Juicy, ripe strawberries dressed in cheesecake, graham cracker and chocolate create a memorable party dessert.
Cheesecake Strawberries with Chocolate Accents are my go-to treat for Valentine’s Day and are always a hit for baby or bridal showers.
You can dress them up as Santa for Christmas too!
Here we use both white and dark Ghirardelli chocolate to accent these luscious gems—the dot of chocolate creates a tasty platform to hold them upright.
Go ahead and make the cheesecake filling in advance and refrigerate to save a step when you’re ready to assemble.
Once the strawberries are prepped and the chocolate is melted, the assembly goes quickly. Of course, it may take one or two to get the hang of it … you’ll just have to eat any “ugly” ones yourself (that’s part secret, part confession). 😉
⇓ Scroll down to the end of the post to see how we dress them up as Santa for Christmas party desserts too!
Make a romantic date night dessert just for two!
Follow these adjusted measurements based on the recipe below:
6 strawberries, stem and core removed, bottom trimmed flat, dry
1/4 teaspoon lemon zest, minced fine
1 1/2 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 teaspoons light honey, or powdered sugar
1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-2 teaspoons crushed graham cracker or cookies of choice, optional
2 tablespoons each of white and/or dark chocolate (3-4 tablespoons total), chopped or in chips, melted
Note: The melted chocolate helps support the strawberries, but they will stand up without the chocolate so long as the bottom is trimmed flat.
Cheesecake Strawberries with Chocolate Accents
Ingredients
- 2 pounds strawberries , stem and core removed, bottom trimmed flat
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 8 ounces softened cream cheese
- 3 tablespoons light honey , or powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 squares *graham crackers or Milano cookies , crushed fine (optional)
- 1 cup white or dark chocolate , chopped and melted
- *for gluten-free , use gluten-free graham crackers or cookies
Instructions
- Combine cream cheese, honey (or powdered sugar), lemon zest, and vanilla with a mixer until creamed and fluffy. Transfer the cream cheese mix to a piping bag or large Ziploc bag. Using a pair of sharp scissors, trim a small part of the corner off the bottom of the ziploc bag.
- Place a trimmed strawberry on top of a chocolate and dot and cool at room temperature until the chocolate hardens. (This chocolate base adds stability to the strawberries, especially in transport.)
- Press the cheesecake filling toward the bottom corner of the bag that was trimmed and squeeze the filling through the hole to fill the berries.NOTE: If making Santas, pipe in a little more of the filling to create space for the eyes and place the cut end of the strawberry to set on top of the filling to form a hat. Use a small spoon to add the beard or additional filling to create a ball on the hat. Wooden toothpicks are handy for adding fine details of filling or chocolate.
- Sprinkle with crushed graham crackers. Drizzle with chocolate to finish the strawberries. Allow chocolate to harden or set.
Notes
- Strawberries kept in the refrigerator will sweat in a warm room. Remove from refrigeration well in advance to allow time for the berries to come to room temperature and dry well before dipping in chocolate or filling so the moisture doesn't prevent the chocolate from sticking.
- To use a Ziploc bag for piping: Spoon filling into bag and press toward a bottom corner. Snip the corner off the bag with a pair of scissors and squeeze filling through the hole to fill the berries.
Nutrition
Dress them up for Christmas as Cheesecake Strawberry Santa

Trimming the bottom creates the Santa Hat and hulling out a deeper groove in the strawberry creates space for the filling.

Using a toothpick to dot the eyes.
More Party Dessert Recipes:
-
Cream Cheese Fruit Tart with Almond Crust Recipe [GF]: A Series on Hospitality
-
Lemon Poppy Seed Cupcakes 2-Ways: Gluten-Free & Lactose-Free
-
Date Fudge Truffles with Sea Salt
-
Ghirardelli Brownie Cookies
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Bianca says
These are amazing! Making them for Christmas!
Catherine Baez Sholl says
OMG, these are the most adorable Santas I’ve ever seen! And it must taste so delicious with white chocolate. Yum!
Mirlene says
YESSSSS! I need to make these ASAP. I can already imagine my daughter’s helping hands now. Love Love Love this cheesecake strawberries. Can’t wait to try it. THANK YOU FOR SHARING!!!!
Hope says
These are so cute, perfect for our NZ Christmas where strawberries are in season!
ChihYu says
Oh my goodness! They look SO CUTE!! I totally love it!
STACEY CRAWFORD says
Oh my, those cheesecake strawberry Santas are so darn cute! My kids would love making those!
Jean says
I can’t get over how stinkin’ cute these are! I love those mini Santas too. So perfect for the holidays!
Raia Todd says
Those look so delicious! What a fun idea to turn them into little santas. 🙂
Zuzana says
I am making that Santa with my daughter. What a brilliant idea.
Kathryn says
These are too cute! This is going to be a favorite for so many kids! And, what a great alternative to sugary, processed treats!
Tessa Simpson says
So flipppin cute! And cheesecake and strawberries together totally won me over, these are a keeper!!
Judy Purcell says
Aw, thank you!
Renee D Kohley says
Super cute! These would be great for classroom parties!
Mandy - The Complete Cook Book says
Oh these are absolutely adorable! I think I shall have to make these when the family come and visit over Christmas. Thank you for such a beautiful idea.
🙂 Mandy xo
Pure Complex says
I would love to have these right now. I had to stop myself from staring at these for awhile lol. Delish
Choc Chip Uru says
What gorgeous stuffed strawberries – the fruit itself is awesome but this takes them to a whole new level 😀
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
KB and Whitesnake says
Looks delish.
Nicole Feliciano says
Amazing. Those are Martha-Stewart pretty. So impressed…and a little hungry. Thanks so much for sharing with Momtrends for our Friday Food Linky. Have a great weekend.
rsmacaalay says
Wow simple amazing!
BTW I nominated you for a challenge hope to see your response soon 🙂
Judy says
I’m working on it! Thanks again for thinking of me 🙂
Karen says
A really pretty way to serve strawberries.
Nutmeg Nanny says
Yum! I love that you added lemon zest!
Judy says
You were such a help responding to my questions when I was making these, they turned out great for the shower. Thanks again!
frugalfeeding says
These are the second lot of cheesecake filled strawberries ive seen today… amazing. They look fantastic!
Judy says
Thanks for stopping by and saying so. Glad to find your blog 🙂
Rufus' Food and Spirits Guide says
It’s too late for fresh strawberries here, but I really need to do this. Such a pretty and tasty looking recipe.
Judy says
Yes, it is late in the season here in CO, relying on CA organic berries which are still coming in surprisingly flavorful. These really are worth the trouble finding some!