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Layered no bake strawberry cheesecake in a mason jar topped with whipped cream and strawberries.

No Bake Strawberry Cheesecake in a Jar

No Bake Strawberry Cheesecake in a Jar is an easy dessert recipe that is perfect for parties. Each of these individual mason jar desserts features a no bake graham cracker crust, light pink cheesecake filling sweetened with white chocolate and strawberries, strawberry sauce, and homemade whipped cream.
Note that the recipe suggests chilling the layered jars of cheesecake & crust for about 6-12 hours to firm up the filling. You can eat the jars right away, but the filling will be much softer.
5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 0 minutes
Chill Time 12 hours
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 6 8-ounce jars

Ingredients
  

Strawberry Sauce Layer

  • 1 lb strawberries chopped into small ½” pieces (reserve 2-4 whole berries to slice for a garnish)
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Crust Layer

  • 1 cup graham cracker crumbs (about 6 sheets)
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter melted

Strawberry Cheesecake Layer

  • 2 ounces white chocolate
  • 12 ounces cream cheese
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • pinch of salt
  • 1/2 cup strawberry sauce (reserved from sauce layer)
  • 2/3 cup frozen whipped topping thawed in fridge (Cool Whip)

Whipped Cream

  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
  • sliced fresh strawberries to garnish, optional

Instructions
 

Strawberry Sauce

  • Add the strawberries and 1/3 cup of sugar to a medium saucepan and cook over medium-low heat for 8-10 minutes until berries are cooked down and quite soupy. Stir periodically. Simmering is fine, but if the mixture starts to boil, you can adjust the heat down. Remove from heat.
  • Meanwhile, in a small bowl, use a fork to make a slurry from 2 tablespoons of cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of lukewarm water. Stir this mixture into the strawberries. Allow to thicken for 2-3 minutes, stirring a few times.
  • Stir lemon juice into strawberry sauce. Measure out ½ cup of sauce (including the berries) to use in the filling. You want the sauce to be cool when you use it for the filling, so you can spread it on a small plate to cool it faster if needed. Reserve remaining sauce for layering in the jars and store in fridge.

Graham Cracker Crust

  • Mix the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter together thoroughly in a medium bowl and set aside.

Strawberry Cheesecake Filling

  • Melt 2 ounces of high-quality white chocolate in the microwave at 20 second intervals, stirring in between. Once fully melted, set aside to cool.
  • Soften the cream cheese in a medium microwave-safe bowl by microwaving in 10-15 second intervals. Stir in-between intervals. When the cream cheese is very soft (but not hot), use a hand mixer (med-low speed) to beat it smooth, about 1-2 minutes.
  • Add 1/3 cup sugar, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt and beat on med-low until sugar is fully incorporated/dissolved, about 1-2 minutes.
  • Add the cooled melted white chocolate and beat until combined, about 30-60 seconds. Add 1/2 cup of the reserved (cooled) strawberry sauce and beat until just combined, about 30-60 seconds.
  • Use a spatula to gently fold in 2/3 cup of Cool Whip until fully combined.

To Layer

  • Divide crust mixture in half (I just eyeball it) and divide one half the mixture among six 8-ounce mason jars (or similar ramekins etc.).
  • Divide the cheesecake mixture in half (again, I just eyeball it--so much easier than trying to measure and scrape filling into jars) and layer one-half of the mixture evenly among the six jars with a spoon. You can smooth the layers with a small teaspoon if you like, or just keep going.
  • Divide the remaining crust mixture across the jars and repeat with the cheesecake filling.
  • At this point, I suggest chilling the jars for 6-12 hours to set the filling. If you are in a hurry, you can eat the jars right away, the filling will just be much softer.

Fresh Whipped Cream

  • Prepare the whipped cream before serving (I usually find it’s fine to prepare it a few hours in advance as needed). You may also use Cool Whip instead if preferred.
  • With a hand mixer, wire whisk attachment, and bowl (or use a stand mixer), combine 1 cup of heavy cream, 2 tablespoons sugar, and 1/4 tsp of vanilla extract. Beat until the cream starts to form soft peaks and then beat a bit more until the whipped cream is just beginning to form stiff peaks.

To Serve

  • Remove chilled cheesecakes from the fridge and spoon strawberry sauce onto the top of each cheesecake.
  • Pipe or spoon whipped cream over each dessert. Add a sprinkle of crushed graham crackers and/or sliced strawberries if desired.

Notes

To Make Ahead: Layer the crust and cheesecake filling into jars as noted in the recipe and store in the fridge (up to a day or two). When ready to serve, add the strawberry sauce and fresh whipped cream.
Storing Leftovers: I’ve stored completed desserts (with whipped cream and all) covered with plastic wrap in the fridge for a few days after preparing, but since the whipped cream will get flattened, I usually only serve these to family or close friends. Otherwise, opt for adding the whipped cream right before serving.
The finished jars will keep a few days in the fridge.
Notes on Thawing Cool Whip: To thaw the Cool Whip for this recipe, place the unopened container in the fridge for about 3-4 hours (standard 8-ounce container) in advance of making the cheesecake filling. If you forget, don’t be tempted to thaw it on the counter—it’ll get very soupy. Instead, pop the whole container in the fridge and start making the recipe.
By the time you are ready to add a scoop to the cheesecake filling, it’ll be starting to get soft and you can measure out the softened whip from the top/sides of the container and pop the rest back in the fridge to continue thawing correctly.