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?
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
The Ultimate Cookie Handbook
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This post was published in 2020 and has been updated with additional baking tips. Photos by Ashley McLaughlin.
This looks so good! I love the color~ I will definitely try this recipe!
Easy and delicious! A perfect summer dessert!
This was so fun to make. This dessert is light, fluffy, delicious, and it melts in your mouth. I will definitely make this again.
I had my doubts, I must admit. But the balance between cream cheese and strawberry was perfect. The pink look implies a sugary desert, but my family felt the strawberries were just a bit tart and Not overly sweet. What a nice change for desert. A little messy with powdered strawberries mixed in a blenders bowl, but I managed to get most of the mixture out. My husband went to bed talking about the leftovers after his birthday party. Hum…guess it’s a winner.
So refreshing and absolutely delicious. Easy to make too.
Loved making these. Not too sweet to allow the cream cheese flavor to shine through. Quick and easy dessert for hot summer days when you don’t want to turn on the oven. I made these as part of the baking challenge but am definitely keeping the recipe in my files.
Such a yummy & refreshing summer treat. Easy to make & you could easily change up the flavors!
Such a great easy, make ahead dessert!
All of the recipes that I have tried on Handle the Heat have turned out more that amazing! Except for this one. At 4 hours in the fridge they were not set so I refrigerated them longer. After refrigerating for nearly 24 hours, they were still not set and were really liquidy. They only thing about this cheesecake that held its shape was the crust. I was already wondering if I should make this recipe due to the large amount of ingredients I would have to buy from the store. I wouldn’t make this recipe again.
Easy make-ahead dessert. How long could you leave it in the freezer? Mine was thicker than the the picture so I assume you could make it in a larger pan than 8 x 8 for a thinner bar.
Hi Zoe – as per the recipe instructions you’re meant to freeze the cheesecake bars then refrigerate them 🙂 Skipping the freezing part will prevent them from setting up properly.
I was unable to find freeze dried strawberries with the inventory problems our grocery store is having so I used strawberry banana chips. This changed the recipe flavor and although everyone liked them I wish I had been able to use plain strawberry. Also the mixture was too thick for my blender. After some false starts I finally got success with my food processor. I think the second time making these will go better as now I know better how to proceed and will wait until I get the right ingredients.
This was great! Love the graham cracker crust and real, fresh strawberry flavor.
We loved this recipe! The sweet strawberry flavor was wonderful, even without the freeze-dried strawberries. T(I wasn’t able to drive to a Target to get them so just made it without!) My family loved the sweet treat – great on the warm evenings we’ve had!