Good No-Bake Vanilla Cheesecake | Life, Love and Sugar

This fool-proof no-bake cheesecake is made with a easy, creamy, vanilla filling over a buttery graham cracker crust. It’s completed with selfmade whipped cream and is completely scrumptious. Plus it doesn’t even require an oven or a pesky water tub.

Overhead image of a no bake cheesecake garnished with berries.

The Finest No Bake Cheesecake Recipe

I like that you just don’t even need to activate the oven to make this cheesecake and it delivers virtually equally scrumptious outcomes as a basic baked model. The filling is thick and creamy with out being overly dense. It has a stunning tang to it as nicely, which actually takes it to the subsequent degree, for my part. The filling sits on high of a buttery graham cracker crust that gives the proper, crunchy juxtaposition to the sleek filling. Wowza!

I’m, undoubtedly, choosy about my cheesecakes. They must be simply the appropriate texture, simply the appropriate taste…just about simply the appropriate every little thing. It’s onerous to get it proper and arguably even tougher in the event you’re making an attempt to do it with out an oven. Fortunately this no bake cheesecake breaks the mould. Plus it takes a fraction of the time wanted to make a baked rendition. Strive it. You’ll see.

A whole no bake cheesecake on a serving platter with a slice taken out of it.

What Is A No Bake Cheesecake?

A no-bake cheesecake is precisely what it seems like – a cheesecake that doesn’t must be baked. As a substitute of utilizing eggs to agency it up (as you’d in a basic cheesecake), a no bake cheesecake depends on vital chill time within the fridge and the way in which its substances work together to agency up.

Why This Cheesecake Recipe Works

The place a traditional, baked cheesecake depends on eggs to agency it up and maintain it collectively, you can’t use eggs in a no-bake model. So what will get this no-bake model good and agency?

Lemon-sour cream combo. The lemon juice has a magical curdling-like impact on the bitter cream that companies it up with out making it lumpy. This does a lot of the heavy lifting in terms of pulling the cheesecake collectively whereas additionally giving the dessert that basic tangy taste we all know and love in common cheesecakes.
Whipped cream. As long as the whipped cream retains sufficient quantity, it creates construction within the filling that helps to maintain it in place.
Refrigeration. The cheesecake spends vital time within the fridge, which additionally helps to agency it up.

Ingredients for no bake cheesecake separated into bowls.

What You’ll Want

Right here’s an inventory of substances wanted to make this no-bake dessert. You gained’t want a lot and a few belongings you use twice. Be sure you scroll to the recipe card beneath for actual measurements.

Graham Cracker Crumbs – You may use an equal quantity of vanilla wafer cookie crumbs as a substitute.
Sugar – To sweeten the crust and cheesecake filling.
Salt – For a little bit additional taste within the crust.
Butter – To bind the crust substances collectively.
Cream Cheese – This needs to be at room temperature in order that it mixes nicely. Use brick-style cream cheese. The bathtub-style cream cheese is thinner and gained’t agency up as nicely. The identical goes for the fats content material – use the complete fats stuff. It’s price it!
Bitter Cream – As talked about above, this works with the lemon juice to assist thicken the filling. It additionally provides a basic cheesecake tang.
Contemporary Lemon Juice – This works with the bitter cream to thicken the filling. Don’t use bottled lemon juice. It doesn’t have the identical taste.
Heavy Whipping Cream – Make certain that the heavy whipping cream is chilly. In any other case, it is not going to maintain quantity as nicely and your cheesecake gained’t agency up correctly.
Powdered Sugar – Don’t skimp on the powdered sugar. You want it to stabilize the whipped cream.
Vanilla Extract – For taste.

How one can Make No Bake Cheesecake

Able to make one of the best no-bake cheesecake ever? Right here’s a fast overview of tips on how to do it. Don’t overlook to scroll to the recipe card beneath for extra detailed directions.

Make the crust. Combine collectively the crust substances and press into the underside and up the perimeters of a 9-inch springform pan. Chill within the fridge.

Butter, sugar, and graham cracker crumbs mixed together in a bowl.

cheesecake crust pressed into springform pan

Make the filling base. Beat collectively the cream cheese and sugar. Combine within the bitter cream adopted by the lemon juice.

Beating together cream cheese and sugar for cheesecake filling.

Mixing sour cream and lemon juice into no bake cheesecake filling.

Fold within the whipped cream. Whip the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract on excessive velocity till stiff peaks type. Gently fold it into the cream cheese combination in two components.
Assemble and chill. Unfold the filling over the crust and chill within the fridge for at the least 5 hours. As soon as agency, take away the cake from the springform pan and set it on a serving platter.

Mixing whipped cream into no bake cheesecake filling.

No bake cheesecake in a springform pan ready to be decorated with whipped cream.

Embellish. Whip the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract on excessive velocity till stiff peaks type. Pipe swirls of whipped cream across the fringe of the cheesecake. See the part beneath titled “Topping Concepts” to make it your personal.
Chill. Refrigerate till able to serve.

Suggestions for the Finest No Bake Vanilla Cheesecake

This can be a fairly fool-proof recipe however there are definitely a couple of issues you are able to do to make sure one of the best no bake cheesecake attainable. Right here they’re.

Room-temperature cream cheese. Begin with room-temperature cream cheese. Cream cheese that’s too chilly offers you a lumpy filling.
Chilly heavy whipping cream. Make certain that the whipping cream used within the filling and within the whipped cream topping is chilly. If it isn’t, it is not going to maintain quantity correctly. This offers you a flat whipped cream topping and a probably runny filling.
Full-fat every little thing. Use heavy whipping cream, full-fat bitter cream, and full-fat cream cheese. The upper fats content material within the whipping cream will enable it to whip up thicker, which is required to carry the filling collectively. The upper fats content material within the bitter cream and the cream cheese may even assist to maintain the filling good and agency.
Don’t skimp on powdered sugar. Be sure you use the complete quantity of powdered sugar within the whipped cream. It stabilizes the whipped cream, due to this fact offering construction to the filling and topping.
Use bitter cream and lemon juice. They react in a means that helps agency up the filling. Plus the mixture provides the cheesecake that basic tang that everyone knows and love in basic cheesecake.
Chill. Rather a lot. Refrigerate the cheesecake for at the least 5 hours earlier than serving (in a single day is even higher). If you happen to don’t chill the cheesecake for lengthy sufficient, it is going to be too smooth.

A slice of no bake cheesecake on a plate topped with fresh fruit.

Why Is My Cheesecake Runny?

Probably the most widespread complaints I hear when individuals attempt to make no-bake cheesecake is that it turned out too smooth. Listed here are some widespread errors that can preserve your filling from firming up correctly.

You didn’t chill it for lengthy sufficient. This dessert must spend a major time within the fridge earlier than it’s able to be served. If it doesn’t get sufficient time to relax, it is not going to agency up correctly.
You tried to make use of low-fat merchandise. Utilizing low-fat whipping cream, bitter cream, and/or cream cheese is just about a one-way ticket to a runny cheesecake. You want the fats in all three to carry the filling collectively.
Your whipping cream wasn’t chilly. Hotter than chilly heavy whipping cream is not going to maintain quantity as nicely and can thus not assist to offer the construction that this cheesecake calls for.
You skimped on powdered sugar. The powdered sugar helps to stabilize the whipped cream that’s folded into the filling. It provides fairly a little bit of construction to the whipped cream and, by affiliation, the filling itself. Utilizing much less sugar will doubtless make your filling softer.
You skipped substances. If you happen to attempt to make this cake with out bitter cream and/or lemon juice, it’s more likely to find yourself runny. The lemon juice works to “curdle” the bitter cream, making it agency and, by so doing, making the filling agency altogether.

Topping Concepts

The sky is the restrict right here! This vanilla cheesecake makes for the proper clean canvas. High it with just about no matter you’d like. Listed here are some enjoyable concepts to get you impressed.

Contemporary fruit. I believe that is my favourite. It simply goes so properly with the tang of the cheesecake and the delicate sweetness of the whipped cream. Contemporary berries could be my high choose.
Sauce. I like including a drizzle of Scorching Fudge Sauce or this Salted Caramel Sauce to the highest of a slice of no-bake vanilla cheesecake. Lemon Curd, Raspberry Sauce, Blueberry Sauce, Strawberry Sauce would even be phenomenal choices.
Sweet. Chop up some Reese’s, a Snickers bar, or one other favourite sweet and scatter the crumbs over the cheesecake for a brilliant candy deal with.

Correct Storage

As soon as the cake has firmed up within the fridge for at the least 5 hours, go forward and switch it to an hermetic cake service. If you happen to don’t have one, wrap it in a double layer of plastic wrap. I counsel utilizing toothpicks to prop the plastic away from the swirls of whipped cream. If you happen to already sliced the cake, prepare the slices in a single layer in an hermetic container. Retailer the cheesecake within the fridge for as much as 5 days.

A slice of no bake cheesecake on a plate with a bite taken out of it.

Can I Freeze A Vanilla No Bake Cheesecake?

Completely! After the cake has set within the fridge (however earlier than including any toppings), pop it within the freezer for a few hours to agency up. Wrap the cake in a double layer of plastic wrap. Sliced it already? Organize the slices in a single layer in an hermetic container. Retailer the cake within the freezer for as much as 3 months. Thaw the cheesecake within the fridge earlier than your favourite topping/s, slicing, and serving.

Extra Cheesecake Recipes

In a cheesecake temper? Welcome to my world. Listed here are a few of my different favourite recipes (basic and no-bake) to fulfill your craving. Yum. Yum. Yum!