I first tasted Big Boy’s legendary strawberry pie during a family road trip through Michigan. It was a sweltering July afternoon, and we stopped at a Big Boy restaurant to escape the heat. The server suggested their famous strawberry pie, and from the moment that first forkful of juicy berries and buttery crust hit my tongue, I was hooked. Ever since then, I’ve been recreating this nostalgic dessert in my kitchen, perfecting the recipe over years of summer baking sessions.
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If you’ve never experienced the joy of a Big Boy strawberry pie, you’re in for a treat. This iconic dessert features plump, fresh strawberries encased in a sweet homemade glaze, all nestled in a flaky, buttery crust. Unlike many strawberry pie recipes that rely on artificial strawberry Jello, this version uses a scratch-made glaze that lets the natural flavor of fresh berries shine through.
Why This Recipe Works
This homemade version might just be better than the restaurant’s original! The combination of fresh berries and made-from-scratch glaze creates a dessert that’s:
- Bursting with authentic strawberry flavor
- Not overly sweet or artificial tasting
- Easy to make with simple ingredients
- Perfect for showcasing seasonal berries
- A guaranteed crowd-pleaser at summer gatherings
Ingredients
Fresh strawberries, whipped cream, and buttery pie crust go together well. These ingredients make the perfect springtime pie. Here is what you need:
For the Crust:
- All-purpose flour – Creates the structure for the crust, providing that classic flaky texture
- Powdered sugar – Adds sweetness while keeping the crust tender, unlike granulated sugar, which can make it tougher
- Butter – Provides richness and that distinctive buttery flavor while creating flaky layers when baked
- Vanilla – Enhances the overall flavor profile, adding depth and warmth to complement the sweet berries
- Water – Binds the dry ingredients together, helping to form a cohesive dough
For the Glaze:
- Granulated sugar – Sweetens the glaze while helping it achieve the right consistency when cooked
- Salt – Balances the sweetness and enhances the natural strawberry flavor
- Cornstarch – Acts as a thickening agent, giving the glaze body and allowing it to set properly
- Red food coloring – An optional ingredient that enhances the visual appeal by giving the glaze a vibrant red color
- Water – Dissolves the sugar and cornstarch, creating the base for the glaze
For Assembly and Serving:
- Fresh strawberries – The star ingredient that provides fresh flavor, texture and natural sweetness
- Whipped cream – Adds a creamy, light contrast to the sweet berries and buttery crust
How to Select Perfect Strawberries
The secret to an outstanding strawberry pie lies in choosing the best berries. Here’s how to select strawberries like a pro:
- Choose organic when possible – Conventional strawberries often contain residue from pesticides, so organic options are worth the extra cost.
- Look for fully ripe berries – Unlike some fruits, strawberries don’t continue to ripen after harvesting. Select berries that are bright red throughout with no white or green patches.
- Check for freshness – Fresh strawberries have vibrant green caps and a sweet aroma. Avoid berries with dry, brown stems or those that look dull.
- Inspect all sides of the container – Don’t just judge by the top layer! Turn the container over to check for mold, moisture, or damaged berries hiding below.
- Size isn’t everything – While smaller wild strawberries are often intensely flavored, many modern varieties are bred to be both large and sweet, so don’t dismiss bigger berries.
How to Make Big Boy Strawberry Pie
- Make the crust by combining flour, butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla.
- Mix well and press into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie pan. Prick all over.
- Bake the crust at 350 degrees for about 10 to 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove it from the oven and let it cool completely.
- While the crust is baking, mix water, granulated sugar, salt, cornstarch, and food coloring in a small saucepan, cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, for about 5 minutes, until thickened. Set aside to cool.
- When the crust is cool, pile the berries in the crust and pour the thickened glaze over the top.
- Refrigerate until the glaze is set.
- Serve with a dollop of whipped cream or whipped dessert topping.
Tips for making, baking, and storing a fresh strawberry pie
- Are you scared of making pastry? It’s not a problem. You can still make this fresh strawberry pie using a premade crust. Try a simple Saltine cracker crust for something different but delicious.
- Avoid a soggy bottom. Keeping the bottom crust from getting too wet can be frustrating. Try lightly coating the inside of the unbaked crust with a beaten egg and placing the pie tin on a preheated baking sheet.
- Store the pie in the fridge for up to five days. Keep the pie in the pie pan on the counter until it cools completely. Wrap it lightly with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge.
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Big Boy Strawberry Pie
Ingredients
Pie Crust ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 4 ounces butter at room temperature
- 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Strawberry pie filling ingredients
- 1 cup water
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon red food coloring
- 1 quart strawberries rinsed, stemmed, and dried
- 1 pint whipped cream for garnish
Instructions
Pie Crust Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Make the crust by combining the flour, butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla. Mix well and press into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie pan. Prick all over.Â
- Bake for about 10 to 15 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.
Strawberry Pie Filling Instructions
- While the crust is baking, mix the water, granulated sugar, salt, cornstarch, and food coloring in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, for about 5 minutes, until thickened. Set aside to cool.
- When the crust is cool, pile the berries in the crust and pour the thickened glaze over the top. Refrigerate until the glaze is set. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream or whipped dessert topping.
Video
Notes
Troubleshooting Tips
- Runny glaze? Cook the glaze until it’s visibly thickened. If it’s still too thin after cooling, reheat it with a bit more cornstarch.
- Soggy crust? Brush the inside of your crust with beaten egg white before baking, creating a moisture barrier.
- Are the strawberries turning mushy? Make sure your glaze is completely cooled before pouring it over the strawberries. A hot glaze can cook and soften the fresh berries.
- Is the crust crumbling when serving? Be sure you’ve pressed the crust firmly into the pan, especially around the edges.
Nutrition
Substitutions and Dietary Modifications
- Gluten-Free Option: Substitute the all-purpose flour with a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend. Add 1/4 teaspoon of xanthan gum if your blend doesn’t already include it.
- Vegan Variation: Replace the butter with a plant-based butter stick (not spread) and use coconut whipped cream instead of dairy whipped cream.
- Reduced Sugar: Cut the sugar in the glaze by up to 25% without dramatically affecting the set. You can also use a granulated sugar alternative that measures like sugar.
- No Food Coloring: Skip the red food coloring entirely for a more natural look, or use a few drops of beet juice for natural coloring.
- Alternative Crusts: Try a graham cracker crust, shortbread crust, or even a simple no-bake cookie crust if you’re short on time.
Storage and Make-Ahead Tips
- Refrigerator Storage: This pie will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Cover loosely with plastic wrap to prevent condensation from dripping onto the pie surface.
- Freezing: While you can freeze the baked crust, the assembled pie doesn’t freeze well due to the fresh strawberries. They’ll release too much moisture when thawed.
- Make-Ahead Components: Prepare the crust and glaze up to 2 days ahead. Store the baked crust at room temperature covered in foil, and keep the glaze refrigerated in an airtight container.
- Reheating: This pie is served chilled and doesn’t require reheating. If you’ve refrigerated the glaze separately, it may need to be warmed slightly to thin before pouring over berries.
Do you love Strawberries? Check out these Strawberry Recipes
More Delicious Pie Recipes
- Best Millionaire Pie Recipe
- Baker’s Coconut Custard Pie Recipe
- Lemon Meringue Pie Recipe
- Million Dollar Pie
- Chocolate Pie
- Raisin Pie with Sour Cream
- Double Cream Blueberry Pie
- Easy Coconut Cream Pie
Be sure to look at even more of my easy pie recipes and favorite restaurant copycat recipes.
Why This Big Boy Strawberry Pie Will Become Your New Tradition
There’s something magical about serving a homemade strawberry pie that looks like it belongs in a restaurant display case. Each time I make this Big Boy-inspired strawberry pie, it takes me back to that first memorable slice – but now I get to create those memories for my family and friends.
This recipe was submitted by Pat Collins.
I ate one of Jerry’s Strawberry Pie’s when I was a teenager and was instantly hooked on their pie! I am much older now and thrilled to get the recipe. Our Jerry’s Restaurant went out of business so I now at least have their recipe! Thank you so much💕
I hope you enjoy the recipe!
I like to add cream cheese on the bottom. I spread whipped crea cheese on the cool crust before adding the strawberrys and gel. Everyone loves this.
That sounds like a great addition to the pie.
This pie is the best straweberry pie…If you have not had one, you missed out…but make one~~~
Can this pie be put in a graham cracker crust?
One recipe I found had me pour the glaze over while still hot and the strawberries looked like they had been cooked. I’ve eaten the Fresh Strawberry Pie at a Big Boy in Roanoke, VA and the strawberries are fresh and firm, not dull and mushy from having a hot glaze poured over them. I was so glad to read your directions and find that the glaze is set aside to cool before being poured over the strawberries. Thank you so much for this recipe! I can’t wait to try it!
I hope you enjoyed your pie!
I was given a recipe years and years ago by a girl who worked at the Big Boy restaurant where I lived for the Strawberry Pie but it had a can of 7-up added in there somewhere in the recipe. I have not been able to find that particular recipe any where. I made that recipe and it was deliciously perfect!
this is one I found somewhere years ago- no idea where but it has 7-up
Big Boy’s Strawberry Pie
Recipe By :
Serving Size : 0 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Desserts Fruit
Pies & Pastry
Amount Measure Ingredient — Preparation Method
——– ———— ——————————–
Crust
1 Cup All-purpose Flour
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
3/4 Stick Butter — chilled
1 1/2 Tablespoons Crisco
1/8 Cup Ice Water
Filling
1 Cup Sugar
3 Tablespoons Corn Starch
1 Pint Strawberries
12 Ounces 7-up®
Whipped Cream
crust:
Put flour and salt in food processor
Cut butter and shortening into the flour
Process a few seconds until the mixture resembles a coarse meal
Drop by drop add the water -Processing briefly
The whole process should take about 20-30 seconds
Wrap and chill for an hour
Remove from refrigerator, and let sit for 15 minutes before rolling
Makes one crust you can double the recipe for a two layer crust
Filling
In a medium sauce pan combine sugar, corn starch, and 7-up until creamy
cook over medium high heat until the mixture becomes thick, cool to room temperature and add a couple of drops of red food coloring
Wash and cut strawberries into quarters, or smaller depending on how large they are
Sprinkle a teaspoon or two of sugar on the strawberries, and place them into the shell
Pour the cooled 7-up mixture over the strawberries
Allow this to set for a few minutes
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 2063 Calories; 71g Fat (30.4% calories from fat); 15g Protein; 351g Carbohydrate; 10g Dietary Fiber; 186mg Cholesterol; 1281mg Sodium. Exchanges: 6 1/2 Grain(Starch); 1 1/2 Fruit; 14 Fat; 16 Other Carbohydrates.
Nutr. Assoc. : 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Thank you Terry for sharing your recipe. I look forward to trying it.
I made this dessert last night and as simply as it seems, I know I did something wrong. When I took the dessert out this morning, the gel part was still in liquid form. Can you tell me what I could have done wrong? Thanks in advance.
When you cooked the mixture did you cook it until it began to gel?
It never seem to gel for me while in the pot. After looking back on it I think In the video it was said put it on a higher heat however, in the directions I never saw to change the temperature. So I left it on medium heat. I am going to try it again and see what happens. Thanks for responding.
You have to cook it until it begins to gel. It will seem like it won’t gel, then suddenly it will gel. I don’t think the heat matters terribly much. To make it a little faster you can tern up the heat a little more.
In order for anything with cornstarch in it to gel you must bring the mixture to a boil first. Then you can lower the heat and cook until it is as thick as you want it.
Why does it have salt in the gel? It isn’t mentioned in the video? Also, my gel didn’t set up? Any suggestions?
Maybe because I added the salt?
Oh, also, there are three versions of this pie on here, one with jello and also one with 7-up…which is the best? Not a big fan of jello…gonna try again in a bit. I really want this pie to work! Thanks!
I have made the plain one many times. Be a little patient with the gelling. It will look like it won’t do it. Then suddenly it gels.
I doubt it. The salt doesn’t prevent the gelling.
Sounds like you could have cooked a little longer. It will gel up. It will happen instantly when it gels. The salt isn’t critical, it is my perdonel preference to always add a little with sweet things. I think it helps the flavor.
In order for anything with cornstarch in it to gel you must bring the mixture to a boil first. Then you can lower the heat and cook until it is as thick as you want it.
You must let the mixture come to a boil and then lower the heat and cook until it is thickened or “gelled”. Cornstarch mixtures must boil to thicken.
Oh my, this looks so delicious! I will try this one 🙂
Most recipes sites get this so wrong and bake the whole thing. The filling comes in a bag at the restaurant and they just pour it into the shell. The Big Boy looks comes from the mounding of the strawberries – higher in the center than at the edge.
I am glad we didn’t bake it with the strawberries.
Well it is a good thing I didn’t bake that pie!
This is so good! This is perfect for fresh Strawberries in the spring.