So much fun, right?? This pie would be perfect for a 4th of July party (or any other day). It’s a whole lot of strawberry, a little bit of tangy, and a touch of spunky. Invite your friends for a socially distanced party and wow them with this Strawberry Daiquiri Pie.
This recipe is inspired by my husband’s favorite strawberry pie from Marie Callender’s restaurant. It’s basically fresh strawberries, soaked in sweet strawberry-flavored gelatin with whipped cream on top. It’s delicious. But hard to get!
Instead of regular pie crust (like Marie’s), I prefer a graham cracker crust, for this pie. I like to use Ashley English’s graham cracker crust recipe from her book A Year of Pies – with just one tweak (using salted butter instead of adding salt; its just easier and still tastes great).
And instead of artificially flavored gelatin, I use fresh strawberry puree to make a daiquiri, and then turn that into a gelatin. The daiquiri gelatin bathes fresh strawberries with sweetened lime and rum! To finish, top it with fresh whipped cream and some blueberries, and you have yourself a refreshing and patriotic pie good for any summer day (but especially Independence Day).
Sidebar – It is for the love of our country, which is made up of beautiful people of all shades and ethnicities, that we should join together to continue to work toward racial justice. As we celebrate our nation’s independence, we will not forget the sacrifice of all those who have gone before to pave the way for our freedom from oppression; from our founding fathers, to abolitionists, to civil rights activists, to protesters today who want to see that liberty and justice truly applies to all in this beautiful land.
Sorry – had to get that off my chest. And now, let’s bake!
Strawberry Daiquiri Pie Ingredients
For the Crust:
- 8 oz (about 2 cups) of graham crackers, crushed (the food processor works great for this)
- 1 stick (8 oz) salted butter, melted
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
For the Filling:
- 6 cups of strawberries (or 3 lbs)
- 1 package gelatin – you can usually get a small box at the grocery store cheaply
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tbsp lime juice (fresh squeezed- about the juice of 1/2 a lime)
- 4 oz Bacardi Limon (I used two 50ml bottles of this lemon-flavored rum)
For the topping:
- If you must, you can use cool whip, but it’s so much better with fresh whipped cream!
- 2 cups heavy (whipping) cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup sugar
- Optional: A handful of blueberries for the 4th of July celebration, and a sprig of mint (or basil if your feeling adventurous).
Instructions
You’ll need to first bake the crust to let it cool.
- Start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees.
- Toss together all the crust ingredients in a medium-sized bowl (or mix it all the food processor) and press it evenly into the bottom and all the way up the sides of a 9 inch pie dish.
- Pop it in the oven for 10 minutes; it should be fragrant and maybe a touch more brown, but it will not fully harden until it is cooled.
Then, prepare your strawberry filling.
- First, wash and hull (chop off the green stem parts) 2 lbs of your strawberries. Chop them roughly in half and place them right into your cooled crust.
- Then, make the daiquiri. First, add 1 packet of unflavored gelatin, 2 tbsp of water, and the 4 oz of rum to a medium-sized bowl. Mix a bit and set it aside (it won’t fully dissolve until we add the warm liquid).
- Wash and hull the remaining 1 lb of strawberries. Reserve about half for a garnish at the end. Add about a cup of strawberries to a blender, along with the 1 cup of sugar and 1 tbsp lime juice.
- Empty the contents of the blender into a small saucepan; cook and stir until it comes to a boil. Pour the hot liquid over the gelatin and rum mixture. Stir 5 minutes or until completely dissolved.
- Pour the warm liquid all over the strawberries in the pie crust and immediately place the pie into the fridge to chill.
Almost done! Add your whipped topping.
- Chill your heavy whipping cream for 10-15 minutes in the freezer.
- Add the cream to a medium bowl, along with 1/4 cup sugar and 1 tsp vanilla. Using an electronic mixer , whisk at high speed until the mixture forms firm peaks (overmixing gets it a bit lumpy, but still tastes great). Spread the whipped cream over the strawberry pie.
You’re Done.
Garnish with the remaining strawberries and a handful of blueberries. Sprinkle on some fresh strips of basil or add a sprig of mint for color. And you’ve got yourself a show-stopper.
Please let us know if you love it. Ours was a hit for Father’s Day (the dad’s loved it) and it was gone in a matter of minutes with everyone asking for seconds. Looking for more pie inspiration? Check out our other recipes!
Pro Tips
- Many strawberry pies show the strawberries whole. I halved them because I find that the whole strawberries make the pie difficult to cut and awkward to eat. Nevertheless, this pie will still be a bit messy. Just embrace the mess.
- If you have friends with dairy allergies, you can substitute the whipped topping for dairy-free cool whip or coconut whipped topping in a can.