Tessa’s Recipe Rundown
Taste: Tastes like summer! The fresh, vibrant strawberry flavor pairs so beautifully with the buttery graham cracker crust.
Texture: Depends on how cold you serve it! The colder it is, the more like ice cream the texture becomes. The warmer it is, it’s more like a cross between cheesecake and strawberry mousse.
Ease: Super easy, but you need both a blender or food processor and an electric mixer.
Pros: Fun, bright, and crowd-pleasing summer treat. Can be made in advance.
Cons: None!
Would I make this again? Absolutely.
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These No Bake Strawberry Cheesecake Bars are edible proof that there’s nothing better than a fresh, fruity, and chilled dessert on a hot summer day.
I adore making cheesecake bars. I have so many cheesecake bar recipes – like Classic Cheesecake Bars, my Nutella Cheesecake Bars, and even Chocolate Chip Cookie Cheesecake Bars!
Cheesecake bars are fun because they don’t need a water bath, they’re easy to make, and even easier to slice and serve! What’s not to love?
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These cheesecake bars are extra special because you don’t even need to turn on your oven to make these No Bake Strawberry Cheesecake Bars! Win-win for summer baking.
I love how bold the strawberry flavor is in these bars. I find with a lot of baked goods, the strawberries kind of dull in flavor from the heating process (unless you’re roasting strawberries, like in this ice cream recipe!).
In this recipe, we use strawberries in two forms for plenty of flavor and color: freeze-dried strawberries that are blended into a fine powder, and fresh strawberries blended into the filling mixture.
So while you do need both a blender or food processor and an electric mixer (or very strong arm) to make this recipe, there’s no oven involved. There’s also no Cool Whip. Totally homemade from scratch!
Sprinkle of Science
How to Make No-Bake Strawberry Cheesecake Bars
What Kind of Cream Cheese Should I Use for No-Bake Strawberry Cheesecake Bars?
- Be sure to use blocks of full-fat, high-quality cream cheese.
- Do not use reduced fat or your cheesecake bars may be watery, rubbery, or otherwise lackluster.
- Don’t use whipped cream cheese or cream cheese for spreading on a bagel.
- Be sure your cream cheese is COMPLETELY softened to room temperature before making the cheesecake bars.
I Can’t Find Graham Crackers. What Else Can I Use?
Whatever your heart desires! Use the same amount by weight of digestive biscuits, vanilla wafers, Biscoff cookies, or any crunchy cookie you’d like – just note that Biscoff cookies are a little richer than graham crackers (which are drier), so add just enough butter until it holds together when pressed.
You can even put this No-Bake Strawberry Cheesecake Bar filling on top of a pan of baked, cooled brownies!
Why Use Freeze-Dried Strawberries?
- Freeze-dried strawberries offer a ton of strawberry flavor and vibrant color without adding too much extra liquid to the filling.
- Fresh strawberries contain a lot of water, which makes it difficult to make a sturdy enough no-bake cheesecake that holds its shape, or one that doesn’t get icy and hard if you freeze it.
- I also love to use freeze-dried strawberries in icing recipes like with my Baked Strawberry Lemon Doughnuts!
- Once pulverized, they also make a great garnish on top of chocolate cake or brownies, or mixed in to flavor buttercream frosting.
Where to Find Freeze-Dried Strawberries?
You can find freeze-dried strawberries near the other dried fruits like raisins at the grocery store. I’ve seen them consistently stocked at Target, Trader Joe’s, Kroger, and Walmart, or online here. Reader Francesca also mentioned you can often find freeze-dried fruit next to the baby food at the grocery store!
What if I Can’t Find Freeze-Dried Strawberries?
If you can’t find freeze-dried strawberries, simply omit them – but please note that the strawberry color and flavor will be less intense.
Can I Use Frozen Strawberries?
Yes, you can use frozen strawberries in place of the fresh strawberries in the recipe. Be sure to thaw them then drain any excess liquid completely, as too much water will prevent this cheesecake from setting.
Please note that frozen strawberries cannot be substituted for the freeze-dried strawberries.
Chilling No Bake Cheesecake
This cheesecake needs to chill in the freezer for at least 4 hours to ensure it fully sets and holds its shape. I usually just make it the day before I plan to serve it, just to allow plenty of time for the bars to fully chill.
How to Serve No-Bake Strawberry Cheesecake Bars
- Before serving, allow No-Bake Strawberry Cheesecake Bars to soften slightly in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- For clean slices, use a big sharp knife. Run it under hot water, and carefully wipe it off in between slices.
- Store covered in the fridge for up to 3 days or freezer for up to 2 weeks. The texture will be softer and looser when stored in the fridge.
- Serve with fresh strawberries, vanilla ice cream, fresh whipped cream, or chocolate ganache!
More Recipes You’ll Love:
- No-Bake Strawberry Lemonade Mini Cheesecakes
- Strawberry Bundt Cake
- Strawberry Swirl Sugar Cookies
- Raspberry Cream Sandwich Cookies
- Brown Butter Rice Crispy Treats
No Bake Strawberry Cheesecake Bars
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Ingredients
For the crust:
- 1 sleeve (9 crackers, 140 grams) graham crackers
- 5 tablespoons (71 grams) unsalted butter, melted
For the cheesecake:
- 3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated sugar
- 2 cups (47 grams)
freeze-dried strawberries * - 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 16 ounces (454 grams) cream cheese, completely softened to room temperature
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 1/4 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
- 1/2 cup (180 grams) heavy cream, chilled
Instructions
For the crust:
- Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper or foil, leaving an overhang on all sides.
- Place the graham crackers in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until very finely ground. The more finely ground, the better the crust will stay together and not crumble. Add in the melted butter and pulse until moistened.
- Very firmly press the mixture into the bottom of the pan using your hands or the bottom of a measuring cup. Refrigerate.
For the cheesecake:
- In the bowl of blender, combine the sugar, freeze-dried strawberries, and salt. Blend until the strawberries are powdery with no visible chunks remaining. Add the cream cheese, lemon juice, and fresh strawberries. Blend until completely smooth, scraping down the sides and bottom as needed. A blender tamper can help bring the mixture together quickly.
- In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer fitted with the whip attachment to whip the cream until medium peaks form. Add the strawberry mixture to the whipped cream and gently fold until combined. Spread over prepared crust, smoothing the top.
- Freeze for at least 4 hours or overnight. Let sit in the fridge 30 minutes before serving. Run a large sharp knife under hot water, wiping it off in between slices. Cut into 9 bars.
- Store covered in the fridge for up to 3 days or freezer for up to 2 weeks. If freezing, remove from freezer and refrigerate 30 minutes before serving.
Recipe Notes
This post was published in 2020 and has been updated with additional baking tips. Photos by Ashley McLaughlin.
Could you convert this to a traditional cheesecake by adding eggs, sour cream and baking? Or would the fresh strawberries throw off the water content?
Hi Myles! We haven’t tried that, so I can’t say for sure! I would recommend instead using our Raspberry Lemonade Cheesecake Bars recipe here and using strawberries in place of the raspberries. Feel free to experiment with adding strawberries to our Ultimate Classic Cheesecake recipe, but again, we haven’t tried adding strawberries to that, so it may take a bit of experimentation to perfect. Let us know how it goes if you give any of these a try! 🙂
I wound up going with the classic recipe and added freeze dried strawberries to it. The inside was a nice pink colour and it had a lovely sweet flavour with a bit of tang. Thanks!
So happy to hear that worked out well for you, Myles! Thanks so much for letting us know 🙂
These were great! I used 8 oz reduced fat cream cheese + 8 oz full fat, because that’s what I had. Also used half a package of Biscoff for the crust instead of graham crackers. Using the freeze dried strawberries is fantastic for the flavor and color…I’d love to try other freeze dried fruits! I would hesitate to bring these to an outdoor gathering in the summer, because they will melt if not kept cold. Even though they are no-bake, using the food processor, blender, and mixer creates a lot to cleanup. I may try this in a ready made crust to cut down on steps and cleanup.
Glad you enjoyed them, Christy 🙂
I LOVE IT!!! i made it without the freeze dried strawberries as i couldnt find them, and also replaced a small portion of the strawberries with raspberries because there werent enough strawberries. however the colour was still super bright and beautiful!! it was very creamy and tasted like strawberry cheesecake ice cream!!
YAY! I’m so glad you loved these strawberry cheesecake bars 🙂 Raspberries sound delicious!
Thank you for this perfect recipe! The frosting is phenomenal. I really appreciate it!
These are just amazing. Sour with a little bit of sweetness. A perfect summer treat. Thank you!
This filling is so creamy and yummy and the crust is deliciously buttery.
These bars were pretty good and so easy to make whipped cream really makes them sing 🙂
I LOVE the punch of strawberry flavor using freeze dried strawberries gives! Way to go, Tessa!
I made this recipe for the baking challenge and I’d have to rate these no-bake strawberry cheesecake bars three stars. Making them was pretty simple, but when I took a bite I was expecting a sweeter taste rather than the flavor you get from strawberry cream cheese. If you’re a strawberry lover though, this is recipe is worth trying and a perfect summer treat for the warm weather.