This is truly the most perfect and easy no-bake cheesecake. By following this no-bake cheesecake recipe, you’ll be gifted with a smooth and creamy dessert that sets up beautifully in the refrigerator. Unlike regular cheesecake, no-bake cheesecake isn’t overly heavy. It’s lightly sweet and perfectly refreshing!
I never tasted no-bake cheesecake until last year because I had my doubts.
- What’s the point of cheesecake if you aren’t baking it?
- Doesn’t it just taste like cream cheese?
- How is it firm enough?
- And, most importantly, does it taste like goo?
These are very serious questions you might consider before making it, especially the goo one. But after making real no-bake cheesecake and tasting the final results, I’m here to declare that no-bake cheesecake should be everyone’s dessert obsession. My husband, who “doesn’t like cheesecake,” went back for seconds. This stuff is GOOD.
The Kitchn ranked this recipe first place in its no-bake cheesecake recipe showdown, with a score of 10/10! They said: “The thing that sets this recipe apart is its rich, full-on cheesecake flavor. It’s not too sweet and full of cream cheese goodness. … Slices of this cheesecake are tall, gorgeous, and very impressive, and the flavor lives up to the appearance. It’s a dessert you’d be proud to serve your friends and family.”
Let’s Rewind. What Is No-Bake Cheesecake?
No-bake cheesecake is exactly what the name suggests. The graham cracker crust and cheesecake filling never see the inside of the oven, so it’s a fantastic dessert when the weather’s warm or when your oven is crowded. Or when you don’t feel like baking. 😉
No-bake cheesecake is a lot easier than baked cheesecake. Without eggs and baking, there is virtually ZERO room for error. Traditional cheesecake runs the risk of over-beating the eggs, over-baking, under-baking, and cheesecake cracking. And if you’re using a cheesecake water bath, which I always recommend, your springform pan could leak. With no-bake cheesecake, we’re essentially cutting every single complicated step!
What it lacks in oven time, it makes up for in taste and texture:
- Thick, buttery, and crunchy graham cracker crust
- Smooth, creamy, and velvet-rich cheesecake filling
It’s totally worth mentioning that the filling tastes like cheesecake mousse!
4 Minute Video Tutorial:
Thick & Sturdy Graham Cracker Crust
This is a no-bake graham cracker crust. It’s thick, crunchy, and sets up beautifully… even without baking! There are only 3 ingredients required: graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, and brown sugar. I usually use granulated sugar in graham cracker crust, but prefer brown sugar in this recipe. The moisture in brown sugar helps solidify the crust. Pack it into a 9-inch springform pan, then place in the freezer while you prepare the filling.
How to Make Perfect No-Bake Cheesecake
Like I mention above, this no-bake cheesecake recipe is very easy. The process is similar to how we make strawberry cream cheese pie. Beat the filling ingredients together, then spread into your graham cracker crust and refrigerate until set. That’s it! The cheesecake filling is made in 2 bowls. In the 1st bowl, beat heavy cream into stiff peaks. In the 2nd bowl, beat the remaining ingredients. Fold everything together. Here are the cheesecake filling ingredients. Each has a job to perform!
- Heavy Cream: Beating heavy cream into stiff peaks most important step in this entire recipe and *the secret* to a thick no-bake cheesecake filling. We use a similar approach in our fresh fruit tart.
- Cream Cheese: Make sure you use bricks of real cream cheese, not cream cheese spread. I tested with varying amounts and 24 ounces (three 8 ounce bricks) produced a thick, yet creamy cheesecake filling. Make sure it’s room temperature.
- Granulated Sugar: Granulated sugar breaks down the cream cheese. It’s easy to go overboard on sugar, but keep it light. Less sugar helps the tangy cream cheese and vanilla flavors stand out.
- Confectioners’ Sugar: A smidge of confectioners’ sugar thickens the filling, while also keeping it light. I tested with flour and cornstarch and both left a chalky aftertaste. I recommend sticking with confectioners’ sugar.
- Sour Cream: Add a little sour cream for that trademark tangy cheesecake flavor.
- Vanilla Extract & Lemon Juice: A splash of both flavors add a little something special.
How to Thicken No-Bake Cheesecake
These 2 important steps guarantee a thick no-bake cheesecake filling. Without 1 or 2, you’ll be eating cheesecake soup. (It’s not pretty.)
- As mentioned, the most important step is to beat cold heavy cream into peaks. Fold the whipped cream into the cheesecake filling gently so you don’t deflate the air. The air creates a delicious mousse-like consistency and solidifies the filling in the refrigerator.
- Refrigerate the cheesecake for at least 6-8 hours, but overnight is better. For a sturdy no-bake cheesecake with beautifully neat slices, refrigerate for at least 12 hours. This makes for a great make-ahead dessert! Do not freeze the cheesecake to set it. The filling won’t slice and you’ll lose the velvet texture!
Speaking of beautiful slices, make sure you smooth the filling into the crust. I like using a large or small offset spatula to make the job easier. After refrigerating, decorate with whipped cream, lemon curd, strawberry sauce, raspberry sauce, blueberry sauce, fresh berries, and/or salted caramel. But if you’re a cheesecake purist, all you need is a fork. 🙂
Can I Make Mini No-Bake Cheesecakes?
Yes! See my mini no bake cheesecakes, which are made in a standard muffin pan.
Let’s Talk About Freezing No-Bake Cheesecake
I don’t recommend freezing no-bake cheesecake to set it—you really need to use the refrigerator for that step. And trust me, it’s worth the wait.
However, you can freeze the cheesecake to enjoy at a later time. After it sets in the refrigerator, wrap the whole pan (you can remove the sides if desired) in 1 layer of plastic wrap, then 1 layer of aluminum foil. No-bake cheesecake freezes wonderfully for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator for about 8 hours, then slice and serve.
With the make-ahead components of this recipe (whether waiting for it to set or freezing ahead of time), it’s great choice for your menu of Easter dessert recipes or any time you have company. Take care of all the hard work ahead of time, then sit back, relax, and enjoy a slice (or two) of cheesecake with your family and friends!
When it’s time to serve, I’m always shocked that the crust and filling don’t fall apart. Follow this recipe for success. Would LOVE to know if you try it!
More Cheesecake Desserts
- Classic Cheesecake
- Mini Cheesecakes
- Blueberry Swirl Cheesecake
- White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake Bars
- Snickers Cheesecake
- Cheesecake Pie
- Lemon Cheesecake
I have an entire cheesecake recipes category, too!
Print
No-Bake Cheesecake
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 8 hours, 20 minutes
- Yield: serves 10-12
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Whipping
- Cuisine: American
Description
This is truly the most perfect and easy no-bake cheesecake. By following this no-bake cheesecake recipe, you’ll be gifted with a smooth, light, and creamy dessert that sets up beautifully in the refrigerator. The most important steps are whipping the heavy cream into stiff peaks before folding into the filling, and refrigerating the cheesecake overnight.
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust
- 2 cups (240g) graham cracker crumbs (about 16 full sheet graham crackers)
- 1/3 cup (67g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, melted
Cheesecake
- 1 and 1/4 cups (300ml) heavy cream or heavy whipping cream
- 24 ounces (678g) full-fat brick cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 2 Tablespoons (15g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1/4 cup (60g) sour cream, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Make the crust: Stir the graham cracker crust ingredients together. Pour into a 9-inch springform pan or 10-inch springform pan and pack in very tightly. The tighter it’s packed, the less likely it will fall apart when cutting the cheesecake. I recommend using the bottom of a measuring cup to pack it into the bottom and up the sides. You can watch me do this in the video above. Freeze for 10–20 minutes as you prepare the filling.
- Make the filling: Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the cold heavy cream into stiff peaks on medium-high speed, about 4–5 minutes. Set aside.
- Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk or paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and granulated sugar together on medium speed until perfectly smooth and creamy. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a silicone spatula as needed. Add the confectioners’ sugar, sour cream, lemon juice, and vanilla extract. Beat for 2–3 minutes on medium-high speed until smooth and combined. Make sure there are no large lumps of cream cheese. If there are lumps, keep beating until smooth.
- Using your mixer on low speed or a silicone spatula, fold the whipped cream into the cheesecake filling until combined. This takes several turns of your silicone spatula. Combine slowly as you don’t want to deflate all the air in the whipped cream.
- Remove crust from the freezer and spread filling into crust. Use an offset spatula to smooth down the top.
- Cover tightly with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and refrigerate for at least 6–8 hours and up to 2 days. For best results, 12 hours is best. I chill mine overnight. The longer refrigerated, the nicer the no-bake cheesecake will set up.
- Use a knife to loosen the chilled cheesecake from the rim of the springform pan, then remove the rim. Using a clean sharp knife, cut into slices for serving. For neat slices, wipe the knife clean between each slice.
- Serve cheesecake with desired toppings (see Note). Cover and store leftover cheesecake in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: This cheesecake can be made 1–2 days in advance. It can be refrigerated in step 6 for up to 2 days before serving. You can also make the crust 1–2 days ahead of time. Freeze for up to 1 hour in step 1, then cover tightly and refrigerate for 1–2 days before adding the filling. Another way to make this cheesecake ahead of time is to freeze it. Cheesecake can be frozen up to 3 months. See instructions in blog post above.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | 9-inch Springform Pan or 10-inch Springform Pan | Silicone Spatula | Offset Spatula
- Lemon Juice: Lemon juice brightens up the flavor. This cheesecake does not taste like lemon. For lemon-flavored no-bake cheesecake, remove the sour cream from the recipe and add 2 Tablespoons lemon juice and 1 Tablespoon lemon zest.
- Room Temperature Ingredients: Bring the cream cheese and sour cream to room temperature before beginning. Room temperature ingredients guarantee a smooth cheesecake filling. Beating cold ingredients together will result in a chunky cheesecake filling. (The heavy cream, however, MUST be cold in order to whip into stiff peaks.)
- Toppings: Before serving, decorate with whipped cream, lemon curd, strawberry sauce, fresh berries, salted caramel, or your favorite cheesecake toppings. I used Ateco 849 piping tip for the whipped cream in the pictured cheesecake.
- Can I Make Mini No-Bake Cheesecakes? Yes, see my mini no bake cheesecakes, which are made in a standard muffin pan.
- Non-US Readers: Don’t have graham crackers where you live? Use 270g ground digestive biscuits instead (about 18 biscuits), the same amount of butter, and add a bit more brown sugar (about 1/2 cup, or 100g). And from what I understand, spreadable cream cheese sold in a tub in countries outside of the US is a little different from the spreadable cream cheese in the US. It’s thicker, sturdier, and more solid and should be OK to make cheesecake. I have no experience with it, but this is what I’ve heard from other non-US readers.
Adapted from All Recipes.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Is there a low fat version?
Recipe was great for 114 in the shade
Well not our fav. The sour cream is just too prevalent. It was very light and fluffy but didn’t taste like cheese cake, in our opinion, should. Sorry.
Can I do a quick freeze instead of the 6-8hr refrigeration? Would like to serve it tonight for my husbands b-day.
Hi Amy, This cheesecake needs at least 6-8 hours (12 hours is best) in the refrigerator to set. After it is set you can freeze it, but don’t skip the time in the refrigerator!
I made this cheesecake for my family multiple times and they enjoyed it every time. The cheesecake doesn’t last more than five days in the refrigerator because my family devour it so quickly. It’s also so creamy and wonderful, I will definitely be using this recipe more often in the future.
My family LOVES your classic cheesecake recipe. This summer it has been so hot that I thought I would try this no bake recipe. They actually liked this one more! This site has the absolute best recipes. Thanks!
We’re so glad the no-bake cheesecake has been a hit with your family, Pam — thanks so much for reporting back!
If a quicker set time is needed, can I use unflavored gelatin? If yes, how many grams would be needed for a 10 inch spring form pan to serve 10-12 persons?
Hi Katie, We don’t add gelatin to our cheesecakes as the whipped heavy cream adds enough stability and structure. However, certainly feel free to give it a try if you’d like — we’re unsure of the amount.
Sally and all who are commenting,
Keebler makes a small premade graham cracker crust in foil pans; can I substitute this small premade crust for the muffin tins?
I have a homecare client who loves cheesecake, and I wanted to make these for her as a surprise.
PS, she is hospice and I want to spoil the heck outta her.
Yes, absolutely!
I loved this recipe. Do you know how many calories are in a piece of cheesecake?
I followed this recipe to a “T” and it turned out wonderfully. Thank you for the detailed instructions and for sharing such a delicious recipe! This might be my favorite no-bake cake ever.
Can I make this cheesecake into a strawberry one, by making a strawberry puree, and mixing that into the cheese filling before putting it into the fridge to set?
Hi Hope, here’s our no bake strawberry cheesecake pie recipe!
I wanted to make 4 pastel colored layers using this recipe so this is how I did it.
(I chill my metal bowl and beaters in the freezer to whip heavy cream faster and to maintain its stiffness.) After creating the cream cheese mixture, I divided it four ways which gave me about 270 g per each small bowl. I dyed each bowl a different color making sure the color was mixed thoroughly with no streaks.
With the heavy cream, I worked in layers of 2 as I was afraid the cream once whipped would deflate by the time I got to the fourth layer. So 1 and 1/4 cups divided by two was about 2/3 cup. I whipped the 2/3 cup of heavy cream until stiff peaks then distributed half of the whipped cream to each of the two color bowls. I folded one color with the whipped cream and spread into the pan. Quickly re-whipped the cream for another 5 seconds, folded into the second color, spread into pan, and chilled in fridge.
I let the cake set for 10 minutes as I cleaned my metal bowl and then chilled it along with the beaters. (I only have one small metal bowl and one set of beaters.)
Repeat with remaining 2/3 cup of heavy cream, whip, divide into each of remaining two bowls, carefully spread each layer, chill.
An offset spatula works great for spreading each layer quickly, but the back of a spoon or scrapper spatula does well too.
Four layers of this cheesecake wonderfully covered these rainbow marshmallow twists I had placed inside the wall of the springform pan with the graham cracker crust on the bottom. I copied the decoration idea from the Youtube video “Marshmallow Pastel Cheesecake” by Cooking Tree.
Also! This recipe is delicious, I happily was licking the small bowls clean afterwards as the layers set.
I would also love to try to flavor each layer differently such as a different fruit extract for each layer to create a delicious fruity cake. Or maybe caramel syrup and chocolate syrup for something light but decadent though the syrup’s moisture may disrupt the setting of the cake, something to keep in mind.
Thank you for the recipe. I hope this layers technique helps someone!
Sally, do you think this recipe could be adapted for a chocolate version? DIL wants chocolate cheesecake for her bday. Maybe by using an oreo crust and adding some ganache? I’m assuming cocoa powder would affect the consistency so don’t think that would work but am hoping some room temp ganache might be okay. What do you think?
Hi Carol! We’re sure you could make a chocolate version, but we haven’t tried it. It would require some testing because we’re torn if we would use melted and cooled chocolate or cocoa powder. You could always top it with chocolate ganache and use an Oreo crust as you mention. You could also add up to 1 and 1/4 cups mini chocolate chips. Let us know what you try!
Hi Sally, could I use this recipe to make cheesecake cups? I would use both the crust and filling recipe, thanks in advance.
Absolutely. OR you can make these mini no bake cheesecakes, which is basically the same recipe, only slightly reduced down to yield exactly 24 cups.
Hi Sally, do I need to line the pan?
Hi Grace, There should be enough butter in the crust to prevent it from sticking, but you can absolutely line the bottom of your pan with a parchment round if needed.
My boyfriend requested a no baked cheesecake for his birthday. Even though it’s just the two of us, half of the cheesecake was gone by the end of the day! Needless to say, it was a hit! I used to make no bake cheesecakes with gelatin, but no more after trying this recipe.
I tried a no bake torte once and found it hard to get the whipping cream to set up into stiff peaks. I live in Hawaii which is high humidity and find this affects some recipes. Before I make this, any ideas/ suggestions as to if I will have this issue again? Thank you. I plan to make it regardless and am hoping for a good outcome.
Hi Elaine! Keeping the bowl and ingredients cold will help – we have more tips in this post!
Can this be made in a aluminium foil pie pan instead of a springform pan?
Hi Suzanne, We don’t recommend it for this recipe. Without a springform pan it will be difficult to release the cake and cut nice slices. We haven’t tested it but you could try making this recipe into cheesecake bars. The bars will be very thick in a 9×13 pan, so make sure they are sufficiently chilled, even up to 24 hours! Or try these mini no bake cheesecakes
This is the first time I have made a no bake cheesecake and it was delicious!! Very light and creamy, perfect for the summer. I didn’t change the recipe at all, no changes needed. Thank you for this wonderful recipe, I will definitely make this again.
I made this for a dinner party this week and it was INCREDIBLE! Do you think that you could follow this recipe exactly and make (2) 4” cheesecakes using (2) 4” springform pans in place of (1) 9” pan?
Hi Elaine, We haven’t tested it but suspect you may still have leftover batter with pans that small. You can use our post on cake pan sizes and conversions to help calculate how much you would need. This recipe makes about 5 3/4 cups of batter.
hi, I would like to do this cheesecake anytime soon it looks sooo good, so I was wondering if I could use sour cream and the tablespoons of zest and lemon juice in addition to the original recipe to make it taste like lemon although the recipe says to remove the sour cream. And if I use the sour cream what could happen?
Hi Colette, unfortunately there would be too much “liquid” or wet ingredients if you kept the sour cream. For best results, follow the lemon variation in the notes.
Will this recipe fit into a 9 X 9 square pan and be made as bars?
Hi MLH, We haven’t tested it but you could try making this recipe into cheesecake bars. The bars will be very thick in a 9×13 pan (there will be far too much for a 9×9 pan), so make sure they are sufficiently chilled, even up to 24 hours! Or try these mini no bake cheesecakes.
I made this because I wanted to try a no bake cheesecake and I wasn’t disappointed. This was a wonderful recipe. My family gobbled it up so fast and asked me to make it again. My husband just now sighed disappointed that it is all gone. This was my first time visiting this site and already a homerun for us. Thank you.
We’re so glad this no-bake cheesecake was a hit, Donna! Hope you find more recipes from our site to enjoy.
Best no-bake cheesecake I’ve made! My partner requested a lemon cheesecake with extra crust, so I made 1.5x the graham cracker crust recipe and added about 1tsp of lemon zest (+some on the top for decor) and it’s phenomenal! I made some whipped cream in a charger and decorated each slice with a dollop and a corner of a graham cracker. I always come to Sally’s for recipes and this one is def a favorite now!
Can I make this without the graham cracker crust?
Hi Marilyn, This no bake cheesecake won’t be sturdy enough without a crust.
Do I have to use a springform pan? Can I okace in pie pan?
Hi Sheena, We don’t recommend it for this recipe. Without a springform pan it will be difficult to release the cake and cut nice slices. We haven’t tested it but you could try making this recipe into cheesecake bars. The bars will be very thick in a 9×13 pan, so make sure they are sufficiently chilled, even up to 24 hours! Or try these mini no bake cheesecakes.
Can you freeze this to cut bars?
Hi Roe, absolutely. See recipe notes for freezing details!
OMG. The search for the perfect no bake cheesecake is over! I made this with an Oreo cookie crust and fresh strawberry topper. Sooo good! Never going back to using whipped topping in a recipe again!
That sounds delicious!!! I’m going to try that next!
Simply amazing. Followed the directions to a T and let it set for about 18 hours before serving. A perfect summer dessert.
Sooooooooooo gooooooooooood. My oven didn’t work at work so I made this instead of a baked cheesecake. I don’t think I will go back to the traditional one! This is the BEST. Thanks so much.
Delicious!! I like to make it straight into tupperware for easy travel to parties. Would love more ideas for toppings. I used greek yogurt instead of sour cream in one batch, was also perfect.
This recipe was the best no bake cheesecake I have ever eaten! I do have a question though. Do you think that you could add eggs to this and bake it?
Hi Summer, so glad you love it! Here’s our recipe for classic cheesecake (baked!).
I am sorry to say that was the worst no bake cheesecake I ever had, no taste to much cream cheese it was like a cake for someone who has diabetes. And all the money it cost me thought the cake in the garbage. Sorry
I agree!