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a photo of strawbery cheesecakes on a blue platter.
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5 from 20 votes

STRAWBERRY CHEESECAKE IN A JAR

Strawberry Cheesecake in a jar is a fun way to eat dessert. It's easy to put together and no-bake, so use the prettiest berries you can find.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time0 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 4
Calories: 493kcal
Author: Paige

Equipment

  • Mason Jars, 8 ounce, wide mouth
  • food processor or rolling pin for crumbs
  • Food processor or electric hand mixer for cheese mixture
  • Measuring Spoons
  • spatula
  • Spoon

Ingredients

  • FOR THE CRUST
  • 1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • FOR THE CHEESE LAYER
  • 1 8 ounce light cream cheese softened
  • 1 8 ounce light ricotta cheese
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest from one lemon
  • ½ teaspoon lemon extract
  • FOR THE STRAWBERRY LAYER
  • ½ cup strawberry jam
  • 1 teaspoon water
  • 2 cups fresh strawberries, organic if possible sliced into 1/4" chunks
  • whipped cream, for serving
  • whole strawberries, cut vertically, for serving

Instructions

  • CRUST
  • Crush the graham cracker crumbs by adding to a food processor, you'll need 1 ½ cups of crumbs, which is approximately 8 sheets of graham cracker, plus a quarter.
    Alternatively, use a blender for this, or place the graham crackers in a large plastic freezer bag and crush with a rolling pin until it's a sand-like consistency
  • Combine the graham cracker crumbs with the sugar and ½ teaspoon of cinnamon and set aside.
  • MAKE THE CHEESE LAYER
  • Place the cream and ricotta cheese together with the sugar, lemon extract and lemon zest in a food processor.
    Alternatively, place the ingredients in a medium-sized bowl and use a hand-held electric mixer.
    For either method, blend the mixture together for about a minute or so, just to combine and lighten it until slightly fluffy. Don't over mix or the cheeses will be heavy and dense.
  • PREPARE THE STRAWBERRIES
  • Combine the strawberry jam and 1 teaspoon water in a medium-sized bowl, stir together to loosen the jam before adding the fresh strawberries.
    Toss the strawberries in the jam mixture, breaking them up a bit to release their juices until the mixture is combined.
  • ASSEMBLE THE CHEESECAKES
  • Lightly pat ¼ cup of the graham cracker mixture into the bottom of each jar using your fingers or a small spoon
  • Spoon ½ cup of the cheesecake mixture on top of the crust
  • Divide the strawberry mixture between each cup
    Garnish with a tablespoon or more of whipped cream, a fresh strawberry sliced in half
    Add some fresh mint, too if you'd like!

Notes

  • Use half-pint canning jars for this recipe, or small disposable plastic cups
  • You can make this recipe into 6 servings instead of 4 by dividing the ingredients equally in smaller plastic cups.  Just eyeball this to distribute the ingredients.
  • Strawberry Cheesecake in a Jar can be served in long stem glasses too - such as a wide-mouth red wine glass - this presentation looks especially pretty.
  • The cheesecakes travel well in the canning jars shown.  Great for picnics! 

Nutrition

Serving: 4g | Calories: 493kcal | Carbohydrates: 68g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 54mg | Sodium: 595mg | Potassium: 420mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 40g | Vitamin A: 597IU | Vitamin C: 45mg | Calcium: 309mg | Iron: 2mg