What sounds better than a cold, creamy dessert in the middle of a heat wave? No baking- just whip, chop and layer this simple Frozen Strawberry Dessert for the best treat you’ve eaten all summer!
Remember ice box desserts? Ice box desserts can be whipped up in minutes, without the use of an oven and were a popular way to satisfy a sweet craving in days gone by. Now it seems, if we need to turn on the oven, the air conditioning gets bumped up and we bake away. If you want to avoid turning on your oven, this dessert should be on your list of must try treats!
I love the simplicity of this dessert and the convenience of assembly early in the day or the day before (or a couple of days before) serving. Whenever we entertain, it seems like there’s always a shortage of time the day of the gathering, so any ability I have to prepare ahead is greatly appreciated! I love the idea of lazy summer days with simple meals, prepared before meal time. I’m often asked about meals that are make-ahead, and this dessert definitely is at the top of the list if you want to serve something cool and refreshing!
You’ll need a few simple ingredients, and a bowl, a mixer, a 9×13 pan and a strainer to make this Frozen Strawberry Dessert! I promise you’ve never made a dessert that is so easy to put together and tastes so good. It’s the perfect dessert for everyone from toddlers to your great-aunt and feeds a crowd as well. Think backyard, shady tree, lawn chairs and Frozen Strawberry Dessert you prepared the day before. All you have to do when it’s time to serve, is pull the pan out of the freezer 15-30 minutes before serving (if frozen solid). Let sit on counter, cut and enjoy!
Frozen Strawberry Dessert
Ingredients
- 1 Pint heavy whipping cream
- 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 8 oz cream cheese- room temperature, regular sets up better than light
- 1/2 gallon vanilla or strawberry ice cream
- 1 – 14 oz box graham crackers, I like Nabisco Honey Maid brand
- 2 lbs sliced or chopped strawberries, drained well and divided
Instructions
- In bowl of a stand mixer or large bowl, whip the cream with 1/4 cup powdered sugar until cream is stiff. Scrape into a separate bowl, set aside.
- Using the same bowl, beat room temperature cream cheese, 1 cup powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla on low until powdered sugar is mixed into cream cheese and vanilla and is smooth, about 1 minute.
- Fold whipped cream mixture into cream cheese mixture. Set in refrigerator until ready to assemble.
- When ready to assemble dessert, Spread about 3 tablespoons of cream cheese mixture in bottom of 9×13 pan.
- Add one layer of graham crackers, in a single layer over thin bottomcream cheese layer.
- Scoop vanilla ice cream onto graham crackers, let sit until softened slightly and barely able to spread. Do not let melt! Spread the ice cream over the graham crackers with a spatula when softened to smooth out the scoops.
- Add a layer of sliced chopped strawberries
- Add layer of graham crackers on top of strawberries.
- Spread the remaining cream cheese layer over the berries.
- Spread the remaining strawberries (1 lb) on top.
- Let sit for at least 6 hours before serving.
- Just before serving, sprinkle 2-3 crushed graham crackers over top of dessert if desired, dust with powdered sugar. See recipe notes for simplified layers!
Notes
-Make sure to drain the berries well to insure the juice form the berries does not bleed onto the ice cream or cream cheese layers.
-This dessert must be stored in freezer because of the ice cream layer!
-The layers of the dessert are as follows:
thin layer of cream cheese mixture
graham crackers
ice cream
1/2 strawberries
graham crackers
cream cheese layer
remaining strawberries
crushed graham crackers
powdered sugar
Did you make this recipe?
Be sure to leave a comment and give this recipe a rating, letting me know how you liked it. I’d love to see a photo, tag @abountifulkitchen on Instagram!
Tiffany
Hi Si,
Just wondering if this can be made days in advance or if it should only sit in the freezer for the 6 hours?
abountifulkitchen
Tiffany,
It can sit for 24-48 hours before serving if frozen completely. Once it thaws a bit, the graham crackers soften quite a bit and get very soft so I try to avoid any thawing and refreezing if possible!
thanks for reading ABK,
xo
Si
Lucy
Can I leave the last layer of strawberries off and put them on when it is time to serve. I’m thinking I would rather have the fresh strawberries on top.
abountifulkitchen
Hi Lucy,
Yes, that will work. I would slice just before placing on top. If you slice too far ahead of time and the fruit is juicy, it will bleed onto the cream layer. Hope you love this!
xo
Si
Sheila
Question on step #11. Don’t you mean to freeze for at least 6 hours? “Let sit” sounds like out on the counter at room temperature. It sounds so yummy! I would hate for someone to end up with a soggy mess. 😊
Melanni
We had this for dessert tonight. It was a hit! I think the key is to figure out timing. We tried to serve ours after letting it thaw for 20 minutes and it was still pretty solid but 30-35 minutes was just about right. I am sure the air temperature has a lot to do with how long it takes to thaw.
Si Foster
Thanks for sharing, Melanni. I agree, the thawing has a lot to do with air temp. 30 minutes seems like the right amount of time if you’ve just taken it out of the freezer. Thanks for reading ABK,
xo
Si
Rachel
Think this would work with peaches? Or are they too juicy?
Si Foster
Hi Rachel, you could try using peaches. Just make sure to drain them really well so they don’t bleed into the other layers. Thanks for asking!
xo
Si
Amy
My 10 year old daughter made this for dessert with friends over. Everyone enjoyed it! The only thing anyone altered was to add a little drizzle of chocolate sauce on top.
Si Foster
Hi Amy, I’m glad it turned out well for you. I love that idea of drizzling chocolate sauce over the top! Thanks for sharing and for reading ABK,
xo
Si