These delicious strawberry cheesecake bars are like perfect little individual cheesecakes without the water bath! They start with a graham cracker crust that gets topped with a no bake cheesecake filling mixed with sweet strawberries, a layer of strawberry pie filling, and whipped cream on top. They are crunchy, creamy, and packed with strawberry flavor!
Strawberries are the star in these cheesecake bars, so it's best to make these during peak strawberry season when the berries are fully red all the way through the center, juicy, and full of strawberry flavor.
Ripe strawberries also help get a more vibrant pink color in your strawberry dessert! Even during peak season, cooking the fresh strawberries for the roasted strawberry topping makes them extra sweet and flavorful.
Enjoy this perfect dessert during the warm weather when strawberries are at their best - just like in this Strawberry Ice Cream, Mini Strawberry Cheesecake, and Strawberry Banana Cake!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
Strawberries - If you're a strawberry fan (and really, who isn't?), you will love these cheesecake bars since it has sweet strawberries in both the filling and the topping.
Creamy and crunchy - I am a big fan of cheesecake, and one of the main reasons is the combination of a crispy crust and creamy filling. They have a crunchy graham cracker crust with a decadent, creamy strawberry cheesecake filling. The perfect combination!
No bake - This is the perfect summer dessert because you won't need to turn on your oven on a hot summer day! All of the components of these bars are no-bake, making it one of those easy desserts to keep on hand all summer long.
Ingredients
- Strawberries. Ripe, juicy strawberries make this recipe the most flavorful, but these can be made any time of year with fresh or frozen strawberries.
- Graham crackers. Buy whole graham crackers (I think Nabisco has the best product) and blend them into crumbs. Pre-ground graham cracker crumbs are too fine and lack flavor.
- Cream cheese. Full fat, brick style cream cheese will produce the best flavor and texture. I find that Philadelphia brand produces the best final outcome.
- Heavy whipping cream. At least 36% milk fat will get whipped into stiff peaks and creates a light fluffy cheesecake batter.
- Cornstarch. This is used to thicken the strawberry topping so it doesn't slide off the top.
- Strawberry jam. A small amount of strawberry jam is mixed into the topping for a silky texture and punchy flavor.
See recipe card for full ingredients list and quantities.
Substitutions and Variations
- Use an Oreo crust for a chocolate covered strawberry version of the bars.
- Add a strawberry swirl variation using the technique from my Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake Bars.
- Drizzle the tops of the bars with melted dark chocolate instead of adding whipped cream.
- Sprinkle the tops with strawberry crunch.
How to Make This Recipe
One: Add chopped strawberries, sugar and water to a saucepan and cook until very thick and very little liquid remains. Blend until smooth.
Two: In the same pan, add quartered strawberries, sugar, cornstarch, water, and jam and cook until just thickened. This will go on top of the strawberry cheesecake.
Three: Press the graham cracker crumb base into a parchment lined square pan and freeze.
Four: Whip the heavy cream until very stiff peaks form.
Five: Beat the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until smooth.
Six: Add the strawberry puree and mix again until smooth.
Seven: Fold the whipped cream into the cheesecake batter in batches until no lumps remain.
Eight: Spread the batter over the frozen graham cracker crust.
Nine: Spread the thick strawberry topping over the cheesecake. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours.
Ten: Spread fresh whipped cream on top of the bars before slicing and serving.
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Expert Tips
- Cook down the strawberry puree until very thick. If it's too thin, the cheesecake won't set up firmly.
- Use very soft room temperature cream cheese or else the filling will be lumpy.
- Refrigerate the bars until fully chilled before slicing. At least 6 hours is best.
- Clean the knife off completely between each cut for clean edges on the bars. Cut straight down, then slide the knife out of the side for the best results.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, but the bars may not have as strong of strawberry flavor as using fresh during peak strawberry season.
In this recipe, the strawberry puree has to be very thick without any remaining water or else the bars won't set up well and will be runny.
Storage
Store the strawberry cheesecake bars in the fridge (covered or uncovered) for up to five days.
If the bars are topped with whipped cream, the cream will start to seep around day 2 or 3. Without the whipped cream, they will keep for the entire 5 days.
Freezing
Flash freeze the entire pan or the cut bars for 1 hours, then wrap tightly in plastic wrap and aluminum foil and freeze for up to three months.
Unwrap completely and thaw in the fridge, then add the whipped cream.
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What to Know When Cooking with The Cozy Plum
- All recipes are created with Diamond Crystal kosher salt, the least salty variety of kosher salt. If using Morton's, you'll need to cut the amount of salt in half as it's 2x as salty. This will be the same for sea salt. Please do not use table salt.
- Switch between Cups vs Metric using the toggle on the recipe card. Baking by weight using a digital scale will always produce the most accurate results.
- Scale the recipe using the '1X' '2X' '3X' buttons on the recipe card. Note that this does not make an adjustment for baking times, only quantities.
- If you'd like to make the recipe in a different pan, use the pan size converter.
📖Recipe
No Bake Strawberry Cheesecake Bars
Equipment
- Stand mixer with paddle and whisk attachment (or hand mixer)
Ingredients
Strawberry Puree
- ½ lb strawberries hulled and sliced
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
Strawberry Topping
- ½ lb strawberries hulled and quartered
- ¼ cup strawberry jam
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- ¼ cup water
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
Graham Cracker Crust
- 1 ¼ cups graham cracker crumbs
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
Cheesecake Filling
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream cold
- 16 oz cream cheese full fat, room temperature
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Whipped Cream
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream cold
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Strawberry Puree
- Add the sliced strawberries and sugar to a saucepan over medium heat and cook, stirring often, until the strawberries release their juices and break down and become very soft. Use the back of a spoon or rubber spatula to help the strawberry break down.½ lb strawberries, ¼ cup granulated sugar
- Once the juices have released, continue cooking the strawberries until the juice becomes very thick and syrupy. Dragging a spaulta through the pan will create a streak where the juices slowly come back together.
- Blend the strawberries using an immersion blender, blender, or food processor. Transfer to the fridge (uncovered) to cool to room temperature (you don’t want it to be very cold, but not steaming either).
Strawberry Topping
- In the same pan, add the quartered strawberries, sugar, jam, water, and cornstarch and mix to combine. Turn the heat to low and gently stir and toss the strawberries until the sugar dissolves, then increase the heat to medium. Cook until it begins to bubble and get very thick. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.½ lb strawberries, ¼ cup strawberry jam, 2 tablespoons sugar, ¼ cup water, 1 tablespoon cornstarch
Graham Cracker Crust
- Prepare an 8x8” pan by spraying the pan with cooking spray, then lining two strips of parchment paper crossways to completely cover the bottom and sides of the pan.
- Mix the graham cracker crumbs, butter, and salt in a bowl until combined and all crumbs are moistened.1 ¼ cups graham cracker crumbs, 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- Transfer to the prepared pan and press the crumbs evenly into the bottom of the pan, getting the whole way to the sides and corners. Add the pan to the freezer while you prepare the rest of the cheesecake ingredients.
Cheesecake Batter
- Add the heavy whipping cream to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or use a bowl and hand mixer) and whip the mixture until stiff peaks form. Transfer the whipped cream to another bowl and set aside.1 cup heavy whipping cream
- To the same bowl, add the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla and mix on low speed until smooth. Scrape down the sides and add the strawberry puree. Mix on low speed again until the puree is fully incorporated.¼ cup powdered sugar, 16 oz cream cheese, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Add the whipped cream and fold it into the cream cheese mixture by hand until fully incorporated. Don’t over mix or the batter will deflate! Pour the strawberry cheesecake filling on top of the graham cracker crust and spread it evenly.
- Gently spoon the cooled strawberry topping evenly on top of the cheesecake filling—Refrigerate (uncovered) for at least 6 hours for it to set.
Topping
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or in a bowl with a hand mixer), add the heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla and whip on medium high speed until medium to stiff peaks form.1 cup heavy whipping cream, ¼ cup powdered sugar, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Spread on top of all of the bars before slicing, or transfer to a bowl to add a spoonful to each individual slice.
Video
Notes
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