Easy No-Bake Cheesecake Recipe
The best part about this no-bake homemade cheesecake recipe is not just that the silky smooth, tangy cream cheese filling, or the homemade buttery graham cracker crust, it’s the no-bake aspect! For anyone who’s been a regular here you know that I am not a pie baker, piped frosting on cupcakes gives me sweaty palms, and I don’t relish making cheesecakes, or any type of “fussy” dessert. However, this is the best cheesecake because it’s so easy, turns out perfectly every time, the filling tastes like a light cheesecake mousse, and there’s no baking! No water baths, nothing to crack or break – just perfect cheesecake, every time. My perfect no-bake cheesecake recipe is like a blank canvas. The cream cheese flavor really shines through and it’s ripe for customizing and flavoring. Read below for some of my flavor twists and variations from fruity to chocolate or salted caramel cheesecake. While the filling is soft, it definitely holds it shape thanks to heavy cream beaten into the cream cheese. Serve a thick slice of this no-bake cheesecake with buttery graham cracker crust well-chilled after a fancy dinner, casual get-together, for a holiday dessert, or just because you love cheesecake.
Ingredients in Homemade No-Bake Cheesecake
For this perfect easy no-bake cheesecake, you’ll only need a few ingredients all of which are fridge and pantry staples including the following items: Graham Cracker Crust
Unsalted butter, melted Graham cracker crumbs Granulated sugar
Cheesecake Filling
Cream cheese Granulated sugar Confectioners’ sugar Vanilla extract Freshly squeezed lemon juice Heavy whipping cream, cold
Garnishes (optional)
Freshly whipped cream or whipped topping Fresh fruit such as strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, peach or nectarine slices, etc.
How to Make No-Bake Homemade Cheesecake
To make the best no-bake cheesecake with a homemade graham cracker crust, follow these easy and straightforward steps.
Step 1: Make the Graham Cracker Crust
Pour in the melted butter and stir it together with the graham cracker crumbs and sugar. Press the crust into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Place it in the freezer.
Step 2: Make the No-Bake Cheesecake Filling
Add the cream cheese to a large bowl and whip it until smooth. Add the sugar and beat until combined. Add the confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, lemon juice, and beat until smooth and combined. In a separate bowl, beat cold heavy whipping cream until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture by hand.
Step 3: Chill the Cheesecake Overnight
Turn the filling out into the graham cracker crust and refrigerate overnight to set. Remove the springform pan outer ring, optionally garnish with whipped cream, fruit, or as desired, and serve!
Why Do You Use a Springform Pan for Cheesecake?
Trust me, I am not a big fan of springform pans because they can be a pain to collapse and expand, and they can leak, all of which is so incredibly frustrating. Thankfully though, this no-bake cheesecake recipe doesn’t rely on any sort of baking or water bath so the chances of leakage or water seepage into your cheesecake is totally eliminated. Whew! However, yes I strongly recommend a 9-inch springform pan. I personally use this 9-inch Calphalon Springform Pan that I bought in 2015 and it has been going strong ever since! Springform pans are: Bottom line, if you want to bake it in a cake pan or other type of pan, you will have to experiment with reducing the recipe so that everything “fits” since I don’t know the answer to this.
Favorite Cheesecake Toppings
Toppings are the obvious way to change the flavor profile of no-bake cheesecake. For example add or use the following:
Whipped cream or whipped topping is must for me! Fresh fruit such as raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, or even slices of ripe peaches or nectarines. Caramel or salted caramel sauce for anyone who likes a sweet-and-salty dessert combo like us. Chocolate sauce, strawberry sauce, or anything you’d drizzle over ice cream works well over cheesecake. Jellies, jams, or preserves either store bought or homemade if you’re lucky enough to have them.
No-Bake Cheesecake Recipe Variations
Speaking of flavoring no-bake cheesecake, there are many ways to take this blank canvas base recipe for no-bake cheesecake and turn it into something more! Flavor the cheesecake batter with add-ins including the following ingredients:
Extracts such as vanilla, almond, lemon, orange, or even strawberry are fun twists. I suggest 1 teaspoon unless you really love the flavor and know what you’re getting into. Mini chocolate chips are great for the chocolate lovers Toffee bits add a bit of crunch to the otherwise smooth cheesecake batter. Peanut butter chips or chopped up mini peanut butter cups will make any peanut butter aficionado happy! Other favorite chopped up candy bars such as Snickers, Milky Way, Rolo candies, KitKat bars, or your favorites are lovely. Finally, if you have extra chocolate chip cookies laying around (from that big tub you bought at Costco or Trader Joe’s) chop them up and toss them in the batter!
Tip: When it comes to flavoring the batter with add-ins, I suggest about 1/2 to 1 cup but it depends on what you’re using. One cup of mini chocolate chips is a whole lot more than 1 cup of chopped Snickers. Eyeball and use your judgment.
Tips for the Best Homemade No-Bake Cheesecake
When it comes to making this easy, best, no-bake cheesecake, I have some tips to make sure it becomes a favorite cheesecake dessert recipe! I use store-bought graham cracker crumbs for the graham cracker crust. It is possible to pulverize actual graham crackers in your food processor to create 1 1/2 cups crumbs – likely about 11 or 12 whole, large, rectangular graham crackers. For me it’s just easier to use store bought crumbs. The whipping cream should be cold for best results. While cream cheese beats better softened to room temp, heavy whipping cream does not, so keep it cold. When folding the whipped cream into the beaten cream cheese and sugar mixture, easy does it! Do not stir, beat, mix aggressively, or anything other than just a gentle folding. If you don’t know what folding means, watch a video online so that you don’t deflate all the air and volume you just created.
More Easy Cheesecake Dessert Recipes:
Crème Brûlée Cheesecake Bars – EASY bars that taste like crème brûlée met a cheesecake on the way to the oven with a sugar cookie crust!! Rich, sinfully decadent, and a great make-ahead dessert for parties and events!! Tried this recipe? Leave a review! Consider leaving a 5 star rating if you’ve made and loved one of my recipes! Easiest Crustless Cheesecake — No crust to make and whiz the batter together in the blender!! Easy, foolproof, and so good!! Death by Chocolate No-Bake Cheesecake Bars — Only for serious chocoholics because they’re rich, creamy, decadent, and loaded with chocolate!! NO-BAKE and an easy MAKE-AHEAD dessert!! Butterscotch Cheesecake Bars — A super chewy crust made with butterscotch chips and graham cracker crumbs that also doubles as the topping!! The silky smooth tangy cheesecake layer is the PERFECT contrast! A simple recipe that FAR EXCEEDED expectations!! Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars — These caramel apple cheesecake bars feature a buttery crust that’s topped with cheesecake and spiced apples. After they’re done baking, the bars are drizzled with salted caramel sauce! Salted Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars — These bars are full of the flavors of fall! The soft yet dense apple cheesecake layer tops a crisp, brown sugar-graham cracker crust, while gooey, salted caramel drenches the top. Yum!! Salted Caramel Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake Bars — These pumpkin cheesecake bars are a texture lover’s dream with a crisp brown sugar-graham cracker crust, a soft yet dense pumpkin cheesecake layer, and gooey soft salted caramel swirls the run like a river over the surface. Strawberry Cheesecake Bars — Soft, buttery bars topped with cheesecake and swirled with strawberry jam! The best of all worlds in these fast, easy, and AMAZING bars!! No-Bake Mini Cheesecakes — These no-bake mini cheesecakes require just 5 ingredients and don’t require you to turn on your oven! Perfect for holiday parties, birthdays, and more! Mini Easter Cheesecake Bites — These cute little cheesecakes are perfect for Easter! Creamy cheesecake filling sits atop a shortbread crust and is topped with a cheesecake pudding whipped cream, coconut, and mini chocolate eggs! The Best Classic New York Cheesecake – Rich and decadent, creamy, sweet yet tangy, this is the BEST recipe for a classic New York style cheesecake with a buttery graham cracker crust!
