These delicious no-bake drunken strawberry dessert cups are light, creamy, and refreshing. They’re perfect for entertaining and a cinch to make!
It’s officially strawberry season! Yay! What better way to celebrate than with these luscious no bake strawberry dessert cups! I love the combination of strawberries and cream! They’re heavenly together!
You will absolutely love this dessert! It’s incredibly simple to make and it only has a few ingredients: strawberries, vodka, sugar, cream, and vanilla.
In addition, these strawberry dessert cups are gorgeous and would make the perfect dessert for dinner parties.
This recipe is similar to my no-bake banoffee pie cups – elegant, creamy, and super simple, but with a boozy twist!
What makes this recipe stand out
I macerated the strawberries first. This is a technique I used for my easy homemade strawberry ice cream! Macerating the strawberries means mixing them with some sugar and some of your favorite alcohol and letting them sit for about an hour.
The longer you soak the strawberries in alcohol, the more intense flavor they’ll have.
To me, 1 hour is enough, but you could soak the strawberries longer than that if you want.
While the strawberries are soaking, they release juices and create a beautiful red syrup. I absolutely love this syrup, so I kept it in the dessert, but you could strain the strawberries before assembling the dessert, and reserve the syrup, if you prefer. The syrup would be great with fresh strawberries or over ice cream!
Most importantly, though, this is an elegant dessert without requiring tons of effort to make! This is an easy no-bake summer dessert!
I served them in mini dessert glasses, but you could use wine glasses or even mason jars! Just use whatever you have.
What you’ll need to make these no-bake strawberry dessert cups:
Strawberries: I use fresh strawberries that aren’t too ripe. I find the really ripe ones get a bit mushy.
Alcohol: I use vodka because I think it pairs so well with strawberries! I also love that it doesn’t really produce an intense boozy taste (I could barely taste it). I want enough to enhance the dessert, but not overpower it.
Sugar: I use regular granulated sugar to macerate the strawberries and some powdered sugar for the whipped cream.
Cream: I use heavy whipping cream because I prefer to make my own whipped cream. In order for it to whip, it needs to have at least 33% fat.
Vanilla: I use a tiny amount of vanilla extract in the cream. It really blends well with the overall flavors.
Optional Add-ins and Variations
- Feel free to add your favorite alcohol to macerate the strawberries. Brandy, Amaretto liqueur, Grand Marnier, or Cointreau would be nice. I also think that Ouzo would give a really intense Greek flavor. My personal favorite, though, is vodka.
- To each layer, you could add some cookie crumbs, like graham crackers, crushed Amaretti cookies, or even Oreo cookies!
- You could also add pieces of cake, like pound cake, or angel food cake. I would put them before adding the strawberries, so that they soften up a bit from the syrup.
- For more texture, you could add some granola or nuts, too!
HOW TO MAKE NO-BAKE STRAWBERRY DESSERT CUPS
Begin by washing and hulling the strawberries. Then pat them dry.
After that, it’s time to macerate the strawberries.
1 To a large bowl, add the strawberries, sugar, and vodka.
2 Mix everything together. Then cover with plastic wrap and let it sit at room temperature for 1 hour.
3 Then whip the cream with the powdered sugar and vanilla extract.
4 I like to put it in a pastry bag fitted with a star tip and put it in the fridge until I’m ready to serve. This step is totally optional – it just makes the parfaits pretty! You can just use a spoon instead, if you don’t have a pastry bag.
After that, it’s time to assemble the dessert cups!
5 Spoon some strawberries into a glass (strain the strawberries first if you don’t want any syrup).
6 Then pipe some whipped cream on top of the strawberries.
7 After that, add another layer of strawberries over the whipped cream.
8 Then finish with some more whipped cream on top.
You could garnish with some mint leaves or some sliced strawberries to make it even prettier.
Enjoy them right away or cover them with plastic wrap and put them in the refrigerator. They can be refrigerated for a few hours before serving.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Can you make these no-bake strawberry dessert cups in advance?
I think this dessert is best served on the same day you make them. But you could make them a few hours in advance and keep them in the fridge until you’re ready to serve them.
Can you make this dessert with frozen strawberries?
I haven’t tried this recipe with frozen strawberries, but I think that the texture wouldn’t be the same with frozen strawberries. I think fresh strawberries would give the best results.
TIPS FOR THE BEST NO-BAKE STRAWBERRY DESSERT CUPS
- After you wash the strawberries, pat them dry and try to absorb as much water as you can, otherwise, they’ll get soggy.
- You could soak the strawberries longer than 1 hour if you want a more intense alcohol flavor – you could even do it overnight. However, keep in mind that the longer you soak the strawberries, the softer they become. Also, macerating them longer creates more syrup.
- For boozier strawberries, you could add more vodka, if you want.
Let me know how these no-bake strawberry dessert cups turn out for you in the comments below! I’d love to hear from you!
MORE STRAWBERRY RECIPES
Easy Strawberry Charlotte Cake with Fresh Strawberries
Easy Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream Without an Ice Cream Maker (with fresh strawberries)
Easy Strawberry Mint Sorbet-No Ice Cream Maker – Refined Sugar Free (+ Vegan Option)
Easy Strawberry Jam (Without Pectin + Tips)
No Bake Strawberry Dessert Cups (Easy + Tips)
Ingredients
- 1 pound / 500 g strawberries (about 25)
- 4 tablespoons sugar
- 3 tablespoons vodka
- 1 cup (250 ml) heavy whipping cream
- ¼ cup (28 g) powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 3-4 strawberries and mint leaves (optional)
Instructions
- Wash and hull the strawberries and then pat them dry.
- To a large bowl, add the strawberries, sugar, and vodka. Mix everything together. Then cover with plastic wrap and let it sit at room temperature for 1 hour.
- Meanwhile, whip the cream with the powdered sugar and vanilla extract until stiff peaks form. Put it in a pastry bag fitted with a star tip and refrigerate it until you're ready to serve. Alternatively, you could use a spoon instead to assemble the cups.
Assemble the Dessert Cups
- Spoon some strawberries into a glass. You could strain the strawberries first if you don’t want any syrup in the dessert.
- Pipe some whipped cream on top of the strawberries.
- Add another layer of strawberries over the whipped cream.
- Finish with some more whipped cream on top.
- Garnish with some sliced strawberries and mint leaves, if desired.
- Enjoy them right away or cover them with plastic wrap and put them in the refrigerator. They can be refrigerated for a few hours before serving.
Notes
- The servings will depend on the size of glasses you use.
- After you wash the strawberries, pat them dry and try to absorb as much water as you can, otherwise, they’ll get soggy.
- You could soak the strawberries longer than 1 hour if you want a more intense alcohol flavor – you could even do it overnight. However, keep in mind that the longer you soak the strawberries, the softer they become. Also, macerating them longer creates more syrup.
- For boozier strawberries, you could add more vodka, if you want.
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