This creamy, no bake strawberry orange cheesecake is such a dreamy dessert! The graham cracker crust is buttery and nicely salted, the perfect textural contrast for the cream cheese filling. In the no bake cheesecake filling, you’ll taste delicious notes of coconut cream, vanilla bean and orange zest. And to finish it off, each slice is topped with homemade strawberry orange compote.
Looking for more no bake cheesecake recipes? You’ll love this blackberry cheesecake, peanut butter cheesecake, and classic vanilla bean cheesecake.
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Ingredients
Crust
A graham cracker crust is a classic base for a cheesecake. I make mine with finely crushed graham crackers, coarse Kosher salt, and unsalted butter. Most people add sugar, too, but I think the graham crackers are already sweet enough and don’t need additional sugar. And while you don’t have to bake the crust, baking it briefly toasts the graham crackers to give them a deeper, richer flavor.
Filling
Many of the cheesecakes on my blog are no bake cheesecakes. I’ve never cared for baked cheesecakes (both the process and the texture), so I just don’t do it. For a no bake cheesecake, you’ll need cream cheese of course, as well as heavy whipping cream for richness, and unflavored powdered gelatin to thicken and set the filling. Powdered sugar sweetens the cheesecake, while the fine texture dissolves easily in the unbaked filling.
For my strawberry orange cheesecake recipe, I also added coconut cream, the rich, solid cream from a can of coconut milk. If you don’t like the taste of coconut, you can leave it out, or add sour cream instead. Also fresh orange zest and vanilla bean paste add the most incredible flavor to the filling.
And for a really pretty presentation, I placed fresh strawberries around the side of the pan, before pouring in the filling.
Strawberry Compote
Cheesecake is delicious plain, but I especially love it topped with a sauce or fruit compote. For the strawberry compote, I simmered fresh strawberries with a little granulated sugar, fresh orange juice and zest. A touch of vanilla extract adds flavor, while a pinch of salt balances the sweetness and enhances the flavor of the fruit.
Instructions
Make the Coconut Cream.
- Before you do anything, you’ll need to chill a can of unsweetened coconut milk in the fridge. Chilling the coconut milk will separate the coconut water from the coconut cream.
- After chilling the coconut milk, carefully open the can and drain off the water, keeping just the solid cream – you should have about one cup of solid coconut cream. Now you’ll need to let the cream soften to room temperature again so that it can be mixed into the filling without being lumpy.
Bake the Crust.
- Preheat the oven to 325F. Lightly spray the bottom of an 8-inch springform pan with non-stick baking spray.
- Combine the crushed graham crackers with the salt. Drizzle with the melted butter, and toss with a fork until moistened and crumbly. Dump the crumbs into the pan, and press the crumbs firmly against the bottom of the pan. Don’t press it up the sides if you want to line the sides of your filling with the sliced strawberries.
- Bake the crust for 10 minutes, until fragrant and golden brown. Cool completely.
- Note that you can skip the step of baking the crust, but I like to bake it briefly just to toast the graham crackers for a richer, nuttier flavor.
- After cooling the crust, cut several strips of wax paper and arrange them inside the sides of the pan – this will ensure easy release of the cheesecake.
Make the Filling.
- In a microwaveable glass measuring cup or bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup of the heavy whipping cream with the gelatin. Let stand for 5 minutes. Microwave on high for 1 minute, stirring after 30 seconds, to dissolve the gelatin. Set aside. If any small lumps of undissolved gelatin remain in the warmed cream/gelatin mixture, pour it through a mesh strainer.
- Wash and dry your strawberries, and cut off the leaves with a knife, so that each strawberry has a flat, level cut, then cut the strawberries in half. Arrange the strawberry halves on the cooled crust, cut side facing out, around the sides of the pan.Depending on the size of your berries, you may need more or less – mine were medium-sized and I needed 8 1/2 strawberries to fill the space around the inside of my pan. Set aside.
- With an electric mixer (stand or hand held), beat the cream cheese, coconut cream, orange zest, vanilla bean paste and powdered sugar for several minutes until smooth.
- Gradually add the remaining 1 cup of heavy whipping cream, and beat until soft peaks form.
- Add the strained cream/gelatin mixture to the mixing bowl and beat until smooth and thick.
- Pour the cheesecake filling into the prepared pan and tap it gently against the counter so that the filling settles around the strawberries; smooth out the top. Refrigerate overnight.
Homemade Strawberry Compote
- For the strawberry compote, combine all ingredients in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the berries are soft and the liquid has reduced slightly into a syrup. Cool, then pour into a glass jar and refrigerate.
Be sure to read all of my BAKING FAQs where I discuss ingredients, substitutions and common baking questions, so that you can be successful in your own baking!
Frequently Asked Questions
What kind of gelatin should I use?
- You should use unflavored powdered gelatin for this recipe, which is easily available in the US. I don’t have any experience with gelatin sheets, so I’m not able to advise on how to use them.
Can I make no bake cheesecake without gelatin?
- You can omit the gelatin if you prefer, but you’ll need to make sure your cream is whipped thick enough, as you don’t want it to deflate and cause your cheesecake not to set. The gelatin ensures your no bake cheesecake will be perfectly set.
What can I substitute for the graham crackers?
- You can use any flavor of graham crackers (honey, cinnamon or chocolate), as well as other cookies that are hard and crunchy, such as digestive biscuits, vanilla wafers, ginger snaps or Oreos (without the cream filling).
Do I need to bake the graham cracker crust?
- No, you don’t need to bake the crust, as it will set just fine if you press it firmly into the pan. I bake mine briefly because it gives it a toasted, nutty flavor.
Do I have to use a springform pan?
- A springform pan is a type of cake pan that has sides that can be removed from the base. It’s typically used for cheesecakes and other molded desserts so that the cheesecake can be easily removed from the pan and presented on a cake pedestal.
- If you don’t have a springform pan, you can assemble this recipe in a deep-dish pie pan, and just serve it the same as you would slices of pie.
If I don’t like coconut, what can I substitute for the coconut cream?
- You can leave out the coconut cream, or use sour cream instead.
How long does no bake cheesecake stay fresh?
- No bake cheesecake is best eaten within 3 days.
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Strawberry Orange Cheesecake
All recipes on Curly Girl Kitchen are developed for high altitude at 5,280 feet. See FAQs for adjusting to higher or lower elevations.
Equipment
- 8-inch Springform Pan with Removable Bottom
- Electric Mixer (Stand or Hand-Held)
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 ½ cups finely crushed graham crackers
- 1 tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
Cheesecake Filling
- 1 can (14 oz) full-fat unsweetened coconut milk (to make coconut cream – see instructions)
- 8-9 fresh strawberries
- 1 lb cream cheese softened to room temperature
- 1 tsp fresh orange zest
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- 1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream, cold
- 1 envelope (1/4 oz) unflavored powdered gelatin
Strawberry Sauce
- 1 lb strawberries, washed, hulled and quartered
- 1 navel orange, juiced and zested (only use 1 tsp of the zest)
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ⅛ tsp coarse Kosher salt
Instructions
Coconut Cream
- For the coconut cream, you will need one 14-ounce can of full-fat unsweetened coconut milk.Before you’ll be making the filling, set the can, without shaking it, in the refrigerator to thoroughly chill at least overnight.After chilling the coconut milk, carefully open the can and drain off the water, keeping just the solid cream – you should have about one cup of solid coconut cream. Now you’ll need to let the cream soften to room temperature again so that it can be mixed into the filling without being lumpy.If you don’t like coconut, the coconut cream can also be left completely out of the cheesecake without substituting anything else, although you could add 1/2 cup of sour cream instead, if you prefer.
Crust
- Preheat the oven to 325F. Lightly spray the bottom of an 8-inch springform pan with non-stick baking spray.
- Combine the crushed graham crackers with the salt. Drizzle with the melted butter, and toss with a fork until moistened and crumbly. Dump the crumbs into the pan, and press the crumbs firmly against the bottom of the pan. Don't press it up the sides if you want to line the sides of your filling with the sliced strawberries.
- Bake the crust for 10 minutes, until fragrant and golden brown. Cool completely.
- Note that you can skip the step of baking the crust, but I like to bake it briefly just to toast the graham crackers for a richer, nuttier flavor.
- After cooling the crust, cut several strips of wax paper and arrange them inside the sides of the pan – this will ensure easy release of the cheesecake.
Filling
- In a microwaveable glass measuring cup or bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup of the heavy whipping cream with the gelatin. Let stand for 5 minutes.Microwave on high for 1 minute, stirring after 30 seconds, to dissolve the gelatin.Set aside. If any small lumps of undissolved gelatin remain in the warmed cream/gelatin mixture, pour it through a mesh strainer.
- Wash and dry your strawberries, and cut off the leaves with a knife, so that each strawberry has a flat, level cut, then cut the strawberries in half. Arrange the strawberry halves on the cooled crust, cut side facing out, around the sides of the pan.Depending on the size of your berries, you may need more or less – mine were medium-sized and I needed 8 1/2 strawberries to fill the space around the inside of my pan. Set aside.
- With an electric mixer (stand or hand held), beat the cream cheese, coconut cream, orange zest, vanilla bean paste and powdered sugar for several minutes until smooth.
- Gradually add the remaining 1 cup of heavy whipping cream, and beat until soft peaks form.
- Add the strained cream/gelatin mixture to the mixing bowl and beat until smooth and thick.
- Pour the cheesecake filling into the prepared pan and tap it gently against the counter so that the filling settles around the strawberries; smooth out the top. Refrigerate overnight.
Strawberry Sauce
- For the strawberry compote, combine all ingredients in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the berries are soft and the liquid has reduced slightly into a syrup. Cool, then pour into a glass jar and refrigerate.
- Before serving, unmold the sides of the pan, and peel off the wax paper from the cheesecake. Serve each slice of cheesecake with the strawberry compote.
Notes
- Leftover no bake cheesecake should be covered and refrigerated, and is best eaten within 3 days.
- Add an additional 1 pound of cream cheese to the filling (for a total of 2 pounds / 4 8-oz blocks cream cheese).
- Add an additional 1/4 cup powdered sugar (for a total of 3/4 cup powdered sugar).
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