An easy, no-bake cheesecake recipe made completely from scratch! Unlike many recipes, there’s absolutely no gelatin or condensed milk required for this one! Skip the oven and make yourself an easy, authentic-tasting cheesecake from scratch.
No-Bake Cheesecake: The Ultimate Easy Recipe
I am a huge cheesecake snob (regarding no-bake and baked cheesecakes alike). Store-bought cheesecakes never fail to disappoint me. When I go out to eat I never get the cheesecake for dessert (unless we’re at the Cheesecake Factory, of course) because it’s always a letdown.
They’re always bland, and while the texture is usually fine, the taste is just not classic cheesecake that I know and love.
So, when I set out to make a no-bake cheesecake I had high standards and approached the recipe development process meticulously.
I knew that the filling needed to be perfect, and this one absolutely is. Let’s dig in.
Ingredients for No-Bake Cheesecake
For an authentic-tasting no-bake cheesecake recipe, we want to stay as true as possible to classic ingredients. That means using:
- A classic, buttery graham cracker crust (one that requires no baking, of course!).
- Cream cheese — make sure it’s softened to room temperature
- Sugar
- Sour cream — critical for a rich, classic, real cheesecake flavor.
- Lemon juice.
- Vanilla extract
- Heavy cream — we’ll be whipping this into to homemade whipped cream.
These are essentially the same ingredients as your standard cheesecake recipe, minus the eggs, of course.
Notice that the sour cream is bolded? That’s because it’s very important for a rich, real cheesecake flavor. Maybe this is just my cheesecake snobbery showing here, but a cheesecake made without sour cream is not a cheesecake, and is leaving a lot on the table in terms of flavor. Sour cream packs a ton of flavor and adds depth and authenticity to this no-bake cheesecake recipe.
Another thing I love about this recipe: while many no-bake cheesecakes use gelatin or condensed milk for stabilization, I much prefer the flavor and texture that whipping our own cream provides. It’ll leave us with a classic, fresh-tasting, firm cheesecake (and don’t even think about substituting Cool Whip!).
How to Make a No-Bake Cheesecake
- Start with your graham cracker crust. Stir together graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter until well-combined and mixture resembles damp sand.
- Press crumbs firmly and evenly into the bottom and up the sides of a 9″ springform pan. I like to use the clean bottom of a measuring cup to tamp down the crust. Place your crust in the refrigerator to chill and set while you prepare your no-bake cheesecake filling.
- Whip your heavy cream to stiff peaks. The mixture should be thick and fluffy, like Cool Whip (but oh-so-much better tasting). You’ll want to use an electric mixer for this step, unless you have a lot of patience and are craving an intense arm workout.
- In a separate bowl, beat together cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, lemon juice, and sour cream until smooth.
- Gently fold whipped cream mixture into cream cheese mixture until completely combined and batter is smooth.
- Evenly spread no-bake cheesecake filling into prepared graham cracker crust. Allow to chill for several hours before slicing and serving.
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How Long Can You Keep a No Bake Cheesecake in the Fridge?
No-Bake Cheesecake will keep up to 5 days in the refrigerator. Be sure to either store it in an airtight container or to tightly wrap the springform pan in plastic wrap when storing.
Also, I think that I should note that we can never get this cheesecake to last longer than 48 hours in our house!
Can You Freeze a No Bake Cheesecake?
Yes, you can absolutely freeze this no-bake cheesecake! I recommend chilling as instructed (in the recipe below) first and then covering the cheesecake well with plastic wrap before freezing. I don’t recommend adding any decorative whipped cream topping (or any topping) until you are ready to serve, as it will make storing more difficult (and messier!).
You can eat the frozen cheesecake straight from frozen or return it to the refrigerator to allow it to thaw before enjoying.
If you like this no-bake cheesecake recipe, you may also like my pumpkin cheesecake, chocolate cheesecake, mini cheesecakes, or Oreo cheesecake recipe!
This cheesecake sets up very nicely in the fridge after a few hours (preferably overnight) and has that same, firm cheesecake texture and taste that you’re familiar with. Check out my video below the recipe to see exactly how it’s done.
Oh, and if my voice sounds funny in the video, that’s because I had a cold over two weeks ago and even though all my other symptoms are gone, my voice is still not back to normal (which is actually pretty typical for me).
No-Bake Cheesecake
Ingredients
- 1 9" or 10" graham cracker crust prepared in springform pan (please click link for graham cracker crust recipe)
- 16 oz cream cheese softened to room temperature (450g)
- 1 cup powdered sugar (150g)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1/3 cup sour cream (75g)
- 1 1/2 cup heavy cream (355ml)
- Additional whipped cream for topping, optional
Instructions
- Place cream cheese in a large bowl and, using an electric mixer, beat until smooth and creamy.
- Add powdered sugar and stir until combined.
- Stir in vanilla extract and lemon juice, pausing to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
- Add sour cream and stir well.
- Pour heavy cream into a separate, medium-sized bowl (preferably a chilled metal bowl). Whisk on high speed (preferably using an electric mixer) until stiff peaks are achieved.
- Fold your whipped cream into cream cheese mixture until smooth and well-combined.
- Spread cheesecake mixture evenly over prepared graham cracker crust.
- Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight. Top with additional whipped cream before cutting and serving, if desired.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally posted 06/05/2017, photos were updated, additional tips were added, and a video was added 07/11/2018. Post updated again 07/19/2019. Some of the original photos can be found below.
Rita says
I am going to definitely try this recipe. I love no-baked cheese cake. However, I normally bake my graham crust for 8 minutes to avoid the crust from being too lose. Will the crust stay together and have a crisp crunch should I not bake it
Sam says
Hi Rita! I’ve never had a problem with it crumbling too much. You can see how mine turns out in the video, but if you’d like it a little crispier you could pre-bake it. 🙂
Angela says
I just made this recipe and put it in the refrigerator to set up. One thing that didn’t work for me was the folding the whipped cream in with the cream cheese mixture. It was getting lumpy as I folded, so I blended it all smoothly together. I hope that works. We shall see.
Michael Romaniuk says
One thing you can do when folding into cream cheese or other stiff mixtures is first add a big scoop of the whipped cream and mix it thoroughly. Then take the rest and fold in. That first scoop mixed in will get the stiffer mixture to take better and not lump up 🙂
Karen says
I made this for my husband’s birthday yesterday. We all loved it! The only thing is that it did not set up very well and was very soft (after five hours in the refrigerator). However, I’m going to see how it looks tomorrow. Maybe it just needed more time. Anyway, the taste was amazing!
Sam says
Hi Karen! Did you use the brick style cream cheese? If so did your heavy cream make it fully to stiff peaks? These are the only things I think could keep it from fully setting if it isn’t good to go after sitting overnight. 🙂
Karen says
I did use brick style cream cheese. I bought the Neufchatel kind though, not full fat (out of habit)…and I didn’t chill my mixing bowl before whipping the cream. Possibly I could have whipped it longer? I thought it was forming stiff peaks but I will try whipping longer next time. In any case, everyone gave it rave reviews so I am happy and will try again!
Sam says
The neufchatel cheese was probably the issue here. It’s much softer than cream cheese. I’m glad everyone ultimately enjoyed it. 🙂
Laura says
How far in advance can you make it?
Sam says
Hi Laura! It’s typically good for several days in the refrigerator covered tightly so it doesn’t dry out. 🙂
Tony says
Very good recipe, I have 4 different kinds of jam from thumbprint cookies I made so what I did was put a small amount of each in a very small bowl , heated them up in the microwave for about 10 seconds and then drizzled them over each slice so everyone could choose their toppings !!
Sam says
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, Tony! I love the different jam toppings! 🙂
Kelli Covel says
I made this cheesecake to fill mini filo cups it was delicious I took the leftover and added it to a small springform pan and put it in the freezer to add to my Christmas dessert choices, I will be adding a fruit topping .. thank you for this recipe!!
Sam says
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, Kelli! 🙂
Emily Varghese says
Hi Sam,I was wondering if I could use a pre-made pie crust from the store for this recipe.
Sam says
Hi Emily! You can use a pre-made crust but it likely won’t hold all of the batter. 🙂
Emily says
Thanks Sam,I love your blog and always watch your YouTube channel.
Sam says
You’re welcome! I really appreciate your support. 🙂
marielle says
May I ask if lemon juice is necessary for this recipe? And if I want to make it with chocolate, should I add 285g of semi-sweet chocolate? thank you!
Sam says
Hi Marielle! The lemon juice adds a nice depth of flavor. You can try adding the chocolate to this to make it chocolate, but without trying it myself I can’t say exactly how you’d need to do it. If it turns out I would love to know how it goes. 🙂
Marielle Levine says
Thank you so much, you are amazing. Yes, I will let you know the result with chocolate.
Tawni J says
Hi Sam. I too have no lemon juice. Could I maybe try orange juice? Sounds weird but it’s all I have. Snowed in and can’t get to the store.
Sam says
Hi Tawni! The orange juice will definitely change the flavor but it should work here. 🙂
ce ce clarke says
Quick, easy, and too fun to make. I cut granulated sugar to 1 1/2 cup and add sweetened condensed milk
Barbara says
Hello, please tell me if it would be ok for me to add a strawberry swirl to the top. I wasn’t sure if that would cause a problem to the cheesecake itself. Thanks and I look forward to tasting your cheesecake!
Sam says
Hi Barbara! That will work just fine. 🙂
Zina says
What does “bolded” mean when talking about the sour cream?
Sam says
Hi Zina! It was just bolded because it helps really point out its importance in this recipe. 🙂
Karen Curenton says
If there were more stars to give , this recipe would be off the charts. I am an avid cheesecake lover. I wanted to see if I could make my own. I followed this recipe to the letter. I have NEVER tasted a cheesecake that is this delicious. My next recipe to try of yours is the no bake cookies for my grandchildren. A++++++++++++. I am very pleased with this. Thank you.
Sam says
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, Karen! 🙂
Linda O'Connor says
A family favorite! My grandson and I make this quite often because it’s easy to make and everybody loves it.
Sugar Spun Run says
I am so glad that this recipe has become a favorite of yours, Linda! Thanks for commenting. Enjoy! 🙂
Teri says
Can I add brown sugar and cinnamon?
Sam says
Hi Teri! That should work. 🙂