Homemade No Bake Cheesecake Recipe

Side view of a slice of plain cheesecake topped with whipped cream and a blueberry on a small white dessert plate sitting on top of wood, surrounded by more blackberries, a blue napkin, and another slice of cheesecake in the back with a small glass of milk in back to the right.

Homemade No Bake Cheesecake Recipe

Homemade No Bake Cheesecake is easy to make from scratch with only a few ingredients and 20 minutes prep resulting in a creamy, silky smooth cheesecake.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword Basic Cheesecake, Cheesecake, No Bake Cheesecake

Prep Time 20

Chill Time: 8

Total Time 8 20

Servings

Calories 467kcal

Author Michele @ Flavor Mosaic

Ingredients

For the crust:

1-1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
7 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
2 tablespoons granulated sugar

For the filling:

24 ounces cream cheese softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons lemon juice fresh squeezed
1-1/4 cups heavy whipping cream

Instructions

Make The Crust

In a medium-sized bowl, stir together the graham cracker crumbs, butter, and sugar until combined.
Press the crust into the bottom and slightly up the sides of a 9-inch spring-form pan. Place in the freezer while you make the filling.

Make The Cheesecake Filling

Add the cream cheese to a large bowl with an electric hand mixer or to the body of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Whip the cream cheese until smooth.
Add the granulated sugar and stir until combined.
Add the powdered sugar, vanilla, and lemon juice, stir to combine until smooth, scrape down the sides as needed.
In a separate bowl, whip the heavy whipping cream to stiff peaks.
Add the whipped cream to the cream cheese mixture and fold it in until there are no streaks.
Add the cream cheese filling to the crust and smooth out the top. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge overnight to set.
Take a butter knife and run it along the edge of the cheesecake in the pan. Take off the outer ring.
Slice and serve with whipped cream and fresh berries for topping, optional.

Video

Notes

Recipe Tips

Keeps in the fridge covered for 4-5 days. Freeze for up to three months.
If you have other food or flavoring ingredients in the refrigerator that give off strong odors (such as garlic), I strongly suggest that you wrap your pan of setting cheesecake tightly with plastic wrap to prevent the cheesecake from taking on any of those odors. If you don’t, the results may be rather unpleasant! The same applies to any leftover cheesecake stored in the refrigerator.
The amount of lemon juice called for in the recipe results in an incredibly subtle flavor and provides enough acidity to help the cheesecake keep its texture instead of turning runny. If you want a more pronounced taste of lemon in this dessert then I recommend doubling the lemon juice and also adding in the zest of about 1-2 lemons.
This cheesecake is scrumptious whether served chilled or even frozen! If you do intend to serve it more frozen, allow it to first thaw for a short 10-15 minutes for a deliciously cold treat!
Since this is a no-bake cheesecake recipe, it’s really important that you refrigerate it overnight. That will allow the soft filling to hold its shape.

Variations

You can easily give this no-bake cheesecake a completely different look by garnishing it with various topping options such as pureed berries, whole berries, whipped cream, caramel sauce, chocolate sauce, chocolate shavings…the options are limitless!
Consider adding in different extracts instead of the vanilla extract such as strawberry extract, almond, lemon, or even orange. It’s a great way to vary this basic no-bake cheesecake without much effort on your part.
Make your basic no-bake cheesecake decadent by mixing into the cheesecake filling yummy ingredients such as mini chocolate chips, chopped up cookies, peanut butter chips, toffee bits or whatever favorite chopped candies that you’d prefer.

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