Summer Berry Vanilla Pudding Pie
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Summer Berry Vanilla Pudding Pie: If you love easy, simple but pretty and festive desserts, this pudding pie is for you! Perfect for combining freshly ripened summer berries and creamy, delicious vanilla pudding in a crust of your choosing. Simple, easy, and scrumptious.
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Here is the really great news! You can make this Vanilla Pudding Pie entirely without baking with simple, ready-to-make ingredients; or you can make it a tad healthier with homemade ingredients.
It’s up to you and the time you have.
This is what summer is all about! Adapting to occasions, holidays, or gatherings. And however you make it, this simple Berry Vanilla Pudding Pie will be delicious and delightful!
Serve for the 4th of July, backyard BBQs, or dinner on the patio.
How to Make a No Bake Vanilla Pudding Pie
What I love about this recipe is its adaptability. It can be made quickly with very little work, or with a bit more effort by making your own Homemade Vanilla Pudding.
To make this as a no-bake pie, use a ready-made graham cracker crust, two (3.5 ounces) boxes of Instant Vanilla Pudding, and fresh fruit. Make the pudding according to package instructions with 3 1/2 cups of cold milk.
2 Pie Crust Options
This Vanilla Pudding Pie works great with both a pastry crust and a graham crust. If you want to use a pastry crust, as I’ve done, it will need to be prebaked.
To prebake the crust, follow the package instructions. I’ve used a Marie Calendar frozen pie crust.
For me, I preheated the oven to 400 degrees F, pricked the dough with a fork all over, covered with foil, and added pie weights. I then baked the crust for 15 minutes before removing the foil and weights. Then returned to the oven and baked for an additional 5 to 10 minute until nicely golden.
2 Vanilla Pudding Options
Each of these choices are great and will work well.
1. Instant Vanilla Pudding
For this option, no cooking whatsoever is needed. You will need two (3.5-ounce boxes) and 3 1/2 cups of milk; whisk together until thick and creamy before pouring into your chosen crust.
Chill until firm enough to hold the berries.
2. Homemade Vanilla Pudding
This option requires more time and a bit of work. Or should I say… whisking. It’s great opportunity to involve family and friends in the kitchen. Almost anyone can whisk!
The recipe I love to use is simple, healthier, and lower in sugar. And by the way, if you end up with more pudding than will fit into the crust, create parfaits with remaining pudding by adding layers of pudding and fresh fruit in glasses. This is a great option for guests not wanting a crust.
Plan on 15 to 20 minutes of preparation and cooking time when making this homemade pudding. It will also require several hours to chill and set up. Which makes it perfect for making ahead!
Vanilla Pudding Pie Ingredients
Details on ingredients, including measurements, are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post. Here are the ingredients you will need:
- Baked pie crust or graham cracker crust
- Vanilla pudding (homemade ingredients are in the recipe card)
- Fresh fruit
- Mint leaves for garnish (optional)
How to Make Pudding Pie
- Begin by prebaking the crust if you are using a pastry crust.
- Then make the vanilla pudding either using an instant pudding mix or homemade.
- Finally, pour the pudding into the crust, cover, and chill for 4 to 6 hours to overnight, or until firm.
- Before serving, top with fresh berries.
Berries
I like to add seasonal berries to the top of this pie. Which very often include strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries.
If using strawberries, half or quarter the berries.
Begin layering the berries with the largest first (in my case, the strawberries), and fill in with the smaller berries, like blueberries and raspberries.
Scatter a few mint leaves amongst the berries for a pretty touch.
Summer Berry Vanilla Pudding Pie
Equipment
Ingredients
- 9- inch baked pie shell or graham cracker crust
- 2 to 3 cups berries
- mint leaves to garnish
- 2 3.5-ounce boxes Instant Vanilla Pudding
- 3 ½ cups cold milk
- or make
Homemade Vanilla Pudding
- 3 cups milk
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
Pie Shell:
- If using a frozen pie shell, pre-bake according to package instructions. For me, I preheated the oven to 400 degrees F, pricked the crust all over with a fork, covered it with foil, and added pie weights. I baked for 15 minutes, carefully removed the foil and weights, and baked for another 7 minutes until lightly browned.
- If using a graham cracker crust, there is no need to prebake.
Vanilla Pudding:
- If making the Instant Vanilla Pudding: Whisk the pudding mix with 3 1/2 cups cold milk until thick and creamy and then pour into the cooled crust or graham cracker crust.
- If making Homemade Vanilla Pudding, heat 2 1/2 cups of milk in a heavy bottom pan until hot. Whisk together the remaining 1/2 cup milk, cornstarch, and sugar.
- When the milk is steaming, whisk in the cornstarch mixture into the hot milk. Continue cooking and whisking as needed for 10 to 15 minutes or until the pudding is very thick. It will continue to thicken as it cools.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Cool slightly before pouring into the crust (pastry or graham). Cover and chill for a minimum of 4 hours or even overnight.
Serving:
- When ready to serve, wash and chop the berries as needed for the top of the pie. Add to the middle of the pie and garnish with fresh mint leaves if desired.
Video
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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