I love a good dessert that doesn’t need an oven, especially during those warm summer months. These no-bake strawberry cheesecake bars are exactly that kind of sweet treat. Made with nutritious, gut-healing gelatin, cream cheese and aromatic fresh strawberry puree, this sliced cheesecake dessert has coconut almond crust and fluffy, airy, almost mousse-like strawberry cream layer. These are gluten-free, refined sugar-free, low-carb and keto-friendly.
In the past couple of months, I’ve been working on a few new healthy dessert recipes.
I started with two lovely autumnal numbers just in time for Thanksgiving: my pumpkin sticky date pudding slice and this pumpkin pie with pecan crust and topping (both gluten-free, paleo-friendly).
I am now shifting my focus to some lighter, more summery creations for my Aussie audience as our Christmas period is warm and the last thing you probably want to do is bake something in the oven.
And while I was preparing all these desserts for Thanksgiving and Christmas festivities, they are all fabulous at any time of the year. These no-bake strawberry cheesecake bars are particularly wonderful for sharing around and they are super easy to prepare. I hope you enjoy them as much as we did.
How To Make No-Bake Strawberry Cheesecake Bars
You will find the full list of ingredients, instructions and nutritional breakdown for this dish in the recipe card below. Here are handy step-by-step photo instructions to guide you along the way.
Dietary notes: These are gluten-free, grain-free, low-sugar and low-carb friendly cheesecake bars but they do contain dairy: butter, cream cheese and heavy cream. I haven’t tried making them dairy-free but you could experiment with using coconut cream and maybe blended cashews for the filling and hopefully, the gelatin will make them set just as well as it did with cream cheese. Ghee or coconut oil could be used in place of butter in the crust.
The only source of sweetness in these cheesecake bars are strawberries and sugar-free sweetener (e.g. Stevia/erythritol mix is my go-to in whatever brand you have available to you). And a little natural sweetness in the coconut/almond meal.
Step 1. Make The Crust
Line a baking dish with parchment paper (or foil), leaving an overhang on the sides.Using a food processor, pulse almond meal, coconut, sugar-free sweetener, vanilla, butter and salt into wet crumbs. Press the mixture into a thin layer in the baking dish and refrigerate to set for 10-15 minutes while you make the filling. The height/thickness of the bars will depend on the baking dish you use. I used an 8-inch baking pan.
Step 2. Make Strawberry Cheesecake Filling
Sprinkle gelatin over boiling water in a bowl and whisk with a fork until gelatin has dissolved. Set aside to cool.
Add the strawberries to a clean processor (you can use a blender as well) and puree on high for 1 minute until smooth. If you need to add a little water to get it started, use 1-2 tablespoons to begin with.
Pour the strawberry puree into a large bowl. Add in the softened cream cheese, sugar-sweetener and vanilla extract. Beat on medium speed for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in gelatin mixture until combined.
Whip the cream into soft peaks, just thick and creamy and fold into the strawberry cream cheese mixture.
STEP 3. Combine Crust & Filling
Pour the mixture into the prepared pan with the crust, levelling the top with a spatula. Cover with cling wrap. Refrigerate overnight or until set, at least 2-3 hours.
Use those foil/parchment paper ‘handles’ (the edges of the paper) to remove the bars from the pan, and peel them back from the sides and bottom of the bars. Slice into 15-16 bars or as desired and decorate with fresh strawberries. You can make some extra strawberry puree to drizzle on top.
Store any leftover cheesecake bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days.
More Healthy Desserts To Try
- No-Bake Fudgy Hazelnut Keto Brownies
- Citrus Drizzle Cake (Grain-Free, Nut-Free)
- Paleo Raspberry Coconut Cake
- Chocolate Caramel Slice (Paleo, No-Bake)
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No-Bake Strawberry Cheesecake Bars (Low-Carb, Gluten-Free)
Ingredients
For the crust
Strawberry cheesecake filling
- 3 teaspoons unflavoured gelatin powder like this
- 1.5 tablespoons boiling water
- 1.5 cups strawberries sliced
- 500 g cream cheese (17 oz.)
- 1/2 cup sugar-free sweetener white like this
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 300 ml heavy cream whipped first
- To finish: Strawberries to decorate; you can make an extra strawberry puree to drizzle on top.
- I used an 8-inch baking pan for the cheesecake.
Instructions
- Line a rectangular baking dish with foil or parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the sides. Set aside. I used an 8-inch baking pan.
- Using a food processor, pulse almond meal, coconut, sugar-free sweetener, vanilla, butter and salt into wet crumbs. Press this 'biscuit' mixture into a thin layer over the base of the baking dish. Pop in the fridge for 10-15 minutes.Â
- Meanwhile, sprinkle gelatin over boiling water in a heatproof jug. Whisk with a fork until gelatin has dissolved. Set aside to cool.
- Rinse out the bowl of your food processor and place it back on the base. Add the strawberries to the processor and blend on high for 1 minute until smooth. If you need to add a little water to get it started, use 1-2 tablespoons to begin with.Â
- Pour the strawberry puree into a large bowl. Add in the softened cream cheese, sugar-sweetener and vanilla extract. Beat on medium speed for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in gelatin mixture until combined.Â
- Whip the cream into soft peaks, just thick and creamy and fold into the strawberry cream cheese mixture.Â
- Pour mixture into the prepared pan, levelling the top with a spatula. Cover with cling wrap. Refrigerate overnight or until set, at least 2-3 hours.Â
- Use the foil/parchment paper 'handles' (the edges of the paper) to remove the bars from the pan, and peel them back from the sides and bottom of the bars. Slice into 9-12 bars as desired and decorate with fresh strawberries.
- You can make extra strawberry puree to drizzle on top.
Did a trial of these on the weekend as I want to make them for Christmas and they turned out even better than I expected. Never really cooked with gelatin much so this is a revelation! Very clever way to get that fluffy but stable texture. You’re wizz, Irena!
There are so many things I love about this recipe! The fact that I don’t have to use my oven is one but also that it’s gluten-free and grain-free. This is the perfect healthy summer treat!
Agree, it ticks a lot of boxes, eh?
So easy and delicious. I sometimes worry how well no bake desserts will set up, but this was perfect.
This was such an easy and delicious recipe; turned out perfectly light, fluffy and smooth! Easily, a new favorite dessert; my whole family loved it!
Was looking for a new keto recipe to try and here it is! It was really wonderful. All gone eaten not only by me but also my non-keto freinds!
I just gave these a try tonight and they were wonderful! Loved how easy they are to make, and how I don’t have to crank on the oven! Will make it again soon!