Strawberry Cheesecake Dump Cake (No-Bake)

This is dessert for people who want strawberry cheesecake without turning on the oven or babysitting a water bath. Strawberry cheesecake dump cake is a no-bake, layered icebox dessert: a buttery graham crust, a thick no-bake cheesecake filling made with cream cheese and instant pudding, swirls of sweet strawberry, and a crown of whipped cream and fresh berries. You build it in a dish, chill it, and scoop. No baking, no cracking, no stress.

The name comes from how easy it is to throw together, you essentially layer and dump everything into one pan. It has all the tangy, creamy richness of a cheesecake with a fraction of the work, and the strawberry running through it makes it feel like summer no matter the season. It’s the dessert to bring to a potluck when you’ve got more people than time.

Why the no-bake version works so well

A classic baked cheesecake relies on eggs and careful oven time to set. This skips all of that by leaning on two reliable shortcuts that firm up in the fridge instead of the oven.

The first is instant pudding mixed with cold milk. As it sits, the pudding sets into a soft, sliceable base that gives the filling structure without baking. Use cheesecake-flavored instant pudding if you can find it, or vanilla, which works just as well.

The second is cream cheese folded right into that pudding. This is what turns sweet pudding into something that actually tastes like cheesecake, adding the tang and the dense, creamy body. Beat it smooth first so you don’t end up with lumps.

Together, milk, pudding, and cream cheese give you a filling that’s thick, tangy, and stable enough to layer and scoop once it’s chilled, with none of the fuss of a real cheesecake. The graham crust and strawberry topping do the rest of the work of making it taste like the real thing.

What goes in

The two ingredients shown on the recipe are the heart of the filling: 4 cups of cold milk and 2 packages of instant pudding. Around those you’re building a graham layer, a cream cheese layer, and a strawberry topping.

this now & bake later ❤️

Here’s a full ingredient guide to get you started, since the pin only listed the milk and pudding. For the crust: about 2 cups graham cracker crumbs, 1/2 cup melted butter, and 2 tablespoons sugar. For the filling: the 4 cups cold milk, 2 packages (about 3.4 oz each) instant cheesecake or vanilla pudding mix, 8 ounces softened cream cheese, and 8 ounces of whipped topping (like Cool Whip), thawed. For the top: 1 can (about 21 oz) strawberry pie filling, fresh strawberries, and more whipped cream. Adjust to taste.

A few notes. Soften the cream cheese fully before beating, or the filling will be lumpy. Use cold milk, since instant pudding won’t set properly with warm milk. And strawberry pie filling gives you the glossy, sweet strawberry layer in the photo, but you can use a quick homemade strawberry sauce or sweetened crushed fresh berries instead if you’d rather it be less sweet.

How to make it

Start with the crust. Stir the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, and sugar together until it looks like wet sand, then press it firmly into the bottom of a 9×13 dish. Press it down well with the bottom of a glass so it holds together when you scoop. Pop it in the fridge to firm up while you make the filling.

Make the pudding base next. Whisk the instant pudding into the cold milk and let it sit for a couple of minutes until it starts to thicken. In a separate bowl, beat the softened cream cheese until completely smooth, then beat the thickened pudding into it a bit at a time so it stays lump-free. Finally, gently fold in the thawed whipped topping, which lightens the whole thing into a mousse-like cheesecake filling.

Spread that filling evenly over the chilled graham crust. Then spoon the strawberry pie filling over the top and gently swirl or spread it, leaving some pretty streaks rather than a flat sheet. For the crumbled-graham look in the photo, save a handful of the crust mixture before pressing it in and scatter it over the top.

Cover the dish and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight. This long chill is essential, it’s what lets the pudding fully set and the layers firm up enough to slice or scoop cleanly. Skip it and you’ll have a delicious but soupy mess.

Just before serving, finish with piped or dolloped whipped cream and fresh strawberries.

Tips, make-ahead, and storing

A couple of things help. Press the crust firmly, since a loose crust crumbles apart when you serve it. And taste as you go on sweetness, between the pudding, the whipped topping, and the pie filling there’s a lot of sugar, so a slightly tangier cream cheese or fresh berries in place of some of the pie filling keeps it balanced.

This dessert is built for making ahead, which is its best quality. It actually needs several hours in the fridge to set, so making it the night before is ideal. Add the whipped cream topping and fresh berries closer to serving, though, so the cream stays fresh and the berries don’t weep.

Store it covered in the fridge for three to four days. It stays good, though the graham crust softens over time as it sits against the filling, so it’s at its firmest in the first day or two. It doesn’t freeze well, since the cream cheese and whipped topping turn grainy and weepy after thawing.

This makes a 9×13 pan, enough for about 12 generous servings. It’s creamy, tangy, sweet, and loaded with strawberry, the easiest way to put strawberry cheesecake on the table without baking a thing.

It also takes well to swaps if you want to make it your own. Other pie fillings, cherry, blueberry, or mixed berry, work in exactly the same way, and a mix of two is a nice touch. You can trade the graham crust for crushed vanilla wafers or shortbread cookies, and a teaspoon of lemon zest beaten into the cream cheese brightens the whole thing if it’s tasting too sweet for you.

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