This Strawberry Icebox Cake is a quick and easy, no-bake refrigerator dessert recipe made with 4 simple ingredients. This cool and creamy cake is filled with layers of fresh strawberries and a whipped topping and vanilla pudding mixture sandwiched between graham crackers.
Simple No-Bake Strawberry Icebox Cake
A Strawberry Icebox Cake is a twist on my traditional Strawberry Shortcake Trifle, simply made like a dessert lasagna, with fresh fruit and light fluffy layers arranged over a cookie.
Similar to my Raspberry Lasagna and my Hot Chocolate Lasagna, this old-fashioned icebox cake is an easy way to arrange simple ingredients in a pan and allow them to sit in the refrigerator so that the graham crackers absorb the sweet cream filling and all the luscious layers merge into a soft, moist cake-like texture.
This cake is refreshingly light and not too filling; it’s the perfect complement to a spring or summer meal. I love to serve this Strawberry Icebox Cake when I need a no-bake, quick, make-ahead sweet treat to feed my family and friends, especially because it won’t heat up your house when it’s already hot outside!
Why We Love This Strawberry Icebox Cake Recipe
- Quick and easy no-bake cake.
- Requires only 4 simple ingredients to create this recipe, but it looks like you spent hours making it.
- Cool and creamy strawberry dessert that tastes like strawberry shortcake.
- Great fuss-free, make-ahead delicious dessert.
- Perfect for potlucks, backyard BBQs, summer parties, or anytime sweet treat.
Ingredients
- Whipped topping: Feel free to make your own homemade whipped topping.
- White chocolate instant pudding mix: You can also use vanilla instant pudding mix for a mixture that is more white than cream colored.
- Fresh strawberries: You can also use your other favorite fruits.
- Graham crackers
SEE FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE CARD BELOW
Substitutions and Additions
- Fresh Fruit: You can use your other favorite fruit for this icebox cake. Try it with bananas, pineapple, raspberries, blueberries, mango, or even kiwi.
- Change The Cookie: Feel free to try Nilla wafers, ladyfingers, Oreos, or chocolate graham crackers instead of honey graham crackers.
Recommended Tools
- 8×8 inch square baking pan
- Spatula
- Measuring tools
- Large bowl
- Hand or stand mixer
How to Make Strawberry Icebox Cake
This Strawberry Icebox Cake is the easiest way to make a deliciously light dessert without turning on the oven. It’s as simple as arranging multiple layers of fruit, whipped topping, and graham crackers in one pan and leaving it to chill–perfectly cool for warm weather parties.
- Make The Whipped Topping Mixture: Beat the whipped topping and instant pudding mix with a hand or stand mixer until combined and let it sit for 5 minutes to set.
- Layer: Spread a thin layer of the whipped topping mixture on the bottom of your pan. Add a layer of strawberries on top of the whipped topping mixture. Cover the strawberries with a single layer of graham crackers. Repeat these layers until the cake pan is filled but be sure to finish with a layer of whipped topping and strawberries.
Pro Tip: This size pan will require about 3 layers. - Chill: Refrigerate your cake for at least 5 hours up to overnight before plating and serving cold. Enjoy!
Tips
- Slice your strawberries thinly and evenly in order to get the best layers in your cake. Leave your prettiest strawberries for the top layer.
- You may need to break some of the graham crackers to cover the entire layer properly.
- Don’t skip the chilling step! You want to soften the graham crackers with the moisture from the whipped topping mixture. It makes for a soft and moist cake. I find it easiest to make this dessert the night before and it will be perfectly ready to serve the next day!
Storage Tips
- To Store: This Strawberry Icebox Cake must be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container so that the whipped cream and strawberries don’t go stale. You can keep it in the fridge for about 2-3 days.
- To Freeze: To freeze your cake, wrap it well and place in the freezer for about 4 weeks. Thaw in the refrigerator before serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can make this icebox cake for a few days ahead of time. This recipe calls for at minimum 5 hours of time in the refrigerator before serving to allow the graham crackers to soak up the whipped cream. It’s a great make-ahead dessert recipe.
Yes, you can make your own whipped topping. For homemade whipped cream, beat some cold heavy whipping cream on high with powdered sugar for 3-4 minutes until you have stiff peaks. Then mix it with the pudding.
You can make this cake in a dish that isn’t square, but it requires more broken graham cracker pieces to create the entire layer. You’ll need to break the graham crackers to cover a circular or oval area, which can be a little tricky. But don’t worry about it, since the appearance of the inside of your cake doesn’t matter as much. It will still taste delicious! You can also make this cake in a glass dish. It always looks so pretty since you can see the the multi-layers.
Other Easy Icebox Cake Recipes
- Easy Icebox Cake
- No-Bake Berry Icebox Cake
- Peanut Butter Oreo Icebox Cake
- Lemon Icebox Cake
- Banana Icebox Cake
- Peanut Butter Icebox Cake
- S’mores Ice Cream Sandwich Cake
Strawberry Icebox Cake
Ingredients
- 16 ounce container whipped topping
- 3.4 ounce package white chocolate instant pudding mix
- 4 cups hulled and sliced strawberries
- 15-17 whole graham crackers (~ ½ of one 14.4 ounce box)
Instructions
- In a large bowl using either a hand or stand mixer, beat the whipped topping and instant pudding mix until combined and then set aside.
- Let the pudding and whipped topping mixture sit for 5 minutes to fully set.
- Once the pudding mixture has set, take out a 8×8 inch square baking pan and spread an even, thin layer of the whipped topping mixture on the bottom of the pan.
- Add a layer of sliced strawberries on top of the whipped topping mixture.
- Follow the strawberries with a single layer of graham crackers.
- Begin the layers again with the layer of whipped topping mixture.
- Continue repeating these layers until the cake pan is filled but be sure to finish with a layer of whipped topping and strawberries. (This size pan will require about 3 layers)
- Refrigerate for at least 5 hours up to overnight before plating and serving cold.
Jenn’s Notes
- To Store: This Strawberry Icebox Cake must be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container so that the whipped cream and strawberries don’t go stale. You can keep it in the fridge for about 2-3 days.
- To Freeze: To freeze your cake, wrap it well and place in the freezer for about 4 weeks. Thaw in the refrigerator before serving.
- Slice your strawberries thinly and evenly in order to get the best layers in your cake. Leave your prettiest strawberries for the top layer.
- You may need to break some of the graham crackers to cover the entire layer properly.
- Don’t skip the chilling step! You want to soften the graham crackers with the moisture from the whipped topping mixture. It makes for a soft and moist cake. I find it easiest to make this dessert the night before and it will be perfectly ready to serve the next day!
Graham Crackers are the bottom layer (first layer in pan) in the photo of the Strawberry Icebox Cake which makes sense. However the instructions state to spread a thin layer of whipped topping mixture to the bottom of pan & the Graham Crackers are the 3rd layer.
I was wondering the same thing. won’t it be hard to get it out of the pan?