Easy Creamy No-Bake Cheesecake Strawberry Parfaits

These no-bake cheesecake parfaits have fresh berries, mini chocolate chips, & luscious creamy cheesecake that will satisfy your sweet tooth.

This recipe came about because I had an extra package of cream cheese that I couldn’t fit into my cream cheese container.  See I’m weird as I don’t buy the small tubs of cream cheese. Instead, I buy those bricks and then put them into this covered glass bread pan that stays in the fridge. 

I smush them all together and it’s easier for Mr. Fantabulous to get his cream cheese out for his bagels.  You see it would be different if he closed up the bricks after he used it but he doesn’t which means when I go to use it I end up with those crusty edges on it which are utterly useless.

Since I had that extra package I set it out on the counter to soften figuring I’d use it in something. A few hours later I was back in the kitchen I realized I had to use it as it was perfect for cheesecake texture-wise however I didn’t want to bake a cheesecake. 

For me I actually prefer no-bake cheesecake over baked cheesecake as baked seems ‘heavier’ to me in texture.  If I eat cheesecake it has to be super creamy and light. Mr. Fantabulous, being a New Yorker, is baked all the way. But since I was the one making this no bake won out.

Normally when I make no-bake cheesecake I use sour cream – it adds that ‘zip’ to the mix that cheesecake needs however I had no sour cream BUT I did have Greek yogurt. And honestly, nowadays I pretty much use plain Greek yogurt interchangeably with sour cream. 

It’s healthier, higher protein and it almost always gives the same outcome. Now since I only had vanilla it wasn’t a big deal for me since I was already adding vanilla to the batter. If you only have plain then add a teensy bit more vanilla to your mix.

When I make my no-bake cheesecake I always add a bit of heavy cream to the last bit of mixing as that rounds out the flavor and gives it that truly luscious, creamy texture. 

Once it was all done I sat there staring at it, after trying about 14 spoons of it – shush, don’t judge me, it’s my cheesecake, I had to put it in something.  I could have easily gone with a bowl or even a trifle dish but I wanted individual ones.  This way I could span it out for a few desserts and I wouldn’t eat the whole bowl myself.

Out came these adorable little latte mugs though for this recipe, I’m calling them parfait glasses.  Go with it, people!  It’s all about improvising, right?!

Now I could have easily gone with just a parfait glass of cheesecake but visually it would have been one note.  Side note, Mr. Fantabulous LOVES it when he is eating something at a restaurant and can say “Honey this dish is very ‘one note’.  I think it needs something.” I love that I’m rubbing off on him.  Anyway, this parfait needed some pizazz and a pop of color!

Earlier that morning when I was at Sam’s Club I had bought the most perfect batch of strawberries ever.  They were huge, fat, and super juicy.  Nothing, NOTHING is better than when you bite into a fresh strawberry and the flavors just burst in your mouth – a little sweet, a little tart and uber juicy.  Plus the fact that they had been in my fridge for a few hours meant they were ice cold.  I dunno, there’s just something about ice-cold fruit that I love.

As I started making up the parfait glasses I got the first layer done – cheesecake filling and berries – I stopped for a minute.  They were ‘missing’ something. It needed another ‘color’ to blend it all together. 

So out came my favorite mini chocolate chips and away I went.  This is one of those dishes when it came to adding the chocolate, less is more. You want it to be more of an accent flavor rather than overpowering it.

Another layer of cheesecake, berries, and chips, and into the fridge they went to chill out. 

These will be a HUGE hit at your next get-together.  Make these for a block party or picnic and watch them get devoured!

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