Strawberry Jello Cream Cheese Dessert with walnut shortbread crust (2024)

This Jello Cream Cheese Dessert has a strawberry jello layer on top, a jello cream cheese layer in the middle and a walnut shortbread crust at the bottom. It is easy to make and is a great shareable dessert to bring to potlucks and big family gatherings.

My husband’s grandmother used to make this strawberry jello cream cheese dessert for every single family gathering and party we would go to. It is sort of a strawberry pretzel salad and a strawberry jello cheesecake hybrid. And it is absolutely delicious!

I have made slight tweaks to it here and there over the years. It was and still is a family favorite that I love to make whenever we go to a party.

I have always been curious where grandma got this recipe. And on one of our trips to Hawaii several years ago, we found these sorts of Hawaiian cheesecakes made with strawberry and lilikoi (passion fruit) flavor jello at a Zippy’s on Oahu. So perhaps that’s where this came from.

Why you should make this recipe

• This strawberry cream cheese dessert consists of three layers which is slightly time consuming to make but it is very easy! Most of the time, you’re just waiting for it to cool or set, not a lot of active time required.
• The jello cream cheese layer gives it a cheesecake-like creaminess that keeps you coming back for more.
• The buttery walnut shortbread crust adds a different texture and nuttiness as well as a from-scratch homemade feel.

Ingredients and substitutions

As always, you’ll find the complete list of ingredients and quantities in the recipe card at the end of this post. Below are some notes and substitution tips for each ingredient:

1. Butter – unsalted butter is used for the crust. I don’t recommend using salted butter here because it may make the crust too salty.

2. Sugar – granulated sugar is used for the crust and the jello cream cheese layer. You could use brown sugar for the crust but I would stick to granulated sugar for the jello cream cheese so you don’t end up with a brown tinge.

3. Salt – just a pinch of salt is used in the crust.

4. Vanilla extract – vanilla extract adds a little complexity to the walnut shortbread crust. Make sure to use pure vanilla extract and stay away from artificial vanilla flavoring.

5. Walnuts – toasted and finely chopped walnuts are used in the crust. Toasting the walnuts brings out the flavor so don’t skip it. You can substitute other nuts like pecans, or your favorite kind of nuts.

6. Flour – all-purpose flour is used in the crust. You should be able to substitute whole wheat flour or even all-purpose gluten free flour if you wish to make this gluten free. Note that I have not tried making this with gluten free flour myself.

7. Cream cheese – this is used in the jello cream cheese layer.

8. Cream – heavy whipping cream is whipped and folded into the cream cheese in the jelly cream cheese layer for volume and creaminess. If you want to substitute cream using Cool Whip, you will need to omit the sugar as well.

9. Lemon Jello – use a 3 oz package of lemon jello for the jello cream cheese layer. You don’t need to use the big package. If you want a different flavor here, you certainly can use something else but lemon goes with most other flavors you might want to use for the top jello layer.

10. Strawberry Jello – use a 6 oz package or two 3 oz packages if you can’t find the larger one. I’ve used many different Jello flavors here: grape, orange, blueberry, raspberry.

11. Gelatin – you’ll need 2 envelopes of plain gelatin powder, 1 for each jello layer to increase the setting power. Powder is what you’ll typically find at the grocery store but you can use gelatin sheet if you want. The recipe includes the weight to make substitution easier.

12. Water – room temperature water is used to bloom the gelatin and then boiling water is added to activate the gelatin. There is no need to use any other liquid.

You may need a food processor to chop the walnut very finely. However, you can do it by hand. My husband’s grandmother didn’t have a food processor, she just chopped everything with her knife. Make sure the nuts are chopped very fine though.

You will need a stand mixer or an electric mixer to make the dough, whip the cream and beat the cream cheese.

You will need a 9” x 13” baking pan to make this strawberry cream cheese dessert in. I usually use a glass baking pan; a metal cake pan will work just as well.

How to make jello cream cheese dessert

The following instructions, step-by-step photos, and tips are here to help you visualize how to make the recipe. You can always skip straight to the printable recipe card at the end of this post.

Make the walnut shortbread crust

Toast the walnuts and chop them finely in a food processor. You will want to process the nuts until very fine but just before it turns into nut butter. You can also chop them up by hand with a sharp knife.

Beat the softened butter in your stand mixer with the sugar, salt and vanilla extract. Then add in the flour and chopped walnuts; mix until the cookie dough forms.

Brush your baking pan with melted butter and sprinkle flour to cover the surface of the pan. Then press the dough into the pan in an even layer, just use your bare hand in this step. Bake until the crust is lightly brown. Allow to cool down completely before adding the jello layers.

Make the jello cream cheese layer

Prepare the lemon jello by blooming the plain gelatin and lemon jello in room temperature water for a couple of minutes. Add boiling water and stir until the gelatin completely dissolves. Set aside to cool slightly, but not completely.

Note: You’ll use a total of 1 cup of water in this step. I would use ¼ cup of room temperature water to bloom the gelatin and the remaining would be boiling water to activate the gelatin.

In a stand mixer, beat the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Transfer to another bowl. In the same stand mixer, without washing the bowl, beat cream cheese with sugar until combined and creamy. Add the whipped cream back in and stir to combine.

Now add the slightly cool lemon jello mixture to the cream cheese mixture while the mixer is still running and mix until thoroughly combined and smooth.

Pour the jello cream cheese mixture on top of the cooled crust and refrigerate it until completely set.

Make the strawberry jello layer

Similar to the lemon jello, bloom the plain gelatin and strawberry jello in room temperature water for a couple of minutes. Add boiling water and stir until the gelatin completely dissolves. Set aside to cool completely.

Note: For the top jello layer, you’ll use a total of 3 cups of water. I would use ½ cup of room temperature water to bloom the gelatin and the remaining would be boiling water to activate the gelatin.

Pour the completely cool strawberry jello liquid on top of the cheesecake layer.

Tip: The best way to add the strawberry Jello is to use a measuring cup or a container with a spout, and pour it into the baking dish while it remains inside your refrigerator. Trust me on this because transferring a liquid filled baking dish back into the fridge is no easy feat.

More baker’s tips

• Whipped cream is usually made when the cream is cold. This will make the cream cheese mixture cold as well. If this mixture is too cold, it could coagulate quickly when you add the lemon jello creating hard chunks, so be sure to work with a slightly warm lemon jello liquid at this stage.
• A rectangular metal cake pan will yield more square edge pieces than a glass baking pan since glass baking pan usually has slanted sides or curved transition between the sides and the bottom, so the edge pieces won’t come out completely square. However, I still prefer the glass baking dish just because you’ll need to cut into it with a knife and metal baking pan can get scratched in this case.

FAQs

Storage

Because this cream cheese jello dessert is made with dairy products, it should be kept refrigerated. It will last up to a week.

More unique Hawaiian inspired recipes

• Hawaiian Butter Mochi
• Chocolate Covered Macadamia Nuts
• Chocolate Chip Shortbread with Macadamia Nuts
• Big Island Cookies
• Macadamia Snowball Cookies

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📖 Recipe card

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