No Bake Strawberry Swirl Cheesecake with Pretzel Crust

No Bake Strawberry Swirl Cheesecake with Pretzel Crust
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Ditch the oven and let your refrigerator make this No Bake Strawberry Swirl Cheesecake. Nestled in a pretzel crust, it’s crunchy and creamy, salty and sweet and decked out with fresh strawberries.

It basically storms every afternoon in Florida. So much so that severe thunderstorm warnings are my go-to excuse for baking. If I can’t do anything outside, I’m making something in the kitchen. I don’t care if the wind is blowing 45 mph, it’s raining buckets and trees are tipped over in my yard—if the power is still on I’m whipping up something sweet.

Today I’m making my favorite of all cakes: a cheesecake. Even better, a no-bake cheesecake. Since the weatherman is already stressing me out with flash flood warnings, I don’t need the added stress that comes with cracking cheesecakes and water baths.

Plus, when the humidity is pushing 100% the last thing anyone wants is a hot oven in their house.

no bake strawberry swirl cheesecake. zoomed in top down view of uncut cheesecake. left half of cheesecake is garnished with fresh strawberries -- some are sliced in half and others are whole -- as well as sprigs of thyme.

Sweltering days and sweet cravings are the story of my life. But for once I’m not sweating it; I’m letting the refrigerator come to the rescue.

And why the hell not? Icebox cheesecake is just as lip-smacking as oven-baked and preps out in half the time. First we’ll start with a crunchy, salty scratch-made pretzel crust and top it with a creamy cheesecake filling swirled with a homemade strawberry jam. Then, for the pièce de résistance, we’ll top it with fresh strawberries and thyme for a show-stopping dessert that will be the star of your summer picnic.

No bake strawberry swirl cheesecake is fast, easy and worth the wait it takes to set up in the refrigerator.

top down view of no bake strawberry swirl cheesecake. left side of cheesecake is garnished with fresh strawberries and sprigs of thyme. right side of cheesecake is cut into three slices and one slice is pulled out from the rest. background is staged with a cheesecake covered knife blade, pretzel crust crumbs and a sliced strawberry

Before sharing the Strawberry Swirl Cheesecake recipe, here are a few tips to help you out:

Ingredient Tips and Tricks

Fresh strawberries are the crown jewels of this recipe and the sweetest ones of the season are found in late summer. If you do not have fresh strawberries, frozen can work in a pinch if thawed first.

Use full fat cream cheese at room temperature and heavy cream that is ice cold.

Process Tips and Tricks

No bake cheesecakes require chilling time in the refrigerator to properly set up. Eight to twelve hours is ideal. I suggest prepping at the end of the day, chilling overnight and waking up to cold, creamy cheesecake for breakfast. 

Making homemade strawberry jam is simple. Just puree strawberries with sugar then strain through a mesh sieve into a saucepan. Next, whisk together water and cornstarch and stir into the puree. Finally, bring the mixture to a boil then reduce the heat to a simmer and stir until thickened.

The strawberry sauce must cool to room temperature before swirling into the cheesecake. Do not swirl hot/warm jam into your cheesecake or it will create a melty mess.

How to Store No Bake Strawberry Swirl Cheesecake

Cover and store leftover cheesecake in refrigerator up to 5 days. If transporting to a picnic or party, keep this cheesecake cold by placing it in a cooler with ice.

Can you freeze no bake cheesecake? Yes! This cheesecake freezes well up to 3 months when double wrapped. First, cover in plastic wrap. Next, cover in aluminum foil and place in an airtight container or freezer bag . Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.  

no bake strawberry swirl cheesecake with pretzel crust. close up side view of one slice garnished with thyme and fresh strawberries. the remaining uncut cheesecake is in the back right corner.

I hope you enjoy this recipe for No Bake Strawberry Swirl Cheesecake. Please leave a comment and a rating at the bottom of this post when you try it for yourself. And, while you’re at it, sign up for my weekly Recipe Newsletter so you never miss a tempting recipe.

Finally, if you love summery desserts check out my recipe for Lemon Blueberry Shortbread Bars. This refreshing treat features a thick, tangy curd bursting with fresh blueberries piled atop a buttery shortbread cookie crust. It’s a lemon lover’s dream!

blueberry lemon shortbread bars. side view of 2 bars stacked on top of each other so you can see the layers of shortbread crust, lemon curd and blueberry topping.
no bake strawberry swirl cheesecake. top down photo of cheesecake garnished with fresh strawberries and thyme sprigs. three slices have been cut but not removed.

No Bake Strawberry Swirl Cheesecake

Heather Wolf
Ditch the oven and let your refrigerator make this No Bake Strawberry Swirl Cheesecake with a Pretzel Crust. It's crunchy and creamy, salty and sweet and decked out with fresh strawberries and thyme.
Prep Time 30 minutes
Chill 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 30 minutes
Course Cheesecake
Cuisine American
Servings 8

Ingredients
  

Strawberry swirl

  • 1 cup fresh strawberries diced
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 Tbsp corn starch
  • 1 Tbsp water

Pretzel crust

  • 2 cups salted mini pretzel crumbs
  • 8 Tbsp unsalted butter melted
  • 1/4 cup dark brown sugar

No bake cheesecake

  • 16 ounces full fat cream cheese softened to room temperature
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla pure
  • 1 cup heavy cream cold

Instructions
 

Strawberry swirl

  • Puree diced strawberries with sugar in a food processor. 
  • Strain puree through a mesh sieve to remove seeds. 
  • Add puree to a small saucepan. Bring to a slow boil for 1 minute over medium heat then reduce heat to low.  
  • Whisk cornstarch and water in a bowl then stir into strawberry puree.
  • Sir occassionaly until puree has thickened, approximately 5 minutes.
  • Remove pan from the stove, pour puree into a shallow bowl and place in the refrigerator to chill while you prepare the pretzel crust and cheesecake filling.

Pretzel crust

  • Grease a 9-inch springform pan with butter. Set aside.
  • Pulse mini pretzels in a food processor until powder-fine crumbs form. Yield should be 2 cups, discard excess.
  • Add melted butter and brown sugar to food processor. Pulse until combined with pretzel crumbs and mixture resembles the consistency of wet sand.
  • Spoon mixture into the springform pan. Use the flat bottom of a glass to pack crust evenly and tightly into the bottom of the pan.
  • Place springform pan in the freezer for 10 minutes while you prepare the cheesecake filling.

No bake cheesecake

  • Beat cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth.
  • Add powdered sugar and vanilla. Beat on until smooth and lump free, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula as needed. Set aside.
  • In a separate bowl, whisk heavy cream until stiff peaks form.
  • Gently fold heavy cream into cream cheese mixture with a rubber spatula until just combined. Avoid overmixing as it will cause whipped cream to deflate.

Assembly

  • Remove pretzel crust from the freezer. Pour cheesecake filling onto crust then smooth top with a spatula until level.
  • Remove strawberry sauce from the refrigerator. Drop dollops of sauce onto the top of the cheesecake then swirl with a chopstick or butter knife.
  • Place cheesecake in the refrigerator and chill for 2 hours until top is set then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
    *Mine chilled for 12 hours total.
  • To remove springform ring, dip a butter knife in hot water and run it around the outer edge of the cheesecake before unlatching the pan and gently removing.
  • If desired, garnish cheesecake with fresh strawberries and thyme.

Store

  • Cover and store leftovers in the refrigerator up to 5 days or freeze up to 3 months.
Keyword cheesecake, no bake, strawberry


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