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.
xx
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.
Hina says
Keen to try this out but i just have an 8 inch springform. Will the ingredients work for 8 inch or do they need to be reduced?
Sam says
Hi Hina! Reducing it could be tricky because the proportions would be a little off. I would just make the recipe as is and just don’t overfill the pan. 🙂
Minnie says
Hi! How can I transfer my no-bake cheesecake from springform pan into a cake board easily without breaking? What should I use? Thanks! 😊
Sam says
Hi Minnie! It’s definitely going to be a delicate task. Typically if I need to move it off of the spring form pan I will take a large spatula and loosen the entire bottom of the cheesecake then use that large spatula, or two, to help slide it off the pan. It helps if you have an extra set of hands, but even then it can still break so just be really really careful. 🙂
Lori says
Can I use food coloring to the cheesecake?
Sam says
Hi Lori! That should work just fine. 🙂
Stacey says
I made your recipe and the cheesecake was amazing the only thing I did different was I add cherries to the top. Thank you for sharing your recipe.
Sugar Spun Run says
I am so glad that you enjoyed it, Stacey! Thank you for commenting! 🙂
Ria Maep says
Hi, I’m just wondering if it’s okay to use non dairy whipping cream?
Sam says
Unfortunately I have never used non-dairy whipping cream. If it works like regular whipping cream does then it should work here but I can’t say for sure. Let me know how it goes if you try it. 🙂
Elizabeth says
I did use brick style cream cheese, it was in the fridge overnight, and I think I whipped it pretty well. I don’t really know what went wrong but ill try it again cuz my whole family loved it! Thanks for the advise, ill pay close attention to that next time. Thank you!!! 🙂
Lemonz says
The cheesecake will be awesome! UwU THANKS!!
Sam says
I hope you love it! 🙂
Wolf_Supporter says
Thank you for everything you do! i am going to make SO many recipes! This is my first and (going to be my) best recipe I will ever make!
Sam says
Thank you for using my recipes, it means a lot to me! So glad you enjoyed the recipe so much! 🙂
Elizabeth says
Hi! I made this recipe and it was DELICIOUS, but it wasn’t stiff at all. it literally looked like it was a melted cheesecake, haha! i followed the recipe exactly. Do u know what might have caused this?Thanks.
Sam says
I’m so glad it tasted good! So there are a few things that could cause this:
1) Was the heavy cream whipped completely to stiff peaks? This is super important for the texture, see my video if you haven’t already 🙂
2) Did you use brick-style cream cheese? Spreadable type of cream cheese sold in a tub can result in a runny filling.
3) Was it chilled long enough and kept cold? Heat is the biggest enemy to this recipe!
I hope that helps but am happy to help troubleshoot further if needed! <3
Deborah Wood says
This recipe is awesome! It’s so easy to make and everyone loves it!
My daughter has celiac disease and this recipe can easily be made gluten free. The cheesecake already is. By using gluten free graham crackers for the crust, you have a wonderful gluten free dessert! Thank you!
Sam says
I am so glad everyone enjoyed it so much, Deborah! 🙂
Erin says
Hi Sam!
I made this cheesecake and the taste was amazing!!! But my cheesecake doesn’t stand up on a plate like yours does. In the pan, it holds it’s shape. but when i cut a piece and put it on a plate, it kind of slouches over a bit, as if it didn’t quite set 100%.
I whipped the heavy cream to stiff peaks (but I whipped it in a plastic bowl). I also gently folded it in until well combined with a spatula (I didn’t mix it again with the beaters because the directions just said fold in). My kitchen was fairly hot..
How can I get my cheesecake to hold it’s shape better? Should I freeze it? Any tips would be awesome.
Sam says
Hi Erin! I’m so sorry this happened! Make sure it has set in the refrigerator long enough. If you are using the brick style cream cheese, then my only other thought is the heat here. You could freeze it to get it to hold up longer. 🙂
Wanda says
Can you uses a gramcracker already made
Sam says
Hi Wanda! You can but this recipe will make more batter than you will need so just don’t overflow your crust. 🙂
Anna says
Do I have to use storebought lemon juice or can I juice lemons and use that? I don’t want to buy a whole thing of lemond juice just for two teaspoons
Sam says
Hi Anna! You can use fresh squeezed lemon juice here. 🙂
Ken says
I’ve made this recipe before and absolutely loved it!! I want to make it again now, but don’t have the whipping cream. Do you think it will still set right without it? What might that do to the consistency?
Sam says
Hi Ken! Unfortunately the heavy cream really provides the stability for this cheesecake and helps it set up, without it you could have a pretty messy cheesecake on your hands. 🙁