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A pan of this lush dessert with some pieces taken out so you can see the inside layers.
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Strawberry Cheesecake Lush

This layered Strawberry Cheesecake Lush is a lusciously creamy and completely addicting dessert. Layers of graham cracker crust, no bake vanilla cheesecake layer, strawberry Jello, and whipped cream. 
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword layered strawberry dessert, lush dessert, strawberry cheesecake lush, strawberry lush
Prep Time 30 minutes
Fridge Time 8 hours 30 minutes
Total Time 9 hours
Servings 15
Calories 352kcal
Author Jessica - Together as Family

Ingredients

Graham Cracker Crust

  • 3 cups graham cracker crumbs
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter melted

Strawberry Jello Layer

  • 1 box (3 oz) strawberry jello mix
  • 3/4 cup boiling hot water
  • 3/4 cup ice cold water
  • 8 ounces Cool Whip thawed

Cheesecake Layer

  • 2 bars (8 oz each) cream cheese softened
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 8 ounces Cool Whip thawed

Garnish/Serving

  • chopped or halved fresh strawberries
  • additional graham cracker crumbs

Instructions

Make The Graham Cracker Crust

  • Combine the graham cracker crumbs and melted butter in a mixing bowl and stir until the crumbs are evenly coated.
    3 cups graham cracker crumbs, 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
  • Press the crumbs into an even layer inside a 9x13 cake pan. Place in the freezer for 30-40 minutes while you prepare the rest.

Make The Strawberry Jello Layer

  • In a mixing bowl, whisk together the strawberry jello powder and boiling hot water until all the jello has dissolved.
    * I don't think the hottest tap water from the faucet will be hot enough. Either boil water on the stove top or get an electric tea kettle.
    1 box (3 oz) strawberry jello mix, 3/4 cup boiling hot water
  • Slowly pour in the ice cold water while whisking continuously. Let the mixture sit for a few minutes until it comes closer to room temperature. About 10 minutes.
    3/4 cup ice cold water
  • Whisk in the Cool Whip until combined. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a lid and let it refrigerate for 30 minutes.
    Stir it 3-4 times, during the fridge time, to make sure the jello has not separated.
    8 ounces Cool Whip

Make The Cheesecake Layer

  • In a mixing bowl, with an electric hand mixer or a stand mixer, beat the cream cheese and sugar together until it's combined well, fluffy looking, and smooth. This will take about 2 minutes.
    2 bars (8 oz each) cream cheese, 1 cup granulated sugar

Layer The Lush

  • Spread the cream cheese mixture over the graham cracker crust. Make sure it completely covers the crust up to edges.
  • Gently pour and spread the strawberry jello mixture over the cream cheese.
  • Cover the pan with a lid or plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 8 hours, or up to overnight is preferred.
  • Spread the Cool Whip over top in an even layer. Garnish with fresh strawberries and/or crushed graham cracker crumbs and serve.
    OR you can spread the Cool Whip on top for the final layer, cover the cake pan, and let it refrigerate for 4 hours before cutting and serving. Garnish right before serving it.
    * I prefer adding the final Cool Whip layer and then refrigerating for 4 hours. This allows time for the Cool Whip to thicken up, set, and chill.
    8 ounces Cool Whip, chopped or halved fresh strawberries, additional graham cracker crumbs

Notes

Nutrition Information : This does not include any optional garnishes. 
Cream Cheese : For the best taste and texture use full-fat cream cheese. Put the cream cheese out at room temperature, no more than 2 hours before using it, to soften. Or you can put it out for as little as 20-30 minutes and it will be softened enough, you might just have to beat it a little extra (when beating it with the sugar) in order to get all the lumps out. 
Cool Whip : You can purchase a 16 ounce tub of Cool Whip (rather than two 8-ounce tubs) and just use half of it for the jello layer and the other half for the final layer. Just eyeball it.
Fridge Time : The #1 most important tip for this recipe! Don't try to rush or shorten the fridge time as it allows the layers to firm up and set (which makes cutting the dessert easier) and the flavors have time to meld together. You need at least 8 hours of fridge chill time or overnight is preferred (close to 10-12 hours). I also like to spread the top whipped cream layer on and then put it back in the fridge until serving. So I make the dessert the night before (up until the strawberry Jello layer) and then I refrigerate it overnight as the recipe calls for. Then in the morning I spread that top whipped cream layer on and put it back into the fridge until it's time to serve it. 
Ice Cold Water + Boiling Water : I use my electric tea kettle to boil water for this recipe. You can also boil water on the stove top as well. The water does need to be boiling so I don't suggest using the hottest water from the tap as it's probably not hot enough. For the ice cold water there are two options - put ice and water into a bowl and let it sit for a few minutes before measuring out the water from it. You can also place a water bottle in the freezer for about 1 hour or so and then measure from that. Just make sure you don't measure out any water with ice chunks in it. You only want water. 
Layers Tip : Make sure to spread each layer all the way to the edges and tight against the edge of the pan. This makes it so the layers don't mix together or some of the jello mixture won't seep through to the cheesecake layer from the edges. 
Variation Ideas -
  • Crust : You can use Nilla Wafers, Honey Teddy Grahams, or even some Golden Oreo cookies. Using golden Oreo cookies will result in a much sweeter crust. Just make sure that whatever you use, that the crumbs are very finely ground up. The smaller/finer the better. 
  • Butter : Salted butter or unsalted butter both work fine, it's just whatever you prefer. I prefer using salted butter. 
  • Homemade Whipped Cream : Instead of using Cool Whip try making your own. Beat 3 cups of heavy whipping cream + 2/3 cup of powdered sugar in a mixing bowl until stiff peaks form. This will take several minutes. Start at low speed and increase speed as it thickens. 
  • Jello : Change up the lush dessert by using any flavor of Jello that you want! We love raspberry, peach, or orange (think an orange creamsicle dessert). 

Nutrition

Calories: 352kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 52mg | Sodium: 305mg | Potassium: 105mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 28g | Vitamin A: 656IU | Calcium: 77mg | Iron: 1mg