My friend Jana brought this divine raspberry cream pie to our annual Pi Day celebration this year. It, along with my No-Bake Oreo Pie, were the standouts from over a dozen options that were available to choose from, which is definitely a testament to how popular this pie was among our friends. One of my favorite bakery cafes in Utah, Kneaders, actually makes a raspberry cream pie just like this that sells out all the time, so it’s no surprise that it was a hit. If you love Kneaders like we do, you might also want to try my cream cheese brownies, which are another recreation of one of my favorite desserts there. Or my Turkey Bacon Avocado Sandwich which has a copycat Kneaders sauce. I’m kind of obsessed with that place and it’s always at the top of my list whenever I go visit family who live in Utah. We love fresh raspberry desserts and have shared a bunch of them on here. Some of the most popular recipes with readers are our Raspberry Macarons, Raspberry Pretzel Salad, and Raspberry Chocolate Tart. The cream cheese filling is the perfect compliment to the punchy, in-your-faceness of the raspberry jam-like layer on top. It’s kind of no-bake cheesecake meets raspberry pie kind of hybrid situation that’s pretty much irresistible. I can definitely see how people would love this dessert just as much with a graham cracker crust as a traditional pie crust, so feel free to go with whichever you prefer most. The recipe itself is pretty simple, although it takes a bit of prep work to blind-bake the pie crust, then let the filling set while making and cooling the raspberry layer. The good news is that the pie keeps well in the fridge and most of the work can be done in advance. Then when you are ready to serve, you can pipe on whipped cream swirls and pile some fresh raspberries in the center of the pie for visual impact. This pie would be perfect in your Thanksgiving pie line-up this year for something new and different that will have everybody talking! But it is also a great summer pie since it is delicious served chilled.
Recipe Ingredients
Pie Crust: I always use my favorite homemade pie crust recipe which has a combination of butter and shortening for the best flavor and texture. It makes enough for 2 crusts, but you can always freeze on to have on hand for the future. Raspberries: I actually prefer using frozen raspberries to make the raspberry jam layer that goes on top of this pie. Frozen raspberries are often less expensive and picked at the peak of freshness, so they work great. I will save my fresh raspberries to decorate the top of the pie if I want to be all fancy. Cream cheese: I recommend using full fat cream cheese for the best flavor and texture. Sugar: A little sugar sweetens both the cream cheese layer as well as the raspberry jam layer on top, without making either of them overly sweet. Cornstarch: This ingredient helps thicken the raspberry layer so it is more like a jam than a syrup. Vanilla extract: I love using my homemade vanilla extract when I’m baking. It adds such great flavor and depth to baked goods. Heavy cream: This is used both in the cream cheese layer, as well as for decorating the top of the raspberry cream pie before serving.
How to Make Raspberry Cream Pie
Recipe Tips & Tricks
Raspberry seeds: I actually enjoy the texture of the raspberry seeds in this dessert, but if you happen to really hate them you can strain the raspberry layer as soon as it has thickened while it is still hot. Use a fine mesh strainer and the back of a spoon or spatula to push the raspberry filling through, then discard the seeds. Soften your cream cheese: It’s important to let the cream cheese sit out at room temperature for 30-60 minutes before using it so that it has some time to soften. Otherwise you might end up with small bits of unmixed cream cheese in your filling. Give yourself enough time: This recipe isn’t hard, but it has a few different pieces that require chilling time. You can make the whole thing in one day, or work ahead by making the pie crust a day in advance, then filling and chilling for 4-6 hours before serving.
Variations
Crust: If you don’t like traditional pastry crust, this pie is absolutely delicious with a graham cracker crust as well! Or try using biscoff cookies or Oreos instead of graham crackers to switch things up even more. Fruit: Although we love the tartness of the raspberries in this pie, you could easily swap them out for blueberries, peaches, strawberries, blackberries, or a number of other fruits. Just keep in mind that you might need to adjust the sugar a bit to account for sweetness and add some additional cornstarch if the fruit is juicier. Filling: Craving chocolate? Try melted 4 ounces of semisweet chocolate and mixing it into the cream cheese layer for a different kind of pie altogether!
More Pie Recipes
No-Bake Oreo Pie French Silk Pie Award-Winning Strawberry Cream Cheese Pie Homemade Razzleberry Pie The Best Banoffee Pie Kentucky Chocolate Walnut Pie Homemade Blueberry Pie
Old Fashioned Banana Cream Pie Recipe
Fresh Peach Pie
The Best Recipe for Strawberry Pie
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