Strawberry Crunch Cheesecake

This no bake strawberry crunch cheesecake with golden Oreos takes your favorite summer ice cream truck treat and turns it into a fabulous dessert.

This strawberry shortcake cheesecake is full of everything you love about strawberry shortcake. Creamy vanilla cheesecake topped with tangy strawberry cheesecake coated in lashings of that all-important strawberry crunch! Drool!

Looking for more fabulous no bake cheesecakes? Why not try making my mini strawberry cheesecakes, red velvet oreo cheesecake or Biscoff cheesecake. Delicious!

Recipe tips and frequently asked questions

What is strawberry crunch made of?

Strawberry crunch is a mix of crunchy 'cake' pieces and strawberry pieces. You can make a super simple version by blending vanilla cookies and freeze-dried strawberries. Or for less traditional but super crunchy version try replacing the cookies with rice crispy cereal like in my strawberry shortcake ice cream.

Can I make these in a jar or cup?

You sure can. Simply spoon the filling into your jars or cups, push down and chill for thirty minutes. Add the vanilla, then strawberry cheesecake filling and chill for three hours. Finally top with that easy strawberry crunch just before serving and you're done!

Can I make mini version of these?

You sure can. Simply make them lined muffin tins instead or silicon molds. As a guide this recipe will make about 24 'muffin tin' sized cheesecakes, which are a similar size to my no bake mini cheesecakes for comparison. You could easily half the recipe to make fewer cheesecakes or make more generous serves.

Ingredients

Freeze-dried strawberries: are an essential part of this no bake cheesecake to add the strawberry flavor to both the cheesecake and outside coating. You can pick them up online or from health food stores.

Golden Oreos: provide the cookie base for this cheesecake with Oreo crust and the crunch to the strawberry crunch coating. If you can not get Golden Oreos you can replace them with something similar like vanilla Nila wafers or even graham crackers or digestive biscuits.

Cream cheese: full fat cream cheese is best for this recipe for that classic creamy cheesecake taste. If you use light cream cheese it may not set properly.

Cream: I use thickened cream which has a fat content of about 34%. You could also use heavy cream or heavy whipping cream which is similar.

White Sugar: white sugar is best in this recipe. You could use castor sugar if you prefer. I don't recommend using other types of sugar, they will be hard to dissolve and will compete with the flavors in this no-bake cheesecake.

Vanilla extract: sometimes also called vanilla essence, depending on where you live. You can use either, or imitation vanilla essence, depending on your preference and budget.

Lemons: a dash of lemon juice helps balance the sweetness of the cream cheese. Fresh is best, I don't recommend bottled lemon juice.

Unsalted Butter: because butter makes most things taste better. In this case it binds and sets the base.

How to make strawberry crunch cheesecake

See the full recipe card at the end of the post for ingredient amounts and instructions.

To make the golden Oreo base

Grease and line your springform cheesecake pan. Twist the golden Oreos apart. Scrap out the filling and set it aside.

Break the remaining cookies up and blitz them into crumbs in a food processor. If you don't have a food processor you can put them into a plastic bag on a chopping board, cover with a tea towel and bash (carefully) with a rolling pin, or even the base of a small pot.

Melt the butter in a microwave or in a pot on the stove. Add the butter to the crumbs and mix well. Tip into the lined cake tin.

Press down with the back of a spoon and chill for at least one hour, and up to twenty-four hours before filling. You want to press down enough for the base to hold together but not too firmly to your base will be too hard.

Hot tip: do not skip chilling the base. If it's to hot when you add the filling it can make the filing weep, resulting in a soggy cheesecake base. If you are pressed for time on the day you can make the base the day before and store it in the fridge.

To make the strawberry crunch filling

Hot tip: Make sure your cream cheese is at room temperature. This can take anywhere from thirty minutes to one hour depending on where you live. If your cream cheese is too cold it won't mix in properly and is one of the main causes of lumpy or grainy cheesecake.

Slice and juice the lemon. Beat half the cream cheese briefly to soften it. Add the sugar, vanilla and lemon juice and beat on low until smooth and creamy and the sugar has fully dissolved, making sure you scrape down the sides of the bowl occasionally to mix in the edge pieces. If you don't have a second bowl for your stand mixer, transfer to another bowl.

Blitz the freeze-dried strawberries for the cheesecake filling in a food processor until smooth. Wait for a few minutes after processing before opening to allow the strawberry dust to settle.

Beat the second half of the cream cheese briefly to soften it. Add ¾ of the scraped out Oreo filling (or white sugar), powdered strawberries and two tablespoons of cream. Beat on low until combined, then increase to medium until thoroughly combined. If you don't have a second bowl for your stand mixer, transfer to another bowl.

Whip the cream until firm peaks form. Divide the whipped cream evenly between the two cheesecake fillings. Add the vanilla cheesecake filling first to the chilled base. Spread evenly on the base, taking care not to leave any air gaps if possible. Add the strawberry cheesecake layer on top and smooth down with a spatula. Chill in the fridge for at least four hours, preferably overnight.

Hot tip: if you want your coating to stay nice and crunchy it's best to decorate it just before serving. The crunch will start to soften within a few hours. The crunch mix will store well in an airtight container, so if you must decorate early I recommend serving it with some extra crunch to sprinkle over once served.

Once set remove the cheesecake from the springform tin and smooth down the edges with an offset spatula. To decorate blitz the whole golden Oreos for the strawberry crunch topping. Blitz the freeze-dried strawberries for the crunch decoration in a food processor until reasonably smooth. Wait for a few minutes after processing before opening to allow the strawberry dust to settle.

Mix the Oreo and strawberry crumbs together until well combined. Sprinkle over the top of the cake. Use a dough scraper or similar to hold the strawberry crunch mix next to the cake and then gently push it off onto the cake and gently pat to stick. Work your way around the cake, pushing and patting as you go. You won't need the full amount but it's easier to have extra to work with.

How to serve

To serve pop onto a plate, slice and enjoy! To get a smooth slice you can dip a large sharp knife in hot water, dry it quickly then carefully slice the cake. Don't heat up the knife too much or it will melt the cheesecake. It goes without saying the knife will be warm to hot. You may need to put a tea towel over the end to avoid burning your fingers on the hot metal.

How to store

The crunch on this cheesecake will start to soften within a few hours. After this it will still be delicious, but much less crunchy. The cheesecake itself will store well in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days, but will be fresher and tastier if eaten within three days..

Undecorated individual slices or the whole cake wrapped and frozen for up to two months, but best eaten within a month for better taste and texture.

Have you made this recipe? Tell me how it went in the comments below and tag me on instagram so I can see your delicious creations! @keep_calm_and_eat_icecream

Looking for more yummy dessert recipes?

Why not try making

• Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream
• Strawberry Popsicles
• Strawberry Ice Cream

Follow me on Facebook or Pinterest for many more delicious recipes.

📋 Recipe

Strawberry Crunch Cheesecake

Author: Sarah Brooks

This no bake strawberry crunch cheesecake with golden Oreos takes your favorite summer ice cream truck treat and turns it into a fabulous dessert.

5 from 4 votes

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Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 0 minutes mins

Chilling time 4 hours hrs

Total Time 4 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Course Dessert, Snack

Cuisine American

Servings 10 slices

Calories 305 kcal

Equipment

• Spring form cake tin, 7" x 2.5" (18cm x 6.5cm)
• Electric hand held beaters or stand mixer *its usefull but not essential to have two mixing bowls for your stand mixer for this recipe.
• Stick/immersion blender with chopping bowl attachment or food processor
• baking paper or food safe acetate *clear food safe acetate is available for some baking shops and cna help give smoother sides to the cheesecake.

Ingredients

Cheesecake base

• 2 & ½ packs (133gms per packet or about 335 gms total)/ 37ish Golden Oreos, seperated and filling removed
• 1 stick (½ cup/ 115gms) unsalted butter

Cheesecake filling

• 2 x 8 ounce tubs (450gms total) full fat cream cheese, divided
• ¼ cup (55gms) white sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon lemon juice
• 36ish (50gms) freeze dried strawberries
• ¾ of the (75gms) scraped out Oreo filling
• 1 cup (250mls) plus 2 tablespoons (40mls) thickened cream, heavy cream or heavy whipping cream, divided

To decorate

• 3 or 4 whole Golden Oreos
• 12ish (15gms) freeze dried strawberries
• 5 fresh strawberries

Instructions

 

To make the cheesecake base

• Line the base and sides of a springform tin with baking paper or food safe acetate.
• Twist the Oreos in half and scrap out the filling. Put the filling aside. Break up the cookies and blitz briefly in a food processor into crumbs. You will need about 2 & ⅓ cups (250gms) Oreo crumbs.
• Melt the butter by cubing, adding to a microwave proof bowl and microwave for a minute or two.
• Pour the melted butter into the biscuits crumbs, add mix until it resembles fine bread crumbs.
• Pour into lined spring form tin and press down at the bottom to form the base. Do not press to firmly or your base may become to hard.
• Chill in fridge for at least one hour and up to overnight.

To make the cheesecake filling

• NB Make sure your cream cheese is at room temperature.
• Beat half the cream cheese briefly to soften it. All the sugar, vanilla and lemon juice on low until smooth and creamy and the sugar has fully dissolved. Transfer mix to another bowl.
• Hot tip: make sure you scrape down the sides of the bowl occasionally to mix in the edges.
• Blitz the freeze-dried strawberries for the cheesecake filling in a food processor until smooth. Wait for a few minutes after processing before opening to allow the strawberry dust to settle.
• Beat the second half of the cream cheese briefly to soften it. Add ¾ of the scraped out Oreo filling, powdered strawberries and two tablespoons of cream. Beat on low until combined, then increase to medium until thoroughly combined. If you don't have a second bowl for your stand mixer, transfer to another bowl.
• Whip the cream remaining cream until firm peaks form. Divide the whipped cream evenly between the two cheesecake fillings. 
• Add the vanilla cheesecake filling first to the chilled base. Spread evenly on the base, taking care not to leave any air gaps. Add the strawberry filling on top and smooth down with a spatula. Chill in the fridge for at least four hours, preferably overnight.

To decorate

• Hot tip: the crunch coating will start to soften with a few hours. if you want your coating to stay nice and crunchy it's best to decorate it soon before serving.
• Once set remove the cheesecake from the springform tin and smooth down the edges with an offset spatula. To decorate blitz the whole golden Oreos for the strawberry crunch topping until they become coarse crumbs.
• Blitz the freeze-dried strawberries for the cheesecake decoration in a food processor until reasonably smooth, but not super fine. Wait for a few minutes after processing before opening to allow the strawberry dust to settle.
• Mix the Oreo and strawberry crumbs together until well combined. Sprinkle over the top of the cake. Sprinkle the top of the cake with crunch mix. Use a dough scraper or similar to hold the strawberry crunch mix next to the cake and then push it off onto the cake and gently pat to stick.
• Work your way around the cake, pushing and patting as you go. You won't need the full amount but it's easier to have extra to work with.
• To serve pops on to plate, slice and enjoy! To slice more easily you can warm it gently under some warm water, dry and slice. Delicious!

Notes

• Golden Oreos are sometimes a limited-edition flavor, depending on where you are in the world.  If you can't get Golden Oreos you can use graham crackers,  Nila wafers, Digestives or mix things up with different Oreo flavors. 
• Separating the Oreos may seem a little fiddly but it's worth it!  If you really can't handle removing the filling you can try using 250 grams of whole golden Oreos for the base, and replace the filling in the strawberry cheesecake layer with ⅓ cup white sugar.  Your base and cheesecake will be sweeter if you do this and your base may not be as firm.   
• I used a 7" x 2.5" (18cm x 6.5cm) as I like my cheesecake nice and tall with a deep cookie base.  You can use a wider springform tin if that's what you have.  Your cheesecake will be flatter but it will still be delicious!  

Storage:

The crunch coating on this no bake cheesecake will start to go soft within a few hours of decorating it.  After this it will still be delicious, but much less crunchy. The cheesecake itself will store well in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days, but will be fresher and tastier if eaten within three days.

Undecorated individual slices or the whole cake wrapped and frozen for up to two months, but best eaten within a month for better taste and texture.

Nutrition

Calories: 305kcalCarbohydrates: 38gProtein: 2gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0.003gCholesterol: 27mgSodium: 151mgPotassium: 131mgFiber: 1gSugar: 25gVitamin A: 351IUVitamin C: 62mgCalcium: 28mgIron: 2mg

Nutritional Disclaimer

Nutritional information is an estimate based on an online database. The nutritional content of ingredients may vary by brand. If you require accurate nutritional information, you should calculate this based on the specific brands and products you are using.

Keywords: no bake cheesecake, strawberry cheesecake, without gelatin

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