This easy no bake strawberry cheesecake is the perfect recipe to showcase those beautiful Summer strawberries. A light, creamy vanilla cheesecake topped with a super sweet strawberry sauce. It’s quite literally the perfect dessert! The cheesecake and sauce can both be made in advance for a special occasion.
I hope you’re all having a great Summer so far! I’m back with a brand new recipe that, in my mind, is a perfect Summer celebration dessert.
The no-bake cheesecake. A no bake strawberry cheesecake, no less. In the Summertime, simple no bake recipes are a God send. I already have a quick recipe for jam jar strawberry cheesecakes, but I’ve wanted to make a proper one for a long time.
I wanted to pack as much natural strawberry flavour as possible in this cheesecake.
The filling is packed with chopped strawberries and it’s topped with a stunning strawberry sauce. The sauce is so divine with the creamy, vanilla bean-flecked cheesecake filling. I promise you’re going to LOVE this recipe.
This delicious treat is the perfect combination of creamy cheesecake filling and the sweet, vibrant pop of fresh strawberries. You’ll wow your friends and family with this effortless yet impressive dessert!
easy no bake cheesecake recipe
Regular readers will know I’m a big fan of a no bake cheesecake. I have lots of cheesecake recipes that I turn to whenever I need a special dessert that won’t take hours to make and can be made ahead of time. Here are just a few of the most popular:
ingredients
Below is a quick list of the ingredients you will need to make this recipe. Ingredient amounts and detailed instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.
for the cheesecake base
- Digestive biscuits. You could also use shortbread biscuits. If you’re in the USA and digestives are not available, the closest substitute would be Graham crackers.
- Butter
the cheesecake filling
- Full fat cream cheese. It must be full fat or the cheesecake might not set.
- Icing (powdered) sugar
- The seeds of one vanilla pod, OR two teaspoons vanilla bean paste
- Fresh Lemon juice
- Double (heavy) cream with a fat content of 48%
- Fresh strawberries, chopped
the strawberry sauce
- Fresh strawberries
- Lemon juice
- caster sugar
- vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- cornflour (cornstarch)
- water to loosen the sauce
what size tin to use?
You will need a deep 20cm round cake tin with a springform base. You could also use this recipe to make individual cheesecakes, but as I haven’t tested this I couldn’t tell you how many cheesecakes you would get. It would be a LOT!!
Step by step instructions
make the base
Melt the butter and set aside to cool down slightly. Place the biscuits in the bowl of a food processor and blitz to small crumbs. Pour in the butter and process again until you have a mixture that resembles damp sand.
Tip this mixture into the base of the springform tin. Using the back of a spoon or your hands, press down evenly and firmly to compact. Place the tin in the fridge while you prepare the filling.
make the filling
Whip the double (heavy) cream in a medium bowl to soft peaks. Don’t overwhip – it should still be quite soft but holding its shape.
Place the cream cheese, sieved icing sugar, lemon juice and vanilla seeds or extract in a large bowl and whisk until the mixture is smooth. I use an electric mixer but it’s easy to do by hand with a large whisk.
COMBINE THE CREAM CHEESE AND WHIPPED CREAM
Fold the whipped double cream into the cream cheese mixture. To eliminate the risk of overmixing at this stage, I switch off the electric mixer and use a plastic spatula. Finally, fold in the finely chopped strawberries.
Remove the tin from the fridge and pour in the cheesecake filling. Smooth the top, but don’t worry too much because it will be covered in strawberry sauce later. Place a piece of plastic wrap over the top and chill for at least 6 hours or overnight.
make the strawberry sauce
Roughly chop half of the strawberries and cut the rest in half. Keep the ones you cut in HALF aside, you’ll be adding those to the pan later. Place the chopped strawberries in a large, deep saucepan with the sugar, lemon juice and vanilla extract.
Cook on a medium heat for 7-8 minutes or until the strawberries have softened down and the sugar has dissolved. Don’t boil the mixture – you don’t want to make jam!
Place the cornflour in a small dish or bowl and add 1 tablespoon of water. Stir together until smooth and lump free, then pour into the pan of strawberries, stirring well. The mixture should thicken straightaway. Add the reserved halved strawberries and cook for about one minute until the sauce is starting to turn syrupy.
Remove from the heat immediately – the sauce will thicken as it cools. It should still be quite runny, but if it seems thick stir in some of the water to loosen the consistency – about a tablespoonful at a time. Transfer to a heatproof bowl to cool completely.
assembling the cheesecake
Once the cheesecake has set, carefully unclip the tin and remove the base. Place the cheesecake on a serving plate and pour over the cold strawberry sauce. Pop back in the fridge for 30 minutes before serving.
TOP TIP I slide a thin, long handled spatula/fish slice between the base of the tin and the biscuit base. If done carefully, the base should release easily from the tin with no biscuit base stuck to it!
Serving the strawberry cheesecake
When the cheesecake has set nicely and you’re almost ready to serve it, carefully remove the cheesecake from the tin and place on a serving plate. Spoon the strawberry sauce over the sauce. Slice the cheesecake into portions with a sharp knife. For neater slices, pop the cheesecake back in the fridge for about 30 minutes before eating.
Can I make cheesecake in advance?
Yes. You can make the cheesecake and the strawberry sauce and store it in the fridge for up to three days ahead of time. Assembling the cheesecake takes no longer than a couple of minutes.
How does a no bake cheesecake set?
No bake cheesecakes contain cream cheese and double (whipping) cream. The cream cheese and cream are whipped up to incorporate air into the mixture. The cheesecake is chilled for several hours to set.
Baked cheesecake contains eggs, sugar and cream which after baking, are set to a custard consistency. If you’re interested in trying a baked cheesecake, try my recipes for blood orange baked cheesecake and burnt basque cheesecake.
more cheesecake recipes
more strawberry recipes
No Bake Strawberry Cheesecake
This light, no bake strawberry cheesecake is creamy, delicious and perfect for a Summer celebration! A buttery biscuit base, a chilled vanilla bean cheesecake filling and a stunning homemade strawberry topping. You won't be able to resist!
Ingredients
- FOR THE BASE
- 300g digestive biscuits
- 150g butter
- FOR THE FILLING
- 500g full fat cream cheese
- 75g icing sugar, sieved
- Seeds of one 1 vanilla pod OR 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste/vanila extract
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- 200g double (whipping) cream with a fat content of 48%
- 150g fresh strawberries, chopped into small pieces
- FOR THE STRAWBERRY TOPPING
- 400g strawberries, half chopped and half cut in half (you'll be adding the halved strawberries during the final minute of cooking because you need to leave them whole.)
- 50g caster sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon water
- About 3 or 4 tablespoons water to loosen the sauce
Instructions
- TO MAKE THE CHEESECAKE BASE Melt the butter in a small saucepan over a low heat stirring occasionally. Once it has melted, set aside to cool down slightly.
- Place the biscuits in the bowl of a food processor and blitz to small crumbs. Pour in the melted butter and process again until the mixture resembles damp sand and sticks together.
- Spoon the crumbs into the base of 20cm round springform tin. Using the back of a metal spoon or your hands, press down evenly and firmly to compact the base. Place in the fridge while you make the filling.
- FOR THE CHEESECAKE FILLING: Whip the double (heavy) cream in a medium bowl until it holds its shape. Don't over whip - you don't want it too stiff.
- Place the cream cheese, sieved icing sugar, lemon juice and vanilla seeds or extract in a large bowl and whisk until the mixture is smooth. I use an electric mixer but it's easy to do by hand with a large whisk - it just takes a little bit longer.
- Using a plastic spatula, fold the whipped double cream into the cream cheese mixture. (Even if I'm using an electric mixer, I always switch it off at this stage and fold the cream in by hand.) Finally, fold in the finely chopped strawberries.
- Remove the tin from the fridge and pour the cheesecake filling over the chilled base. Using a metal spoon, smooth out the top (don't stress about it not being neat enough - it will be covered in the strawberry topping later. Place a piece of cling film over the top of the tin and chill for at least 6 hours or overnight.
- TO MAKE THE STRAWBERRY TOPPING Chop half of the strawberries into quarters and cut the rest in half. Keep the ones you cut in HALF to one side - you need to keep them whole, so you'll be adding them to the pan later. Place the roughly chopped strawberries in a large, deep saucepan with the sugar, lemon juice and vanilla extract.
- Cook on a low-medium heat for about 7-8 minutes or until the strawberries have cooked down and the sugar has dissolved. Don't let the mixture boil - you don't want it to turn into jam!
- Place the cornflour in a small dish or bowl and add 1 tablespoon of water. Mix together until smooth. Pour the cornflour mixture into the pan of strawberries and stir well. The mixture should thicken immediately. Add the reserved halved strawberries to the pan and cook on low heat for a further one minute. The sauce is starting to turn syrupy.
- Remove the sauce from the heat - the sauce will thicken up as it cools. It should still be quite runny, but if it seems too thick stir in some of the water, a tablespoon at a time. You might not need all of the water, so go sparingly. It should be quite thick but pourable, if that makes sense! If it looks like jam, it's been cooked for too long. Transfer the sauce to a heatproof bowl to cool completely.
- Once the cheesecake has set, carefully unclip the tin and remove the base. Place the cheesecake on a serving plate and pour over the cold strawberry sauce. For neater slices, place the cheesecake back in the fridge for 30 minutes before slicing with a sharp knife.
Notes
Make in advance - This cheesecake and the strawberry topping can be made and stored in the fridge up to three days ahead of time. Don't add the strawberry topping until you're ready to serve the cheesecake.
It's crucial to use full fat cream cheese and double (whipping) cream with a fat content to 48% so the cheesecake sets.
The seeds from a fresh vanilla pod will give the best flavour to the cheesecake filling, but you could use vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract instead.
Any leftover cheesecake should be stored in the fridge and eaten within three days.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 10 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 513Total Fat: 37gSaturated Fat: 21gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 86mgSodium: 394mgCarbohydrates: 42gFiber: 2gSugar: 30gProtein: 5g
Calories and nutritional information are provided by a third party application and should be viewed as indicative figures only.