Easy Cheesecake Recipe (No Bake)

4.82 from 38 votes

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No-Bake Cheesecake has never been so easy or delicious! A silky smooth cream cheese filling surrounded by a buttery graham cracker crust. Enjoy plain or with any desired toppings with no oven required. The perfect summer dessert. Or if you’re looking for my classic cheesecake recipe <– see here!

No bake cheesecake with cherry filling on top all on a white plate

What is No Bake Cheesecake?

Just as the name suggests, a no bake cheesecake doesn’t require any baking whatsoever. It’s the perfect dessert for hot weather, if you need a quick treat for a crowd or if you don’t want to take the time to make a traditional New York Style Cheesecake.

The graham cracker crust nor the filling requires any baking which means there are no eggs in this recipe and there is no extended baking or cooling times required. A no bake cheesecake is truly the fail-proof way to make cheesecake. No cracking, no baking, no water bath, no worries!

Which Cream Cheese is Best for Cheesecake?

Just like my Classic Cheesecake recipe, you’ll only need a few basic ingredients for this. Nothing new and very obvious items. For the cream cheese, I prefer Philadelphia brand because I think its a little more tangy that the other no-name brands out there. Be sure this is at room temperature to avoid lumps.

plain no bake cheesecake with slice removed in a glass pie tin

How to Make Cheesecake (No Bake)

There are only a few steps and a little fridge time standing in between you and this no-bake cheesecake recipe! As easy as can be!

Make the Crust

Stir melted butter together with graham cracker crumbs and a touch of sugar. Be sure every crumb is coated in butter to have a crust that sticks together. Press into a pie pan and refrigerate.

Do I Have to Bake the Graham Cracker Crust?

While a traditional cheesecake does call for pre-baking the crust, I find it isn’t necessary for a no-bake cheesecake because the melted butter works as glue to hold the graham cracker crumbs together for neat and tidy slices. The melted butter hardens in the refrigerator and works perfectly. I wouldn’t bother baking the crust. It’s an extra step that I think is unnecessary.

How to Make Easy No Bake Cheesecake Filling

  1. In a stand mixer, stir room temperature cream cheese together with granulated sugar and a touch of vanilla.
  2. Slowly incorporate the cold heavy cream into the cream cheese filling being sure to scrape the sides after each addition.
  3. Once all the whipped cream has been added, whip the filling for 30-60 seconds or until very thick and it holds its shape easily. Be sure to not over beat! If you beat it too long, it will go from thick back to thin and won’t set.

Pour Filling into Crust + Chill

Spread that thick and creamy filling into the chilled crust, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours (or up to a few days).

Easy Cheesecake Recipe No Bake Tips

What to do if your Easy No Bake Cheesecake Doesn’t Set

If you are familiar with no bake cheesecake, you may know that getting a thick and luscious filling can seem harder than all us online folks make it look. It’s not hard, you just need to know how to make your filling properly.

Be sure to use room temperature cream cheese and blend with sugar and vanilla to get a smooth base to mix the whipped cream into. Next, using COLD heavy whipped cream, slowly incorporate it by thirds into the cream cheese mixture, letting it mix in completely and scraping the sides of the bowl after each addition. Once all the whipped cream has been incorporated, you want to whip it until its thick enough to hold its shape, completely smooth and creamy. You’re essentially whipping the cream within the cream cheese mixture.

Like I mentioned above, over mixing can turn your thick filling into soup. So once it’s thick, turn the mixer off and spoon it into your crust.

Also, using cold heavy whipping cream is important and helps thicken the filling. (Heavy whipping cream has a higher fat content than just whipping cream, so be sure to find the containers that say “heavy whipping cream” for ultimate success.)

No-Bake Cheesecake Recipe Toppings

Of course this cheesecake is delicious as in with no toppings whatsoever, though I am a little partial to a little lemon curd.

Serve with any desired toppings. From canned cherry or blueberry filling to fresh fruit or chocolate sauce, the sky is the limit!

Since this is a very basic, beautiful and delicious cheesecake recipe, try to find delicious toppings that will help enhance the flavor. Here are a few classic ideas:

  • cherry pie filling (what most no-bake cheesecakes call for)
  • fresh strawberries or raspberries
  • strawberry or raspberry sauce
  • chocolate shavings
  • chocolate sauce
  • melted nutella
  • whipped cream
  • lemon curd
  • chocolate ganache
  • salted caramel sauce
piece of cherry no bake cheesecake with a bite taken out of it

Easy No Bake Cheesecake Recipe Storage

Leftover cheesecake should be covered in plastic wrap or an airtight container and stored in the fridge for 3-5 days.

To Freeze: Cheesecake can be frozen as a whole or cut into individual pieces. Be sure to wrap in plastic wrap and then wrap in foil before placing it in the freezer. Cheesecake will stay fresh for up to 1 month.

To Thaw: Place Cheesecake in the fridge overnight. The foil can be removed, but leave the plastic wrap on it until ready to serve. You can also microwave individual pieces for about 30 seconds at a time and then check it. I wouldn’t microwave an entire cake though.

More like this No-Bake Cheesecake Recipe

This recipe is certainly one of my favorites and I know you are sure to love this easy no bake cheesecake too 🙂 With the holidays quickly approaching, be sure to bookmark, pin, save or print this recipe so you don’t lose it. It’s another great one to add to your repertoire! Enjoy, friends.

No bake cheesecake
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4.82 from 38 votes

Cheesecake (No Bake)

No-Bake Cheesecake has never been so easy or delicious! A silky smooth cream cheese filling surrounded by a buttery graham cracker crust. Enjoy plain or with any desired toppings with no oven required.
servings 8 servings
Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 4 hours 10 minutes

Ingredients

Instructions

  • In a small bowl, stir graham cracker crumbs and melted butter together to moisten. Press into an 8 or 9-inch glass pie plate and refrigerate.
  • In a large bowl, mix cream cheese and granulated sugar together until smooth and well combined. Scrape the sides and mix again to ensure there are no lumps. Stir in vanilla.
  • With the mixer on, add cream in four increments, letting it whip into the cream cheese after each addition. Whip 1 minute until thick and light. Scrape the sides to ensure even mixing and whip again if needed.
  • Pour into prepared pie shell and smooth the top. Refrigerate 2 hours to overnight, covered in plastic wrap. 
  • To serve, cut into pieces and top with two tablespoons of pie filling (or whipped cream) if desired.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 479kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 40g | Saturated Fat: 23g | Cholesterol: 126mg | Sodium: 355mg | Potassium: 124mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 1460IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 88mg | Iron: 0.8mg
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: no bake cheesecake recipe, No-Bake Cheesecake

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Recipe Rating




52 Responses
  1. Faith

    I typically don’t like no bake cheesecake but this one changed my mind. It’s delicious but if you’re going to take the time to make it from scratch why not go a step further and make your own topping. I usually make a blueberry topping and it is soooo much better than canned,

  2. Diana

    Just made it, I subbed 3 tv of sour cream for some of the whip. Added strawberry filling, small ammount on top and used whip to decorate added yellow sugar.

  3. Nikki M in Texas

    Wonderful dessert, can never go wrong with cheesecake !
    I have to admit that I like using Mexican vanilla as gives it that “ what is different” taste, & I like adding a little cinnamon to the Graham cracker crust.

  4. Gidget Jarvis

    5 stars
    Super easy recipe to make and very scrumptious tasting. Only hard part is waiting for it to chill before eating it. 😌

  5. Linda B

    5 stars
    I found your site a month or so ago. Since that time, I have tried at least a dozen or so of your recipes. Everyone has been a big success. Thank you so much for all the recipes – I’m so excited to try this one!

  6. Flo Norton

    I now know why my chz cake didn’t turn out perfectly. I pour the cream in all at once time. But it had been 40 yrs, since I prepared a homemade chz cake.
    Thank y’all for this recipe.
    Suzy-Homemaker….from The Beautiful Hill Country….TEXAS

    1. Toni

      4 stars
      My cheesecake wasn’t thick when I was done. I have it in the refrigerator now and I’ll see if it firms up. What did I do wrong? Is it possible to over mix when adding each addition of whipping cream?

  7. Anthi

    4 stars
    The absolute best recipe I’ve used so far! Excellent result and everyone loved it!
    I added 2tbs of strawberry jam to give it an extra kick.
    My only problem was with the 1 1/4 cups of graham crackers. Not every country has this product and unfortunately cups is a difficult type of measure. Maybe easier to use grams for items that are solid.
    I used around 180 grams of digestive cookies (ran them through the blender) for the crust as most grocery stories do not sell graham crackers (I live in Sweden). I think I could have used the whole package though, I’ll try it for next time.
    Thanks for sharing!
    Anthi

    1. Jules

      If measurements are in grams, you have to buy a scale to measure. A cup measurement is 250ml. It’s very easy to measure after you grind the cookies. I just baked my own graham crackers because I need gluten free.

  8. Selina

    5 stars
    Made this yesterday for our Thanksgiving dinner
    It turned out great! Easy to make, and it was DELICIOUS 😋 whole family loved it!
    Thank you for the great recipe 😊

  9. Christina

    Delicious! I doubled this recipe, added 14oz. can sweetened condensed milk, took out 1/2 the granulated sugar added 2 extra tsp. lemon juice. Thank you for giving me the perfect base to use my own creativity. I’m using blackberry pie filling for the topping.

  10. Lynda Birch

    5 stars
    Thanks for a great cheese cake recipe have just made this for Christmas Day only change I made was buttersnap biscuit for base and add lemon curd to the mix does taste good so thanks again and merry Christmas to you 🎅🏻🎄🥂🥂

  11. Colette

    5 stars
    I have made this recipe many times, it is delicious!! Not all my Pinterest recipes are keepers but this one is!

  12. Nina shah

    Ud love to make this soon. Want to know if non dairy whipping cream can b used.( it’s sweetened)..then do we need to add sugar to the cream cheese ?

  13. Susan

    Very bland. Next time I will use confectionery sugar and some lemon juice. I also added more butter and sugar to crust mixture.

  14. Kailey

    5 stars
    This was the BEST no bake cheesecake recipe I have ever had!!! This recipe never lasts more than 5 minutes every time I make it.
    Thank you for sharing.

  15. Meg

    5 stars
    It was easy to make and delicious. I used a pre-made graham cracker crust. While mixing I stopped several times to scrape the bowl. After spreading out in pie crust I could see some little pieces of cream cheese in the mix but was unable to see any pieces when serving. I will be making cheesecake more often!

  16. Beverly Carpenter

    Can sour cream be substituted for the 1 cup heavy cream? If so, how much sour cream should I use? Many years ago I had a recipe similar to this one, except sour cream was added rather than heavy cream. Thank you!

    1. Sarah amena

      5 stars
      I made this today and it was super easy! It’s cooking in the refrigerator- I used simply raspberries as the topping – I really liked how it had real whipping cream instead of cool whip – in the past I had a recipe that called for cool whip and confectioners sugar – this recipe is way better!!

  17. Cher r

    5 stars
    This was easy and I only have a hand mixer. Used a little less sugar and put in SMALL bell jars for portion control (as if there is something called cheesecake control). So. Very delicious and easy as all your recipes.

  18. teresa shewell

    This looks so Amazing, I want to try it, all your recipe’s look Brilliant.
    The ones I have tried so far have been beyond Delicious, Thank you
    so much for your wonderful blog.
    Teresa

    1. Meera

      5 stars
      Can’t wait to try. Please confirm it’s granulated sugar and not confectioners sugar used. Does the granulated give a smooth texture?

      1. Lauren

        The recipe calls for granulated sugar, so its granulated sugar! When you beat it into the cream cheese it should dissolve.

  19. dale todd

    Going to make this right now.. Sounds great but it’s one of those lazy days & I happen to have a pre-made oreo cookie crust & smother it in blueberries.

  20. Scarlet

    That crust looks so delicious and that is a big part of a cheesecake to me. I love that I don’t have to bake this and heat up my kitchen this time of year. Pinning now to try soon.

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