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Strawberry Cheesecake Salad is a sweet and creamy dessert with fresh strawberries hidden throughout. This is the biggest hit at any potluck and SO easy to make!
No summer barbecue is complete without a creamy, delicious salad. For even more potluck dishes be sure to try ambrosia salad, creamy pea salad, or pineapple fluff!
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Strawberry Cheesecake Salad
I love anything that has to do with cheesecake. I mean who doesn’t? This is my go to recipe for any get together. It’s a huge hit and people are always asking for the recipe! I love it because it’s so easy to throw together but is the most perfect side. This salad is so creamy and the mixture of strawberries and bananas go together perfectly. Each bite is sweet, creamy heaven!
Now, I can already hear some of you saying… “that’s not a salad!”. And you’re right! In the traditional cold, chopped vegetable meaning of salad, no, it’s not. But in a creamy fruit salad kind of way… absolutely! Cheesecake salads are usually made with no-bake cheesecake filling/pudding and frozen whipped topping (such as Cool Whip), then folded together with fresh fruit. This version also utilizes some strawberry yogurt to bring even more fruit flavor into the dish!
Don’t Worry!
This recipe is Picky Eater Approved!
Strawberry Cheesecake Salad Ingredients
You only need 6 simple ingredients to make the best fruit salad. It’s an inexpensive side dish that’s great for feeding a crowd! If you’re looking for measurements, they can all be found below in the recipe card.
- Whipped Topping: Let this thaw in refrigerator overnight before you use it.
- Cheesecake Pudding Powder: Pudding mix gives this fruit salad the richness of cheesecake but with a light and fluffy consistency.
- Strawberry Yogurt: The creaminess of the yogurt mixes perfectly with the pudding and whipped topping to make a soft and sweet filling.
- Fresh Strawberries: The star of the show! Fresh is best, but you can also use frozen strawberries. Just make sure they’re thawed with any excess liquid drained to keep your salad from turning out watery.
- Bananas: Slice and wait to add them to the salad until the last minute to keep it as fresh as possible.
- Mini Marshmallows: Optional, but it’s my kids’ favorite part of this salad!
Substitutions You Can Use
To substitute the cool whip and cheesecake pudding powder, use 8 ounces of cream cheese, 1/2 cup of granulated sugar, and 2 cups of heavy whipping cream.
How to Make Strawberry Cheesecake Salad
This strawberry cheesecake salad recipe is foolproof. All you need to do is mix your ingredients together and let your salad chill in the fridge until you’re ready to serve it!
- Combine Ingredients: In a large salad bowl, mix together the yogurt, pudding and whipped topping. Put in the fridge and allow to set up for an hour.
- Add Sliced Fruit: Add sliced strawberries to the mixture with the marshmallows. Add in the bananas right before serving. Keep refrigerated.
How to Keep Fruit Salad Fresh
- Keep Fruit Dry: Any water that is present will cause the produce to soften faster. Keep air off of it and dry your fruit after you wash it. Save problem produce like bananas for the end and add right before serving.
- Store Fruit Separately: When making this recipe ahead of time, prepare the cheesecake mixture and refrigerate in a bowl. Separately, mix all the fruit in a large bowl and refrigerate. Then, before serving, drain any excess liquid from the fruit. Finally, fold the cheesecake filling into the fruit and its ready to be served and enjoyed!
Tips and Variations
Here are a few simple ways to make your strawberry cheesecake salad turn out even better! One more tip… you may want to double this recipe. Every time I bring it to a potluck, it’s gone in a snap!
- Use an Egg Slicer: Slice strawberries with a sturdy egg slicer for even pieces.
- Wait to Add Fruit: Add the fruit just before serving so it doesn’t get mushy or discolored.
- Use Sour Cream: For extra tanginess, use some sour cream in place of some of the yogurt.
- Adjust Consistency: The amount of strawberries used will depend on how much fruit-to-fluff that you want.
- Add Other Fruits: You can add any fruit you want to this incredibly versatile salad! Some great choices are pineapple, mango, mandarin oranges, grapes, kiwis, raspberries, blackberries, or melon slices.
Storing Leftovers
It’s best to serve this fruit salad fresh, but you can also keep it in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. If you plan on making it ahead, store the cheesecake pudding and fruit separately and combine just before serving.
Summer Strawberry Recipes
Celebrate strawberries coming back into season with a few of these delicious desserts! They’re perfectly sweet, easy to make, and filled with juicy strawberry flavor. You’re going to love them!
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Strawberry Cheesecake Salad
Equipment
- Large Bowl
- Whisk
Ingredients
- 8 ounces whipped topping, thawed
- 1 small package cheesecake pudding powder 3.4 ounce
- 2 cups strawberry yogurt (About 3 (6 ounce) yogurt containers)
- 1 lb fresh strawberries, sliced
- 2 cups miniature marshmallows
- 3 bananas sliced
Optional Substitute for whipped topping and cheesecake powder:
- 1 8 ounce cream cheese softened
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
Instructions
- In a large bowl mix together the yogurt and pudding powder. Fold in the whipped topping. Cover and refrigerate to allow it to set up for about an hour.
- Add the sliced strawberries, marshmallows, and bananas right before serving. Keep refrigerated.
If using the cool whip and cheesecake pudding powder substitute:
- In a large bowl beat together cream cheese, sugar, and heavy whipping cream until it is creamy and stiff peaks form. Fold in the strawberry yogurt, strawberries, marshmallows and bananas.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I wonder how this recipe would be with diced angel food cake in place of the marshmallows? Or crumbled ginger snaps?
I have never heard or seen cream cheese powder. Where would a person buy that. In Canada???
It’s the boxed jello. It is cheesecake flavor…
Can you freeze this before you add the fruits? Say take out a cup to eat now with a half banana and a couple strawberries and then out the rest in a freezer container?
Everything looks good is there a cookbook?
I made this and was really good. I made it again and spread it on a strawberry cake, like icing, it was out of this world.
I made this last week &, although it was quite yummy, it was a little less cheesecake-y than I was hoping. So…I made it again, this time substituting a vanilla yogurt for one of the strawberry yogurts. I also added a second pkg of cheesecake pudding powder. Much more cheesecake-y (thicker too). I also used it top a bowl of fresh fruit (sliced strawberries, sliced bananas, & blueberries) instead of mixing the fruit in. The fruit stayed fresher that way & it made the cheesecake-y goodness last even longer. Thanks for sharing your recipe!
I agree. It is amazing but I was hoping it would be a little cheesecake-y-er. Haha I am thinking that the next time that I make this I am going to whip cream cheese with some sugar and vanilla and then fold the jello pudding in along with the strawberries and cheesecake. 🙂
That sounds like an excellent idea – I may have to try that too!
I believe this may be the recipe I have been searching for or quite similiar after enjoying at a church potluck. They added chocolate shavings or you could use mini chocolate chips it was delicious!
That’s what I did
How much cream cheese.
There is no cream cheese. The mixture makes a cream cheese whip topping.
How can we substitute something more ‘real’ than Cool Whip? Getting away from so much ‘fake’ made-from-oil stuff.
Get heavy whipping cream in the little cartons and make the whipped topping yourself! Whip it extra thick with beaters or a mixer and add 1/2 package more of the powdered cheesecake.
I can’t find cheesecake pudding!!!,
I have also run into the problem of a store not carrying it so I substituted with vanilla in a pinch. Still yummy!
I couldn’t find it either so I used the no bake cheesecake powder…with the 18 ounces of yogurt and the cool whip plus the fruit of strawberries and blueberries instead of bananas it all worked out fine…I did add some mini marshmallows but really not a whole bag as another site called for…
They devoured it!
So if you like me can’t find cheesecake pudding substitute the no bake cheesecake powder..
ENJOY!
Jackie, that is a great idea! We have cheesecake pudding mix readily available here, but I’ve gone out of state to visit family and haven’t been able to find that variety of pudding anywhere near where they live. (We take turns with the meals at our family get-togethers, and I had this recipe planned for my night to cook.) Problem solved!! Thank you!
I like it better with the cheesecake no bake powder then the pudding. I like this recipe but i think it needs more pudding mix
I used a boxed cheesecake mix but added cream cheese and extra whipping cream etc. Whipped nicely. Yeah I know. Whole new recipe. But it’s what I had.
How many does the recipe serve?
I would say 8-10. 🙂
Thank you! 🙂
This sounds good and use it as a dip with graham crackers or the little teddy bear graham crackers!
Oh that sounds fun with the Teddy Graham crackers!
So is it 6 oz yogurt all together or 3/6 oz containers?
It will be 18 ounces all together! 🙂
I just made this and it’s pretty good. I recommend leaving out the marshmallows though. It doesn’t need them and they seem to be a weird texture compared to the rest of it. I added graham cracker crumbs to it though, which I definitely recommend! As for with the pudding, you are just using the powder.
So you don’t actually make the pudding with milk first? You’re just using the powder?
This looks amazing! I featured it on my 12 Super Summer Sides Round-Up. Thanks for doing all you do Alyssa! xo-Brook
http://cookandcraftmecrazy.blogspot.com/2013/05/12-super-summer-sides-round-up.html
About how much does this make
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This looks good! I can see by your blog that you love to cook. Everything looks so yummy that I may try a few recipes even though cooking isn’t really my forte. Following your blog & looking forward to more treats 🙂 Thanks for stopping by my blog & commenting.