No Bake Strawberry Cheesecake

No Bake Strawberry Cheesecake is one of our favorite summer desserts.

It's got a buttery graham cracker crust, creamy filling, that's topped with sweet and juicy glazed strawberries. This made from scratch, no bake dessert is delicious and super refreshing.

As much as I love cooking and baking during the summer I prefer no bake desserts like White Chocolate Mousse with Strawberries during the heat of summer.

Making this no bake cheesecake is really easy. It breaks down into three components: crust, filling, and topping.

Yes, you don't need to turn on your oven to make this fabulous dessert.

You will have to plan to wait for a few hours until the cake has properly chilled before serving. But the active time for this recipe is less than 30 minutes.

So you'll be in and out of in kitchen without breaking a sweat!

And make no mistake although we make this recipe most often during the summer month when strawberry season is at its peak, this dessert will be a hit all year long.

Ready to make it extra special? Try adding some homemade mint whipped cream.

What You'll Need

Fruit

• 5 cups STRAWBERRIES, sliced, divided, ½ cup to make the glaze and the remaining strawberries for the topping
• 1 LEMON, zest of the entire lemon, juice of half a lemon

Wet Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon VANILLA EXTRACT
• 1 tablespoon WATER, not shown, used to liquify the cornstarch

Dairy

• 16 ounces CREAM CHEESE, full fat, room temperature
• 1 cup HEAVY WHIPPING CREAM
• 6 tablespoons BUTTER, unsalted, melted

Dry Ingredients

• 2 cups GRAHAM CRACKERS - about 12 sheets
• 1 cup POWDERED SUGAR, divided, one tablespoon kept separate for whisking the heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons GRANULATED SUGAR
• 1 tablespoon CORNSTARCH

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How To Make It

You might be surprised how little time it takes to make this no bake strawberry cheesecake recipe.

Prep

• Lightly grease the springform with non-stick baking spray or a bit of shortening.
• Wash, dry, and slice the fresh strawberries. Set aside ½ cup of strawberries for the glaze.

The Crust

1. Melt the butter in a small saucepan.
2. Use a ziplock bag and a rolling pin to crush the Graham Crackers. Alternatively use a food processor.
3. Combine graham cracker crumbs and melted butter. Pour the mixture into a pre-greased springform. Press the mixture tightly into the bottom of the springform. Chill in the fridge.

The Cheesecake Filling

1. In a large bowl combine cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, the zest of one lemon, and juice of half a lemon.
2. Use an electric hand mixer and blend on medium speed until the mixture is creamy and smooth.

3. In a separate bowl whisk heavy whipping cream.
4. Just before the cream begins to stiffen add 1 tablespoon of powdered sugar.

5. Fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture.
6. Pour the cream cheese mixture into the springform. Use a knife or cake spreader to smooth out the top.
7. Chill in the refrigerator for a minimum of 6 hours.

To Make The Glaze

1. Add ½ cup of strawberries and 2 tablespoons of sugar to a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer and cook on low heat until the strawberries begin to expel their juices, about 10 minutes. Stir occasionally.
2. Add strawberries to a blender and process until smooth.
3. In a small bowl mix the cornstarch with one tablespoon of water. Slowly pour the liquified cornstarch into the saucepan. Continue to cook for additional 2-3 minutes until the mixture turns syrupy.
4. Strain the strawberry glaze through a sieve. This will separate the seeds from the glaze.

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Finishing the Cheesecake

1. Take the chilled cheesecake out of fridge. Add one layer of sliced strawberries.
2. Use a silicon pastry brush to brush the glaze onto the strawberries. NOTE: If you don't have a brush, spoon the liquid evenly on top of the strawberries.
3. Cover the cake and chill in the fridge for a minimum of 6 hours. NOTE: Even better if you make the cake a day in advance and chill overnight.

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Recipe Tips For Success

Storage

You can store this no bake Strawberry Cheesecake for 3-4 days covered in the fridge. Confession: It never lasts this long in our house!

Technically you can freeze this no bake cheesecake though I wouldn't recommend it. But if you do, freeze it without the strawberries.

You could always defrost it and add the strawberry topping afterward.

This is such a quick and easy recipe, I do recommend making it fresh.

More Tips

• Use full fat cream cheese.
• Allow the cream cheese to rise to room temperature. But make sure that the heavy whipping cream is cold.
• When you fold in the whipped cream; avoid overworking the mixture.
• Refrigerating the cheesecake overnight is best.

EQUIPMENT

Springform. A standard 9" springform works best. I've never tried, but in a pinch, you could try to use an 8x8" pyrex dish.

Hand Mixer. Although I love my Kitchen Aid stand mixer I prefer using a hand mixer for this recipe.

Immersion blender. This is one of my most used kitchen tools in the winter. It's perfect for pureeing soups or sauces. And for this recipe, it's a great tool to puree the strawberries. If you don't have an immersion blender, you can always transfer the strawberries into a food processor or regular blender.

More Summer Desserts

• Blueberry Crisp - this dessert takes just about 5 minutes to prep.
• Key Lime Cookies - refreshing key lime flavors in a delicious cookie
• German Cheesecake - one of Germany's most popular cakes
• Blueberry Coffee Cake - moist and tender blueberry breakfast cake
• German 'Erdbeerkuchen' (Strawberry Torte) - super fruity dessert