Red, White and Blue Pie

Few desserts are more festive than this colorful red, white and blue pie. The cool, creamy dessert makes an especially delightful summertime treat. The piles of fresh fruit look fancy, but it’s one of our easiest no-bake pie recipes. Just tip the filling into a premade graham cracker crust, top it with fruit and chill the whole thing in the fridge.

The tangy, sweet filling has a secret ingredient that gives it its silky texture: instant pudding. Even professional chefs use instant pudding mix; one box is enough to add an ideal creamy texture to desserts. Stir the pudding with cream cheese for a cheesecake-inspired tang that tastes delicious with berries. Red berries and blueberries are great for patriotic holidays like the Fourth of July or Memorial Day, but there’s really no fruit that wouldn’t be delicious on this pie.

Red, White and Blue Pie Ingredients

• White baking chocolate: A layer of melted white chocolate protects the graham cracker crust from getting soggy. It’s sweet and rich, upping the decadence of this simple dessert.
• Graham cracker crust: It’s easy to make graham cracker crust from scratch, but you can use a store-bought crust for a shortcut.
• Fresh fruit: Bright red strawberries and blueberries add red and blue to this flag-themed pie. Slice the strawberries lengthwise for a pretty arrangement. We don’t suggest using frozen berries, as they’ll release a lot of juice that will discolor the creamy pie filling.
• Cream cheese: Like most cheesecake recipes, this pie’s base is made with tangy, rich cream cheese. We like to use full-fat cream cheese for the best flavor and smoothest texture, but you can use low-fat instead.
• Confectioners’ sugar: Fine, light confectioners’ sugar (aka powdered sugar) easily dissolves into the filling.
• Milk: Adding milk to the pie filling makes it smooth and spreadable. The recipe calls for 2% milk, but feel free to use whole or skim.
• Instant white chocolate pudding mix: Using pudding mix in baked goods is a savvy shortcut; the texture comes out exactly right every time.
• Whipped topping: Airy whipped topping adds volume, giving the pie a light and silky texture.

Directions

Step 1: Start with the chocolate layer

Spread the melted chocolate onto the bottom and side of the crust.

Editor’s Tip: Our favorite way to melt chocolate without burning or curdling it is to heat it slowly in the microwave at 70% power, stirring often.

Step 2: Layer the strawberries

Arrange the sliced strawberries over the chocolate.

Step 3: Make the cream cheese filling

In a bowl, beat the cream cheese and confectioners’ sugar until they’re smooth. Gradually beat in the milk. Add the pudding mix to the bowl. Beat them on low speed until it’s thickened, about two minutes.

Editor’s Tip: Mix on low speed so the powdery pudding mix doesn’t puff up into the air. You can also drape a kitchen towel over the bowl while mixing.

Step 4: Fill the pie

Spread the cream cheese and pudding mixture over the strawberries in the pie crust. Decorate the pie with the whipped topping, blueberries and halved strawberries.

Editor’s Tip: An offset spatula will make for the smoothest top layer.

Step 5: Chill

Refrigerate the pie until you’re ready to serve it.

Red, White and Blue Pie Variations

• Change the crust: Swap the graham cracker crust for an Oreo cookie crust or a crumb crust made from pretzels, walnuts or wafer cookies.
• Go gluten-free: Sub in a gluten-free pie crust to make this pie an easy gluten-free dessert. You can make an almond flour pie crust, a gluten-free butter crust, or buy a gluten-free crust at the grocery store.
• Play with toppings: Garnish the top of the pie with chopped toasted nuts, halved cookies, chocolate shards or toasted coconut flakes.
• Switch up the fruit: Virtually any fresh fruit would be delicious on this pie. Keep the red-and-blue theme and use raspberries, pomegranate seeds or cherries for the red. Or, try a multicolored pie with sliced pineapple, kiwi, peaches, nectarines, honeydew, cantaloupe, blackberries, mangoes or plums.

How to Store Red, White and Blue Pie

Keep red, white and blueberry pie in the refrigerator. Cover the top tightly with storage wrap or foil. It will last up to five days.

Can you freeze red, white and blue pie?

It’s easy to freeze pie, and this cream cheese filling withstands freezing well. We suggest freezing the pie without the fruit and whipped topping because neither stands up well to freezing. Prepare the pie through Step 5, then chill it in the refrigerator until it’s completely cool. Wrap the pie in two layers, such as storage wrap and foil or storage wrap and a bag. Freeze it for up to three months. Defrost the pie in the refrigerator overnight before carrying on with Step 6.

Red, White and Blue Pie Tips

How do you make a graham cracker crust from scratch?

You can buy a pie crust at the store, but it’s easy to make a graham cracker crust from scratch with just three ingredients: graham crackers, sugar and butter. Crush 1-1/2 cups (about 24 squares) of graham crackers into crumbs, and stir them together with 1/4 cup of sugar and 1/3 cup of melted butter. Press the crust into the bottom and up the sides of an ungreased 9-inch pie plate. Bake it at 375°F until it’s lightly browned, about 8 to 10 minutes. Let it cool on a wire rack, and then proceed with the recipe from Step 1.

How long can you leave a red, white and blue pie out?

It’s tempting to serve this cool, creamy dessert on a summer day, but be careful not to leave it at room temperature for too long! It’s safe to keep a cream cheese-based pie out of the refrigerator for about two hours. (Many people like to leave the pie at room temperature for about an hour before serving; it has more flavor when it’s not super cold.) Plan to have the pie out for 45 minutes or less on a hot day.