Nothing says Spring like strawberry season, and when you live in close proximity to the annual California Strawberry Festival, you can’t help but have strawberries on the brain this time of year. The first thing we do with strawberries is make Strawberry Chiffon Pie!
Strawberryland
I’m lucky enough to live near some of the premier strawberry growers in the world! The Nishimori family that owns our local Las Posas Berries have been growing hybrid Japanese Strawberries for generations and have been close friends of our family for decades. All the locals here stalk their farms’ Facebook page beginning in February, waiting for their roadside stand Open Season date. Once they open, they sell out fast! If you don’t get to their stand by noon there’s a pretty good chance you’re out of luck for the day.
So how do we eat these beautiful strawberries? Well, the Las Posas Berries are one of the few strawberries that are sweet enough for you to eat right from the basket. They are juicy, sweet, and we often describe them as tasting like they’ve injected each berry with sugar. Harry’s Berries just up the road is another delicious, sweet strawberry. They are much smaller berry than the Las Posas berries, but they pack a lot of sweetness into them. They are a little more difficult to get your hands on because they’re only sold at a few select Certified Farmer’s Markets in Southern California.
Fresh strawberries are excellent on top of ice cream, cereal, or in cakes. I buy “seconds” (less desirable looking berries due to flaws so they cost about half the price) to make strawberry jam, but our very favorite way to eat strawberries is in Strawberry Chiffon Pie!
Mom’s Strawberry Pie
My mom made up this pie recipe when we were kids. It uses Strawberry Jell-o, Cool Whip, and fresh strawberries. She even sent it in to Jell-o and I’ve seen other versions since then. One year I entered this recipe into a local Strawberry Dessert contest and won 1st place!
If you’re looking for something with less sugar, you can substitute the ingredients for Sugar Free Jell-o, and Cool Whip Lite.
We like to use the pre-made Graham Cracker crust by Keebler or Honey Maid, but I typically make a Gluten Free Graham Cracker crust for myself. You can follow my recipe for that below too.
Jump to Recipe
I love the simplicity of this recipe, just 4 ingredients (counting the crust), and it’s a no-bake/refrigerator pie which makes it perfect for the warmer days of Spring & Summer. Enjoy!
Looking for another fun easy dessert? Try my Caramel Apple Pie Cupcakes!
Strawberry Chiffon Pie
Light & refreshing, this Strawberry Chiffon Pie is the perfect sweet treat on a warm Spring or Summer day.
Ingredients
- 1 3 oz box Strawberry Jell-O, instant
- 1 12 oz Cool Whip
- 2 baskets Fresh Strawberries, washed, hulled, and sliced
- 1 Graham Cracker Crust
Instructions
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In a medium bowl, mix strawberry Jell-O with 1 cup boiling water. Slowly stir for 2 mins to dissolve the Jell-O mix. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate about 2 hours (after the first hour check it every 20 mins. You want it to just start setting up – like molasses).
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Once the Jell-O is starting to set, fold in the cool whip until completely combined. It will look like pink marshmallow fluff.
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Fold the sliced strawberries into the Jell-O mixture and spoon it into the graham cracker pie shell. There's usually some leftover Jell-O mixture in the bottom of the bowl that's really great to eat with a spoon.
You can garnish the pie with fresh strawberries if you'd like
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Cover and chill about 1 hour.
Recipe Notes
I usually cover my pie with plastic wrap, but if you want to keep it from sticking to the top of the pie and ruining the presentation, just flip a large bowl upside down over it in the refrigerator.
You can substitute Sugar Free Jell-O and Cool Whip Lite for a less sugar pie.
Gulten Free Graham Cracker Crust
Ingredients
- 2 Cups Gluten Free Graham Cracker Crumbs
- 1/3 Cup Sugar
- 8 Tbs Butter, melted
Instructions
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Mix all the ingredients in a medium bowl.
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Pour mixture into a 8 or 9 inch pie plate and press into the bottom and sides with your hands, getting it spread out as evenly as possible. I recommend using the back of a measuring cup to compact the crumbs well and smooth out the crust after you spread it evenly with your hands.
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Refrigerate approximately 2 hours. This allows the butter to set up and keep the crust together.
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OPTIONAL: If you prefer, you can bake the crust instead in a 350° F oven for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before filling.
Recipe Notes
If you choose to bake the crust instead of refrigerating it, you’ll notice it will puff up slightly.