Kitchn Love Letters

No-Bake “Strawberry Delight” Won’t Even Last 10 Minutes on 4th of July Weekend (It’s That Good)

published Jul 3, 2024
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A slice of strawberry delight on a plate seen from the side with a fork cutting into it.
Credit: Kelli Foster

We’re in somewhat of a “delight” era at The Kitchn. Chocolate chip cookie delight, cherry pie delight, and lemon blueberry delight are a few of our more recent faves. But it all started with Kelli’s OG strawberry delight with six blissful no-bake layers: graham cracker crust, summer strawberries, whipped cream cheese, strawberry cream cheese, whipped cream, and more fresh strawberries. Before this absolute icon of a dessert, I had no idea what a delight was. Now I can’t get enough. 

If you’re new to the term, perhaps you know it by something else, like “lush” or “dream.” Essentially, it’s a layered dessert that comes together in a baking dish — no oven required! — and starts with some sort of crumbly, buttery crust. Another common denominator: whipped cream or topping. Cream cheese often comes to play as well. 

Credit: Kelli Foster

What Makes This Strawberry Delight So Good

I’m going to be careful with my wording. The cream cheese in two of these layers adds a subtle cheesecake-esque vibe. It is no way meant to stand in for the iconic baked dessert, nor does it exactly compare to it, but fans of cheesecake (me!) will think this fluffier, lighter version is pretty dang delicious all the same. 

There’s also none of the fuss of baking an actual cheesecake. In fact, you need exactly zero baking skills to pull off this stunner. The striking layers are easy to pull off simply by dolloping and spreading everything into your 8×8 pan. Gelatin helps make getting nice clean slices possible, as long as you let it chill properly before serving.

More “Delights” You Need to Try

What’s the difference between a delight and a dream bar? I’m not entirely sure, so it felt wrong to exclude those delightful recipes from this list.