Style: No-churn, creamy, cheesecake-flavored
Yield: About 1.5–2 liters
Servings: 8–10
Prep: 30–40 minutes
Freezing: 6–8 hours, preferably overnight
Ingredients
1. Strawberry sauce
Fresh strawberries — 500 g
White sugar — 100 g
Cornflour/cornstarch — 2 tsp
Fresh lemon juice — 1 tbsp
Water — 2 tbsp
Vanilla — ½ tsp, optional
For the photo-like appearance: reserve about 100 g fresh strawberries for adding on top at the end.
2. Graham-cracker cheesecake crumble
Graham crackers — 150 g, crushed
Unsalted butter — 60 g, melted
Brown sugar — 50 g
Salt — ¼ tsp
Cinnamon — ¼ tsp, optional
This creates the buttery, crunchy cheesecake-base flavor. Baking the crumble briefly helps it stay crunchy in the finished dessert.
O
Once Upon a Chef
Nut information
Nuts are NOT required for this recipe.
If you want nuts, you can add:
Almonds — 30 g, finely chopped
OR walnuts — 30 g, finely chopped
OR pecans — 30 g, finely chopped
Toast the nuts lightly before adding them.
Important: If serving someone with a nut allergy, don’t simply remove the nuts. Check the labels of the graham crackers, biscuits, chocolate, condensed milk and other packaged ingredients for peanut/tree-nut cross-contact warnings. Use products specifically labeled according to the allergy requirement.
3. Cheesecake ice-cream base
Full-fat cream cheese — 225 g / 8 oz, softened
Cold heavy whipping cream — 480 ml / 2 cups
Sweetened condensed milk — 300–400 g
300 g = less sweet
397 g = very rich and sweet
Vanilla extract — 1 tsp
Fresh lemon juice — 1½ tbsp
Lemon zest — ½–1 tsp
Salt — ¼ tsp
For an especially cheesecake-like flavor, you can add:
Sour cream — 100 g
The combination of cream cheese, cream, lemon and sweetener is commonly used in no-churn strawberry-cheesecake ice cream.
F
Food Network
+1
Step-by-Step Method
Step 1 — Make the strawberry sauce
Wash and remove the strawberry stems.
Chop 500 g strawberries.
Put them in a saucepan.
Add:
100 g sugar
2 tsp cornstarch
2 tbsp water
1 tbsp lemon juice
Stir well while cold.
Place over medium heat.
Cook for approximately 8–12 minutes, stirring frequently.
The strawberries will soften and release juice.
Continue cooking until you have a thick, glossy strawberry sauce.
Don’t leave it watery. Too much water can make the finished ice cream icy.
Remove from heat.
Stir in vanilla if using.
Cool completely.
Very important: The strawberry sauce must be cold before it goes into the ice-cream mixture. This is also emphasized in other no-churn versions.
O
Once Upon a Chef
+1
Step 2 — Make the cheesecake crumble
Preheat oven to 175°C / 350°F.
Crush 150 g graham crackers.
Don’t turn them completely into powder. You want a mixture of small crumbs and little crunchy pieces.
Add:
60 g melted butter
50 g brown sugar
¼ tsp salt
optional ¼ tsp cinnamon
Mix until everything resembles wet sand.
Spread on a baking tray lined with parchment.
Bake for 7–10 minutes until lightly golden.
Remove and allow to cool completely.
Break into small pieces.
A baked graham-cracker crumble is used in comparable strawberry-cheesecake ice-cream recipes to give the dessert a buttery cheesecake-crust texture.
O
Once Upon a Chef
If using nuts
Add 30 g toasted chopped almonds/walnuts/pecans after the crumble has cooled.
Step 3 — Make the cheesecake base
Make sure the cream cheese is room temperature.
Put 225 g cream cheese into a large bowl.
Beat until completely smooth.
Add:
condensed milk
vanilla
lemon juice
lemon zest
salt
Beat until smooth.
If using sour cream, mix in the 100 g sour cream now.
There should be no lumps.
Step 4 — Whip the cream
Put 480 ml very cold heavy cream into another bowl.
Whip with an electric mixer.
Continue until you reach stiff peaks.
Don’t overbeat it or you can start turning the cream toward butter.
Cold heavy cream is particularly important for getting the proper whipped texture.
T
The Novice Chef
Step 5 — Combine
Add approximately ⅓ of the whipped cream to the cream-cheese mixture.
Fold gently.
Add another ⅓.
Fold again.
Add the final ⅓.
Fold until you have a thick, smooth cheesecake ice-cream mixture.
Don’t aggressively beat after adding the whipped cream. You want to preserve the air you’ve incorporated.
Step 6 — Assemble it like the picture
Use a 9 × 5-inch loaf pan, shallow freezer-safe container, or similar container.
Layer 1
Spread approximately ⅓ of the cheesecake ice cream into the container.
Layer 2
Add several spoonfuls of cold strawberry sauce.
Layer 3
Sprinkle with some graham-cracker crumble.
Layer 4
Add another ⅓ of the ice-cream mixture.
Layer 5
Add more strawberry sauce.
Layer 6
Add more crumble.
Final layer
Add the remaining ice cream.
Now put strawberry sauce across the surface in ribbons or dollops.
Take a butter knife or skewer and gently make 3–5 swirling movements.
Don’t mix it completely.
You want visible red strawberry streaks, like the dessert in your photograph. Layering strawberry sauce and graham crumble is a standard approach for this style of no-churn cheesecake ice cream.
F
Food Network
+1
Step 7 — Make the topping look like your photo
Before freezing, arrange:
Fresh chopped strawberries
Graham-cracker crumbs
A few larger crumble pieces
Strawberry sauce
over the top.
For the exact visual style of your photo, put most of the strawberries in the center rather than spreading them evenly.
You can also drizzle a few thin lines of strawberry sauce around the strawberries.
Step 8 — Freeze
Cover tightly.
For best results:
Freeze 6–8 hours minimum.
Overnight = best.
Press parchment/plastic wrap gently against the surface before covering the container to reduce ice crystals. Some no-churn versions recommend overnight freezing for the best texture.
O
Once Upon a Chef
+1
Step 9 — Serving
Take it out of the freezer approximately:
10–15 minutes before serving.
If it is extremely hard, give it a little longer.
Top with:
Fresh strawberries
Strawberry sauce
Graham crumbs
Optional toasted nuts
Optional whipped cream
Then serve.
For an EXTRA creamy version
For the texture shown in your picture, I recommend:
**225 g cream cheese
480 ml heavy cream
350 g condensed milk
100 g sour cream**
The sour cream gives a subtle cheesecake tang and prevents the flavor from becoming simply “strawberry ice cream.”
Fresh Strawberry vs Strawberry Sauce
Don’t put a huge amount of raw strawberry pieces throughout the ice cream.
Raw strawberries contain a lot of water and can become hard/icy when frozen. One recipe developer specifically notes that sliced strawberries can become unpleasantly frozen, while strawberry sauce gives a better texture.
Y
YouTube
For the best result:
Sauce inside + a small amount of fresh strawberry on top.
Complete Nut Q&A
Q: Does this recipe contain nuts?
No, not inherently.
The traditional ingredients are dairy, strawberries, graham crackers/biscuits, sugar, butter and flavorings.
Q: Can I add almonds?
Yes. Use 25–30 g toasted chopped almonds.
Q: Can I use walnuts?
Yes. 25–30 g toasted walnuts work particularly well with cheesecake flavors.
Q: Can I use pistachios?
Yes. Use 25–30 g unsalted pistachios, preferably lightly toasted.
Q: Can I leave nuts out?
Absolutely. The dessert will still have plenty of texture from the graham-cracker crumble.
Q: What about peanut allergy?
Treat peanuts separately from tree nuts. Check every packaged ingredient for peanut/cross-contact warnings.
Q: Are graham crackers always nut-free?
No. It depends on the brand and manufacturing facility. Check the package.
Q: Can I use digestive biscuits instead?
Yes. This is an excellent substitution, particularly if graham crackers aren’t readily available.
Use:
150 g digestive biscuits + 60 g butter + 40–50 g brown sugar.
🇵🇰 If You’re Making This in Pakistan
If graham crackers aren’t available, use:
Digestive biscuits — 150 g
For cream:
Olper’s / Milkpak / other suitable whipping cream can work, but make sure the product actually has enough fat to whip properly.
For cream cheese, use a full-fat block-style cream cheese if possible rather than a very watery spread.
For strawberries, frozen strawberries can be used for the sauce, although fresh strawberries are better for the topping.
Easy Substitutions
Original Substitute
Graham crackers Digestive biscuits
Heavy cream Whipping cream suitable for whipping
Cream cheese Full-fat cream cheese
Brown sugar White sugar
Fresh strawberries Frozen strawberries for sauce
Lemon juice Lime juice
Vanilla extract Vanilla essence
Walnuts Almonds/pecans/pistachios
Cornstarch Cornflour
Troubleshooting Q&A
Why is my ice cream icy?
Usually because the strawberry mixture contains too much water or wasn’t reduced enough.
Fix: Cook the strawberry sauce until thick and cool it completely before layering.
Why isn’t my ice cream creamy?
The cream may not have been whipped sufficiently, or the mixture may have been overmixed after whipping.
Why are there cream-cheese lumps?
Your cream cheese was too cold.
Let it reach room temperature before beating.
Why is my strawberry swirl disappearing?
You’re mixing too aggressively.
For a pretty marble effect, use a knife and make only a few gentle swirls.
Why is the graham crumble soft?
It may have absorbed moisture from the ice cream.
Bake the crumble first and make sure it has completely cooled before assembling.
Can I make it without an electric mixer?
Yes, but whipping the cream by hand takes considerably longer.
Do I need an ice-cream machine?
No. This is a no-churn recipe.
Q
queenslee appetit
+1
Can I make it eggless?
Yes. This recipe contains no eggs.
Can I make it the day before?
Yes — in fact, overnight freezing is ideal.
How long does it keep?
For best texture and flavor, I’d use it within 1–2 weeks when tightly covered. It remains frozen longer, but the texture gradually deteriorates.
Quick Formula to Remember
Creamy cheesecake base
Cream cheese + whipped cream + condensed milk + lemon + vanilla
Strawberry layer
Strawberries + sugar + lemon + cornstarch
Cheesecake crust
Graham/digestive biscuits + butter + brown sugar
Assembly
Ice cream → strawberry → crumble → ice cream → strawberry → crumble → ice cream → strawberry → fresh berries → crumble
With years of experience in restaurant research and local SEO, Sara creates accurate, user-friendly guides that work for both people and search engines. Her goal is to help users go from search results to their nearest restaurant or menu choice with as few clicks as possible.
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