This easy and delicious no-bake strawberry-rhubarb cream cheese pie recipe is a favorite summertime dessert. This tasty pie uses sweetened condensed milk, cream cheese, key lime juice, homemade vanilla extract, and summer-fresh strawberries and rhubarb to make a perfectly creamy, sweet, and tangy cheese pie.

While we can appreciate the convenience of canned pie fillings, they just don’t compare to the homemade stuff and they take just minutes to make. But if you don’t have time, go ahead and use the canned or jarred stuff because either way, this cream cheese filling is delicious. This is also a great recipe for kiddos to help out with and we’ve included step-by-step recipe photos at the end of the post to make it even easier for them to follow along.

What is a No-Bake Cream Cheese Pie?

You’re probably already familiar with “cherry cheese pie” (also known as, cherry cream cheese pie) which is a no-bake pie usually served in the summertime. Instead of the typical cherry pie topping, I’ve made this version with a homemade strawberry-rhubarb pie filling. The cream cheese base consists of citrus and sweetened condensed milk along pure vanilla extract for a smooth and tangy filling. It has an unmistakable “punchy” lemon or lime flavor that’s both sweet and cream-cheesy at the same time. The filling is looser than a typical no-bake cheesecake, but for those of you looking for a sturdier filling, you can always add 4 ounces (226g) more cream cheese to the recipe. It’s a dessert you find at picnics and BBQs (and when it’s too hot outside to turn on your oven).

Pictured Below (cream cheese pie after it’s been frozen and thawed)

It’s chilled and ready to be topped

Why We Love This No-Bake Cream Cheese Pie

It takes minutes to prepare
You don’t have to turn on the oven
It’s an easy recipe for kiddos to help make
Everything including the pie filling is made from scratch
It’s a great make-ahead-and-freeze pie recipe

Easy Strawberry-Rhubarb Cream Cheese Pie Ingredients

Cookie Crust Ingredients

one graham cracker crust or 2-Ingredient Belgian Lotus Biscoff cookie crust

Filling Ingredients

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

Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie Filling Topping Ingredients

one recipe strawberry-rhubarb pie filling

How to Make No-Bake Strawberry-Rhubarb 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 on it to set up and chill before slicing into it.

Make the strawberry-rhubarb pie filling. Make the pie filling according to the directions, or use your favorite jar or can of store-bought pie filling.
Make the graham cracker crust. Make the graham cracker crust according to the directions, or use your favorite pre-made graham cracker pie crust.
Make the cream cheese filling. Add the cream cheese to a mixing bowl using an electric (or stand mixer) and beat it for about 3 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Add the sweetened condensed milk and continue beating until well combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed to ensure the mixture is smooth and lump-free. Add the key lime juice (or lemon juice) and vanilla extract and beat until well incorporated and smooth.
Pour the filling into the cookie crust. Pour the cream cheese mixture into the prepared graham cracker crust and smooth it out evenly. Cover with sustainable plastic wrap, and place it in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, and up to overnight is even better.
Assemble the pie. When ready to serve, top the cream cheese pie base with strawberry-rhubarb pie filling and Enjoy!

add the sugar to the pot with the fruit

stir everything together

turn the heat on medium and cook for a couple of minutes to release some of the juice…it’ll start to look shiny

when the juices start to release turn the heat off and remove about 1/2 cup of the juice only to a small bowl

add the cornstarch

and start stirring

mix and mash the cornstarch and juice together using the back of a spoon

keep mixing to make a smooth lump-free slurry and you no longer see any pockets of cornstarch

turn the heat back up to medium-high heat and just before it boils, add the cornstarch slurry and bring to a boil whisking constantly

turn the temperature down to medium and continue cooking the fruit mixture until it coats the back of a spoon

beat the cream cheese until smooth

continue beating until fluffy and smooth

add the sweetened condensed milk and vanilla and beat until well combined and then add the key lime juice and mix until smooth

(pour in the condensed milk)

pour the base into the prepared crust

smooth it out now as evenly as possible

It’s ready to be refrigerated for 4 hours or even better, overnight

It’s chilled and ready to be topped

spread the pie filling over the top of the pie in an even layer

Below a Vintage Cherry Cheese Pie (Cherry Cream Cheese Pie) Advertisement

Easy Strawberry-Rhubarb Cream Cheese Pie tips + tricks

You don’t have to pre-bake the crust for this pie. I prefer to not bake this pie crust because we like the way it crumbles when you take a bite. And as mentioned above, when I’m making this dessert it’s usually when I don’t feel like heating the oven in the summertime. The butter in the recipe helps hold the crust together just enough. Feel free to treat this more like you would a regular cheesecake crust and 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.
Make ahead and freeze. Make, top, and freeze strawberry-rhubarb cream cheese pie (or cherry cheese pie) pull it out, 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.
Substitute other fruit pie toppings like blueberry-apricot, peach, or cherry.
Add a little zest from the limes or lemons to make it more “citrusy” if you prefer.
Where do cream cheese pies come from? Cherry cheese pies, Cherry Cream Cheese Pie, and Cream Cheese pies as far as I can tell, come from the Eagle Brand Milk company creating a recipe to help sell their sweetened condensed milk product.
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 and 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 would like to preserve the strawberry-rhubarb pie filling (shelf-stable) omit the cornstarch and substitute Clear-Jel and follow the instructions provided in the packet.

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