Cream Cheese Pie with Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie Filling

Why You'll Love This Cream Cheese Pie Recipe

• Hands-on time is just about 25-30 minutes
• It's a true cream cheese no bake pie (we don't even bake the crust)
• It's a fresh take on the classic no-bake cheesecake recipe (that uses cherries)
• Using a springform pan instead of a pie plate elevates the look of the pie
• I use 2 secret ingredients not usually found in cream cheese pie recipes
• This is a make-ahead-and-freeze cream cheese pie recipe
• Easy cream cheese pie for kids to make
• Uses an easy homemade strawberry-rhubarb pie filling instead of canned pie filling

What is a No-Bake Cream Cheese Pie?

No-bake pies with cream cheese are a summer staple in the South where I grew up. The most well-known version is cherry cheese pie (also known as cherry cream cheese pie, cherry o cream cheese pie, cheerio pie, or cherry cheesecake pie). 

Cream cheese pie consists of 3 components:

• Graham cracker crust
• No-bake cheesecake filling made with cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk, and fresh or shelf-stable lemon juice
• Canned or homemade fruit pie filling (usually, canned cherry pie filling is used, and how I grew up eating it)

A Better Cream Cheese Pie Recipe

For this strawberry cream cheese pie recipe, I've made a few tasty upgrades to the traditional cream cheese pie recipe. First, I use a quick homemade strawberry-rhubarb pie filling instead of canned pie filling, which always tastes better.

And for the no-bake cheesecake filling, I use freshly squeezed key lime juice instead of bottled lemon juice.  I've also added homemade pure vanilla extract, which adds even more flavor. We think this makes the best cream cheese pie.

Strawberry-Rhubarb Cream Cheese Pie Ingredients

Here's a brief overview of the ingredients you'll need to make no-bake strawberry cheesecake pie, but you can find the full measurements in the recipe card below. 

For the Cookie Crust 

• 1 graham cracker crust or 2-Ingredient Biscoff cookie crust

For the Cream Cheese Pie Filling 

• sweetened condensed milk
• cream cheese
• lime juice freshly squeezed (or lemon juice)
• vanilla extract

For the Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie Filling

• 1 recipe strawberry-rhubarb pie filling (includes fresh strawberries, rhubarb, sugar, lime juice, and cornstarch)

Find the full measurements in the recipe card.

How to Make Strawberry Cream Cheese Pie

It takes just a few minutes to pull this simple no-bake dessert even when you make the strawberry-rhubarb pie filling from scratch. The hardest part is waiting for it to set up and chill before slicing into it.

1. Make the strawberry-rhubarb pie filling or use your favorite canned pie filling.
2. Make the graham cracker crust or use a pre-made graham cracker crust.
3. Make the cream cheese filling.
4. Pour the filling into the cookie crust and refrigerate the pie until set.
5. Top the cream cheese filling with strawberry-rhubarb pie filling and, Enjoy!

Strawberry Cream Cheese Pie Tips & FAQs

• You don't have to pre-bake the crust for this cheese pie. I prefer to not bake this graham cracker crust because we like the way it crumbles when you take a bite or cut into it with your fork. Plus, I tend to make this dessert in the summer when I don't feel like heating the oven even to set a crust. The butter in the recipe helps hold the crust together well enough for our tastes but you can pre-bake it for 5 to 7 minutes at 325°F/162°C and let it cool completely before pouring the cheese-pie base into it.
• Where do cream cheese pies come from? As far as I can tell from my research the cream cheese pie originated from the Eagle Brand Milk company which created a recipe to help sell their sweetened condensed milk.

Can You Freeze Cream Cheese Pies?

Yes, you can freeze cream cheese pies (see photos directly above of the cream cheese pie I froze, thawed, and took to a summer BBQ). However, just know that cornstarch degrades when you freeze it so it doesn't look quite as pretty after you freeze and thaw it. But, it tastes just as good!

If the goal is to have the pie looking as pretty as the day you top it, substitute tapioca starch for the cornstarch in the pie filling. To get the correct ratio of tapioca starch, head over to my sour cherry pie filling recipe post, which gives you many alternatives to using cornstarch in homemade pie filling.

To freeze cream cheese pie, top the cream cheese filling with the pie filling of your choice (cherry, strawberry, blueberry, or even blackberry). Cut a piece of parchment paper (or wax paper) into a circle to cover the top of the pie, wrap the pie (while still in the springform pan) with sustainable cling film, and freeze.

The day before you want to serve it, pull it out of the freezer and defrost it in the refrigerator overnight. If you're going to a BBQ or picnic, leave it frozen and pack it in an ice chest or other cooler bag, and it'll be cold and tempered when you need it.

Strawberry Cream Cheese Pie Substitutions & Customizations

• Use a pre-made graham cracker or other cookie crust to save time.
• To make the cream cheese filling thicker, add ½ cup (113g) more cream cheese to the filling. This will make the filling a bit less "punchy" in flavor, but it still tastes great.
• Substitute other fruit pie fillings for the strawberry-rhubarb pie filling to make blueberry cream cheese pie, raspberry cream cheese pie (you could even use fresh raspberries instead of raspberry pie filling), blackberry cream cheese pie, peach cream cheese pie, mango cream cheese pie, or classic cherry.
• Add a little zest from limes or lemons to make the cream cheese pie filling even more citrusy.
• Adjust the amount of sugar in the strawberry-rhubarb pie filling if desired. Taste the strawberry-rhubarb mixture as it's cooking and increase the amount of sugar or lime juice to adjust for the natural sweetness or tartness of the fruit.
• Substitute lemon juice for lime juice. If you prefer your cream cheese pies to have a lemony flavor, substitute lemon juice for lime juice.
• If you're wondering, is there a substitute for sweetened condensed milk, you'll be happy to know you can use Cream of Coconut (not canned coconut milk) as a substitute (vegan substitute).

 How to Make Vegan Cream Cheese Pie

Making vegan cream cheese pie using this recipe is easy to do by making these 5 simple substitutions below:

• Substitute canned Cream of Coconut 1:1 for the Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk. The cream cheese pie filling will have a coconut flavor, but will still taste great (especially if you're using lime juice like I do in this recipe).
• Use coconut oil or your favorite vegan butter substitute for the graham cracker crust.
• Substitute honey graham crackers with Nabisco Grahams (Original Nabisco Graham Crackers), or other favorite graham crackers or cookies made without any animal products.
• Substitute coconut sugar for the granulated sugar (granulated sugar is often processed using bone char to make it white) in both the strawberry-rhubarb pie filling and the graham cracker crust.

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