This no-bake strawberry cheesecake is extra creamy and bursting with strawberries. It’s easy to make and turns out with a luscious texture, crunchy crust, and delicious strawberry flavor made from real berries. 
**This recipe was originally published in March 2018 and updated June 30, 2020 with new photos and recipe tips**
This no-bake strawberry cheesecake just might be the perfect cheesecake for spring and summer. It’s creamy, smooth, filled with real strawberries, and you don’t even need to turn on the oven. It has a delicious strawberries and cream flavor that almost reminds me of a strawberry milkshake. I love this cheesecake with a crunchy Oreo crust, but I’ve also included the details for a graham cracker crust if you prefer.
The Perfect No-Bake Strawberry Cheesecake
This recipe is made with real berries. I know a lot of no-bake strawberry cheesecake recipes call for jello powder – but I wanted to use fresh (or frozen) berries for the best flavor. It does mean a couple of extra steps, but the flavor is far better.
First, we make the crust by mixing together crushed Oreo cookies (wafers and filling) and melted butter. Then press it into the bottom and slightly up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan. If you’d prefer a graham cracker crust – use 2 3/4 cups graham crumbs, 3 tablespoons sugar and 10 tablespoons melted butter – but I definitely prefer the chocolate and strawberry flavor. Then you’ll pop the crust in the fridge as you make the filling. 
For the cheesecake, we first need to make the strawberry puree. This is the most time-consuming part of the recipe. You’ll first core and slice your strawberries (or you could use frozen, sliced berries). Then pulse them in a food processor or blender until it’s liquid. 1 lb of berries (454g) will give you approximately 1 3/4 – 2 cups of puree. Then push the puree through a sieve to remove the seeds. You need to do this a little at a time and really push it through using the back of a spoon. 
Then we boil the puree to concentrate the flavor with a little sugar and remove the excess water. When it’s done boiling down, you should have about 3/4 cup of reduced puree. Then gelatin goes into the mixture to dissolve, and the mixture will cool as you make the rest of the filling.
From there, making the cheesecake filling is the same as a traditional no-bake cheesecake. You’ll beat together the cream cheese and sugar until soft, then mix in the flavorings (in this case – the cooled strawberry puree). Then gently fold in whipped cream until the mixture is smooth and even.
The cheesecake filling is spread over top of the cust, and then then it goes in the fridge to set.
Questions, Variations, Tips & Substitutions
- Can I use a 10-inch springform or 8-inch springform? Yes, it’ll just be a bit thinner in the 10-inch pan, or thicker in the 8-inch pan.
- Frozen strawberries work fine for this recipe, but you’ll want to boil them for a bit longer to remove the extra liquid.
- Do I have to use gelatin? Yes. The strawberries add a lot of liquid to the cheesecake, and without gelatin, it won’t set properly.
- If you prefer, cool whip can be substituted for the whipped cream. You’ll need 1 8 oz tub.
This no-bake strawberry cheesecake is so creamy without being too dense, bursting with real strawberry flavor, and honestly reminds me of a big strawberry milkshake (which I think is a very good thing). And if you love strawberry desserts, be sure to try:
Or for a few more no-bake cheesecake recipes, don’t forget to try:
- Classic, No-Bake Cheesecake (there’s no gelatin in this recipe)
- No-Bake Peanut Butter Cheesecake
- No-Bake Cherry Cheesecake
No-Bake Strawberry Cheesecake
Equipment
- 9-inch springform pan
Ingredients
Oreo Crust*
- 30 Oreo Cookies wafers and filling
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
Cheesecake Filling
- 1 lb strawberries* cored and sliced
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 1 package gelatin*
- 1 1/4 cups whipping cream 33-35% MF
- 24 oz cream cheese* full-fat, brick-style
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
To Serve (Optional)
- whipped cream
- sliced strawberries
Instructions
Oreo Crust
- Lightly grease a 9-inch springform pan.
- Crush the Oreo cookies (wafer and filling) in a food processor until fine crumbs. Or place in a Ziploc bag and crush with a rolling pin.
- In a medium bowl stir together the cookie crumbs and melted butter.
- Press the mixture into the bottom and slightly up the sides (about 1/2 way) of the springform pan. Place in the fridge as you make the filling.
Cheesecake Filling
- Puree the strawberries in a food processor or blender.
- Push the puree through a sieve to remove the seeds. (Optional, but recommended).
- Add the puree to a medium saucepan with the white sugar and bring to a gentle boil while stirring Continue stirring as the mixture thickens - it should reduce to about 1/2 of the original volume (about 3/4 cup when it's finished boiling).
- Sprinkle the gelatin evenly over the boiling strawberry mixture. Remove from the heat and give the mixture a stir to ensure it's dissolved.
- In a large bowl beat the whipping cream until stiff peaks form.
- In a separate bowl beat together the cream cheese and powdered sugar until softened.
- Carefully, beat in the cooled strawberry mixture into the cream cheese a little at a time. Ensure it is fully cooled first.
- Gently fold in the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture until it's even.
- Spoon the mixture on top of the crust, smooth the top, and place in the fridge to set for 6 hours.
Serving
- When ready to serve, remove the cheesecake from the fridge. With a thin knife, carefully trace around the edges of the pan. Unclamp the outer ring of the springform pan.
- Optionally, decorate the cheesecake with whipped cream and strawberries.
- Slice with a very thin, sharp knife ensuring to cut all the way through the crust.
Notes
- If you'd prefer to use a graham cracker crust - use 2 3/4 cup graham crumbs, 3 tablespoons white sugar and 10 tablespoons unsalted butter. Stir together the mixture, then press into the bottom and slightly up the sides of the pan.
- Frozen berries work too. You'll need approximately 4 cups sliced strawberries.
- One envelope of gelatin is about 2 1/4 teaspoons. It should be enough to set 2 cups (500 mL) of liquid.
- Cream cheese should be softened to room temperature before getting started.
- Store leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Nutrition information is based on 1 piece without whipped cream or berry toppings, assuming the cheesecake is divided into 12 equal pieces.
Hi Fiona, just wanted to know how many tablespoons of gelatin is required for this recipe.
About 2 1/2 teaspoons of gelatin are in one packet.
I would like to use frozen strawberries. Do I need to reduce an6 liquid or just keep in the same. Thanks!
The recipe will work the same, but I’d recommend boiling down the strawberries for about 10 minutes to boil out the extra liquid 🙂