The No Bake Strawberry Lemonade Cheesecake is made with a lemon cheesecake filling and homemade graham cracker crust, and topped with strawberry sauce for a sweet and tangy treat! Prepped in 25 minutes and can be made ahead of time.
Love strawberry and lemon desserts? Then, you’ll love my Strawberry Lemonade Cake Recipe, Strawberry Lemon Angel Food Cake Roll, and Strawberry Pineapple Lemonade Bars!
Table of Contents
- Why we love this strawberry lemonade dessert:
- Pink Lemonade Cheesecake Ingredients:
- How to make a No Bake Strawberry Lemonade Cheesecake:
- Swap the crust
- How to store the cheesecake:
- Make-ahead option:
- What’s the best way to zest a lemon?
- More no bake cheesecake recipes:
- No Bake Strawberry Lemonade Cheesecake Recipe
This No Bake Strawberry Lemonade Cheesecake is a refreshing dessert, perfect for spring, summer, or any time when you need a zesty pick me up!
It has a graham cracker crust and a filling made with cream cheese, powdered sugar, lemon juice and zest, and vanilla. Then, it’s topped with a homemade strawberry sauce for that classic strawberry lemonade flavor!
It’s the perfect sweet treat for those days when you can’t be bothered to heat up the oven, and you just want something light and easy.
Why we love this strawberry lemonade dessert:
- Made from scratch: Instead of using dry pink lemonade mix, this recipe combines a lemon cream cheese filling with a strawberry sauce topping.
- Easy to make ahead: Since this is a no bake cheesecake, you can make it ahead of time and store it in the fridge or freezer!
- Perfect summer dessert: The bright, refreshing flavor of strawberries and lemonade is perfect for a hot day.
Pink Lemonade Cheesecake Ingredients:
- Sliced strawberries: Fresh in-season strawberries are going to have the best flavor, but you can use them even when they’re not in season, and the cheesecake will still be delicious!
- Granulated sugar: Sweetens the sauce.
- Cornstarch and water: This forms a cornstarch slurry, which thickens the strawberry sauce.
- Graham cracker crumbs: Graham crackers are crushed into fine crumbs and mixed with melted butter to form a crust. You could use a pre-made crust, but homemade is so much better!
- Unsalted butter: Melted butter helps the crumbs stick together and hardens once it’s placed in the fridge.
- Full fat cream cheese: This is the base for the cheesecake filling. Make sure it’s at room temperature so you don’t get any lumps!
- Powdered icing sugar: Also known as powdered sugar or confectioners’ sugar. This powdery sugar helps sweeten and thicken the filling.
- Fresh lemon juice and lemon zest: This provides the perfect zingy flavor to the filling! Make sure to use fresh and not bottled lemon juice for the best flavor.
- Vanilla extract: This helps balance all the other flavors.
- Heavy whipping cream: This is whipped into stiff peaks and folded into the cream cheese mixture to make it light and fluffy.
How to make a No Bake Strawberry Lemonade Cheesecake:
This Strawberry Lemonade Cheesecake only takes 25 minutes to prep and is so easy to throw together! For the full list of recipe instructions, scroll down to the recipe card.
- Mix graham cracker crumbs with melted butter and press it firmly into the pan.
- Simmer strawberry puree with sugar.
- Mix in the cornstarch slurry and simmer until thickened.
- Beat softened cream cheese until smooth, then blend in powdered sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla.
- In a separate bowl, whip heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Beat in the whipped heavy cream to combine.
- Pour the filling on top of the crust and spread the cooled strawberry sauce on top. Let it chill for at least 8 hours.
Swap the crust
You can swap the graham crackers for golden Oreos, shortbread cookies, or any other type of vanilla-flavored cookie you like!
How to store the cheesecake:
The cheesecake will last in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Just make sure to let it thaw in the fridge overnight before eating.
Make-ahead option:
You can assemble the cheesecake 1-2 days ahead of time and store it in the fridge. For longer storage, you can wrap it in plastic wrap and aluminum foil and pop it in the freezer for up to 3 months. Let it thaw uncovered in the fridge before serving.
What’s the best way to zest a lemon?
Using a microplane or a fine grater will work best for this recipe! Make sure to only get the zest and not the white pith underneath, as that part is super bitter.
More no bake cheesecake recipes:
- No Bake Biscoff Cheesecake — for the cookie butter lovers!
- No Bake Raspberry Cheesecake — another easy summer dessert.
- No Bake Lemon Cheesecake — for the lemon purists.
- No Bake Oreo Cheesecake — just 6 ingredients!
No Bake Strawberry Lemonade Cheesecake
written by Ashley Fehr
Ingredients
Strawberry Sauce
- 2 cups sliced strawberries (thawed and drained if frozen and pureed) about 1⅓ cup puree.
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons corn starch
Crust
- 2 ¼ cups graham cracker crumbs (270 grams)
- ½ cup butter melted
Cheesecake Filling
- 3 packages cream cheese (24oz or 750g total) full fat, room temperature
- 1 ½ cups powdered icing sugar
- 3 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
- zest of 2 lemons (1 if you want a milder flavor)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup heavy whipping cream (30-35% fat)
Instructions
Strawberry Sauce
- Combine strawberry puree and sugar in a large saucepan. Whisk together water and corn starch and add to the strawberries.
- Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, cooking and stirring constantly until quite thick.
- Remove from the heat and pour into a glass bowl. Place in the refrigerator to chill at least 20 minutes.
Crust
- Line a 9″ Springform pan with parchment paper — optional but makes for easy removal once set!
- Combine graham cracker crumbs and butter and press into prepared pan, and about ½" up the sides.
Cheesecake Filling
- In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth.
- Add the powdered sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla and beat until smooth.
- In a separate medium-sized bowl, beat the heavy cream on high until stiff peaks form. Add the whipped cream to the bowl with the cream cheese and use a spatula to gently fold it together, being careful not to deflate the cream.
- Taste the filling, and add more sugar or more lemon zest if you want it sweeter or more lemony.
- Pour filling into crust and spread with cooled strawberry sauce. Cover and refrigerate until set, at least 6 hours or overnight is even better!
- Slice and serve with sweetened whipped cream.
Notes
- This recipe can be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- This cheesecake can be frozen for up to 3 months — I recommend thawing uncovered so that the crust does not become soggy.
Nutrition Information
Want to save this recipe?
Create an account easily save your favorite content, so you never forget a recipe again.
Tried this recipe?
Tag @thereciperebel or hashtag #thereciperebel — I love to see what you’re making!
Tag @thereciperebel
Leave A Reply