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Strawberry Delight is the loveliest no-bake dessert, topping a graham cracker crust with light and fluffy layers of cheesecake, strawberries, and Cool Whip. Such a fun summertime treat!
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Pin RecipeThis Might Just Be the Perfect Summer Dessert
Not sure what to bring to that backyard barbecue or 4th of July picnic? I’ve got you covered: this strawberry delight recipe is IT.
If you love no-bake recipes, you will flip for this incredible strawberry dessert. Full of strawberry flavor (much like my strawberry crunch poke cake and strawberry scones), it couldn’t be any more perfect for the summer. Especially since you don’t even need to turn on the oven to make it!
The whole dessert starts with a homemade graham cracker crust. Fresh sliced strawberries are layered on top. Then, we mix whipped cream, cream cheese, and vanilla for a creamy, fluffy filling, followed by a layer of strawberry filling. Then, we top the whole dessert with lots of fluffy Cool Whip. Doesn’t this just sound so divine?!
My Best Tips for Perfect Strawberry Delight
- Make your own graham cracker crumbs. If you don’t want to buy a package of crumbs, you can make your own with whole graham crackers, easy peasy! Just pulse 14 graham crackers in your food processor to make 1 1/2 cups of crumbs.
- Use fresh strawberries. For many recipes, there’s no difference between fresh and frozen. But with strawberry delight, using frozen strawberries will give you a soggy graham cracker crust.
- Let your cream cheese come to room temperature. Use full-fat, brick-style cream cheese. And make sure your cream cheese is at room temperature. Cold cream cheese will make lumps in the batter, while soft cream cheese will blend right in!
- Don’t use homemade whipped cream. As much as I adore homemade whipped cream, it won’t work well in this recipe. Cool Whip is stabilized, which means it will last longer in the fridge without deflating.
- Plan well. Make sure to plan and allow plenty of time for each layer to freeze. Otherwise, the layers will bleed together!
Variations
- Use raspberry Jello in place of strawberry and fresh raspberries rather than strawberry slices to make a raspberry delight.
- Replace the vanilla extract with almond extract for a flavor twist. Almond extract has an aromatic, cherry-like flavor that’s just amazing!
- Make this Blueberry Delight recipe!
How to Store Homemade Strawberry Delight
Strawberry delight is best served fresh as the crust tends to become soggy the longer it sits. However, once frozen and set, leftovers will stay fresh in the fridge for up to five days. Cover the dish with aluminum foil, or transfer pieces to an airtight container to keep them fresh!
Strawberry Delight
Equipment
- 8×8 baking pan
- Two large mixing bowls
- Rubber spatula
- Electric hand mixer
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Offset spatula
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs
- ¼ cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 5 tablespoons melted butter
- 10 strawberries, sliced
Cheesecake Layers
- 16 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 3 tablespoons strawberry Jello
- 8 ounces Cool Whip
Instructions
- In a medium-sized bowl, mix the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, vanilla, and melted butter together. Pour the mix into an 8×8 baking dish and press the crust into the bottom of the pan, making an even layer.1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs, ¼ cup sugar, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 5 tablespoons melted butter
- Place the sliced strawberries in a single, even layer on top of the graham cracker crust.10 strawberries, sliced
- Place the pan in the freezer to chill for at least 30 minutes.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla, and lemon juice together until smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl then continue to beat the mix for another 3 minutes so it is light and fluffy.16 ounces cream cheese, softened, 1 cup powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- In a separate bowl, beat the heavy whipping cream on high speed for about 3 minutes or until stiff peaks form.1 cup heavy whipping cream
- Gently fold the whipped heavy cream into the cream cheese mixture, folding carefully and slowly and stopping once fully combined.
- Scoop half of the cream cheese mixture into the baking pan, layering it on top of the strawberries. Spread the cream cheese mix evenly into the bottom of the baking pan, making a nice, smooth layer. Return the pan to the freezer while you do the next step.
- Add the powdered strawberry jello to the remaining cream cheese mix and fold gently. Once the jello is mixed into the cream cheese, scoop the strawberry filling into the pan and spread it in an even layer on top of the plain cream cheese.3 tablespoons strawberry Jello
- Place the pan in the freezer for 20 minutes.
- Spread the Cool Whip on top of the strawberry layer then return the pan to the freezer to chill for at least an hour.8 ounces Cool Whip
- Garnish with chopped fresh strawberries, and extra graham cracker crumbs or leave plain! Enjoy frozen.
Video
Nutrition
Did you make this Strawberry Delight recipe? Let us know how it turned out with a rating and comment!
More Amazing Strawberry Dessert Recipes to Try
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Strawberry Pancakes
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How far in advance can I make this?
Hi Donna! Strawberry delight is best served fresh as the crust tends to become soggy the longer it sits. However, once frozen and set, leftovers will stay fresh in the fridge for up to five days.
I loved this recipe, howevver is there really supposed to be 1 Tablespoon of lemon juice? It tastes sour to me and not quite as sweet. I’m wondering if it should have been a teaspoon instead? thanks!
Hi Chelsea! 1 tablespoon is correct, but you can always adjust it to suit your preferences. 😊