My easy, No-Bake Cheesecake is made no gelatin or condensed milk and tastes JUST like the classic version you’re used to! This recipe needs only a few hours to chill before slicing and serving. Includes a how-to video!
No-Bake Cheesecake (Without Gelatin)
As a self-proclaimed cheesecake snob, I know how disappointing it can be to make a no-bake cheesecake recipe and have it not even closely resemble real-deal, classic cheesecake. With most recipes, you encounter one of two problems: either the texture is lacking (soft, pudding-like) or the flavor is just completely off. So, when I set out to make my no-bake cheesecake, I knew exactly what I needed to avoid just as much as I knew what I was looking for!
My no-bake cheesecake recipe creates a classic, fresh-tasting, firm cheesecake without ever turning on the oven. While many no-bake cheesecakes use gelatin or condensed milk for stabilization, I use homemade whipped cream for the best flavor and texture (and don’t even think about substituting Cool Whip!).
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–NO oven needed! You’re going to love it!
Why my recipe works:
- Whipped cream creates a sturdy base without the need for gelatin.
- Uses the same ingredients as classic cheesecake (minus the eggs) for that classic flavor.
- Much easier and less fussy than a baked cheesecake–great for beginners!
- Can handle toppings like fresh fruit, pie filling, or a drizzle of chocolate sauce.
What You Need
For an authentic-tasting cheesecake, we want to stay as true as possible to classic ingredients. That means using:
- Cream cheese. Make sure you use brick-style, full-fat cream cheese. This should be softened to room temperature.
- Sour cream. Sour cream is CRITICAL for a rich, classic, real cheesecake flavor. Maybe this is just my cheesecake snobbery showing here, but a cheesecake made without sour cream is not a cheesecake! Sour cream packs a ton of flavor and adds depth and authenticity to this no-bake cheesecake recipe. If you don’t have or can’t find sour cream, full-fat, plain greek yogurt will also work in a pinch.
- Lemon juice. Just a splash enhances the cheesecake flavor and adds a slight tang. Bottled or fresh lemon juice will work here. This can be left out if needed.
- Sugar. I love using brown sugar in my graham cracker crust for an extra note of flavor. Powdered sugar in the filling blends beautifully while also encouraging a firm, fully-set texture.
- Heavy cream. While not typical for traditional cheesecake (though critical for my basque cheesecake), heavy cream is essential for this no-bake cheesecake. We’ll be whipping this to stiff peaks and folding it into our cheesecake mixture. This creates stability without the need for gelatin or condensed milk!
SAM’S TIP: This recipe will make too much filling for a store-bought graham cracker crust. If you want to use one, you can just pour the extra filling that doesn’t fit in a bowl, chill, and enjoy crustless!
Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make No-Bake Cheesecake
For the Crust
- Start with your homemade graham cracker crust: Stir together graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter until well-combined and mixture resembles damp sand.
- Press the mixture firmly and evenly into the bottom and up the sides of a springform pan, then place in the refrigerator to chill (no baking needed for the crust, either!).
For the Filling
- Whip the heavy cream to stiff peaks (thickened, fluffy, voluminous, resembling Cool Whip only tastier).
- In a separate bowl, beat together cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, lemon juice, and sour cream until smooth.
- Gently fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture until completely combined and batter is smooth.
- Evenly spread the cheesecake filling into your prepared graham cracker crust and chill for several hours before slicing and serving.
SAM’S TIP: Since we’re not baking this cheesecake, it won’t be smoothing itself out in the oven. You can smooth the top of your cheesecake with an offset spatula before chilling for a pretty appearance if you’d like!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can absolutely freeze 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.
Personally, we can never get this cheesecake to last longer than 48 hours in our house! If you have more self-control, your cheesecake will keep up to 5 days in the refrigerator. Be sure to either store it in an airtight container or tightly wrap the springform pan in plastic wrap when storing.
If you used the wrong kind of cream cheese or didn’t whip your cream long enough, your cheesecake may not set. Make sure to use full-fat brick-style cream cheese and not the spreadable kind that comes in a tub. If you need a visual of what cream whipped to stiff peaks looks like, check out the video below.
No-bake cheesecake would also be delicious on my Oreo crust!
Enjoy!
Let’s bake together! I’ll be walking you through all the steps in my written recipe and video below! If you try this recipe, be sure to tag me on Instagram, and you can also find me on YouTube and Facebook
The Best No-Bake Cheesecake Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 9″ or 10″ graham cracker crust prepared in springform pan (please click link for graham cracker crust recipe)
- 16 oz (450 g) cream cheese softened to room temperature (use brick-style cream cheese, not the spreadable kind sold in tubs)
- 1 cup (150 g) powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- ⅓ cup (75 g) sour cream
- 1 ½ cup (355 ml) heavy cream
- Additional whipped cream for topping, optional
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Place cream cheese in a large bowl and, using an electric mixer, beat until smooth and creamy.16 oz (450 g) cream cheese
- Add powdered sugar and stir until combined.1 cup (150 g) powdered sugar
- Stir in vanilla extract and lemon juice, pausing to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- Add sour cream and stir well.⅓ cup (75 g) sour cream
- 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.1 ½ cup (355 ml) heavy cream
- Fold your whipped cream into cream cheese mixture until smooth and well-combined.
- Spread cheesecake mixture evenly over prepared graham cracker crust.1 9″ or 10″ graham cracker crust
- Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight. Top with additional whipped cream before cutting and serving, if desired.Additional whipped cream
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
This recipe was originally posted 06/05/2017, recipe remains the same but post has been updated to be more helpful September 2022
Alexa
This cheesecake has a great taste! However, it has the same cool-whip texture as it did before the four hours in the fridge. Is it supposed to thicken in the fridge? I feel like I followed the ingredients and steps exactly, do you know what could cause it to still have the fluffy texture? Or is it supposed to be like that? Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Sam
Hi Alexa! It should thicken in the fridge, it doesn’t get as thick as a traditional cheesecake but it does thicken and should be sturdy and easy to slice. Were any substitutions made by chance (it sounds like you followed everything exactly but just wanted to check)?
Aixa
Whooooaaa I just made this, as mini cupcakes, tonight! It was such a hit with my girls! I made some fresh strawberry topping as well, and omg!!! Truly amazing. And ridiculously easy!
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that everyone enjoyed the cheesecakes, Aixa! Thanks for trying my recipe and for commenting. 🙂
Amber
Question: Could I add gelatin to make this more firm? It appears a bit creamy, and I’ll need to it hold up at room temperature, as minis. Thanks!
Sam
I think that could work, though I haven’t tried it myself. I do have a mini cheesecake recipe (it’s a baked one) if you’d like to try that.
Kate cudjoe
Can i use le Camembert for my cheese cake?
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Kate! I have never tried using le Camembert so I am not sure how it will do. If you do try it, I’d love to know how it turns out. 🙂
Tia
Hi
Would it be ok to use condensed milk instead of sour cream?
Sam
Unfortunately I wouldn’t recommend it with this recipe, it would make the cheesecake very sweet and would probably make the texture too runny. Plain Greek yogurt should work as a substitute for the sour cream, though.
Gabby
Made this last night, I did add 1tsp of vanilla to the heavy whipping cream and it turned out amazing! I made a lemon meringue cheesecake. By far my favorite recipe yet! Thanks for posting!!
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that you enjoyed the cheesecake, Gabby! Thanks for commenting. 🙂
Angie
I don’t like no bake cheesecakes, except this one! It is so creamy and delicious. I made it in individual cups and took some to the office and it was a total hit! I made a blueberry and blackberry topping and it gives it a delicious pop as the berries burst. And it is so easy to make!! I’ve made it twice already in three days! Thank you for sharing the recipe.
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that you have enjoyed this recipe, Angie and that it was a big hit at the office. Thanks for commenting. 🙂
Fauzia Dawar.
What can be substituted for sour cream as it is not available in my country.
Sam
Plain Greek yogurt should work 🙂
Brenda Coblentz
Have you ever tried turning this into a mocha cheesecake?
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Brenda! I have not, but I believe it would be a great base to do so. 🙂
Babies Grandma
I have made it twice, and I LOVE it! Easy to make. Even easier: I used pre-made graham cracker crust from the little elves. Served with cherry pie filling on top the next day, as it was served.
Sugar Spun Run
I am glad that you found the no-bake cheesecake recipe easy and delicious! Thanks for commenting. 🙂
Vonne
Made slight variations (no sour cream, uses pineapple juice instead of lemon juice and I garnished top with sliced pineapples. Honestly best cheesecake that I’ve made or eaten. Will use this recipe when I want cheesecake. So easy compared to bake method yet way more flavorful.
Sugar Spun Run
I am so happy to hear how much you enjoyed this cheesecake recipe, Vonne! The pineapple juice added sounds fantastic. Thank you for commenting, I appreciate your feedback. 🙂
Akanksha
Hello, my no bake cheesecake didn’t set after keeping it overnight in the fridge also.
I made chocolate flavour, so added melted chocolate and did not add lemon juice. Rest everything same..
Can u pls suggest what was wrong.?
Sam
Hi Akanksha! Was the chocolate still warm when you added it? I think that may have been the problem. Also, what kind of chocolate did you use and how much? I would guess this was the issue.
Akanksha
Hello, I used dark chocolate compound and 140gms. It started solidifying a little so I added just before that..so yes a little warm may be..I thought otherwise how will it get mixed..!!
Sam
If it was very warm it may have melted the other ingredients, if it was just barely above room temperature I don’t think that would have been a problem. Same with the ganache. I haven’t experimented with adding the chocolate but I am guessing that this might have been the problem, unfortunately 🙁
Leaving out the lemon wouldn’t have caused this so that is not the issue.
Akanksha
And yes also poured warm ganache on top in the morning after keeping the cheesecake overnight in fridge.
Akanksha
Thanks a lot 🙂
It is very sweet of you to answer my query..tastewise it came out to be super duper awesome..thanks again for amazing receipe.
Kristina
This was delicious and light. I might only use 1 cup of heavy cream but other than that I loved this recipe.
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that your no-bake cheesecake turned out perfectly, Kristina! Thank you for commenting. 🙂
Chue
It ended up creamier than I expected it to be. I would also try using less heavy cream next time, because the taste was a more mild than usual. But it’s tasty.
Sugar Spun Run
Thanks for the feedback, Chue! Glad it was tasty. 🙂
Camille
Could I substitute cool whip instead of whipping the heavy cream?
Sugar Spun Run
Hi, Camille! I have not made this cheesecake with CoolWhip but I *think* it would work. I would probably want to cut the amount of sugar in the recipe since Cool Whip is already sweetened, so I would guess you could cut the powdered sugar down to just half a cup. Then you can omit the heavy cream and use 3 cups of Cool Whip instead in its place. I hope that helps! 🙂
Stacia
Could this be made as cupcakes with no crust?
Sam
The crust adds a lot of stability so Im not sure that I’d recommend it, not unless you freeze the cupcakes. If you do try it I’d love to know how it works out for you, though!
Stacia
Thanks! Will do :))