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 mins
Cook Time0 minutes mins
Total Time30 minutes mins
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 4
Calories: 493kcal
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
- 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
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 halfAdd some fresh mint, too if you'd like!
- 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!
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