This no bake strawberry icebox cake layers fresh sliced strawberries, a rich cheesecake cream filling, and honey graham crackers in a 9×13 pan. It needs about 20 minutes of prep and at least 6 to 8 hours in the fridge (overnight is best) to let the crackers soften into a real, sliceable cake. No oven required!
We are making up a simple and refreshing dessert. It is a no bake icebox cake, and this one has fresh strawberries. The magic of this recipe is that the graham crackers basically become like your cake. That is why they call it a no bake because you do not got to bake it!
The only downfall is you have got to let this set up in the fridge for several hours. Let it set overnight so it cuts perfectly the next day, but it is entirely worth the wait. It is a heavy and delicious dessert that feeds a lot of people, making it absolutely perfect for July or any summer get together.
Table of Contents
Why You Will Love This No Bake Icebox Cake
If you like cheesecake, cream cheese, or anything with strawberries, you are going to love this dessert! It is incredibly refreshing, feeds a whole crowd, and tastes just like a rich strawberry cheesecake. The best part? It is completely no bake. The graham crackers soften up in the fridge until they have the exact texture of a real cake. It is so simple to throw together, and the whole family will be begging for a second slice!
If you love easy, no bake cheesecake-style desserts, you are also going to flip over my Viral Cherry Cheesecake Bars, another crowd-pleasing treat that is always the first thing to disappear at a party.
What You Will Need
Special Equipment
- 9×13 inch baking dish
- Electric hand mixer (or stand mixer)
- Large mixing bowl
- Spatula for spreading
- Plastic wrap (Saran wrap)
The Ingredients
- 2 sleeves graham crackers (honey or cinnamon, and broken pieces are perfectly fine!)
- 1 block (8 oz) cream cheese, full fat and softened to room temperature
- 1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated milk!)
- 2 boxes (3.4 oz each) Jell-O Cheesecake Instant Pudding mix
- 2 cups cold milk
- 2 cups Cool Whip, thawed
- 2 lbs fresh strawberries, rinsed, hulled, and sliced
- Strawberry glaze (optional, for drizzling on top)
Let us Get Cooking!
1. Prepare the Strawberries
Wash your fresh strawberries, cut off the green tops, and slice them about a quarter inch thick. The biggest trick is to make sure you pat your fresh strawberries completely dry with paper towels after you rinse them off. Any extra water on those berries is going to dilute your cream and make your cake runny! Set these aside for now.
2. The Crust That Is Not Actually a Crust
Start with a 9×13 inch pan and a couple of packs of graham crackers. Even if every single one of those crackers is broke, it really does not matter! Those crackers are just going to dissolve and become your cake layers anyway. In the bottom of your pan, arrange a single layer of graham crackers using about one sleeve. Break the crackers to fit the edges if you need to. Just get them in the bottom of your pan however you can.
3. That Creamy Cheesecake Filling
For the filling, start with a full fat and room temperature block of cream cheese and a can of sweetened condensed milk in a large mixing bowl. Now, make sure you do not grab evaporated milk because the sweetened condensed milk is your sugar! Beat that up with your electric mixer until it is smooth, and then add in your instant pudding mix and cold milk. Because the sugar is already in the condensed milk and the pudding mix, we do not need to add any extra sugar.
4. Beat and Fold
Beat the mixture for 3 to 4 minutes until it starts thickening up and gets nice and smooth. Once that is beaten up nice and thick, add the 2 cups of Cool Whip to the thickened pudding mixture and gently stir or fold it in to make it perfectly creamy.
5. Time to Assemble!
Building this cake is just a simple layering game. First, you have your graham crackers. Then, you spread about half of your creamy pudding mixture right over the bottom layer of crackers. Next comes a layer of your fresh and sliced strawberries.
6. Repeat the Layers
Then you do it all over again! Add a second layer of graham crackers right over the strawberries. Spread the remaining half of the cream mixture evenly over the crackers. Finally, arrange the rest of your beautiful sliced strawberries on top.
And if you are a fan of easy no bake desserts that come together in minutes and look absolutely gorgeous, you have to check out my No-Bake Easy Biscoff Cheesecake Cups next!
7. Chill
Put some Saran wrap tightly over the top, and into the fridge it goes. I leave mine overnight because it just sets up better, but if you absolutely cannot wait that long, give it at least 6 to 8 hours. Leaving it in the fridge gives the crackers time to absorb the moisture perfectly without turning to complete mush.
8. Garnish and Serve
The next day, right before serving, snip the tip off a bag of store bought strawberry glaze if you are using it and drizzle it all over the top of the cake. It is so delicious! Grab a spoon, slice it up cold, and dig in!
How to Store Strawberry Icebox Cake
If you have got leftovers, just keep them tightly covered with some Saran wrap. Once it is fully set, this no bake icebox cake will stay fresh, delicious, and easy to slice in the refrigerator for up to 3 to 4 days. After that, the crackers will keep absorbing liquid and might start losing their pretty layers. But honestly, it tastes so good that it probably will not last that long anyway
If you like this recipe Explore more recipes
FAQs
Why do they call it an icebox cake?
This dessert goes way back to the 1920s when people had iceboxes instead of modern refrigerators! The magic of an icebox cake is all about moisture. When you layer dry and crisp graham crackers with a wet and creamy filling and let it sit in the fridge, those crackers absorb all that delicious liquid. After a few hours, they soften up and transform into a texture that is exactly like a baked sponge cake. That is why you do not got to bake it!
Can I use frozen strawberries for this?
I highly recommend sticking to fresh strawberries, y’all! Frozen berries hold way too much excess liquid. When they thaw out in your cake, they are going to release all that water. That will make your creamy cheesecake filling runny and turn your graham crackers into a soggy and mushy mess. Fresh and ripe strawberries are definitely the way to go for the best flavor and texture!
If you are looking for another quick fresh strawberry dessert, my Easy Chocolate Covered Strawberries use just a handful of ingredients and come together in about 15 minutes.
How do I keep the cake from getting soggy?
The biggest trick is to make sure you pat your fresh strawberries completely dry with paper towels after you rinse them off. Any extra water on those berries is going to dilute your cream. Also, leaving it in the fridge for that 6 to 8 hour window or overnight gives the crackers time to absorb the moisture perfectly without turning to complete mush.
How long does this keep in the fridge?
If you have got leftovers, just keep them tightly covered with some Saran wrap. Once it is fully set, this icebox cake will stay fresh, delicious, and easy to slice in the refrigerator for up to 3 to 4 days. After that, the crackers will keep absorbing liquid and might start losing their pretty layers. But honestly, it tastes so good that it probably will not last that long anyway!
Can I swap out the graham crackers?
Yes! If you do not have graham crackers on hand, vanilla wafers (Nilla Wafers) or shortbread cookies work beautifully as a swap. Both will soften up in the fridge just the same way. Vanilla wafers give a slightly lighter flavor, while shortbread gives you a richer, more buttery layer.
Is this recipe allergy friendly?
This recipe contains dairy (cream cheese, condensed milk, Cool Whip) and gluten (graham crackers). It is not suitable for dairy-free or gluten-free diets as written. Gluten-free graham crackers are available at most grocery stores and can be swapped in directly. A dairy-free version would require significant substitutions and has not been tested.
No-Bake Strawberries and Cream Icebox Cake
Course: DessertCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy12
servings20
minutes350
kcal8
hours8
hours20
minutesA refreshing, crowd-pleasing summer dessert that tastes just like a rich strawberry cheesecake! Layers of fresh berries, creamy cheesecake filling, and graham crackers magically transform in the fridge into a perfect, tender cake. No baking required!
Ingredients
- Equipment Needed:
9×13 inch baking dish
Electric hand mixer or stand mixer
Large mixing bowl
Spatula
Plastic wrap
- Ingredients:
2 sleeves (about 300g) graham crackers
1 block (8 oz / 226g) cream cheese, full fat, softened to room temperature
1 can (14 oz / 396g) sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated milk)
2 boxes (3.4 oz / 96g each) Jell-O Cheesecake Instant Pudding mix
2 cups (473ml) cold milk
2 cups (170g) Cool Whip, thawed
2 lbs (907g) fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
2 tbsp (30g) strawberry glaze, optional for garnish
Directions
- Rinse, hull, and slice the fresh strawberries. Pat them completely dry with paper towels to remove all excess water.
- Line the bottom of a 9×13-inch baking dish with one sleeve of graham crackers, breaking them to fit if necessary.
- In a large bowl, beat the softened cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk with an electric mixer until completely smooth.
- Add the dry instant pudding mixes and cold milk to the bowl. Beat on medium speed for 3 to 4 minutes until the mixture thickens.
- Gently fold the Cool Whip into the thickened pudding mixture until well combined and creamy.
- Spread half of the cream mixture evenly over the bottom layer of graham crackers. Top with half of the sliced strawberries.
- Add a second layer of graham crackers, followed by the remaining cream mixture. Top with the remaining sliced strawberries.
- Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 6 to 8 hours. Overnight is best for a perfectly sliceable cake.
- Drizzle with optional strawberry glaze right before slicing and serving.
Notes
- Pat those strawberries dry! This is the single most important step. Any extra water on the berries will dilute your cream filling and make your cake runny.
- Sweetened condensed milk only! Do not accidentally grab evaporated milk. The condensed milk is your sugar and your structure.
- Storage: Keep tightly covered with plastic wrap in the fridge for up to 3 to 4 days.
- Cookie swap: No graham crackers? Vanilla wafers (Nilla Wafers) or shortbread cookies work perfectly as a substitute and will soften up the same way.
- Allergy note: This recipe contains dairy and gluten. Gluten-free graham crackers can be swapped in directly. Not suitable for dairy-free diets as written.
- Nutrition: Calorie estimates are approximate and will vary depending on the exact brands used and portion size.
