4/28/17: This recipe for Summer Strawberry Pie with Shortbread Crust has been updated from the original- if it looks different than you remember, that’s why. The end result is exactly the same and the changes are just slight tweaks in the method.
Also! If you love the sound of this but would prefer a nut-free crust, simply use the crust from the Grapefruit Tart instead.
I remember the first time I had strawberry pie.
I thought it was disgusting.
In my defense, it probably was. It was made with strawberry Jello, and I’m guessing a whole lot of white sugar. The pie crust was store bought, which to me, tasted like chemicals. Store bought pie crusts were a thing of mystery to me, since the only pie crusts made in my mom’s house were made from scratch with a lot of swearing. (I learned from a young age that the more difficult a pie crust was to handle, the better the end result)
Fast forward 20 something years, and the pie crusts made in my house are made with an assortment of grain-free flours, and I’m actually seeking out gelatin. But not the day-glo stuff we’ve come to associate with hospitals and school cafeterias, but the good stuff. It turns out that gelatin is pretty damn good for us when it comes from good sources. I could go on, but I’d be amazed if you were still reading this, considering there’s a recipe for strawberry pie right around the corner. I know that Grass Fed Girl and Balanced Bites have all sorts of nerdy nutrition fun about how good it is for you… Some good reads for you while the pie is cooling!
Having a flat of strawberries from the Farmers Market inspired me to give this bad memory of a pie a paleo makeover. The simple shortbread crust is barely sweet, and holds up remarkably well to the sweet berries that are held together by strawberry puree and gelatin.
And [shocker] it’s even better with whipped cream, dairy or coconut, whichever you prefer. As far as whether you serve it on the side or plop it right on top, that’s completely up to you.
Summer Strawberry Pie with Shortbread Crust
For the Crust:
2 tablespoons butter, melted (coconut oil for a dairy-free version)
2 tablespoons honey
1 large egg, well beaten
1 ½ cups almond flour
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons arrowroot starch
1 tablespoon coconut flour
⅛ teaspoon salt
For the filling:
1 tablespoon grassfed gelatin
2 pounds strawberries, washed and hulled
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon honey (optional, if your berries are on the tart side of you’d like your tart a touch sweeter)
- Make the crust:
- Preheat oven to 350
- Combine the melted butter, honey, and beaten egg in a small bowl.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the almond flour, coconut flour, arrowroot, and salt.
- Combine the wet and dry ingredients and stir / knead to combine. It should be just a little but sticky, but still kneadable. If it’s too wet, add a teaspoon of arrowroot at a time until it comes together.
- Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes, or until chilled. (If you’re feeling really impatient, you can skip this step, but it helps make rolling out easier)
- Roll out a 10 inch circle in between two sheets parchment paper. Remove the top sheet of parchment and using the bottom sheet, flip the crust into the pie dish. Crimp the edges as desired. Poke holes in the bottom of the crust with a fork.
- Bake at 350 for 14-18 minutes, or until golden brown. (Cover edges with aluminum foil after about 10 minutes if they’re browning before the rest)
- Allow to cool. (I put it in the fridge on a rack after it’s cooled at room temp for a bit)
- Meanwhile, make the filling:
- In a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over 2 tablespoons of cold water.
- In a blender, puree 1/4 of the strawberries (about 1/2 pound) in a blender with 1/2 cup of water until very smooth.
- Pour into a small saucepan and heat until just steaming. Turn off the heat and whisk in the honey and gelatin mixture to dissolve. Allow to cool slightly, about 5 minutes.
- Slice remaining strawberries and place in the cooled crust.
- Pour the gelatin into the crust, give it a little shake to evenly distribute.
- Return to the fridge to cool and set completely. (about 2-3 hours, depending on how cool your crust and gelatin was when you assembled)
- If desired, top with coconut whipped cream (or regular whipped cream if you’re a dairy eater.)
To make coconut whipped cream: Go back in time and put a can of coconut milk in the fridge. The next day (today!), Open it without shaking, and scoop off just the thick cream that has settled at the top. Whip as you would regular cream, adding honey and/or vanilla if you’d like.
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Caitlin says
Looks epic!! Thanks for he link!
Amy says
I made this last night and we had it for brunch today. PERFECTION. My husband LOVED this pie. I can’t believe there are only 2 tbsp of honey in the entire recipe. Another amazing recipe Simone – thank you!
ariyele says
swoon!
Jess says
Excellent! Came out perfect, Loved it :)) thank you for your awesome recipes!
Crystal says
This turned out perfectly! Thank you again! I am working my way through all of your recipes and haven’t had a fail yet. 🙂
Jennifer Champion says
This was AMAZING!!!!!! I ate the whole thing almost by myself!
Kelly says
This pie looks so good!, trying to eat grass fed gelatin.
Samantha says
Do you think I could use frozen strawberries? I have a ton of them in the freezer that I need to do something with.
Samantha says
I’m also wondering if I could do this with blueberries since a friend just picked 18 lbs. Maybe with a little honey to balance the tartness? I wonder how many I would need to use since I’m not sure 2lbs is the same volume.
zenbellyblog says
I think blueberries would work! I’m guessing there might be an issue with the amount of liquid in blueberries vs strawberries. Since you have so many, I would try an abbreviated version to see how it sets, before pouring it into a pie crust. It would be a shame to make a crust if it didn’t work out! Re: frozen strawberries, I think it would be a similar situation with the liquid, they change a bit when frozen, but I bet it will still work and be delicious. Let me know how it turns out!
Pete says
Awesome!
Christine Damm says
I let the crust sit in the fridge too long and it fell apart when I tried to roll it out so I scrapped the whole thing before I realized that maybe I could just press it into a tart pan or pie plate? Ever tried that? since it was called a “shortbread” crust, it seemed that might be ok. Any advice on this would be great!
zenbellyblog says
I think that would work just fine! I haven’t tried it with this recipe, but I think as long as the thickness is about right it will work. If it’s just a temperature issue, anyway. If it’s an actual recipe issue, the crust might be too dry. I’ve found that a slightly smaller egg can result in that. If that’s the case, you can beat another egg and add a tiny bit until it comes together properly. I hope it worked the first time. though!
Christine Damm says
My hens lay giant eggs so that’s not it– your recipe is fine. I left the crust in there for 5 days and honey is hydroscopic (I think that’s it?) and attracts water so it dried out. I should have just done a galette with it. I’m trying again tomorrow and I’ll keep you posted. Thanks for the reply!
Ellen Parlee says
It can take time to make a pie, especially if you are making the crust from scratch, but the end result is always more delicious! Thanks for sharing this perfect summer recipe.
Sheryl Peters says
I love this recipe!! I’ve made it several times with strawberries and several times with peaches. I was so excited when strawberry season came again so I could make this for Easter. I doubled the recipe for the crust before realizing I didn’t buy enough strawberries to make two pies. I didn’t have any other fruit in the house, so I decided to dump half a bag of Enjoy Life chocolate chunks on the extra crust and put it back in the warm oven for a few minutes. I then used a spoon to swirl the melted chocolate around the crust to make an even layer. My husband tolerates dairy, so he ate some while the chocolate was still warm with some whipped cream. He said it was delicious. I let it sit on the counter over night and ate some this morning and tasted like Milano cookies. So good!!! I love this crust!!
eloquacious says
Unless I’m mistaken, this is the same crust in your recipe book. And I made it for Easter last night… but I have a huge quibble with you: IT’S TOO GOOD. Seriously, my husband, who generally snubs his nose at anything I bake because it’s different/paleo/etc., he ate a huge piece of the berry tart and LOVED it.
Kim says
Delicious!! Now _THIS_ is strawberry pie. I used the graham crust from He Won’t Know It’s Paleo to make it AIP-compliant. Yum.
zenbellyblog says
mmmm awesome! I’m glad it was so easy to make it AIP compliant!
Amy says
OH! WOW! My family just went strawberry picking and this is going to get made soon!!! 🙂 Do you think this pie would freeze well? If I made it from start to finish and then froze the whole pie?
zenbellyblog says
Hm that’s a good question. I want to say yes, but I’m not sure what happens to gelatin when it freezes… The crust and strawberries should be fine. I’ll have to make a tiny batch of gelatin and freeze it to see what happens.
Donna in Inwood says
I have a deep dish pie plate (about 2 inches) and a regular pie plate (about 1 1/4 inches).
Is there enough dough here to use in the deep dish plate? I can’t tell from the pic.
thx
zenbelly says
I used a regular pie plate so I can’t say for sure, but I had extra for crimping so you might be able to make it work!