The Retro Spring Dessert We’re Sweet On: Strawberry Fluff Pie

You know when you’re nonchalantly scrolling through a sea of online recipes and, suddenly, one catches your eye: not because it’s particularly fancy or fussy; not because it’s flecked with millennial-pink Himalayan sea salt or dusted with a golden sheen of edible glitter; not for any other reason, really, than the fact that it’s exactly what your brain has been searching for at this moment in time and you didn’t even consciously know it?

That’s what Strawberry Fluff Pie did to us. And there’s no going back.

Strawberry Fluff Pie, Then and Now

We decided to bring this retro recipe back into the modern-day fold with a fresh new photo! (Plus, it gave us an easy excuse to try the pie.)

Yes, we know what you’re thinking: Strawberry Fluff Pie, of all things? This quintessentially retro dessert recipe, with its wild strawberry Jell-O™-flavored filling, the swoops of fluffy pink-tinted whipped topping, the halved fresh strawberries decisively arranged on top as a simple decoration that reminds you of a fruit-themed wall clock or, perhaps, of your grandma’s kitchen wallpaper? Yes, this is the one. Here is why we love it so much and, more importantly, why we strongly believe this nostalgic dessert deserves a space at all your springtime gatherings:

1. It’s EASY.

There are only three steps and five ingredients to this dessert recipe. Pillsbury™ pie crust helps you take a tasty shortcut on the base, and the filling is as simple as whisking together ruby-red strawberry-flavored gelatin, a decent heap of sugar and 1/2 cup boiling water to thicken the Jell-O™. Once that’s set, stir in some creamy whipped topping, fold in a few sliced fresh strawberries, spoon it all into the baked pie crust shell and refrigerate for a couple of hours until you’re ready to serve. It’s so easy, even little ones can help out (tip: Slice up a few extra berries for them to munch on while you make the pie).

2. It’s delicious.

We hardly need to convince you that the combination of whipped topping and strawberry Jell-O™ is a tasty one—if you’ve ever been a kid with a sweet tooth (and/or lived during the era of “jigglers”), then you’re well aware this sugary, fruit-and-cream-like mixture is always a win. But when you take that beloved flavor mashup, stir it together into a sky-high, fluffy pink cloud studded with juicy slices of gem-like strawberries and spoon it into a buttery, flaky pie crust, there’s no going back to your old ways. Any time that sentimental craving hits, you’ll forgo the gelatin mold and head straight for the pie pan.

3. It’s basically springtime in pie form.

What is it about spring that gives us that extra pep in our step? Is it that streak of sunshine peeking through the still-drawn curtains that once hid the dreariness of winter past? Is it that pop of fresh-green grass growing through the remnants of white snow? Is it the colorful rainbow of seasonal produce emerging at the supermarket after a long hibernation sustained by cozy carbs? For us, it’s all of the above, and there’s no better way to celebrate the season of newness and freshness than with a happy, pretty, fun and fluffy fruit pie like this one. Still not sold? Just ask our Pillsbury bakers, then, who give this classic dessert a five-star rating and rave reviews, such as: “Delicious and easy!”; “Absolutely delish!”; “Was a huge hit”; and “Really good and really pretty.”

Get Recipe: Strawberry Fluff Pie