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Whip up a creamy, luxurious no bake cheesecake using simple ingredients with my easy No Bake Strawberry Cheesecake recipe! No gelatin, oven, or water bath required! This is the easiest cheesecake recipe you'll ever try, and it might just taste the best, too. Ready to enjoy in under 5 hours, and the prep is a breeze!
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Why You'll Love My No Bake Cheesecake
- Absolutely foolproof! There's pretty much no way to mess up this easy cheesecake recipe. If you're intimidated by all the steps of making cheesecake, this recipe is for you!
- Easy ingredients! These ingredients are so easy, you might have them all already. And by using my recipe, you won't need anything fancy like powdered gelatin, either!
- Super fast! Unlike baked cheesecakes which can take many hours to prepare, if not several days, this cheesecake recipe is prepared in less than 30 minutes and takes only 4 hours to chill. You can make it and serve it same-day!
- Ultra creamy! By using a blend of heavy cream and cream cheese, this cheesecake has a thick, rich texture akin to Philadelphia style cheesecake.
- Easily gluten-free! Just swap out the graham crackers for a gluten free graham cracker and you've got a gluten free cheesecake everyone can enjoy.
No-Bake Cheesecake Ingredients
- Graham Crackers: Use your favorite brand of graham cracker for a super easy homemade graham cracker crust! These crusts are so easy, they almost feel like cheating.
- Salted Butter: I recommend salted butter for the crusts; they add a little extra flavor due to the salt content, and help balance the sweetness.
- White Sugar: I don't recommend other kinds of sugar for cheesecake; they can discolor or thin the filling too much.
- Cream Cheese: You'll want traditional American-style blocks of cream cheese, not the whipped or creamy variety. Get full-fat for the best texture, and leave it out until it's at room temperature so it's soft enough to work with.
- Heavy Whipping Cream: Heavy cream helps thin the filling without sacrificing on texture; it just makes this no bake cheesecake even more lusciously creamy!
- Vanilla: You can use vanilla extract or vanilla paste. I like using paste when I have it for the intense and pure flavor, but I tend to only have extract on hand.
- Strawberries: Use the freshest, ripest strawberries you can find! I highly recommend buying them in season. Out of season strawberries have less flavor. If you can't get any, use the nicest quality strawberry jam you can find.
How to Make No Bake Cheesecake
1: Crush Crackers
Using a blender or food processor, finely crush the graham crackers. Pour them into a bowl and add the melted butter and 2 Tablespoons of sugar, and mix until a somewhat sticky, sandy mixture forms.
2: Form Crust
Press the graham cracker crumbs into a greased 9-inch springform pan and place in the fridge to set. I like using a cup measure to press the crust flat.
3: Puree Strawberries
Wash the fresh strawberries, then dice into small pieces. Puree the strawberries in a blender until smooth, then strain out the seeds and set the puree aside in a separate bowl. (You should have about 1 cup.)
4: Create Filling
In a large mixing bowl, add room-temperature cream cheese and the rest of the sugar. Use an electric mixer or stand mixer with the paddle attachment to mix until creamy, about 2-3 minutes.
5: Add Cream and Vanilla
Pour in the heavy cream and vanilla extract, and whip up until fully incorporated, smooth, and creamy.
6: Add Strawberry Puree
Pour in the puree, and mix again until evenly mixed. Alternatively, you can stir it in partially with a spatula to leave streaks of strawberry.
7: Pour and Chill
Pour the cheesecake filling into the springform pan and place in the freezer to chill for at least 4 hours.
8: Decorate and Serve!
Once totally chilled, remove from the freezer and let rest 10-15 minutes. Feel free to decorate the top with whipped cream, fresh strawberries, and strawberry sauce. Then slice, serve, and enjoy!
Tips for Making No Bake Cheesecake
- You can make this cheesecake in a rectangular casserole dish to slice into strawberry cheesecake bars!
- To ensure a nice smooth top, tap the springform pan firmly on the counter a few times to help even out any folds and bring any bubbles to the top.
- Make sure to scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl multiple times with a rubber spatula while making the cheesecake filling.
- You can use any fresh berries for this recipe! I've made it with blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries. So long as you strain the mixture, all of them will turn out delicious.
- You can adjust the sweetness of the filling by adding or removing sugar. I recommend not adding the full amount immediately! If you like an even tangier cheesecake, add a bit of lemon juice to the strawberry puree.
- If you're using jam instead of fresh strawberries, heat it up until it's runny, then strain it. You'll need to mix it into the cheesecake while it's still warm to ensure it doesn't start to harden.
No Bake Cheesecake Cups
If you want, you can make delicious mini cheesecakes or no bake cheesecake cups by making them in muffin tins! Use greased muffin cups to ensure that they don't stick. You can even use mini muffin tins for no bake cheesecake bites!
I like to use decorative strawberry or pink muffin cups, then leave the cheesecake bites in the cups and store them in the fridge in a flat airtight container or bag. This makes them perfectly easy to dole out when it's time for treats!
Variations on No Bake Cheesecake
This strawberry cheesecake base is just the beginning! You can customize it as much as you desire. One great option is using biscoff cookies or vanilla wafers instead of graham crackers for the crust. Or you can add extra strawberry flavor by warming up some strawberry jam to fold into the filling for a marbled texture.
Storing No Bake Cheesecake
- Refrigerator: Place the springform pan edges back around the cheesecake, and lock in place. Then cover the entire pan with plastic wrap and set in the fridge for up to 1 week.
- Freezer: There's a reason no-bake cheesecakes are found in the freezer section of the grocery store! They freeze well, and are easily thawed in the fridge or on the counter. Wrap them tightly in plastic wrap and freeze for up to 2 months.
- Thawing: Frozen cheesecake does best thawed in the fridge, or just on the counter for 10 minutes! Don't let them get too warm; the cold helps the filling keep its shape.
FAQ
Absolutely! No-bake cheesecake is perfect for making ahead. Just fully prepare it, then pop it in the freezer until it's ready to serve. Set it out on the counter to thaw, and enjoy! It will last up to 2 months in the freezer.
You absolutely can! Omit the strawberry puree and add any other fruit you'd like. You can even swap out the graham crackers for chocolate cookies, or add crumbled Oreos to the filling. It's the perfect blank canvas for any flavor you like!
If you enjoyed the recipe, leave a comment and a rating below!
No Bake Cheesecake
If I have to choose a favorite dessert, it might just be cheesecake. I can't help but order it from every menu, and no holiday gathering is right without one! I can't even remember the last time I had a birthday cake. Every year, I just keep making myself a birthday cheesecake!
The thing is, if you've ever tried to bake cheesecakes before, you know how fussy and time-consuming they can be to get right. A proper baked cheesecake is an all-day affair, and sometimes, I want a cheesecake that I can prep in 20 minutes (without touching the oven) and eat the same day!
That's the glory of my no bake cheesecake recipe! It has all the flavor of a classic cheesecake, but it's so much easier. Whip it up before a party, pop it in the freezer, and you'll have the perfect dessert that everyone will love in under 5 hours!
No Bake Strawberry Cheesecake
Video
Equipment
- 9" Springform Pan greased
- Electric mixer or stand mixer
Ingredients
- 2½ cups Graham crackers - crushed
- ½ cup Salted butter - melted
- 1 cup White sugar
- 2 Tablespoons White sugar - separated
- 24 oz Cream cheese - room temperature
- 1 cup Heavy whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 2 cups Strawberries - diced
Instructions
- Using a blender or food processor, finely crush the graham crackers. Pour them into a bowl and add the melted butter and 2 Tablespoons of sugar, and mix until a somewhat sticky, sandy mixture forms.2½ cups Graham crackers,½ cup Salted butter,2 Tablespoons White sugar
- Press the graham cracker crumbs into a greased 9" springform pan and place in the fridge to set. I like using a cup measure to press the crust flat.
- Wash the fresh strawberries, then dice into small pieces. Puree the strawberries in a blender until smooth, then strain out the seeds and set the puree aside in a separate bowl. (You should have about 1 cup.)2 cups Strawberries
- In a large mixing bowl, add room-temperature cream cheese and the rest of the sugar. Use an electric mixer or stand mixer with the paddle attachment to mix until creamy, about 2-3 minutes.24 oz Cream cheese,1 cup White sugar
- Pour in the heavy cream and vanilla extract, and whip up until fully incorporated, smooth, and creamy.1 cup Heavy whipping cream,1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- Pour in the puree, and mix again until evenly mixed. Alternatively, you can stir it in partially with a spatula to leave streaks of strawberry.
- Pour the cheesecake filling into the springform pan and place in the freezer to chill for at least 4 hours.
- Once totally chilled, remove from the freezer and let rest 10-15 minutes. Feel free to decorate the top with whipped cream, fresh strawberries, and strawberry sauce. Then slice, serve, and enjoy!
Notes
- You can make this cheesecake in a rectangular casserole dish to slice into strawberry cheesecake bars!
- To ensure a nice smooth top, tap the springform pan firmly on the counter a few times to help even out any folds and bring any bubbles to the top.
- Make sure to scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl multiple times with a rubber spatula while making the cheesecake filling.
- You can use any fresh berries for this recipe! I've made it with blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries. So long as you strain the mixture, all of them will turn out delicious.
- You can adjust the sweetness of the filling by adding or removing sugar. I recommend not adding the full amount immediately! If you like an even tangier cheesecake, add a bit of lemon juice to the strawberry puree.
- If you're using jam instead of fresh strawberries, heat it up until it's runny, then strain it. You'll need to mix it into the cheesecake while it's still warm to ensure it doesn't start to harden.
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