Don’t be intimidated by this Easy No Bake Cheesecake Recipe. It is super easy to make homemade cheesecake and the results are creamy and delicious. Add your favorite topping or eat it plain. Either way, this is one amazing dessert.
You can make this delicious No bake cheesecake recipe in just a few easy steps. Impress your friends and family with this luscious homemade dessert. This simple cheesecake recipe is creamy and delicious and sets up perfectly in the fridge. You must also try our No Bake Cherry Cheesecake or our Deep Fried Cheesecake Recipe.
Skip the store-bought box mixes and make this easy and tasty recipe instead. You won’t go back to the mixes once you see how easy and delicious this dessert is.
We love cheesecake and it is a staple dessert for the holidays. This No Bake Cheesecake is light and fluffy, and you only need a few ingredients to make it.
If you love no bake cheesecakes, make sure to check out No Bake Strawberry Cheesecake and Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberries Recipe.
Table of contents
What is the Difference between Cheesecake and No Bake Cheesecake?
The main difference between a regular cheesecake and a no bake cheesecake is the no bake one has no eggs. The No Bake Cheesecake Recipe Easy ingredients sets up in the fridge, but the regular cheesecake is baked in a water bath and then placed in the fridge.
You will notice that the texture is different between the two and the regular cheesecake requires a lot more ingredients. You may decided for a special occasion to make homemade cheesecake, but the no bake is just as good.
Ingredients
Crust
- Graham Crackers. I prefer to crush the sheets, but you can buy the store-bought crumbs.
Filling
- Cream Cheese. Make sure this is room temperature. It will be easier to combine, and the filling will be smoother.
- Sweetened Condensed Milk. Try our Sweetened Condensed Milk Recipe
- Lemon Juice. Fresh is best if you have it. The flavor is better.
Variation Ideas
- Whipped Cream โ You can use cold heavy whipping cream instead of cool whip if you prefer. Make sure to beat it until it forms stiff peaks.
- Change the Crust โ You can use an Oreo cookie Crust or you can even make your own Graham Cracker Pie Crust Recipe. You can crush graham crackers in a food processor and mix with melted butter.
How to make Easy No Bake Cheesecake
- Step 1. Make the Crust – Crush graham crackers in food processor or resealable bag.
Step 2. Add graham cracker crumbs to large bowl. Stir in sugar.
Step 3. Mix crumb mixture with melted butter.
Step 4. Press firmly into 9 inch springform pan. Allow the crust to chill for at least 20 minutes. I recommend placing in the freezer.
Step 5. Make the filling. In a large bowl, beat together the cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk until smooth and creamy. You can use a stand mixer or hand mixer. Then beat in the lemon juice and vanilla until smooth.
Step 6. Pour the mixture into the graham cracker crust and spread evenly. Cover with plastic wrap and chill until firm.
Step 7. Serve with toppings of your choice.
FAQs
Making a graham cracker crust from scratch is easy to do. It only requires 3 ingredients and pairs perfectly with the cheesecake filling. We used granulated white sugar in this recipe, but you can easily use brown sugar.
To create a firm texture for your no bake cheesecake, you must give it time to set in the refrigerator. I recommend making the cheesecake and letting it set in the refrigerator overnight.
This allows you to not be tempted to take it out to soon.
We do not recommend freezing no bake cheesecake to get it to set. The refrigerator is the perfect place to have the cheesecake set.
But you can freeze no bake cheesecake after it has set to the right texture. When we are planning on freezing it, we recommend double layering the cover over the cheesecake.
Place a plastic wrap and then aluminum foil over the cheesecake and make sure it is covered completely. If stored properly the cheesecake will last about 3 months in the freezer.
When you are ready to serve, remove the cheesecake and thaw in the refrigerator and then slice. Delicious no bake cheesecake served anytime of the year.
Expert Tips
- To Make Crust – Use a food processor to ground up the graham crackers. If you donโt have a food processor, you can also crush the graham crackers in a sealed plastic bag with a rolling pin.
- Refrigerate โ Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.
- Softened Cream Cheese โ Make sure the cream cheese is softened before mixing or it will not mix smoothly and you will get big cream cheese lumps. If you are in a hurry, you can cut the cream cheese into smaller pieces to help it soften quicker.
- Vanilla Extract โ When preparing your ingredients make sure to use pure vanilla extract.
- Cool Cheesecake โ Cheesecake is based served cold. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.
Cheesecake Toppings
- Fruit – Fresh fruit is always delicious. We love to cut up strawberries for a great topping idea. Blueberries and blackberries are also tasty.
- Canned Pie Filling – You can also use canned pie filling. Strawberry and blueberry are delicious.
- Drizzle Sauce – We also like to drizzle homemade caramel sauce, hot fudge and chopped pecans on top to make a turtle cheesecake. This is so decadent and amazing.
- Homemade Whipped Topping – Top with homemade whipped cream and you are set!
- Powdered Sugar – When I serve the cheesecake with fruit, I like to dust the top with powdered sugar.
- More Cheesecake Topping Ideas – If you are looking for even more topping ideas, we have gathered 22 of our favorite Cheesecake Toppings.
Storage
No Bake Cheesecake is the perfect dessert to make ahead of time. It is also easy to store leftovers. Cover your cheesecake with a plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator. The cheesecake will stay fresh for up to 5 days.
If you are planning on having leftovers, I recommend not topping the entire cheesecake. If you have fruit, whipped cream or other topping it could cause the cheesecake to be mushy.
Just top each slice as you are serving it.
More Easy Cheesecake Recipes
- Oreo Cheesecake Recipe
- Philadelphia No Bake Cheesecake
- Easy Caramel cheesecake recipe with oreo crust
- No Bake Strawberry Cheesecake in a Jar
- Easy Cheesecake Brownies Recipeย
- Lemon Cheesecake Bars Recipe
Go ahead and make this super Easy No Bake Cheesecake. Once you do, please leave a comment and star recipe rating.
Easy No Bake Cheesecake Recipe
Ingredients
- Crust:
- 3 cups 20 graham crackers
- 12 tablespoons 1 ยผ sticks unsalted butter, melted
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- Filling:
- 2 blocks 8 oz each cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 can 14 oz sweetened condensed milk
- โ cup lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Toppings:
- Canned pie filling
- Fresh fruit
- Chocolate
- Whatever you like
Instructions
- Crust:
- Crush graham crackers in food processor or resealable bag
- Add crumbs to large bowl
- Stir in sugar
- Melt butter in microwave safe bowl
- Stir into crumb mixture until well combined
- Press firmly into 9 inch springform pan
- Chill for 20 minutes
- Filling:
- In a large bowl, beat together cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk until smooth and creamy
- Beat in lemon juice and vanilla until smooth
- Pour into prepared crust, spread evenly
- Cover with plastic wrap and chill until firm 3-4 hours or overnight
- Serve with toppings of your choice
- Refrigerate leftovers
I have been making this cheesecake for 40 years. A quick, easy dessert and oh so good!!
Awesome! We love it too and I agree it’s easy and delicious!
Is the lemon juice overpowering? Can it be left out or substituted with something else?