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
The crust is delicious but this is just not sweet or flavorful enough for me. My family said it tastes like plain cream cheese with some sour cream blended in. I’m definitely in the minority here, so many rave reviews! This is the only one of Sally’s recipes we haven’t enjoyed. Will try another one!
Could you make a bottom layer of carrot cake and put the no bake cheesecake on top to create a version of carrot cake cheesecake?
We don’t recommend this no bake cheesecake as a sturdy layer between or under cakes, but we haven’t tried it as a top layer. One reader had success! You could also 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!
I made this for the first time for Easter. Delicious! I love the texture. Very easy. Definitely making it again.
Hmmm. Way more than 3 ingredients
Hi Mary, there are 3 ingredients in the graham cracker crust.
Hi Sally – I’m trying this cheesecake because I LOVE the mini no-bake which has become a family favorite. But I wanted to ask about two differences. The mini crusts are briefly baked to help not be crumbly. Should I bake the big crust? And in the minis, you said sour cream or Greek yogurt and I always use the yogurt. Would it make a difference here? Thanks!
Hi Nicky, this larger crust is less crumbly so you don’t need to do the pre-bake. Yogurt works here as well!
I made this for Easter and colored the filling in different colored layers.
This is the BEST no bake cheesecake recipe I have ever had.
Thank you Sally for sharing! Made my Easter!!!!
Since it’s no bake, can you make this recipe into individual cupcakes vs one large cake
Hi Natasha, here is our no-bake mini cheesecakes recipe instead.
This was phenomenal! So light and creamy. I flavoured the filling with a bit of lavender and topped it with the lemon curd – it was delicious. This and the regular cheesecake recipe are officially my go-to!
Also, something other readers might find useful is to ensure the liquid measuring cups you’re using match what is stated in the recipe. Depending where you are or where the cups are from, sometimes 1 cup is 240ml (as Sally indicates in her recipes) and sometimes it is 250ml. That 10ml difference could be the reason some commenters said theirs turned out runny.
I always appreciate Sally’s recipes including the measurements in grams and ml 🙂
Could you add crushed mini eggs to the filling?! If so, how much would you suggest?
Hi Jessica, you can add up to 1 and 1/4 cups of crushed mini eggs to the filling. Enjoy!
This was such a big hit. I make nobake cheesecakes every year and this recipe replaces my old one! Yummm!
Hi Sally!
You are my go to for so many recipes. I am currently sans an oven. My family looks forward to my carrot cheesecake every Easter. Sadly, I will not be able to work my magic this year lol. Do you think there is a way I can incorporate this no bake recipe into a carrot cheesecake by adding the cooked carrots and spices I normally would with a baked cheesecake? Any advice is welcomed and appreciated! Thank you very much 🙂
Hi VS, that sounds delicious! Since carrots have so much moisture, it would really take some recipe testing to figure out how to properly incorporate the carrots so that the cheesecake would still set. It may be best to find a specific no-bake carrot cheesecake recipe, but let us know if you decide to do any experimenting with our recipe!
Could you use cool whip instead of whipping cream? I need a time saver hack. Thanks
Hi Michele, 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.
Sally you’re fantastic! We love your recipes! I used your blueberry topping with this cheesecake. Love how light and airy and not too sweet this is! All simple ingredients. Thanks for sharing!
Don’t think so. The whipped cream makes it bland and too light.
Can you put the cheesecake mix in a piping bag and use it as a filling for say brownie cups?
Hi Tracy, we haven’t tested anything like that but I can’t see why it wouldn’t work. I would chill it for the same amount of time– at least 6-8 hours.
Thanks Michelle, I actually tried it, and it was phenomenal! I piped them in the cups, chilled them, then topped them. They were a huge hit.
Can you make this crustless?
Hi Sue, we haven’t tried it, but some readers have reported that they’ve made it crustless, so we think it should work. If you decide to try it, please report back!
THIS IS SO RIDICULOUSLY GOOD!! I’ve never made a no bake cheesecake on this level. It really does taste like a mousse filling. I’m currently pregnant, craving cheesecake, and with the price of eggs in SoCal, I decided to opt for a no bake option. I am so glad I did because this is about to become a staple in our household. I made Sally’s strawberry topping to go with it. 🙂
What about adding a can of condensed milk to the whipped cream?
Omg! This filling is DELICIOUS!
Sally, this is by far the best recipe out there last night I made your Cheesecake recipe for the second time and for the second time it was a big hit. One of my guests dislikes cheesecake with a passion but she heard all the ooos and aahs so she tried a bite then had a piece for herself. So thank-you for posting this, you’ve really saved my bacon twice now.
I made this for my husband and put a can of cherries on top. He loved it but I give it 4 stars because it isn’t sweet enough for me. I put his rating out because after all I made it for him. I think next time I will bump up the sugar just by a 1/4 cup. I think what also may work is cutting back on the cream cheese. I do make a wonderful baked cheesecake and I would say this recipe is up there with it.
The texture of this cheesecake is AWESOME. Best no-bake cheesecake I’ve made. I love a tart cheesecake, so next time I’ll double the lemon. I doubled the vanilla, but I always do that. I also may add a touch more sugar next time, maybe 1 more tbsp powdered sugar..
But that is looking for perfection (to my tastes). This cheesecake recipe is fantastic as it stands.
I have made this recipe as is and it was delicious but was wondering if the crust can be made with gluten-free graham cracker crumbs?
Hi Maxine, gluten free graham crackers should work just fine. So glad you enjoyed the cheesecake!
I have to try this! I love that it doesn’t use eggs!
Looks. YummyI would love to have your recipe
can I freeze no bake cheesecake
Hi Lori! Cheesecake can be frozen up to 3 months. See instructions in blog post above.
I’m a 55 year old man with very little cooking/baking experience. I decided to try this recipe because I love cheesecake but always thought it was too complicated to make myself. However, after diving in and following the instructions (with a few hiccups) and struggling with a hand mixer , I managed to complete the task successfully of making the cheesecake. It’s delicious. Looking forward to the next time I make it but with less complications due to my inexperience. Wonderful recipe. Thank you.
David
Very happy to read this, David! Thank you for giving this recipe a try.
Is it possible to make this in a regular glass pie dish?
Hi Kelly, 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.
This is the BEST no bake ever!
My only go to. I have so many friends ask for the recipe!
Hello
I will making this cheesecake for my grandsons birthday and was wondering if I can make this 36 hours in advance ?
Thanks for all the great recipes you post !
Definitely!
Thank you so much for the quick response
Much appreciated !
I tried this recipe and refrigerated for over 18 hours. It was the first time I tried making a no-bake cheese cake. I took it to an event feeling pretty confident but decided to take it back home because when I was cutting it. It was quite mushy- more like a thickened pudding. I had topped it with a chocolate ganache and wonder if that was too heavy.
Has anyone tried these as mini desserts? I need to make 150 servings and I’m using mini dessert cups. I’m going to try a test batch to see how many servings I get in the cups.
Hi Chris, you can follow our recipe for mini no-bake cheesecakes.