No bake strawberry cheesecake bars are full of creamy strawberry goodness and topped with crumbled graham crackers for the ultimate indulgence.
Why this recipe works
A creamy cheesecake center filled with fresh strawberries and a topping of graham cracker crumbs, cool whip, and freeze dried strawberries, this no-bake summer dessert is a force to be reckoned with! Strawberry cheesecake bars are a tempting dessert, one that’s great for all sorts of parties especially in the heat of summer when you don’t want to turn the oven on.
Ingredients you will need
Get all measurements, ingredients, and instructions in the printable version at the end of this post.
Ingredient Info and Substitution Suggestions
CRUST & TOPPING – You can find graham cracker crumbs at the store, but you can make your own as well. To make 2.5 cups – place about 16 graham cracker rectangles into the food processor and pulsate until they are small crumbs. You may also substitute the graham cracker crumbs for vanilla wafers, pretzels, or any type of cookie you’d like to use.
CREAM CHEESE – Your cream cheese should be well softened at room temperature. This will make it a lot easier to combine with the other ingredients. Slice it into cubes and allow it to rest on the counter for 30-45 minutes to soften. Do not microwave cream cheese to help it come to room temperature.
STRAWBERRIES – You can typically find freeze-dried strawberries in most grocery stores or on Amazon. To crush them, you can add them to a Ziploc bag and crush by hand or pulse them in a food processor. You will also need fresh strawberries for this recipe, so if you’d prefer to skip the freeze-dried strawberries for the topping, you can top with extra fresh chopped strawberries instead like we did in our strawberry dream dessert. If doing so, wait to top the dessert with the strawberries until you are ready to serve.
How to Make No Bake Strawberry Cheesecake Bars
These step by step photos and instructions are here to help you visualize how to make this recipe. You can Jump to Recipe to get the printable version of this recipe, complete with measurements and instructions at the bottom.
- In a large bowl combine graham cracker crumbs, butter, and water. Mix well.
- Line an 11×9 baking dish with parchment paper. You can use a 13×9 dish instead, just know that the bars will not be as tall when doing so.
- Take about 1 Cup of the graham cracker mixture out and set it aside in a bowl for topping the bars later.
- Then take the remaining graham cracker mixture and place it into the lined dish in one even layer, pressing it down so it’s firm.
- Place the dish in the freezer while you make the filling.
- To make the filling you can use a hand mixer or a large food processor. Add heavy whipping cream to a bowl and beat until medium peaks form, set aside.
- Whip the cream cheese and sugar in a separate bowl. Fold in the whipped cream.
- Add 1 Cup strawberries. Mix well, then add lemon juice.
- Remove the crust from the freezer. Spread out the remaining sliced strawberries on top of the crust.
- Use a rubber spatula to pour the filling on top of the strawberries. Gently spread it out into an even layer.
- Next, place it back in the freezer for about 8 minutes. Remove it and top with cool whip (spreading it carefully with a spatula). Then pour the remaining graham cracker crumbs on top of the cool whip.
- Crush the freeze dried strawberries by hand or in a food processor, and place them on top of the graham cracker crumbs.
- Serve immediately or place the bars in the freezer or refrigerator until ready to serve.
Frequently Asked Questions & Expert Tips
You can store no bake strawberry cheesecake bars in an air-tight container kept in the refrigerator for 3-4 days or in the freezer for 2-3 weeks, making them a great dessert to make ahead of time.
Serving Suggestions
We like to cut the strawberry cheesecake bars into squares for serving. These taste amazing frozen, similar to an ice cream bar but are equally as delicious when chilled in the refrigerator. You can top the bars with fresh strawberries in place of the freeze-dried berries as desired. Strawberry cheesecake bars are a treat that can be served for summer get-togethers, backyard parties, potlucks, or Valentine’s Day!
More No Bake Recipes
- Eclair Cake
- Lemon Icebox Cake
- Strawberry Lasagna
- Pineapple Dream Dessert
- No Bake Peanut Butter Bars
- Lemon Cream Cheese Pudding Dessert
- No Bake Cheesecake Bars
- Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberries
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No Bake Strawberry Cheesecake Bars
IMPORTANT – There are often Frequently Asked Questions within the blog post that you may find helpful. Simply scroll back up to read them!
Print It Rate ItIngredients
- 2.5 cups graham cracker crumbs
- 8 Tbsp unsalted butter 1 stick, melted
- 3 Tbsp water lukewarm
- 8 oz cream cheese well softened, at room temperature
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 1 ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 ½ Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 ½ cups strawberries sliced, divided
- 8 oz Cool Whip or homemade whipped topping
- 1 cup freeze dried strawberries
Things You’ll Need
Before You Begin
- You can use a 13×9 dish instead, just know that the bars will not be as tall when doing so.
- Your cream cheese should be well softened at room temperature. This will make it a lot easier to combine with the other ingredients. Slice it into cubes and allow it to rest on the counter for 30-45 minutes to soften. Do not microwave cream cheese to help it come to room temperature.
- Cool whip gets soft extremely fast so we’d really recommend keeping the bars in the freezer until you’re ready to serve them, pull them out about 8 minutes before. They will thaw just enough to be able to get the knife and fork/spoon through them. Then slice them into squares.
Instructions
- In a large bowl combine graham cracker crumbs, butter, and water. Mix well.
- Line an 11×9 baking dish with parchment paper.
- Take about 1 Cup of the graham cracker mixture out and set it aside in a bowl for topping the bars later.
- Then take the remaining graham cracker mixture and place it into the lined dish in one even layer, pressing it down so it’s firm.
- Place the dish in the freezer while you make the filling.
- To make the filling you can use a hand mixer or a large food processor. Add heavy whipping cream to a bowl and beat until medium peaks form, set aside.
- Whip the cream cheese and sugar in a separate bowl. Fold in the whipped cream mixture.
- Add 1 Cup Strawberries. Mix well, then add lemon juice.
- Remove the crust from the freezer. Spread out the remaining sliced strawberries on top of the crust.
- Use a rubber spatula to pour the filling right on top of the strawberries. Gently spread it out into an even layer.
- Next, place it back in the freezer for about 8 minutes. Remove it and top with cool whip (spreading it carefully with a spatula).
- Pour the remaining graham cracker crumbs on top of the cool whip.
- Crush the freeze dried strawberries by hand or in a food processor, and place them on top of the graham cracker crumbs.
- Serve immediately or place the bars in the freezer or refrigerator until ready to serve.
Expert Tips & FAQs
- Any leftover bars can be kept in the fridge for 3-4 days or in the freezer for 2-3 weeks.
Nutrition
Amanda Davis
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Erin says
Mine is like strawberry cheesecake soup…followed the recipe to a “T” too…anyone else have this problem?
Amanda Formaro says
It sounds like you may have measured something wrong as it should not have been soupy.
Sierra says
Yes!! Also the pictures definitely show more than a cup of the Graham crackers on top in her pictures. It tastes good but unless she forgot to add something in the online recipe or you completely freeze it through, it’s like liquid
Debbie says
If you beat the whipping cream until peaks form then fold in strawberries and then lemon juice you should find it’s not soupy ….I did this and they turned out great