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 this recipe thick enough to use as a filling in stacked cakes?
Hi Sarah, We don’t recommend this no bake cheesecake as a sturdy layer between or under cakes. But you could try creating a dam with buttercream around the edges of the cake, then lightly filling the inside with this cheesecake filling, so that it doesn’t come out the edges. Let us know what you try!
Great recipe! The only thing I do differently is to stabilize the whipped cream with unflavored gelatin. This seems to firm up the filling and adds to the longevity of the cake- not that it sits around uneaten!
What a wonderful cheesecake to make when it’s too hot to bake one! Came together easily and it’s delicious! We love your classic cheesecake recipe and appreciate having this option too.
Hi! Do you think this could be made in a regular pie pan not a springform?
Hi Sela, the recipe makes a little too much crust for that size pan. A springform is really ideal. If you want to bake a cheesecake, this easy cheesecake pie would be a better choice for your pie dish.
Sela – I made this last night in a regular pie dish. It’s not too much crust. And even if it were, just toss the extra. 🙂
Just okay. Experienced baker and did everything to a tee – side crust didn’t hold together as expected. Flavor and texture were fine, but next time, I’ll go back to a traditional baked cheesecake, as it’s no more difficult and comes out far better. Love most of these recipes so far, but this one won’t be added to the “make it again” list, unfortunately.
Can this cheesecake filling be used in a pastry bag? Would like to fill some strawberries.
Yes, absolutely! This smaller batch for mini no-bake cheesecakes may be helpful.
Hi any alternative for sour cream?
Yogurt will work in place of the sour cream in a pinch — plain full fat yogurt is best.
I’ve made this several times but last night my cream did not whip properly and therefore I left the crust in The freezer overnight. I made the filling this morning and refrigerated immediately. Hope I did not freeze the crust too long and it still turns out! Every time I’ve made this it’s been amazing.
Hi! I have not baked this recipe yet, but I only have a 7 inch cheesecake pan. Would that still work, or should I recalculate the recipe?
Hi Makenzie! This will be too much filling for a 7 inch pan. We would definitely do a little recalculation for the filling, or make some mini no-bake cheesecakes with the extra filling.
I’ve made this recipe two times now and it’s amazing! Several people in my family mentioned that it’s a “keeper” recipe. Definitely worth making and it tastes DELICIOUS – not worth making the true cheesecake that needs to be baked, this recipe is even more delicious and much easier!
I have recently made this and absolutely love this cheesecake recipe.
I just had a question. Could I turn this into a white chocolate raspberry no bake cheesecake?
Hi TJ, we haven’t tested a version like that, but you could try adding a layer of white chocolate ganache on top of the set cheesecake, or on top of the crust before you add the cheesecake filling. Follow the instructions from this how to make chocolate ganache post. You could also try a raspberry swirl like we do for these white chocolate raspberry cheesecake bars. Let us know if you do any experimenting!
This was delicious! I made a sugar cookie crust because my husband loves both cheesecake and sugar cookies and I figured why not combine them. No regrets and this will not be a staple dessert for him.
Great recipe! I substituted Biscotti cookies for the graham crackers and brown sugar. Fluffy with the sour cream and lemon juice adding that slight tartness that a cheesecake needs. Will make again!
Would this recipe work making individual cheesecakes, using a muffin tin? I would use paper muffin tin liners if you think it would work.
Thank you.
Hi Patty, here is our recipe for mini no bake cheesecakes using a muffin tin. Enjoy!
How can I make a chocolate version of this?
Hi CR, 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. You could also add up to 1 and 1/4 cups mini chocolate chips. Let us know what you try!
Hi!! Could I use this cheesecake recipe for a filling for already baked cupcakes?
Hi Sarah, absolutely. Hope you love it!
Hi! I’m going to try this on weekend, but do you have tips if I wanted to add matcha powder on the mixture? Thanks 🙂
I love your choco chip cookies to the point i used it as give aways last Christmas!!
Hi Bea, we haven’t tried adding matcha powder to this recipe before. It might be helpful to search for other recipes that do so to see how they incorporate it. Please do let us know what you try!
Hi, I have a question! If I were to put a piece of parchment paper on the bottom would it be easy to transfer and safe? I’m making this as a gift and don’t want to give the bottom of my springform away.
Hi Brandon, some readers have reported success doing that as a way to easily transfer cheesecakes. A strong, sturdy spatula should help, too.
Heyy!! My name is Marium and I am a very big fan of your recipes, I’ve tried your pizza dough recipe and it’s amazing. So I just wanted to ask you that can I replace sour cream with normal/plain yogurt ?
I would be grateful if you reply to my query. Thank you so much !!
Hi Marium, full-fat plain yogurt will work in a pinch. Enjoy!
Hi! I was just wondering how long this can stand outside of the refrigerator.
Hi Etta, it’s best to keep this cheesecake in a refrigerator until ready to eat. The longer it sits at room temperature, the softer it will get and not hold its shape as much when sliced.
This cake received rave reviews at a Sunday potluck
Once a year I make cheesecakes for the Jewish Holiday of Shavuot (a large dairy meal is traditional for the holiday).
Yours is a mainstay, as I usually try other no bake recipes that I find in the course of the year, and it is always the crowd favorite.
My pro tip is that I toss a couple of tablespoons of the cream cheese mix into the whipping cream before I whip it, this makes it thicker and easier to fold into the cream cheese mix.
I’ve also done the crust with other types of cookies – Oreo, Lotus and chocolate wafer cookies among others.
I made the filling part of the recipe exactly as written, but we had it as a dip and served it with teddy grahams, strawberries, pretzel thins, and mini stroopwafels. I thought I’d have to thin it out a bit after it chilled, but it ended up being the perfect consistency for dipping. It was a big hit.
I have made it twice this week! It’s so good! I put graham crumbs on top with fresh fruit!
Just wondering, does the cake stay uniform when cut into individual pieces? I’ve made many no bake cheesecakes, however, within minutes of taken out of the refrigerator they are melting. Sometimes even when in the refrigerator in individual slices. What am I doing wrong I don’t understand how bakery’s make them stay uniform, I was thinking maybe they use gelatin.
Hi Sally and Team 🙂
I noticed in the notes that it is recommended to decorate the cake with strawberry sauce “before serving.” Will I encounter any issues if I decorate the entire cake with strawberry sauce well before serving?
Thank you 🙂
Sarah
Hi Sarah, We recommend adding the topping when serving, or up to 2 hours in advance. The topping can seep down into the layers, so that’s why we recommend adding it soon before serving.
I’m making a poke cake for my grandson’s second birthday. If I didn’t beat the cream as stiffly, do you think this would work as a pudding alternative? I might have to play with the consistency to make sure it’s not pure soup, but I think this would be amazing with the banana cake I’m planning.
Hi Erin, we haven’t tested that but would love to hear how it goes it you do – sounds delicious!
I made this recipe for a bride and groom that didn’t want a baked cheesecake but also didn’t want a store bought one, they were THRILLED with it! They already placed an order for another one. I’ll be making myself one this week! My only comment to anyone who may be transporting them, it needs to go fridge to fridge otherwise it gets soft. Still absolutely delicious though. So glad I came across your recipe!
Heyy, Just wanted to know that I tried your recipe and it’s simply phenomenal. It’s my birthday tomorrow and I recently lost my dad and am spending it alone. So thought would make myself a cake and what better than a cheesecake. Really came out well and was just what I needed
Thank you so much ❤️
I’m glad you enjoyed this recipe, and that it has brought you some comfort. Thank you for sharing. <3
This looks delicious! If I halved the recipe, would it fit in one regular pie pan/dish? Thank you for all of your yummy stuff!
Hi Robyn! We haven’t tested that but let us know if you do. You may also love our easy cheesecake pie recipe.
Can I substitute cool who for the heavy whipping cream for the no bake cheesecake?
Hi Roxanne, You can replace the heavy cream with 2 and 1/2 cups of Cool Whip (1 and 1/4 cups of heavy cream whips into around 2 and 1/2 cups.) You may also want to reduce the sugar since Cool Whip is sweetened.
Hello. I was wondering what if you don’t have whipping cream or evaporated condensed milk?
Hi Romney, we don’t recommend making this recipe without heavy whipping cream. Heavy whipping cream has at least 36% fat, while whipping cream without “heavy” in the title is lighter and not ideal for this no-bake cheesecake.