for joining me today, friends! I hope that you love my Strawberry and Cream Cheese Pie recipe with cookie crust and that you come back again to visit at the farmhouse. You can find the full, printable recipe below. Happy eating!
Strawberry and Cream Cheese Pie with a Cookie Crust
Equipment
- 1 pie pan
- Hand mixer
Ingredients
Ingredients for the Cookie Crust
- 11 oz Nilla Wafers One regular sized box
- 1/2 cup butter, melted 1 stick
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- Cooking spray I use an olive oil spray.
Ingredients for the Creamy Filling
- 16 oz Cream cheese
- 1/2 - 3/4 cup Confectioners sugar Taste in between and if you want it sweeter, add the other 1/4 cup.
- 1 cup Heavy cream
- 1/2 tbsp Vanilla extract
- 3 tbsp Strawberry jam or preserves
Ingredients for the Strawberry Topping
- 2 cups sliced strawberries
- 1/2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1/2 tbsp lemon zest
- Chopped basil for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Using food processor, blend the Nilla Wafers. You can also crush them in a plastic bag if you don't have a food processor. Add them to a bowl with the sugar and the melted butter. Mix well. Spray a pie pan with cooking spray and then form the cookie mix into the pan. Start on the bottom and then work up the sides.
- Bake the crust for 10 -12 minutes until it looks a little more golden. Let the crust cool for about 1 hour.
- For the filling, combine the cream cheese and confectioners sugar and blend until smooth with a hand mixer. Add the heavy cream, about 1/3 cup at a time. Then add the vanilla extract and strawberry jam. Blend until smooth and then spoon it into the pie crust. Chill for 4 hours in the refrigerator and then freeze for 1 hour.
- When the pie is in the freezer, make the strawberry topping by combining the strawberries, lemon zest and sugar. Chill in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve the pie.
- Just before serving, add the strawberry topping. Then sprinkle on the basil and slice and serve.
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