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.
- 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, 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
- How to Prevent Cracks in Cheesecake
- White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake Bars
- Snickers Cheesecake
- Cheesecake Pie
- Lemon Cheesecake
I have an entire cheesecake recipes category, too!
PrintNo-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.
I make my own cheesecake only for my older kids, I mashed down 3 cream cheese blocks add lil milk and whip up 2 pkgs dream whip till its nice and fluffy with vanilla combine it together and start whipping it again till smooth. I made my Graham crust whole box with half cup melted butter and baked it for 5 mins cooled in the fridge and transfer mixture to the 9×11 pan on top of the crust gently spreading mixture. The last thing is I use a blueberry pie filling for my topping. My older kids love it and almost always clean up the plates within days
Hi. Do you think I could use the filling inside of a chocolate candy mold? A heart shaped chocolate candy mold filled with the filling?
Hi Kate, this creamy no-bake cheesecake would not hold its shape when inverted out of a mold.
Made this as a birthday cheesecake. But halved the recipe and used Oreo crumbs. Was delicious.
I made it an hour before hand so put it in the freezer for 40 minutes and then moved to fridge. Worked out well. Was nice and solid so I could easily lift out of small cake pan which I had lined with extra parchment underneath to lift it up.
What if i do not have confectioner’s sugar?
Hi Juliet, The confectioners’ sugar thickens the filling, while also keeping it light. Unfortunately we haven’t had much success when testing with other thickeners such as flour and cornstarch (both left a chalky aftertaste) I recommend waiting until you can get to the store and sticking with confectioners’ sugar.
Or you can look up how to make your own confectioners sugar if you have a high speed blender – we haven’t tested it but there are many recipes online for how to make your own.
What a great recipe, it was fantastically smooth tangy and light! All my guests raved about it.
Can I use philadelphia cream cheese for this ?
Hi Lily, absolutely. Just make sure it is full-fat, block cream cheese.
This was AMAZING! I made a 9-inch for o e thanksgiving party, and a 10-inch for another (larger) thanksgiving party. This cheesecake was a huge hit!!! Everyone loved it! I still have some in my fridge, and it’s still good! So easy to make, and it tastes wonderful with chocolate syrup! I did make the salted caramel to go with it, but it tasted over salted and burnt. I don’t think I bring it, but the flavor said otherwise. I’ll have to tweak it a bit. If you’re looking for a quick, easy or make-ahead dessert, this is it! Perfect for cheesecake lovers, parties, or just because. Definitely will make again! Thank you, Sally! Happy holidays to you and your wonderful family!
I loved the recipe but I had big problems with the crust sticking to the pan. Any solutions would be appreciated
Hi Rena! You can line the bottom of the pan with a round piece of parchment paper to make sure it doesn’t stick next time.
AMAZING!
Now I’ve been asked to make this for Christmas x 2 !
Even no cheesecake lovers LOVED THIS.
Thank you for this perfect recipe.
The BEST cheesecake recipe EVER!! My whole family loved it and i had to make another one soon after! I even made an oreo cheesecake using this as a base, minus the sour cream and lemon juice. Thank you so much for this recipe!
I made this a few weeks ago and it turned out absolutely perfect! It set up beautifully and tasted so amazing!!! I’m making it again for Christmas. Thank you for this simple and very easy to follow recipe.
This recipie is absolutely the most simplest of the many recipies I have tested. Its wonderful, the texture, the taste and the overall appearance is great.
Great recipe. It’s a bit intimidating to read but once you actually make it it’s easy. I had problems with the crust sticking to the pan a bit but I think that’s more the fault of the pan.
Can I sub whipping cream with condensed milk?
No, we don’t recommend it. Beating heavy cream into stiff peaks most important step in this entire recipe and *the secret* to a thick no-bake cheesecake filling. Condensed milk will not work the same.
I made this and the strawberry topping for Thanksgiving this year and they both turned out great! The topping was just a tad too tart for me but my family loved it; I actually preferred the cheesecake plain. Both were super easy to make and I’ll definitely be making them again in the future! Thanks for a great recipe!
I made the no bake cheesecake in an extra serving pre-made graham cracker Keebler crust. Simply divide the recipe in half and it fits wonderfully in the one pie crust. If math is hard then use 2 crust, no dividing. I have also used two 6″ graham cracker crust with some extra filling for a couple of cheesecakes in the jars. Of course the best way is in the spring form pan, but in a pinch these alternatives work. Thank you for a wonderful no bake option.
This was fantastic! Is it possible to use strawberry concentrate to make this a strawberry cheesecake?
We don’t recommend adding extra liquid to the filling as it would really throw off the texture. You can certainly try to add a strawberry swirl much the same way we do in this blueberry cheesecake but with strawberries instead. Or simply serve it with strawberry compote.
I’ve made this couple times..awesome recipe.
If I wanted it to be chocolate how much hershey powdered chocolate do i add?
Hi Chris, I’m sure you could make a chocolate version, but we haven’t tried it. It would require some testing because we are torn if you would use melted and cooled chocolate or cocoa powder. Let us know if you test anything!
Hi Sally,
Thank you very much for this recipe! I was thinking of making a cardamom rose cheese cake. Can avoid the sour cream and add rose water and cardamom to make the cake? Also, can I also add a rose water jelly ( with gelatin) on top after 12 hrs of setting the cake? Thank you for your help!
Hi Anna, We have not tested this recipe that way. You can add flavors or extracts to the cheesecake however I would not add more liquid as the cheesecake may not set properly. You can definitely add the jelly to the top after it sets. Let us know what you try!
Hello Sally,
I have made the cheesecake and have froze it in the springform pan. When the time comes to defrost it, should I take it out of the pan whilst still frozen to defrost in the fridge, or just remove the pan when it is soft and it is ready to serve?
Hi Susan, Honestly either way is perfectly fine! We hope you enjoy it when you are ready to eat it!
That is really helpful, thank you!
I subbed the sugar for Swerve (a sugar substitute) and used a keto pecan crust to make this dessert ekto friendly. Its Is absolutely deliicious!
I always remember it as 3 days in the fridge 3 months in the freezer xxx
This is not the first time I have made this and I scaled it down using only 1 block of cream cheese which made 2 “mini” cheesecakes in mini pie pans.
I have a Kitchen Aid so I NEVER “pre-whip” my cream……I cream the cheese FIRST and add the sugar and let it go until smooth and I actually skipped the confect. sugar all together and add the lemon and vanilla (using my whip attachment) ADD THE CREAM LAST and turn my mixer all the way up ………..AND, Bob’s yur uncle…….EASY PEASY cheesecake.
Baking for 2 is different but it’s all good and this is a great “go to” for a quick dessert. THANK YOU!
the is the 2nd time i’ve made my version of this cheesecake this exact way & it’s turned out great both times! i just used what i had on hand the first time & hoped for the best. i was pleasantly surprised!!
sub light cream for heavy.
whip light cream for 4-5 minutes on highest setting. add cream cheese & granulated sugar and whip on highest setting until combined. scrap down sides at least once.
omit lemon juice, confectioners sugar & sour cream.
proceed with the recipe as is.
I made this exactly by your recipe. The only thing I did different was I added a half a teaspoon of cinnamon to the graham cracker crust and that’s just because I like the cinnamon in the crust. I made the cheesecake exactly by your recipe and it turned out perfect. It was super fluffy light delicious, couldn’t have asked for a better cheesecake. All I did was get some fresh strawberries and make a little bit of strawberry topping. I topped each piece of cheesecake with the strawberry topping and a dollop of whipped cream. If I could add a photo here I would as you can tell by the photo how well it turned out. I have been looking for an easy cheesecake to make as it is difficult baking one since you have to be so very careful that it doesn’t cook for too long and dry out or possibly not cook long enough. So this was definitely a great idea.
Hi Sally! I was hoping to try this recipe but wanted to add some flavours to the cheesecake. Do you think this would still work if I mixed peanut butter and chocolate into the cheesecake batter like in your baked Snickers cheesecake recipe? Thanks!
Hi Rawan, We haven’t tested this as peanut butter flavored, but our first guess would be to remove the sour cream and add around 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter. The cheesecake *should* still set up just fine. You can top with cooled chocolate ganache, too.
I’m sure you could make a chocolate version, but we haven’t tried it. It would require some testing because we are torn if you would use melted and cooled chocolate or cocoa powder. Let us know if you test anything!
Just wanted to report back! I tried this no bake cheesecake but made it Snickers flavoured and it turned out great. I made the oreo/Snickers crust from your Snickers cheesecake recipe, then for the batter I left out the sour cream and then split the batter in two, added about 1/3 cup peanut butter to one half and 3 tablespoons of cocoa powder to the other half, and then swirled it like in the Snickers recipe. It set beautifully! I topped it with chopped Snickers and salted caramel and it was a big hit 🙂 Thanks for all your help!
Amazing, tastes better than qmwhat you get at a bakery. My partner loved it. Only thing is that the crust fell apart a bit too much. Would you recommend putting more butter to make the crust less crummy? thank you for the recipe. Can’t wait to experiment with more fillings and fruits…
I made this twice in one week and both came out great !!!! Put cherry pie filling on first one and blueberry pie filling on the second. Both set up perfectly. I could not believe just how really good they were. Btw, there are only 2 of us in this house and we ate both cakes. lol. I’ll never try to bake another cheesecake ever.
I made it yesterday for my 6th wedding anniversary, it’s so yummyyy, my husband like it, so easy and it’s moderately sweetened… surely will make it again…. Thank you
(And i made it with homemade cream cheese)
I am absolutely in LOVE with this recipe. It tastes incredible and my family loved it. I was super easy and the only thing I would nitpick at was having to whip the cream then the other ingredients bc I had to transfer the cream to another bowl, but it wasn’t that bad. I highly recommend it.