No-Bake Strawberry Cheesecake
No-Bake Strawberry Cheesecake for Two is a creamy, fresh dessert that feels especially well-suited to small-batch cooking. It has all the charm of cheesecake; cool, creamy, and full of fresh strawberries, but without the oven time or extra waiting that comes with a baked version. That easy elegance is part of what makes it so hard to resist.
Ingredients
For the Base
- 3/4 cups graham crackers crumbs
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup butter melted
For the Cheesecake Filling
- 7 ounces strawberries cut in pieces
- 7 ounces cream cheese (NOTE 1) low-fat
- 1 cup Greek yogurt (NOTE 1) fat-free
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 envelope gelatin powder
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 ounces strawberries (optional) around the edge of the spring form
For the Cheesecake Topping
- 4 ounces strawberries
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1/4 lemon juice only
- 1/3 envelope gelatin powder
Decorations
- mint leaves (NOTE 2)
- strawberries
Instructions
Make the Base
- Line the bottom of a 6-inch springform with parchment paper. Spray the inside ring with cooking spray.
- Put the Graham crackers in a sealable bag and crush the crackers, using a rolling pin, until you have fine crumbs. You can also use a food processor if you prefer.
- Transfer the crumbs into a bowl, and add the melted butter and granulated sugar. Mix until you have a homogeneous mixture.
- Press the buttery crumbs on the bottom of the lined springform and flatten it with your hands, creating the base of the cheesecake.
- Place the springform in the refrigerator for the base to harden.
Make the Cheesecake filling
- Sprinkle the gelatin powder in a little bit of warm water and mix well.
- In the meantime, wash and hull the strawberries and cut into pieces
- Transfer the strawberries pieces into a blender, together with the cream cheese, yogurt and sugar. Puree until smooth.
- Add the gelatin mixture and blend again.
- If you prefer to do so, slice the strawberries thinly and arrange the slices around the edge of the prepared tin, top facing up.
- Pour strawberry-yogurt mixture into the springform. Use a spoon to create a smooth top. Cover with plastic wrap and place in a refrigerator to set. Leave in refrigerator for 6 hours or overnight.
Make the Cheesecake Topping
- Chop the strawberries and transfer to a small sauce pan, together with sugar and lemon juice.
- Bring to a simmer and cook for a few minutes, until the strawberries become soft.
- Mash the strawberry mixture and push through a sieve to get all the seeds.
- Once the mixture is cooled a little, add the gelatine powder and mix thoroughly.
- Pour the strawberry sauce over the top of the cooled cheesecake.
- Place the cheesecake back in the refrigerator and cool for another hour to set the topping.
- Carefully slide a knife around the perimeter of the cheesecake to loosen the spring form ring. Remove spring form ring and take cheesecake off the bottom.
- Decorate the cheesecake with pieces of strawberry and mint leaves.
Notes
- I used low-fat cream cheese and fat-free Greek yogurt for two reasons. To make a cheesecake that can be fully enjoyed after a dinner, because it is a whole lot lighter than cheesecakes made with full fat cream cheese and yogurt. The flavor will surprise you in a positive way. The additional positive effect of the choice is that the caloric value of the cheesecake is reasonable.
- Instead of mint you can use basil; a herb that pairs very well with strawberries.
Nutrition
Calories: 269kcalCarbohydrates: 28gProtein: 9gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 464mgFiber: 2gSugar: 20g