Strawberry Cheesecake Fluff

How would you like to prepare a delicious dessert in about ten minutes from start to finish? Strawberry Cheesecake Fluff will allow you to do just that! Prepared with cream cheese, cool whip, vanilla, and strawberries, this dessert is light and fluffy and perfectly refreshing for a warm summer day!

When I was growing up, Sunday dinner dessert was almost always my mom’s no-bake cheesecake.  It was a simple dessert with no fuss and all of us kids loved it.  Her favourite fruit topping was canned cherry though, which I absolutely hate, but whenever she made it, I would scrape the cherries off, use my fork to mash the cream cheese filling together with the graham crumb base and eat it.  Little did I know that what I was really eating at the time was closer to a Strawberry Cheese Fluff rather than a no-bake cheesecake!

Normally, a fluff dessert includes mini marshmallows. Because I wanted to keep this dessert vegetarian friendly, I decided to forego the marshmallows. Another reason is because I don’t care much for the chewy texture of marshmallows when combined with the creaminess in this dessert. The sweetness of the marshmallows was also a concern, so it was best for me to just leave them out completely. I will never make fluff dessert with marshmallows again – this version is so much better!

If you are a die-hard marshmallow fan, feel free to add about two cups of them to this dessert. Add them at the same time you add the strawberries. And, if you’re vegetarian or vegan and would like to add marshmallows, please read the next section!

MARSHMALLOWS ARE OFTEN USED IN NO-BAKE TREATS

I used to not make many confections with marshmallows until recently. I do love them, but after just one or two, I seem to go into sugar shock. Ha! When it comes to snacks and treats, I’m all about salty snacks. I can easily forego sugary snacks. I’m one of those people who will eat one or two of something and then I don’t want to see it anymore. I bake a lot, so it’s quite common to try one or two of whatever it is and package the rest up for a friend or a neighbour. In some cases, especially if I make something with chocolate, John.e refuses to let me get rid of it. He loves chocolate!

As you know, Dear Reader, John.e is a vegetarian and marshmallows have gelatin in them. Gelatin is made with collagen from animal parts, so obviously, he isn’t going to eat anything with marshmallows in it. Sounds gross, doesn’t it!? So, I was quite happy to find vegan marshmallows, and now I can make more marshmallow treats. You can 100% use Dandies Vegan Marshmallows in this recipe.

MAKE EVERYTHING AHEAD OF TIME

You can follow the steps in the previous section and prepare this Strawberry Cheesecake Fluff ahead of time. If tightly covered and refrigerated, it will keep for at least 4-6 hours – maybe more! After that, the strawberries will begin to release some of their natural sugars and juices which will create a soggy, wet fluff. It’s not to the point of ruin, since this dessert is stirred before serving anyway, it’s easy to re-incorporate that strawberry juice back into the cream cheese and cool whip mixture.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED FOR THIS RECIPE

The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare this recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post.

• Cream Cheese – I prefer to use the brick-style cream cheese for this dessert. It’s much heavier than whipped or spreadable cream cheese and will hold up better if you plan to make this dessert ahead of time.
• Sugar 
• Vanilla Extract
• Cool Whip – I rarely use ready-make whipped topping, but in an effort to keep this dessert quick and easy, I went for it! If you prefer, you can make your own sweetened whipped cream instead.
• Strawberries

HOW TO MAKE STRAWBERRY CHEESECAKE FLUFF

Place the cream cheese into a mixing bowl and beat to cream. Add sugar and vanilla extract. Beat to combine with the softened cream cheese. Transfer the thawed cool whip to the mixing bowl and use a rubber spatula to fold the whipped topping into the cream cheese mixture until fully incorporated. Add the prepared strawberries and gently fold to combine. Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to 6 hours.

QUESTIONS?

If I have not answered all of your questions in the text above, don’t hesitate to reach out to me! You can contact me by sending me a message in the comments section further down the page. I will try my best to answer as soon as possible! You might reach me even faster by following me on Facebook and sending me a private message. Scroll down below the recipe card to find my Follow Me on Social Media box and never miss another recipe!