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 cream cheese softened to room temperature (450g) (use brick-style cream cheese, not the spreadable kind sold in tubs)
- 1 cup powdered sugar (150g)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- ⅓ cup sour cream (75g)
- 1 ½ cup heavy cream (355ml)
- 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.
- 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
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
Midi smith
I’m a bit of a cheesecake snob myself and I can say that this is hands down one of the best cheesecakes I have ever made.. Once every few weeks I make a roast chicken with stuffing and cranberry compost which is basically just a really chunky cranberry sauce. I always make extra because we have Cranberry topped pancakes With whip cream the next morning. I happened to have a good bit of it left and didn’t want it to go to waste so I thought it would pair perfectly with cheesecake. So I put it on the bottom of this cheesecake mixture against the crust and then put the cheesecake on top and all I can say it is absolutely amazing. It was so easy and quick to make it’s ridiculous. I would give this 6 stars if I could. This recipe has definitely made a fan out of me.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Sounds absolutely delicious, Midi! We’re so happy our recipe was a hit for you. Thanks for coming back to leave a review, we really appreciate it! 😊
Michelle Smart
Does this recipe freeze well?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
That shouldn’t be a problem. Enjoy, Michelle! 🙂
Melissa
Hi! Can i replace the sour cream with greek yogurt? In my country is hard to find the sour cream :/
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Yes! Enjoy 😊
Teresa
Hi,
I just wanted to let you know that this cake is delicious. I have made it twice now and have everything ready to make again tomorrow. Thanks so much for the recipe.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Wow, we’re so happy it’s a hit for you, Teresa! Thanks so much for giving our recipe a shot and coming back to leave a review 😊
lydia
tasty but crust got a bit soggy and the filling wasn’t as firm as I thought. but def a crowd pleaser in my home 💘
Teresa
Do I need to add powdered sugar to the whip cream to stabilize or just the cream. I plan to make the cheesecake tomorrow so it would be sweet if you can give me an answer in the morning.
Thank you
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Teresa! You can follow the directions for our homemade whipped cream, which is stable for a few days. If you’re really worried about your whipped cream falling, you could even use our stabilized whipped cream frosting. 😊
Lisa
Hi, can you tell me why my cheesecake did not set? I made it way enough in advance. Attempted to serve it on Christmas Day and it was a mess that had to be spooned out. Embarrasing. I followed the recipe carefully. I stuck it in the freezer to see if it could be salvaged. I haven’t tried a piece since then.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so sorry this happened Lisa. Typically the biggest culprit is not whipping the heavy cream properly. 🙁
RobF
Can I use lime and make a Key Lime cheesecake?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Sure! You could substitute the lemon juice for lime juice and add some lime zest too 😊
Hannah
Can I leave out the heavy cream?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
The heavy cream is a critical ingredient here, so we wouldn’t recommend it 🙁
Luanda Manzie
Hey Sam. Happy holidays. Can I add a fruit topping to this or a oreo topping. How do you make a no bake oreo chzcake?
Sam
Hi Luanda! You could certainly add a topping if you’d like! You could fold some oreos into this cheesecake if you’d like. 🙂
Stephanie
I have made this several times and it is now my go to! Absolutely love it!
I was wanting to make it for Christmas but wanted to add eggnog. I found an eggnog blondie cheesecake recipe but wanted to sub your cheesecake filling instead. Is this possible? Where would I sub in the eggnog?
Sam
Hi Stephanie! I’m not sure how you would go about adding egg nog here because I haven’t tried it. 🙁
Nancy
My daughter & I made this recipe last night for my cheesecake-loving husband’s 75th birthday dinner — but we tweaked it a little, since he’s a diabetic. We made it without the crust & substituted a sugar-free powdered sweetener. He absolutely loved it & so did everyone else! It was smooth & creamy & Delicious! Thanks!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Wonderful! We’re so happy to hear it turned out well with your substitutions, Nancy. We hope your husband had a very happy birthday 😊
Sonya Brown
Absolutely lived this recipe its easy and delicious. Thank you
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed, Sonya! Thank you for letting me know how it turned out for you! 🙂
Joni Arrighi
Hi, can you substitute Greek yogurt for sour cream? THANKS
Sam
That should be fine, enjoy!
Star
I was wondering how did it come out with the Greek yogurt
Thais Pennino
My cheesecake didn’t set right after 24 hours. What did I do wrong?
Sam
I’m so sorry this happened. The biggest culprit of this is typically not whipping the heavy cream properly.
Charlene
Hi,
Can you advise me on how to cut the cheesecake filling in half? I don’t want to make a full size spring form pan. I’m filling personal size graham cracker crust (6).
Thank you in advance. Can’t wait to try it😊
Sam
Hi Charlene! You will just want to cut all of the ingredients in half. Everything will cut in half nicely except the sour cream. If you use weights it would be about 37g. If you don’t have a scale I would recommend using 2.5-3 tablespoons. 🙂
Alex
Cut down the sugar content to a third since I usually find American recipes insanely too sweet and that got it just right for my European taste buds! Otherwise a lovely recipe that comes together very easily. The sour cream really adds a great tang that you shouldn’t leave out. Paired great with a blackberry sauce 🙂
Sam
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Alex! 🙂
Patty
I made this today! It is good. My husband does not like cheese cake. He took a taste with his finger and declared he could eat this! He also asked why it was so white and not yellow. No eggs and no preservatives like those you buy from the store. I will be making this one again.
Sam
I’m so glad everyone enjoyed it so much, Patty! 🙂
Jeanna
I’m so sorry, but what is bolded sour cream??
Sam
Hi Jeanna! I used a bold font in the post to emphasize that it is a key ingredient not to be left out 🙂