Strawberry Cheesecake Parfaits
May 26, 2010 
We all love cheesecake, right? But it does take time and effort. You have to make the crust and bake it, then make the filling and, if you do it right, bake the cheesecake in a water bath. Well, I'm going to show you how to make cheesecake without any baking at all. It's a deconstructed cheesecake and you layer it in parfait glasses. The cheesecake filling doesn't have any eggs - that's why you don't have to bake it. These are so easy and you can even make them up ahead of time and refrigerate them.
Brian and I had our 25th wedding anniversary last week and I cooked a special dinner. He loves strawberry cheesecake but at the same time, I had these fun new little glasses from World Market I had bought and I was dying to make something in them. I had pictured using them for parfaits. One thing led to another and . . . deconstructed cheesecake parfaits! No baking, just layering. i don't think you can find these glasses anymore, but these glasses would be fun, too!
Strawberry Cheesecake Parfaits
for a printable recipe, click here
makes 4 large parfaits or 6 smaller ones
This recipe is flexible - e.g., if you just love the graham cracker "crust" then double the amount and make more.
Ingredients:
- 1 pound of strawberries
- 2 tablespoons sugar, divided
- 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
- 12 ounces of cream cheese, room temperature
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 2/3 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
- 2 teaspoons Amaretto
- 1 cup heavy cream
- mint springs, for garnish
Instructions:
Slice the strawberries into a bowl and sprinkle with one tablespoon of sugar. Toss and set aside.
Mix the graham cracker crumbs with the melted butter and one tablespoon of sugar.
Beat cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the sour cream, confectioners' sugar and Amaretto and beat until combined.
In another bowl, whip the cream until stiff peaks form. Fold into the cream cheese mixture.
Assemble Parfaits:
Place about a tablespoon of the graham cracker "crust" in the bottom of your glasses. Layer some of the cheesecake filling in the glasses, then some of the strawberry topping and sprinkle some more of the graham cracker on top. (Amounts will vary according to how many parfaits you are making, so just adjust accordingly). Repeat layers and top with mint.
Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Like to see another parfait recipe? How about Chocolate Peanut Butter Parfaits?
Reader Comments (77)
Happy Wedding Anniversary. Our 11th is this Friday. Thanks for the tip on the glasses. I'm headed to world market. And, now I have an easy way to do cheesecake that I know will be good.
What a clever idea! They look beautiful! Cheesecake is one of the only desserts my husband will eat, but he rarely gets it because of the time and labor involved. That is about to change.
Happy Anniversary to you both!
I've been looking for a non-condensed milk no bake cheesecake recipe. I found it. Lovely!
Happy Anniversary. This dessert couldn't be better timed, with all the fresh NJ strawberries coming to market. I made your prosciutto/fig jam crostini recently and blogged about them. You have a terrific blog.
Hi Elaine, Happy 25th Anniversary to you and your hubby. What a gorgeous dessert, perfect for summertime and warm weather, I love those glasses too, it showcases's everything beautifully!
Happy Anniversary!
Those look beautiful, and delicious! Can't wait to try the recipe!
Mmmm, looks scrumptious! I needed this dessert yesterday as it was our 36th anniversary; however, my husband worked late, and we both ate yogurt and granola for dinner! We'll be having a much nicer dinner and strawberry cheesecake parfaits tonight!
Wow! Twenty-five years is like 75 years these days!! :) HAPPY ANNIVERSARY! This parfait looks fabulous. What a fantastic idea. I'm going to try this out.
Happy anniversary! Love the idea of these parfaits! Maybe the only change I would make is to actually bake the crust part - I love some kind of crunchiness with creamy stuff!
those look irresistible!!!
wow..it looks beautiful..i'll definitely try this sometime at home on a sunday when i have time. Thanks for sharing here with us!
Hi Elaine. Happy Anniversary to you and Brian!. This does look deeeelicious!
Happy 25th!
I have a few strawberries in my garden right now, but enough to make these beautiful parfaits!
Congratulations and keep up the good work!!!
Stacey
AUGURI! Oh Elaine those look so refreshing! Just gaw-geous!
I will balk at eating a slice of cheesecake; however, this verrine is one I will gladly devour! I love your deconstructed cheesecake!
I love the glasses. I would have felt the same way that you did about wanting to use them! I would have settled for a nice custard or perhaps pudding, but I love the cheesecake idea! Yum!
Ciao, first time here, lovely blog, I'll be back! :-)
ciao
Alessandra
I like this idea! Do they still sell graham crackers?
This looks and sounds fabulous! I think mascarpone would also work well in this recipe. I love the glasses you bought, too. So cute. I really love you blog ... I'll be back for more visits.
BTW, Happy belated 25th anniversary!
OMG! I've just came across your blog...and these pics are stunning! Brava! It's midnight but they made me feel hungry!
From The Italian Dish:
Joe: Seriously?
Rosabela: I think mascarpone would be fine, but it does not have the tang that cream cheese has, so just keep that in mind. Try it and see if you like it.
Stefania: Grazie! I'm glad I'm making you hungry!
These have become my go-to summer dessert -- delicious, no-bake, and so pretty. Thanks for the great recipe.
I made these. They were delicious!
hey,you have posted such a effectful article that it will certainly help me
well great piece of info, thanks for posting iwc repicas
I just realized that it really isn't that difficult to make a parfait. I tried my first one a couple of months ago using this easy Yogurt Parfait recipe - http://www.recipe4living.com/recipes/yogurt_parfait.htm - Now I want to try yours too! :)
Damn, those images are enough to make me drooling ...
-- BigMommy
Baby Toddler
I am making these for a bridal shower and I can't wait. Can I make them at night and refrigerate until the next day?????
From The Italian DIsh:
Kate: You can make up the individual ingredients (the graham cracker mixture, the cheesecake mixture) but I would not assemble them until the day of the party. They are very quick to assemble, though. Then just put them on a baking tray in the fridge until the party. Enjoy!
Okay, I will do it that way! I'll let you know how it goes. The shower's this Wednesday at my job!
Wish me luck. :)
I made the parfaits and they were fantastic! And it turns out you CAN indeed make them the night before you need them! I made ONE the night before as an experiment and it was just as good as those I assembled the following morning. I received many requests for the recipe immediately after the shower. Thanks so much for a delightful treat!!
From The Italian Dish:
Kate: Thanks for the feedback about making them up early. Good to know. Glad you enjoyed them!
These are really good....I'm a Chinese but so in love with Italian food that I may start to learn Italian!!
I will definitely make this! I wish I had some strawberries in the house so I could make it now! :)
Okay, so I found this recipe this morning..went out and bought the ingredients...came home and made it immediately...served it for dessert tonight!
It got RAVE reviews!! My family loves it and so do I :)
Thanks so much for posting!! It is scrumptious!!
What a gorgeous dessert, perfect for summertime and warm weather, I love those glasses too, it showcases's everything beautifully!
club penguin cheats
A friend made these for her Oscars party. She used fresh raspberries instead of strawberries and they were AMAZING! Can't wait to try this recipe out myself. Yum! :)
Oh guys, I can't wait to check it out, I hope in our local Italian Restaurant I will find this dish, I will report you tomorrow about my feelings.game copy wizard
really fantastic sharing so thanks drooling ,,,mmmm
I've been looking for a non-condensed milk no bake cheesecake recipe. I found it. Lovely!
Hi there,
really nice job,There are many people searching about that now they will find enough sources by your tips, Generic Cialis, Also looking forward for more tips about that
A great post, thanks for taking the time to share, continued success to your site in the future! GOOD Work!!
this looks amazing! :-) thanks for sharing! :-)
I'm going to try this with blueberries as well because my hubby doesn't like strawberries.
As another option, try using crispy ginger cookies, crumbed in a blender, instead of graham crackers. It makes this recipe even more delicious, in my opinion. I'm sure any brand would work, but I use "Anna's," which are very tasty and are widely available.
I have these same parfait glasses which I bought for a deconstructed Tiramisú recipe and now I will try your cheesecake version. The Tiramisú recipe is by French pastry chef Alain Ducasse and is as delicious as it is pretty. Thanks once again for a great recipe brought to us with beautiful images.
It is a very informative and useful post thanks it is good material to read this post increases my knowledge
I think, this theme is quite actual now. As another option, try using crispy ginger cookies, crumbed in a blender, instead of graham crackers. It makes this recipe even more delicious, in my opinion. I'm sure any brand would work, but I use "Anna's," which are very tasty and are widely available.
I think, this theme is quite actual now. What a clever idea! They look beautiful! Cheesecake is one of the only desserts my husband will eat, but he rarely gets it because of the time and labor involved. That is about to change.
I'm so excited to have stumbled upon your beautiful blog while researching salt slabs. My three little girls (3, 5, 6) and I made these tonight with bananas and, of course, colored sprinkles on top. What a hit! A great recipe for teamwork, fun and impressing their daddy. Can't wait to explore more of your recipes!