Jello Pie is a fun no-bake dessert made with strawberry JELL-O and Cool Whip! JELL-O filling is poured over a graham cracker crust then topped with whipped cream and strawberries in this easy recipe.
Prep Time25 minutesmins
Cook Time4 hourshrs
Total Time4 hourshrs25 minutesmins
Course: Pies and Tarts
Cuisine: American
Keyword: gelatin pie, no bake jello pie, strawberry jello pie
1 ¼cupsgraham cracker crumbsabout 9 full size crackers
2Tablespoonsgranulated sugar
⅓cupunsalted buttermelted
For the Filling
1boxstrawberry jello mix3.4 ounce
¾cupboiling water
1cupcold water
12ounceCool Whipthawed
For the garnish
whipped creamoptional
fresh strawberriesoptional
Instructions
In a food processor, pulse graham crackers into fine crumbs. Add sugar and pulse a few times. Add melted butter. Pulse until crumbly.
Pour mixture into 9-inch pie plate. Using the bottom of a measuring cup, or the palm of your hand, firmly flatten and compress the crumb mixture. Press the crust up the sides of the dish first, making sure the crust is high enough to hold the filling, and then work on the flat surface.
Freeze crust while making the filling.
For the filling, stir the strawberry jello mix and boiling water together with a spoon or spatula in a large bowl until the jello mix has completely dissolved.
Slowly add the cold water to the mix while continuing to stir.
Fold in the Cool Whip, and mix until everything is combined with no lumps. (Make sure to take your time to make sure the mix is lump-free.) Place the mixture in the refrigerator, and chill for 30 minutes. Stir the mixture in case the whipped topping and jello have separated, then place it back in the refrigerator for another 30 minutes.
Take the jello mixture out of the refrigerator and stir, scraping the bottom of the bowl, to make sure it’s still well mixed.
Pour the filling into the graham cracker crust, and place back in the refrigerator for 4 hours, or until the filling has set.
Top with whipped cream and fresh strawberries, if desired, and serve chilled.
Notes
Any flavor of gelatin can be used. Best with regular, not sugar free jello.
Store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Or freeze for up to 3 months.
Freeze the crust. Stick the graham cracker crust in the freezer while you make the filling. The cold crust will stay together better and help the filling set more quickly.
Dissolve the JELL-O completely. If the powder doesn't dissolve all the way into the hot water, you'll get flecks of red in the filling instead of a consistency pink color.
Stir filling thoroughly. There should be NO lumps in the JELL-O Pie filling. Use a spatula to integrate the cool whip completely before chilling.
Large pie plate. I use a deep pie plate for this pie (similar to what you would choose for an apple pie). Otherwise you may be left with some extra filling. The photos show this pie in a standard 9-inch pie plate for comparison. You can also make this pie in a 9-inch springform pan.
Chill overnight. The pie may set in as little as 4 hours but I recommend making the pie the day before to ensure the JELL-O center has plenty of time to set and get nice and chilled.
Skip the Crust. Pour jello filling into small 4 ounce plastic glasses or ramekins. Refrigerate as the recipe states and you'll have delicious strawberry mousse cups instead!