Strawberry Cheesecake Bars

These no-bake Strawberry Cheesecake Bars are made with sweet red strawberries, Meyer lemons, and a rolled oat crust. The beauty of this dessert is it’s delicious freshly made (nice and fluffy), or frozen—a little more firm. It’s the ultimate summer dessert.

I love strawberry cheesecake! If you’re a fan of cheesecake, you’re going to love these simple Strawberry Cheesecake Bars! The strawberry jam swirl really makes the recipe. The sweetness combined with the tartness of the lemons is one of my favorite flavors.

Strawberry Cheesecake Bars

Made with a graham cracker crust, cream cheese filling and topped with a simple strawberry swirl, these Strawberry Cheesecake Bars (no bake) are even easier to whip up and to serve. Readers have also said you can use mascarpone cheese, if you’re not a cream cheese lover. And if you love the combo of strawberries and lemon, then you’ll want to try this French Toast recipe.

Why I love this recipe

• These bars taste like sweet springtime or sunny summer!
• The texture is creamy and rich when frozen, and fluffy and light when thawed.
• It’s a great recipe to make ahead of time and store in the freezer until ready to serve!

Gather these ingredients:

Crust:

• Unsalted butter
• Toasted pecans
• Quick cook oats
• Brown sugar, packed
• Salt

Lemon Filling:

• Cream cheese: room temperature
• Sweetened condensed milk
• Heavy whipping cream
• Meyer lemon juice: or regular lemon juice
• Meyer lemon: or regular lemon
• Vanilla

Strawberry Jam Swirl:

• Fresh strawberries
• Sugar
• Lemon juice
• Pinch of salt

How do you make Strawberry Cheesecake Bars?

1. Strawberry swirl: In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, add the strawberries, sugar, water, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt. Stir semi-frequently until the sugar dissolves and is no longer grainy. Reduce the heat to low and cook until strawberries soften and disintegrate—about 30 minutes. As the water evaporates, the strawberries will thicken into a syrup consistency; continue cooking until it can just coat the back of a spoon.
2. Transfer to a bowl and allow to cool to room temperature in the refrigerator.
3. Make the crust: Take a medium mixing bowl, and mix together the toasted pecans, toasted oats, sugar, salt, and warm, melted butter. Let the mixture sit for 10 minutes (to hydrate the oats), then press into the bottom of a 9×13’’ pan. Refrigerate or freeze.
4. In a small mixing bowl, beat the whipping cream to stiff peaks and set aside in the refrigerator.
5. Make the cheesecake filling: In a medium mixing bowl, using an electric mixer, combine the cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk, lemon juice, lemon zest, vanilla, and a pinch of salt. Beat until smooth, then, using a spoon, gently fold in the cold whipped cream—make sure to lift rather than press down, to keep the filling fluffy.
6. Assemble the bars: Reserve 1/2 c of the filling, then spread it onto the crust in a single layer. Next, dollop the cooled strawberry jam into 8-10 circles. Using a thick wooden skewer, or similar utensil, swirl the jam into the filling. Next, divide the remaining 1/2 cup of filling onto the strawberry swirls, specifically in places where the swirls aren’t well defined, and swirl once more.
7. Freeze: Cover with plastic wrap and place in the freezer for at least 3 hours, or until firm enough to cut.

Tips and substitutions:

• We made this recipe in a 9×13 pan. If you want to order this pan (I love the baby blue colors), you can, here: 2pc Embossed Rectangular Bakeware Set, Aqua – buy it, here.
• A reader said they loved this recipe using mascarpone cheese (instead of cream cheese).
• Make sure your pecans and oats are toasted, as they add a delicious, baked flavor to the no bake crust.
• Cut the bars into 9 or 12 squares (depending on the sizes).
• Make sure the cream cheese is truly at room temperature to ensure the cheesecake filling is smooth and creamy and not lumpy. 
• Using a sharp knife that has been warmed under running water, cut the bars into 9-12 squares. To get clean cuts, make sure to wipe off your knife in between each cut. 
• The bars defrost quite fast and will change from a dense, creamy texture to a light, creamy one.
• Store any leftovers in the freezer. The bars defrost quite fast and will change from a dense, creamy texture to a light, creamy one.

Serve these cheesecake bars with this pulled pork, slaw, and crunchy bread. Delicious summer meal!

More strawberry recipes to try:

• Strawberries Dipped in Sour Cream and Dark Brown Sugar
• Tangerine Poppy Seed Cake with Strawberries
• Strawberries and Cream Shortbread

4.34 stars (3 reviews)

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Strawberry Cheesecake Bars

Make ahead and store in the freezer until ready to serve! These no-bake Strawberry Cheesecake Bars are made with sweet strawberries, Meyer lemons, and a rolled oat crust, served just-made or frozen.

Prep Time: 15 minutes mins

Cook Time: 30 minutes mins

refrigerate: 3 hours hrs

Total Time: 3 hours hrs 45 minutes mins

Yield: 12

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Ingredients

 

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Crust

• ½ c unsalted butter, melted and still warm
• 1 ¼ c ground toasted pecans
• ¾ c toasted, quick cook oats, coarsely ground
• ⅓ c brown sugar, packed
• ½ tsp of salt

Lemon Filling

• 8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
• ¾ c heavy whipping cream
• ½ c Meyer lemon juice
• Zest of 1 large Meyer lemon
• 2 tsp vanilla

Strawberry Jam Swirl (makes about 1/2 cup)

• 1 c strawberries
• ¼ c sugar
• ¼ c water
• ½ tsp lemon juice
• Pinch of salt

Instructions

 

Make the swirl:

• In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, add the strawberries, sugar, water, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt. Stir semi-frequently until the sugar dissolves and is no longer grainy. Reduce the heat to low and cook until strawberries soften and disintegrate—about 30 minutes. As the water evaporates, the strawberries will thicken into a syrup consistency; continue cooking until it can just coat the back of a spoon. Transfer to a bowl and allow to cool to room temperature in the refrigerator.

Make the crust:

• In a medium mixing bowl, mix together the toasted pecans, toasted oats, sugar, salt, and warm, melted butter. Let the mixture sit for 10 minutes (to hydrate the oats), then press into the bottom of a 9×13’’ pan. Refrigerate or freeze.

Make the lemon filling:

• In a small mixing bowl, beat the whipping cream to stiff peaks and set aside in the refrigerator.
• In a medium mixing bowl, using an electric mixer, combine the cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk, lemon juice, lemon zest, vanilla, and a pinch of salt. Beat until smooth, then, using a spoon, gently fold in the cold whipped cream—make sure to lift rather than press down, to keep the filling fluffy.

Assemble the cheesecake bars:

• Reserve ½ c of the filling, then spread it onto the crust in a single layer. Next, dollop the cooled strawberry jam into 8-10 circles. Using a thick wooden skewer, or similar utensil, swirl the jam into the filling. Next, divide the remaining ½ cup of filling onto the strawberry swirls, specifically in places where the swirls aren’t well defined, and swirl once more. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the freezer for at least 3 hours, or until firm enough to cut.
• Using a sharp knife that has been warmed under running water, cut the bars into 9-12 squares. The bars defrost quite fast and will change from a dense, creamy texture to a light, creamy one. Store any leftovers in the freezer.

Notes

Reposted from March 2021.

Cuisine: American

Course: Dessert

Author: Sandy / Reluctant Entertainer

Calories: 373kcal, Carbohydrates: 16g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 34g, Saturated Fat: 14g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g, Monounsaturated Fat: 11g, Trans Fat: 0.3g, Cholesterol: 56mg, Sodium: 320mg, Potassium: 147mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 14g, Vitamin A: 723IU, Vitamin C: 11mg, Calcium: 49mg, Iron: 0.5mg

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