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This Vegan Strawberry Cream Pie was inspired by a pie I enjoyed in childhood– one made with a box of strawberry Jello and a tub of Cool Whip! I loved that creamy strawberry pie so much I could eat the whole thing myself, if my family and friends didn’t beat me to it.
This homemade variation tastes remarkably similar to the original version I remember, but it’s made with fresh strawberries, creamy coconut milk, and pure maple syrup for a healthier alternative. Agar Agar flakes, a granulated seaweed, gives this pie it’s jello-like quality, but it’s used sparingly enough that it doesn’t have the exact texture of jello; it just helps give each slice some structure without melting into a pudding.
As you may know, I spend my nights and weekends testing my recipe ideas, and after making this pie 3 times this past weekend, I still can’t figure out the “perfect” ratio for the pie filling. The first time I made it, I made too little filling. The second time, I doubled the recipe and made over a cup too much! You’d think the third time would be the charm… but it wasn’t.
That’s when I realized that it would be WAY easier to just serve this pie in individual serving cups. No need to have the perfect amount of crust or filling, because the number of servings you make is up to you, depending on the number of people you need to serve. I made mine in some small glass dishes that hold about 6 ounces, but you could even make smaller portions using cute little shot glasses! I’ll continue to test the amount for filling a traditional pie, but for now I’ll leave you with this delicious recipe that can be doubled to fill a pie (with extra filling to spare) or created as-is and served in individual serving cups. Either way, it’s totally delicious without weighing you down!
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Vegan & Paleo Strawberry Cream Pie
Serves 4-6, depending on cup size
Ingredients:
Strawberry Filling:
3/4 cup full-fat coconut milk
1 tablespoon agar agar flakes
8 ounces fresh strawberries (about 1 1/4 cups chopped)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
No-Bake Crust:
1 cup almond meal
2 tablespoons melted coconut oil
1 1/2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
Pinch of salt
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Coconut whipped cream (optional for topping)
Sliced strawberries (optional for garnish)
Directions:
To prepare the no-bake crust, combine all of the ingredients and divide the dough between the number of cups you plan on using. (I used 4 6-ounce cups, but you could probably do up to 8 shot glasses with this amount of crust.)
To prepare the strawberry filling, combine the coconut milk and agar flakes in a small saucepan over medium-high heat and bring the mixture to a boil. Use a whisk to stir well and lower the heat to a simmer, whisking occasionally until all of the agar flakes have dissolved, about 5 minutes. Place the strawberries, vanilla, and maple syrup in your blender container and pour the coconut milk/agar mixture over the top. Blend on high until smooth and creamy, then pour the filling over each crust. Place the pies in the fridge to set until the center is firm, about 4 hours. Top with coconut whipped cream and fresh sliced strawberries just before serving!
Ingredients
Strawberry Filling:
- 3/4 cup full-fat coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon agar agar flakes
- 8 ounces fresh strawberries (about 1 1/4 cups chopped)
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
No-Bake Crust:
- 1 cup almond meal
- 2 tablespoons melted coconut oil
- 1 1/2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- Pinch of salt
Coconut whipped cream (optional for topping)
Sliced strawberries (optional for garnish)
Instructions
- To prepare the no-bake crust, combine all of the ingredients and divide the dough between the number of cups you plan on using. (I used 4 6-ounce cups, but you could probably do up to 8 shot glasses with this amount of crust.)
- To prepare the strawberry filling, combine the coconut milk and agar flakes in a small saucepan over medium-high heat and bring the mixture to a boil. Use a whisk to stir well and lower the heat to a simmer, whisking occasionally until all of the agar flakes have dissolved, about 5 minutes. Place the strawberries, vanilla, and maple syrup in your blender container and pour the coconut milk/agar mixture over the top. Blend on high until smooth and creamy, then pour the filling over each crust. Place the pies in the fridge to set until the center is firm, about 4 hours.
- Top with coconut whipped cream and fresh sliced strawberries just before serving!
Nutrition
Per Serving: Calories: 400, Fat: 30g, Carbohydrates: 31g, Fiber: 4g, Protein: 7g
Note: If you don’t need this pie to be vegan, I’m sure gelatin could be used as a substitute for the agar flakes, but the ratio will be different! I haven’t tested this recipe with gelatin yet, so be sure to Google the appropriate substitution before attempting this recipe with different ingredients. And please leave a comment below if you try something that works, so everyone can benefit!
I’ll do my best to get the amounts for the full-size pie up later this week, but I wanted you to enjoy this pie as much as I am right away. It’s so delicious!
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Reader Feedback: What’s your favorite Valentine treat? Any other makeovers I should try in the next couple weeks?
I love this recipe and can’t wait to try it!!! Agar is one of my favorite ingredients to use in dessert – it’s really good for your digestion. People are asking about frozen berries – with agar it often doesn’t work to make this replacement and the amount of agar usually needs to be increased – but by how much I don’t know. I would start with 1 teaspoon.
I used to be obsessed with the texture of cool whip when I was younger and I put it on everything! This pie looks amazing and the texture is where its at!
NOTE: 1 Tbl Agar Agar FLAKES = 1 tsp Agar Agar powder = 1 tsp gelatin.
P.S. Agar Agar sets up a little firmer then gelatin.
Thanks!
Looks so yummy! I Got an Instapot based on your recommendation but don’t quite know what to do with it. Could you compile a post liting which recipes you use it for? Thank you!!
I still have an InstaPot set aside on my Amazon Wish List – a bit expensve, so waiting for extra cash and enough justification. I think come canning season come this next summer/fall – I might find it more useful than all the time and energy used to both sterilize and can 8 pints at a time.
Woman! You nailed yet another amazing recipe! I just made these, and tasted as I went along (of course) and they are AMAZING. The flavor is spot on! Plus its such a pretty color- love this so much! Cannot wait for our after dinner treat tonight. Well done!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Can frozen strawberries be used?
Btw, I love, love, love your Vegan French Silk Pie (Soy-free!) . It’s to die for. Can’t help it to eat 2 slices a portion. lol.
Why not? Sometimes frozen fruits and vegetables have more nutrients than fresh, that is if fresh is not from a local farm, but shipped across country or even from another country. Than often frozen retains/has more nutrients.
I haven’t tried that myself, but it might be worth a shot. I would definitely thaw them first and give them a taste to make sure they taste as good as the fresh variety!
Used frozen strawberries that I picked last summer and it turned out amazing!! I let them thaw first and used the juices too. It definitely works! 🙂
Ohh i love this and I will try it with gelatin and let you know:) Gotta love the joy of recipe try out – again and again and again!! What do you do with all the ‘failed’ attempts – big freezer??
How did the gelatin go?
Gelatin worked perfectly, I made these and my kids loved them 😊
How much gelatin did you use?
Delightful! That’s all I can say. In Buffalo, you can say I’ve hit the January slump and am just so perked up that it’s finally February! And nearly Valentines’ Day. I actually almost named my daughter Valentine. This pie just is happy and has only good ingredients that I feel good about giving my family. So sweet! The presentation is lovely, epic visual appeal =)
This looks so easy and delicious! I can’t have raw almonds though – would pecans or another nut work as a substitute?
My wife makes a traditional, original NY Cheesecake (yes non-everything, except – not paleo, no sugar-free, etc.) the crust). Once or twice a year treat. However, she has used various nuts for the crust instead of any of the traditional flours. And they all come out good, walnut, pecan, almond, mixture, etc.
Thanks John! I think I’ll try pecans + walnuts 🙂
Love this beyond delicious twist on the classic strawberry cream pie treat! My favorite Valentine’s Day treat = White Chocolate Chip-Cherry Blondies. Any chance you would consider making over/improving this treat? I always love your blondie/brownie/bar recipes (and all of your recipes, really).
And here’s to February being a little warmer and even more fun for you! 🙂