No Bake Cheesecake

Name: No Bake Cheesecake
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 65 min
Ingredients: 24 ounces cream cheese, (softened (three 8-ounce packages)); 1¾ cups powdered sugar, (divided); 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; ⅓ cup sour cream; 3 cups heavy whipping cream, (cold); 2 cups graham cracker crumbs; ½ cup granulated sugar; ¾ cup salted butter, (melted)

Simple yet delicious, this easy no-bake cheesecake has a creamy filling and graham cracker crust that is ready for your favorite toppings.

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Table of Contents

Let’s Dish: About This Cheesecake
No Bake Cheesecake Ingredients
Substitutions And Additions
How To Make This No Bake Cheesecake Recipe
How To Serve
Storage
Frequently Asked Questions
More Recipes You’ll Love
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This divine no-bake cheesecake is an easy dessert that’ll impress your guests. Real cream cheese, whipped into a velvety smooth filling, delivers an authentic, tangy taste that complements the subtle sweetness of vanilla and powdered sugar. The buttery graham cracker crust adds just the right amount of texture, making each bite truly satisfying.

close up shot of a slice of No Bake Cheesecake topped with whipped cream on a plate

Let’s Dish: About This Cheesecake

Main Ingredients: Cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, sour cream, heavy whipping cream, graham crackers, sugar, butter.
Quick Steps: Make graham crust, mix cream cheese filling, fold in whipped cream, spread over crust, and chill.
Total Time & Yield: 1 hour 5 minutes total, serves 12.

Why This No Bake Cheesecake

This no-bake cheesecake recipe is the perfect balance of rich and light, with a creamy texture that melts in your mouth.

Unlike many recipes that rely on shortcuts like whipped topping or gelatin, our version uses real heavy cream and cream cheese, ensuring an authentic, luscious cheesecake.

The addition of sour cream gives it a subtle tang, resulting in a dessert that’s not overly sweet but full of deep, satisfying flavor.

Additionally, while some no-bake cheesecakes can turn out too soft or runny, we’ve perfected the method by incorporating the right balance of whipped cream and powdered sugar, and chilling it thoroughly for 4 hours.

This ensures a firmer, smooth bite. Many recipes skip important steps or overuse sugar, but ours offers a well-rounded, creamy consistency with just the right amount of sweetness.

No Bake Cheesecake Ingredients

No Bake Cheesecake raw ingredients that are labeled

You’ll need:

For The Filling:

3 (8-ounce) packages of cream cheese, softened
1¾ cups of powdered sugar, divided into 1¼ cups and ½ cup
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
⅓ cup of sour cream
3 cups of heavy whipping cream, cold

For The Graham Cracker Crust:

2 cups of graham cracker crumbs
½ cup of granulated sugar
¾ cup of salted butter, melted

Substitutions And Additions

TOPPINGS: The simplicity of this cheesecake offers so many opportunities for toppings. Add fresh fruit, fresh berries, a scoop of Cool Whip, cherry pie filling, caramel sauce, lemon curd, or chocolate shavings to the top of your cheesecake.

CRUST: You can stick with the classic graham cracker crust or choose a different flavor. Chocolate graham crackers, Nilla wafers, or chocolate sandwich cookies also make a delicious base for cheesecake.

If your graham crackers don’t come crushed, you can crush them yourself:

Add whole graham crackers to a food processor and run on high for 30 seconds and then pulse until they are fine crumbs.
In addition, you can place the graham crackers in a plastic storage bag, seal and roll over them with a rolling pin until crushed.

How To Make This No Bake Cheesecake Recipe

STEP ONE: Combine graham cracker crumbs and granulated sugar in a mixing bowl or right in a 9×13 baking dish.

STEP TWO: Melt the butter in a heat-proof bowl in the microwave. Pour melted butter into the graham cracker mixture and stir until evenly combined.

graham cracker crumbs combined with melted butter and sugar

STEP THREE: Press the graham cracker crumb mixture in an even layer across the bottom of the baking dish.

Place the baking dish in the freezer to firm up the crust while making the cheesecake mixture.

STEP FOUR: In a medium bowl with an electric mixer, beat together the cream cheese, 1¼ cups of powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and sour cream until thoroughly combined.

The cream cheese should be at room temperature so that it mixes smoothly into the cheesecake filling mixture.

cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and sour cream beat together in a bowl

STEP FIVE: Pour 3 cups of heavy whipping cream into a chilled mixing bowl. Beat on medium-high speed (either with a stand mixer whisk attachment or with a handheld mixer).

When the whipping cream thickens to soft peaks, add in the remaining ½ cup powdered sugar (2 to 3 minutes). Do not overmix the heavy cream, otherwise, the whipped cream will turn to butter.

STEP SIX: Continue beating until whipped cream forms stiff peaks. Set aside about 2 cups of whipped cream for decorating the top of the cheesecake.

STEP SEVEN: Use a spatula to gently fold the remaining whipped cream (about 4 cups) into the cream cheese mixture.

STEP EIGHT: Spread the cheesecake filling evenly over the chilled graham cracker crust. Use an offset spatula to smooth the top of the cheesecake.

cheesecake mixture spread on top of the graham cracker crumb

STEP NINE: Place the cheesecake in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or in the freezer for at least 2 hours to set.

STEP TEN: Transfer reserved whipped cream to a piping bag fit with Tip #1M.

STEP ELEVEN: Pipe 12 dollops of whipped cream onto the cheesecake, evenly spaced to separate the pan into 12 even pieces.

How To Serve

This delicious cheesecake is a classic dessert that is always welcome at the dinner table when you have guests or just as a special treat for the family.

Add a scoop of no-churn vanilla ice cream or whipped cream to your cheesecake, along with any other delicious toppings you’d like.

If you love cheesecake, then you need to check out our mint chocolate cheesecake as well as our cheesecake brownies.

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Storage

IN THE FRIDGE: Creamy cheesecake filling can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

IN THE FREEZER: You can also freeze cheesecake filling for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator and then spread into a prepared graham cracker crust.

close up overhead shot of No Bake Cheesecake topped with whipped cream in a baking dish

Classic cheesecake is delicious but takes time to make and bake. This delicious no bake cheesecake dessert offers a quick alternative when you are craving cheesecake. A buttery crust is topped with fluffy cheesecake filling for a divine dessert that won’t last long.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you get the cream cheese to room temperature quickly?

To get the cream cheese to room temperature quickly, cut the cream cheese into cubes and place it on a plate for about 20 minutes.

Could I use a different crust for this instead of the graham cracker crust?

You could substitute an Oreo cookie crust, chocolate graham cracker crust, or Nilla wafer crust in this recipe.

Can I add different toppings to this cheesecake?

The sky’s the limit for this recipe. Since this dessert is a basic cheesecake, you can choose any toppings, including fresh fruit, pie filling, chocolate chips, or chocolate shavings on top.

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No Bake Cheesecake

5 from 3 votes

Simple yet delicious, this easy no-bake cheesecake has a creamy filling and graham cracker crust that is ready for your favorite toppings.

Prep Time 20

Total Time 1 5

Servings

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Ingredients

Cheesecake Filling

24 ounces cream cheese, softened (three 8-ounce packages)
1¾ cups powdered sugar, divided
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
⅓ cup sour cream
3 cups heavy whipping cream, cold

Graham Cracker Crust

2 cups graham cracker crumbs
½ cup granulated sugar
¾ cup salted butter, melted

Instructions

Combine graham cracker crumbs and granulated sugar in a mixing bowl or right in a 9×13 baking dish.
Melt butter in a heat-proof bowl in the microwave. Pour melted butter into the graham cracker mixture and stir until evenly combined.
Press the graham cracker mixture evenly across the bottom of the baking dish. Place the baking dish in the freezer to firm up the crust while making the cheesecake mixture.
In a medium mixing bowl, beat together cream cheese, 1¼ cups of powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and sour cream until thoroughly combined.
Pour 3 cups of heavy whipping cream into a chilled mixing bowl. Beat on medium-high speed (either with a stand mixer whisk attachment or with a handheld mixer). When the whipping cream thickens to soft peaks, add in the remaining ½ cup powdered sugar (2 to 3 minutes).
Continue beating until whipped cream forms stiff peaks. Set aside about 2 cups of the whipped cream for decorating the top of the cheesecake.
Use a spatula to gently fold the remaining whipped cream (about 4 cups) into the cream cheese mixture.
Spread the cheesecake filling evenly over the chilled graham cracker crust. Use an offset spatula to smooth the top of the cheesecake.
Place the cheesecake in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or in the freezer for at least 2 hours to set.
Transfer reserved whipped cream to a piping bag fit with Tip #1M.
Pipe 12 dollops of whipped cream onto the cheesecake, evenly spaced to separate the pan into 12 even pieces.

Notes

If your graham crackers don’t come crushed, you can crush them yourself. Add whole graham crackers to a food processor and run on high for 30 seconds and then pulse until they are fine crumbs or you can place the graham crackers in a plastic storage bag, seal and roll over with a rolling pin until crushed.
The cream cheese should be at room temperature so that it mixes smoothly into the cheesecake filling mixture.
Do not overmix the heavy cream, otherwise, the whipped cream will turn to butter.

Nutrition

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This recipe was developed, tested, cooked and photographed by the Spaceships Kitchen. From our dinner table to yours, we hope you think it's out of this world!

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No Bake Cheesecake