I live in Texas, so sometimes I want dessert but turning on the oven sounds like torture during the summer.
There’s a time and place for good old-fashioned baked apple pie, and then there’s enjoying a bite of chilly goodness on a hot day.
Here are two no-bake pie recipes for you to try the next time you want something cool, sweet and light to end your meal.
Tropical Fruit Potluck No Bake Pie
Icebox pie. Fridge pie. No bake dessert. Whatever you might call this, the flavors of this recipe remind me of that “fluff,” “ambrosia” or “watergate salad” from the 70s, just without marshmallows or Cool Whip. The sour cream cuts the glaring sweetness of the old-time recipe, and the crust gives this a nice bite. You can also leave off the maraschino cherries if you don’t like their strong flavor.
Ingredients
- 10 oz. (about half the can shown in the picture) of crushed pineapple, WITH the juice
- 8 oz. can of sliced pineapple rings, drained
- 3.4 oz package of instant vanilla pudding mix
- 8 oz. container of sour cream
- 3 oz. of sweetened flake coconut
- 8 Maraschino cherries
- 1 9 oz. (deep dish) graham cracker crust
- Optional: 1/3 c. chopped pecans or walnuts
Instructions
- Pour crushed pineapple (juice included) into a large mixing bowl.
- Add pudding mix and sour cream. (If using nuts in the mixture, add now.)
- Using a spoon blend all ingredients together thoroughly.
- Spoon mixture into pie crust.
- Sprinkle coconut evenly around the top.
- Lay sliced pineapples on top. (About 8 rings will fit – usually 7 outside and one in the center.)
- Place one cherry in the center of each pineapple slice.
- Place in the fridge for 2 hours and allow to chill and firm up. Can be sliced and served immediately for a soft-set, but it’s better after at least an hour in the fridge.
Notes
You can add 1/3 c. chopped pecans to the mixture or sprinkle on top. I added a few to the “cherry holes” for a bit of interest, and for a group of people enjoying this pie, they can avoid the nuts if they choose.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 390Total Fat: 13gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 17mgSodium: 144mgCarbohydrates: 70gFiber: 4gSugar: 60gProtein: 3g
✅ Check out this handy pie keeper
Lemon Sherbet No Bake Pie With Berries
Place a large mixing bowl (metal or glass) into your fridge for 15 minutes prior to whipping the cream. This keeps the cream cold and your stiff peaks will form faster.
(My favorite mixing bowl in the whole world is a metal one (stainless, I guess?) with nonskid bottom and very wide lip. It is unmarked (!!?) and I’ve had it about 15 years. This one is the closest thing I can find online so far.)
Ingredients
Sherbet filling:
- 2 cups of heavy cream (keep cold until ready to use)
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk (keep cold until ready to use)
- 1 can frozen lemonade concentrate (keep frozen until ready to use)
- 1 9 oz. graham cracker crust
Fruit:
- ½ c. blackberries
- ½ c. raspberries
- 1 c. strawberries
- 2 T. sugar
- 2 T. fresh lemon juice
Instructions
Create filling
Note: Wait to prepare the fruit right before serving.
- Using a hand mixer, whip the heavy cream until you see stiff peaks forming.
- In a separate bowl, slowly stir in the cold condensed milk and frozen lemonade (you may need to scoop this out with a spoon) and mix completely.
- Gently fold in the lemonade and milk mixture into the heavy cream.
- Pour the entire mixture into the graham cracker crust.
- Freeze for at least 4 hours or overnight.
Prepare Fruit
Note: Prepare the fruit right before serving
- Wash all fresh fruit. We keep a bottle of lemon juice on hand at all times because we drink it in our soda water. If you happen to have some lemon juice already squeezed that is perfect. Otherwise, juice your lemon. Remove the stem from the strawberries. Cut strawberries into thin slices.
Mix the fruit
- Mix the berries, sugar and lemon juice in a medium bowl.
Serving Tips:
- For whole pie: Allow pie to sit on the countertop for about 20 minutes. Top whole pie with the berry mixture, or spoon it on individual slices. Serve and enjoy.
- For slices: When serving a frozen pie, if you don’t plan to serve it up all at once, microwave a mug of water until it’s very hot. Keep dipping your knife or pie server in the hot water. This will help make clean slices without too much effort.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 328Total Fat: 20gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 46mgSodium: 116mgCarbohydrates: 35gFiber: 1gSugar: 20gProtein: 3g
A cold pie can be so light and refreshing on a hot summer day.
If you are headed out and taking one of these pies with you, make sure to keep it cold.
I suggest using a pie keeper like this one and packing it on ice in a cooler.