Strawberry Meringue Pie
This no-bake strawberry meringue pie is layered with a sweet strawberry filling and crowned with a glossy Swiss meringue topping. The end result is a really beautiful pie.
The base of this pie is my no-bake graham cracker crust. It’s super simple to whip together in a food processor, then press into a pie pan and chilled until firm.
The strawberry filling is made of frozen or fresh strawberries, cooked and thickened with cornstarch. Once cooled, it holds its shape, but it’s still beautifully juicy and soft.
My favorite part of the pie is the Swiss meringue on top. It’s essentially a homemade marshmallow mixture, torched to golden brown perfection. I like to make the base and the filling the day before I want to serve this pie. Then once ready to serve, I whip up the meringue.
Ingredients
Find the ingredient amounts for this strawberry pie written in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post. Here is a rundown of what you will need.
Graham Cracker Crust
- Graham Crackers: These sweet wholegrain crackers add a slight honey flavor and a crunchy texture to the pie crust. You can also use vanilla cookies.
- Powdered sugar and salt: Enhances the overall flavor of the crust.
- Butter: Acts as a binding agent for the graham cracker crumbs and gives the crust a rich, buttery flavor. This can be salted or unsalted butter.
Strawberry Filling
- Fresh or frozen strawberries: These will get cooked down, so it works just as well with frozen fruit.
- Granulated Sugar and salt: Sweetens and enhances the tangy strawberries. This recipe uses 1/3 cup sugar, but you can increase of decrease this as you like.
- Cornstarch: This is used as a thickening agent. It helps to thicken the strawberry filling.
- Lemon Juice: The acidity from the lemon juice balances the sweetness of the strawberries and sugar and enhances their flavor.
Swiss Meringue Topping
- Egg Whites: The base of the meringue. These will get heated with sugar before being whipped.
- Granulated Sugar: Adds sweetness to the meringue and helps to stabilize the whipped egg whites.
- Vanilla paste or extract and salt: Adds flavor to the meringue
Equipment
You will need:
- 9-inch pie plate or 10-inch tart pan
- Food processor for blending the graham crackers
- Saucepan for cooking the strawberries
- Stand mixer for beating the Swiss meringue. You could also use an electric mixer, but a stand mixer is the easiest.
Method
- Add the graham crackers and powdered sugar to a food processor and blend into fine crumbs.
- Blend in the melted butter.
- Press the mixture into a 9-inch pie pan and place in the freezer.
- Place strawberries, sugar, cornstarch, and lemon juice over medium heat.
- Bring it to a boil and cook until thick and glossy.
- Take the graham cracker crust from the freezer.
- Add in the strawberry filling and let it chill for at least 4 hours.
- Heat egg whites and sugar over a hot water bath.
- Add the vanilla extract and salt and whip in a stand mixer.
- Beat at high speed until stiff glossy peaks form.
- Dollop the meringue over the chilled strawberry pie filling.
- You could also use a piping bag to add the meringue. Add in a few peaks and dips to the meringue.
- Torch the meringue crust with a blow torch so it’s a deep golden brown.
Serving and storing.
Slice the pie with a sharp knife. Any leftover strawberry meringue pie can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Variations
- Different Berries: You can swap the strawberries for raspberries, blackberries, or a mix of summer berries. Add in some lemon zest or orange zest to bring in more flavor.
- Whipped Cream: You can replace the Swiss meringue with a simple whipped cream topping. Whip 3/4 cup of heavy whipping cream with a tablespoon of powdered sugar and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract until stiff peaks form.
Or try this S’mores baked Alaska!
Strawberry Meringue Pie
This no-bake strawberry meringue pie is layered with a sweet and tart strawberry filling and crowned with a glossy Swiss meringue topping.
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust
- 165 g graham crackers
- 2 Tablespoons powdered sugar
- 85 g butter melted
Strawberry Filling
- 450 g Strawberries fresh or frozen
- 65 g granulated sugar
- 3 Tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 ½ Tablespoons cold water
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla paste or extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Swiss Meringue
- 3 large egg whites
- 150 g granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla paste or extract
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Add the graham crackers and powdered sugar to a food processor and blend into fine crumbs. Blend in the melted butter to create a thick and crumbly mixture.
- Press the mixture into a 9-inch pie pan. Press it in and around the edges using your fingers or a measuring cup.
- Place the crust in the freezer while you make the strawberry filling.
Strawberry filling
- Remove the top green leafy part of the strawberries and roughly chop them into pieces.
- Combine cold water and cornstarch into a slurry in a medium saucepan. Add the chopped strawberries, sugar, lemon juice, and salt. Place the saucepan over medium heat and stir regularly as the mixture begins to warm up.
- As the mixture boils, it will thicken quickly, become jelly-like, and lose its cloudy appearance. Let it boil for a full minute before taking it off the heat. It's important the cornstarch is cooked through properly, or else the filling can lose its thickness.
- Let the mixture cool for 5 minutes, then pour the filling into the chilled graham shell. Press a piece of plastic wrap onto the filling and chill the pie for at least 4 hours until completely cold and set.
Swiss meringue topping
- Mix egg whites and sugar in a metal or heat-proof stand mixer bowl. Set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, making sure the bottom of the bowl doesn't touch the water.
- Whisk the mixture constantly until the sugar dissolves or until the mixture reaches 160°F/71°C on a food thermometer.
- Remove the bowl from the saucepan. Add the vanilla extract and salt and place the bowl in your stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Beat at high speed until stiff glossy peaks form. They should be thick and glossy with just a bit of a bend.
- Dollop the meringue over the chilled strawberry pie filling and use an offset spatula to spread it in an even layer. You could also use a piping bag to add the meringue. Add in a few peaks and dips to the meringue. Torch the meringue with a blow torch so it's a deep golden brown.
Serving and storing.
- Slice the pie with a sharp knife. If you want clean slices, wipe the knife in-between each cut. Any leftover pie can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Notes
Cup Measurements – Both metric and U.S. customary cup measurements are provided. Use the toggle to switch between the two.
Nutrition
Serving: 1gCalories: 313kcalCarbohydrates: 52gProtein: 3gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 23mgSodium: 201mgFiber: 2gSugar: 37g
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
I don’t have a torch. Could you brown the meringue in the oven like you would a lemon meringue pie?
Yes you could put it under the broiler for a couple of minutes 🙂