This easy fresh strawberry galette has a homemade sour cream pie crust. The jammy, gooey filling is flavored with a hint of lemon, and the sour cream in the crust recipe keeps it flaky and light. So much easier than making pie, and it bakes in about 30 minutes!
Aside from being gorgeous and delicious, a fresh strawberry galette is one of my favorite ways to get summer berries into a dessert without any stress or exertion, and it's such a crowd-pleaser. My taste-testers at work absolutely raved about how good this is, so I know you'll love it!
We'll use a sour cream pie dough, which is flexible and un-finicky. It holds its own as it gets crispy on the baking sheet, won't get soggy, and keeps all those bubbling strawberry juices contained.
Rustic and made to be imperfect and impromptu, galettes can be made with almost any kind of fruit that you have hanging around, so try my peach galette with puff pastry, or this blueberry lemon galette!
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Strawberry galette ingredients
*Ingredients with measurements are listed in the recipe card below.
For the strawberry filling
- Fresh strawberries: This galette recipe is just made for spring and summer when strawberries are at their peak of perfection. When they're fresh and ripe, they're ideal for baking, so if you have a lot on hand, use them to make some strawberry cream scones, too!
- Granulated sugar & corn starch: Even if the strawberries are quite sweet, we need the sugar to help the juices set up. I prefer corn starch over flour to thicken the galette filling, because it gives the strawberry juices a glossy texture.
- Lemon zest and lemon juice: Lemon juice gives us a hit of acid to balance the sweetness of the strawberries, and adds pectin which helps the mixture thicken so you get that signature jammy strawberry pie filling texture when it comes out of the oven. The lemon zest adds great aroma, I love to use citrus zest to add a top note of flavor.
For the galette crust
There are many different ways to make galette crust, for example, I use an all-butter dough to make my apple galette. But this pie crust recipe adds sour cream, which makes it tender and easy to roll out, and more forgiving than one that you might use to make chocolate pecan pie.
- All-purpose flour and granulated sugar: Standard AP flour works perfectly, the teensiest bit of sugar adds a little structure.
- Cold unsalted butter: We'll use a whole stick of butter, and keep it as cold as we can throughout the process to ensure flaky layers in our finished crust.
- Sour cream: Sour cream adds more fat and moisture, and gives the dough a bit of flexibility so it's easy to handle and shape.
- Ice water: We may use a little of it, we may use all of it. The important thing is to add it one tablespoon at a time so the crust doesn't get too wet.
- Egg wash and turbinado sugar: We'll brush the crust with egg wash before baking to make it crisp and glossy. An optional sprinkle of turbinado sugar on the egg wash will add sweetness and crunch. You can substitute granulated sugar if you don't have it.
How to make a strawberry galette
Recipe adapted from multiple sources including Smitten Kitchen and New York Times Cooking.
*This is a slightly abbreviated overview of instructions, see the recipe card for complete details.
Step 1: Make the galette dough
Cut the butter into cubes and pop it into the freezer for 5 - 10 minutes before you start. Meanwhile, whisk the flour, sugar, and salt together.
Drop the cold butter cubes into the flour mixture and toss to coat.
Use a pastry blender or your fingers to work the butter into the flour until has a crumbly texture with pieces of butter the size of small peas.
Add the sour cream and one tablespoon of the water to the mixture and gently bring it together. Continue adding ice water 1 tablespoon at a time, until a shaggy dough forms. It should hold together, but it shouldn't feel wet.
Turn the dough out onto the counter and bring it together with your hands or a bench scraper. Shape it into a disc and wrap it in plastic wrap. Refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours.
Tool tip
I like to use a bench scraper to give the pastry a few turns to bring it together instead of using my hands. It helps to keep the dough from getting warm, and it creates flaky layers.
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Step 2: Make the strawberry filling
NOTE: Wait to make the filling until the pie crust is done chilling and you are ready to roll it out.
Hull the strawberries and cut them into ยผ-inch slices.
Add sugar, corn starch, lemon juice, and lemon zest to the berries. Stir to combine, making sure that there are no white spots of corn starch remaining.
Step 3: Roll out the crust
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Before you start, let the crust sit at room temperature for about 5-10 minutes to soften slightly.
On a lightly floured surface, gently roll it out until it's about 14 inches in diameter, rotating as you go to keep it from sticking. Gently drape over your rolling pin and transfer to the parchment paper.
Step 4: Assemble the galette
Pour the strawberries into the center of the galette crust, leaving a 2 or 3-inch border. Gently fold in the edges of the crust toward the center, creating little pleats as you go around.
Brush the outside of the crust with egg wash and sprinkle the raw sugar over it. Bake for 30-35 minutes until the crust is golden brown and the juices are bubbling. Let stand for at least 15-20 minutes before serving.
Expert tips
- The rolled out dough doesn't have to be perfectly round: Can't get your dough rolled into a perfect circle? No worries, ovals are fine! They taste just as good as circles!
- Fold it however you want: The crust is supposed to look rustic. Fold it with pleats, make it square, make it rounded—as long as it is holding the strawberries and their juices without cracks, you are good to go.
- Don't overstuff it: The dough to fruit ratio is perfect in this recipe. If you try to add more fruit, the crust will not be able to hold the juices, trust me, I tested it!
- Baking at a higher temperature seals the pie crust: Yes, we are baking our strawberry galette at 400°F, a hotter temperature than you might expect. This helps to seal the crust quickly so it keeps its shape and stays crispy.
Troubleshooting the pie crust
It's okay if your galette leaks a little bit, that is part of the charm. However, if it is leaking a LOT, like all the juice ran out and is burning on the parchment, then you've got a problem with your crust.
- Crust is too warm: The butter will melt too fast, creating holes that let the liquid run out. Up until the point that you add the strawberries, you can always put it back into the refrigerator to chill again.
- Crust is too cold: Cold crust can break and crack when you try to roll it out. If this is happening, let it sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes, then try rolling again. You'll know it's the right temperature when it's easy to roll out, but still feels cold to the touch.
- Crust is too wet: Wet dough won't set fast enough in the hot oven to hold the liquid. Make sure you add the ice water 1 tablespoon at a time, evaluating after each one if you need to add more.
- Crust is too dry: Dry crust can split open. It should be moist enough to be flexible and easy to roll without being sticky.
More berry recipes
Debra's Details: A fresh strawberry galette is so easy anyone can make it!
- Make it at the peak of strawberry season for amazing flavor!
- We'll use a flexible, tender pie crust made with sour cream that even beginner bakers can make with ease.
- Minimal prep, and bakes in about 30 minutes.
- It's rustic, so there's no need to worry about it looking perfect. Let it be a lazy summer situation.
- Serve it on Memorial Day weekend or as a fun 4th of July dessert.
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Recipe
Fresh Strawberry Galette with Sour Cream Pie Crust
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Ingredients
Galette Dough
- 165 grams all-purpose flour (about 1⅓ cup)
- 1½ teaspoon granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 8 tablespoon unsalted butter (one stick)
- ¼ cup full-fat sour cream
- 4 tablespoon ice water (You may not need all of it)
- 1 egg + 1 teaspoon water (for the egg wash to brush on the crust)
- turbinado (raw) sugar (for sprinkling on the edge of the crust before baking)
Strawberry Filling
- 18 ounces fresh strawberries (about 3½ cups once sliced)
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1½ tablespoon corn starch
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- zest of one lemon
Instructions
Galette Crust
- Cut the butter into cubes and pop it into the freezer for 5 - 10 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk the flour, salt, and sugar together.
- Drop the cold butter cubes into the flour mixture and toss to coat. Use a pastry blender or your fingers to work the butter into the flour until has a crumbly texture with pieces of butter the size of small peas.
- Add the sour cream and one tablespoon of the water to the mixture and gently bring it together with a spatula or wooden spoon. Continue adding up to 3 more tablespoons of ice water ONE AT A TIME, until a shaggy dough forms. It should hold together, but it shouldn't feel wet.
- Turn the dough out onto the counter and bring it together with your hands or a bench scraper. Shape it into a disc and wrap it in plastic wrap. Refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours or up to 2 days.
Strawberry Filling
- **Wait to make the filling until the dough is done chilling and you are ready to roll it out.**
- Hull the strawberries and cut them into ¼-inch slices.
- Add sliced berries to a large bowl along with the sugar, corn starch, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Stir to combine, making sure that there are no white spots of corn starch remaining. Set aside to macerate while you prepare the crust.
Roll out the dough
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Whisk together the egg and water for the egg wash.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Before rolling out the dough, remove it from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for about 5 - 10 minutes to soften slightly.
- Place the disk of dough on a lightly floured surface, sprinkle a bit of flour on top, and flour your rolling pin. Gently roll the crust out in one direction, not back and forth, and rotate the crust as you go to keep it from sticking. Add more flour to the surface if need be.
- Once the crust has reached about 14 inches in diameter, gently drape it over your rolling pin and transfer to the parchment paper. Leave the edges ragged, they'll get crispy as it bakes.
Assemble the galette
- Give the strawberries a good stir to move the juices around, then pour them into the center of the galette crust, leaving a 2 or 3-inch border. Gently fold in the edges of the crust around the strawberries, creating little pleats as you go around.
- Brush the outside of the crust with egg wash and sprinkle the raw sugar over it. Bake for 30-35 minutes until the crust is golden brown and the juices are bubbling.
- Let stand for at least 15-20 minutes before serving, or wait until it has come to room temperature, to allow the filling to set up.
Notes
- A pastry blender and a bench scraper are handy for keeping the dough cold: You can work the butter into the flour with your fingers, but I find that a pastry blender is much easier and faster, and you have less risk of the butter melting too quickly. I like to use a bench scraper to give the pastry a few turns to bring it together instead of using my hands. It helps to keep the dough from getting warm, and it creates flaky layers.
- No need for a perfect circle of pie dough: Can't get your dough rolled into a perfect circle? No worries, ovals are fine! They taste just as good as circles!
- Don't overstuff it: The ration of strawberries to dough is perfect here, any more strawberries and it's just too much juice for the crust to hold.
- It's okay if your galette leaks a little bit: That is part of the charm. However, if it is leaking a LOT—like all the juice ran out and is burning on the parchment—then you've got a problem with your crust: It may have been too warm, so the butter melted too fast and let the liquid run out. If it's too cold it can break and crack. If it's too wet, it won't set fast enough to hold the liquid. If it's too dry, it could split open.
- Make ahead: A galette is best the day it is made, the crust will soften too much if stored overnight. The unbaked pie crust can be made up to two days ahead and stored in the refrigerator.
- Storage: If you have leftovers, cover the galette loosely with foil and keep at room temperature in a cooler place in your kitchen, just as you would a fruit pie, for up to two days.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated as an estimate. Calorie accuracy is not guaranteed.
Emily B. says
This recipe was beautifully decadent with little fuss. Our family devoured it and we all felt special enjoying this summer treat. The lemon and strawberry combo was sublime. Thank you Debra!
Debra says
Aw, Emily!
This comment warms my heart. I'm so glad the whole family loved it. Strawberries are special and they do make you feel special! Yay!
Thanks for reading and cooking my recipes,
Debra