Crustless cheesecake with strawberries is a delicious cheesecake that does not feature a crust. Perfect for people like myself who prefer to skip the graham cracker crust, this recipe bake up perfectly.
Growing up, I was never a huge fan of cheesecake. My mom would buy it for holidays from the warehouse club and the assortment looked pretty but tasted blah!
I was kind of naive and under the impression that all store-bought cheesecake was not that appealing. It wasn’t until last year at 31 years old that I became inspired to make my own crustless cheesecake.
I have nothing against a cheesecake with a crust, but I am not a fan of graham crackers, or crackers in general.
I have tried cheesecake bites with almond flour, and while they are ok, I found you can bake up a cheesecake just fine without any crust.
Making a crustless cheesecake is actually easier in the long run. You do not have to worry about forming the crust or melting any butter.
The only thing you do have to do is make sure your springform pan is greased very well. I bought a nifty set of spring form pans on Amazon and they come in 3 different sizes which is awesome.
Crustless Cheesecake set up tips
To prevent the pan from getting any of the waterbath water in it, I also wrap it tightly with two sheets of heavy duty aluminum foil.
For the waterbath I simply use a deep walled baking sheet with about 3 cups of water in it. This helps to prevent the cheesecake from cracking.
Through about 5 trial and error cheesecake runs, I also found that allowing the cheesecake to site in the oven for 3 hours after baking allows it to fall back down and not crack down the middle.
Just set your timer to 60 minutes and then shut it off after one hour leaving the oven door closed.
Cheesecake Making Tips
Let your cheesecake chill for at least 2-3 hours. This will help to firm it up and make it more dense.
I love a plain cheesecake but recently have been topping mine with strawberry compote. I love how quick and easy strawberry compote is.
You can use either use fresh or frozen berries, and skip the lime juice too. Just sub in extra water. This works well for frozen strawberries, but fresh ones fair better with the lime juice.
Here is how to make Crustless Cheesecake Recipe with Strawberries:
Crustless Cheesecake Recipe with Strawberries
Ingredients
- 4 8oz packages room temperature cream cheese
- 1 cup room temperature sour cream
- 4 large room temperature eggs
- 1 1/2 cups white sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla bean or bean paste
- 3/4 cup room temp milk
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour *can sub in GF flour and make this a GF recipe.
- Strawberry Compote:
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 2 tablespoons water
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1 lb strawberries Can use hulled fresh berries or frozen
Instructions
- For the Cheesecake:
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
- Grease a 9″ spring form pan. I use shortening for mine
- Foil the pan’s outside to prevent water from entering the spring form pan when baking. *see below
- In a stand mixer, add your softened cream cheese, and sugar. Blend until creamy
- Slowly add in the milk and each egg one at a time
- Finally, mix in the vanilla, sour cream and flour- you might want to reduce your speed to prevent the flour from creating a dust cloud.
- Blend until creamy and pour into your spring form
- *Place foil covered spring form into a baking sheet that has water in it to create a water bath.
- For the Strawberry Compote:
- Add lime juice, water, and strawberries to a medium stockpot
- Sprinkle in sugar and cook over low heat for 6 minutes. Berries will be slightly mushy. Allow to cool before serving to allow it to thicken.
Nutrition
Looking for a different twist on this Amazing Crustless Cheesecake?
Check out my New York Style Pumpkin Cheesecake Recipe
Amy
You can use Greek yogurt, but you do need one or the other.
Lisa
The recipe looks great but due to lockdown I don’t have any sour cream.
Can I make it without any?
And do you think adding lemon would work in this recipe?
Amy
Wow, that sounds amazing April! I need to try the animal cracker crust sometime!! Thank you, for stopping by!
APRIL COLLINS
Butter, not bitter!
APRIL COLLINS
I am not crazy about a Graham cracker crust and I never use one. I make a cookie crust . I like to use animal cracker cookies, crushed with blended or melted butter. I have a favorite brand but it gives a nice flavor. For chocolate cheesecake I either use the oreo crust from the store or make my own with oreo cookies and a little bitter. It’s always unexpected and delicious!
Amy
Thank you so much Amy for stopping by! I truly appreciate that you made this and shared your experience. Have a great day!
Amy
I made this yesterday and it is a fabulous recipe. I did not have vanilla bean or paste, so I did substitute with 1TBSP vanilla extract. Everything else on the recipe I followed and it turned out great. My husband dislikes crust on his cheesecake and he gave this a a thumbs up. Its a keeper!
Amy
Hi, this recipe works wonderful for us so I don’t see why you would have any issues. If you enjoy the ingredients you should enjoy this cake :) Thank you for stopping by.
mar
sorry about the spelling i thought i had corrected all mistakes darn! and no way to fix them now!
mar collingridge melnick
i have often found out that wile these recipes sound well how do they taste .I have often found after making them that they are not at all what i expect i am hoping this one will taste just as it should cheese cake here in Canada cost a small fortune to make so i am hoping this one is not in vain than you for the recipe.I will try your recipe because it does sound amazing n but is the flavors all there that should be? i will let you know i was looking for a recipe that would go well with my chocolate no bake crust so now i can make it !!!!!!!!!!!!
yay!!
Polly
Amy, thank you for sharing this! I have made this so many times. Everyone that tries it, loves it!
Nataly
Amy, wow, thank you for the recipe! It looks so delicious. I will try to make this cheesecake tomorrow!
Anna
Amy, this looks amazing! Thank you, I will try this right away!
Alyssa
What a gorgeous cake! Your directions make this seem like such an easy approach, too. I would love to make this soon!
Alina
It looks so yummy! I love the step-by-step instructions, making it an easy recipe to follow!
Julia
Amy, WOW! so simple, yet SO tasty! This is fantastic, yum. Thanks for the recipe.
Kate
Amy,thank you! I made this exactly as recipe states and it was delicious. It has wonderful flavors. Five stars for this cheesecake.
Mariya
Amy, this is really a great recipe. I will make this at the next chance i get.
Olga
Amy, what a gorgeous idea! We absolutely love cheesecake! Definitely need to try these!
Amy
Hi, it should have worked :)
Candy
I’ve just put it in the oven and realised I forgot the flour. Hope it works out ok
brianne
This looks so delicious! I am so going to make this for our friends this weekend!
Veronica
I have never been a fan of cheese cakes either. But that is because I never grew with them. I tried my first at the age of 17 I think. And still, I am not a fan.
But my husband loves them, so I am saving the recipe. Thank you.
Carolyn
I only started liking cheesecake in the past few years. This looks delicious. I haven’t ever had one with fruit…I started with chocolate. :-)
Angela Tolsma
I love love crustless cheesecake! I usually make a no bake cheesecake without crust and just add fruit as a quick yummy snack. But I so want to try this! The waterbath sounds hard, definitely looking up videos on how to do it right!
Amanda Love
That definitely looks so good! I love cheesecake and I also don’t mind making it at home. The crust is a nice touch but I could go on without it either way.
Nikki
This looks great!! I am also not a fan of crust at all. I always would eat just up to the crust, the filling is just so much better. I’m glad I found a recipe for a cheesecake I would actually eat!!
Journa
What a very delicious dessert recipe! I love cheesecakes ever since. I know my family would love this. Can’t wait to try one.
amber
Oh my goodness this looks to. die. for. It is the perfect spring dessert and even looks pretty enough for me to do a styled shoot around… that is… if mine turned out this gorgeous ;) Wish you lived close to the ATL, I’d totally collab with you on this! Stunning and probably just as delish!
Kristin
Ummm I sure wish I had a slice of that in front of me right now. I’m drooling over here! What a yummy looking cheesecake!
Blythe Alpern
I love the crust on a cheesecake, but it can be such a pain to deal with. I feel that way whenever I make a pie as well. I like the idea of making one sans the crust. It’s still just as tasty.
Toughcookiemommy
Cheesecake has always been one of my favorite desserts. This recipe looks so decadent and creamy, I would love to sink my taste buds into this one.
Patty
I love cheesecake – it’s one of my favorite desserts and now you have me craving some. I will admit to loving graham crackers. I’ve also made them with chocolate wafers, vanilla wafers and ginger snaps. I guess I’m easy when it comes to crust. heh. I’ve never made one without a crust – maybe I should try. I’ve also never made one in a water bath.
Claudia Krusch
I’ve never tried a crustless cheesecake. I can’t wait to try it!
Shelby
I LOVE cheesecake. It is the one thing my dad knows how to make, so it has a special place in my heart. My husband would love this version, too because crust is not his favorite.
Alison | So Chic Life
This is my kind of baking too! I never make cheesecake because of the dang crust LOL. Will be giving this a try, maybe my kids will even like it too.
Amber Nelson
Yumm that looks so good. Cheesecake is my favorite dessert! I need to try this.
Tara
I simply adore cheesecake. I haven’t made a crustless one before. I will have to give it a try.
maymay
i needed a crustless cheesecake but does this work in a sheet pan ?
Tereza
Oh how good does this look?! I would give anything for a slice right now haha x
Melissa
Who could not love a great cheesecake like this. The strawberries just add to the delicious looking dessert and who needs crust.
Jessica Lawson
wow that looks so good. I have actually never eaten cheesecake before but I absolutely love strawberries. thank you so much for sharing
Toni | Boulder Locavore
This is my kind of dessert! I would love to try this! Something I know my family will enjoy!
Toni | Boulder Locavore
OMG! This is absolutely swoon-worthy!!
Joanna @ Everyday Made Fresh
I love cheesecake, and I love strawberries. I love the idea of a crustless cheesecake with strawberries! Yum, yum!
Kathy
This looks amazing. I love that it’s crustless. I don’t usually eat the crust anyways, so this is perfect.
gingermommyrants
Oh my this cheesecake looks amazing. I love cheesecake but have never made a crustless one. I am excited to try this recipe soon.
Ann Bacciaglia
I have never had a crustless cheesecake before. This recipe look so delicious and easy to make. I wil have to try making one for dessert this weekend.
Jessi Joachim
Oh man, cheese cake is my weakness! This looks super delicious.
Di Hickman
I’ll admit that I too don’t like cheesecake. Honestly the idea of it just churns my stomach. It shouldn’t even have the name cake in it lol! Strawberries though – LOVE those!
Randa
I love a good cheesecake. I’ve never tried a crustless one but this sounds delicious!
Lisa Collins
I’ve never tried a crustless cheesecake. It does look delicious!
TColeman
Cheesecake has got to be one of my favorite desserts. This looks really good with the strawberries topping it.
Liz Mays
This is such a cool recipe. I think I’d love cheesecake with or without crust. I’d love to try it this way.
Stacie @ Divine Lifestyle
This is so perfect for my family. I’m the only one in the family who likes the crust, but we all like cheesecake part.
Ann
Oh my goodness, Amy! I am not a cheesecake fan either, but that looks amazing. Saving this one for later. Yum!
Allison
Yum! I love cheesecake and this one looks delicious! I need to make one soon, thanks for the recipe!