This easy Cheesecake Recipe is totally no bake and made with just SIX ingredients! Make ahead friendly no bake cheesecake for summer.
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I know this is no surprise.
With all the cheesecake recipes on The Recipe Rebel, I hadn’t yet shared the perfect easy no bake cheesecake recipe — the recipe that serves as the basis for so many of my no bake cheesecake recipes!
As fun as White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake, No Bake Chocolate Cheesecake and Key Lime Cheesecake are, sometimes you just want good old vanilla.
Simply sweetened, with just a handful of ingredients.
The perfect cheesecake for serving up with a variety of sauces and toppings: caramel, chocolate, fresh berries, citrus curds — the options are really endless!
Like many of my cheesecakes around here, this one uses minimal bowls, with minimum prep time and head ache.
Even though we have big love for the The Best Vanilla Cheesecake Recipe, this one has a lot of the same great qualities but almost none of the work.
Baked cheesecake requires a few more ingredients, a few more steps, and a lot more waiting around impatiently.
There’s the baking, the cooling, the chilling, and finally you can eat it!
With this easy cheesecake recipe, you’re going to have to wait a good long time for it to chill (that’s one step we just couldn’t take out), you’re still ready to dig in hours before you’d be slicing into a baked cheesecake.
And even though it looks like you spent a lot of time on it, you don’t need to share the truth with anyone.
But you might have to share the recipe 😉
What are the ingredients in no bake cheesecake?
This easy cheesecake recipe is made with the simplest of ingredients! No specialty products here 😉
- Graham cracker crumbs
- Butter (unsalted)
- Cream Cheese (full fat, room temperature)
- Powdered Sugar
- Vanilla
- Heavy whipping cream (cold!)
How to make this easy cheesecake recipe:
A quick recipe overview with extra tips! See the detailed recipe in the box below.
- Start with your crust — I use graham crumbs most often, but you could also use chocolate baking crumbs for a new twist! The melted butter is essential for helping it stick together when you remove it from the pan.
- Beat your cream cheese — room temperature is essential for no lumps! Keep in mind that full fat cream cheese is best. If you compare the packages, you can see that light cream cheese has significantly more moisture and there’s less of a chance it will set. (That being said, I use light cream cheese often and have no issues, but it’s a chance you take).
- Add your powdered sugar and vanilla.
- Whip your cream and add it in: I have always been that person who beats the cream right in with the cream cheese. If you know me at all, I’m not going to tell you you need an extra step unless you absolutely do. In this instance, I’ve tested both ways and haven’t found much of a difference at all, but whipping it separately is a little more foolproof because you can see when you’ve got stuff peaks. I have updated the recipe to reflect this change.
- Chill, chill, chill. And don’t even think about removing it from the pan until it’s set! We don’t want no cheesecake soup here, so plan ahead and be patient.
What are some great cheesecake toppings?
This cheesecake is perfect for a party! Just set up a cheesecake topping bar and let everyone come up with their own creations.
- Fresh berries (strawberries, raspberries, blueberries)
- Lemon curd
- Strawberry Sauce
- Chocolate Sauce
- Caramel Sauce
- Chocolate chips or toffee bits
- Crushed Oreos or other cookies
- Reese’s pieces, Smarties and M&M’s
- Whipped cream (mix up the flavors if you liked)
Tools you’ll need for this cheesecake:
- I make this cheesecake in a 9″ Springform pan, but you could also make it in an 8″ Springform pan or a 9″ square baking dish.
- With no bake cheesecakes it’s very important that you use an electric mixer, but it doesn’t need to be fancy! I use the KitchenAid handheld mixer for most of my recipes.
- An offset spatula is essential for getting the top super smooth, but this is totally optional and won’t affect the way it tastes 😉
Easy Cheesecake Recipe
written by Ashley Fehr
Ingredients
Crust
- 2 ¼ cups graham cracker crumbs (about 250 grams)
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted
Filling
- 3 packages cream cheese (8oz each for a total of 24 oz or 750g)
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar (165 grams)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream 30-35% fat ONLY
Instructions
- Line a 9″ Springform pan with parchment paper for easy removal if desired (totally optional!).
- Combine graham cracker crumbs and melted butter in a medium bowl. Press into the bottom of the pan and about 1″ up the sides.
- In a large bowl, beat room temperature cream cheese with an electric or stand mixer until it is smooth.
- Add the sugar and vanilla and beat on high until smooth.
- In a separate bowl, whip the cream until stiff peaks form. Fold into the cream cheese with a spatula or an electric mixer on low. Taste and adjust sweetness to taste.
- Pour cream cheese mixture into prepared crust, cover and refrigerate at least 6 hours, or overnight.
- Serve with sweetened whipped cream and toppings as desired. Leftovers can be refrigerated up to 3 days.
Notes
Nutrition Information
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Jess says
I’m very new to baking and this was great for me to follow along too. The instructions were clear and the end result was absolutely delicious! Thank you for the recipe! 🙂
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Jess! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Wendy Schloeffel says
It was just perfect I don’t like sweet things but my husband does but this is just glorious would highly recommend this recipe
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Wendy! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Melissa says
Hello 😍 I made this recipe, however, I subbed the heavy cream for sour cream and added lemon zest & juice .. I served it with fresh blackberries & a little more lemon zest .. … the end result ? Bloody DELICIOUS 😄💛
Super easy recipe, beautiful result .. hands down winner over baked cheesecake!!!! .. .. will definitely be making this again 🩷🩵🩷 Thanks Ashley #thereciperebel 💖
The Recipe Rebel says
HI Melissa! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Maegan says
I just made this, and was super excited from reading the reviews.. I’m just not a fan. It was easy to make, so that was great. It’s definitely fluffier than I would prefer a cheesecake to be, and the taste isn’t bad.. it just isn’t particularly good either. I think it needs something else, like some lemon juice or zest, just something to bring out the tartness from the cream cheese, because the whipping cream tampers that flavor down quite a bit.
The Recipe Rebel says
I’m sorry to hear this wasn’t to your taste, Maegan. Myself (and others) have enjoyed it, so I wished it would of been a hit for you too! Glad you will try it again!
Anne says
Ian going to try this recipe it have to get the heavy whip cream! I an 97 years old and still trying recipes! 😇❤️♥️
The Recipe Rebel says
Hope you enjoy it Anne!
Helen says
Can you freeze this successfully?
The Recipe Rebel says
You should be able to, Helen!
Samantha says
I’m kind of bummed because it never set right. I followed every instruction… went back seeing where I went wrong but I’m just not sure? Is it supposed to be falling apart when you pick it up?
I chose this recipe because it sounded easier. I am sad that I used that much cream cheese and it will probably end up in the trash 😢 if you have any advice on how I can get it to firm up the following morning please tell..
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Samantha, it’s hard for me to know what went wrong without being in the kitchen with you, but it might from how long the cream is whipped. Did it look as thick as mine did in the video, when you were pouring it in the pan?
Bernadette Bogden says
Can you substitute the powdered sugar with a sugar substitute like Lakanto powdered sugar (it’s made from monk fruit)?
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Bernadette! That is something I have never tried or tested for this recipe so I couldn’t advise if it would work. If you decide to experiment, let me know how it goes!
Todd Nicholson says
Hi Ashley love your recipes,going to add your no bake cheese cake to my book,your scalloped potatoes recipe is so yummy ,it’s my go to now
The Recipe Rebel says
Hope you enjoy it Todd!
Melissa D. says
We just made this for our stay-home 4th of July celebration and YUM! The only things I did different: I prepared the recipe using 2 12-muffin pans with liners (so 24 individual servings FTW), topped it with fresh berries, and voila! So delicious!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Melissa! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review
Sandi Cohen says
I haven’t tried it yet bu5 I’m going to try using ginger snaps as crumbs.
The Recipe Rebel says
Sounds tasty!
Azza says
It was amazing I loved it soooo much and I search back for the recipe to make it again Thank you for those good recipes<3
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Azza!
Juanita says
Thank you! Looks delicious! I will differentiatly try this!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Juanita!
Julie Bateman says
Amazing. First cheesecake I’ve ever made and I don’t think I’ll ever use a different recipe. Incredibly easy and when six adults and three 5 yr olds devour it in two bites, you can’t argue that this is the BOMB. Best cheesecake I’ve ever had. A heart attack in a spring-form pan… Worth it!!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Julie! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Judith says
Can you use cool whip instead of whipping cream
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Judith! I would not recommend this, they are not the same thing.
Claire says
I wanted a simple and quick cheesecake recipe and this is definitely it! I used lemon juice instead of vanilla and got the taste I was after. It was perfect. Took hardly anytime to put together and the flavour was great. Will be making this again. Thanks!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Claire! So glad you enjoyed them! Thank you for this kind review!
Donna says
I’m wanting to make this recipe, but seeing we are only a family of three, I was wondering could I half the recipe with good results and use a smaller spring form pan.
I would prefer not to freeze any leftover, and don’t think we would eat the cake in three days, as we are not really dessert people, but would like to try this recipe.
Thankyou
Ashley Fehr says
Hi Donna! I think that would work great! You could even use a pie plate and do half a batch
Georgia says
The cheesecake didn’t set for me overnight 🙁 so sad as it was supposed to be for a work function today
Ashley Fehr says
I’m sorry to hear that! I haven’t had any problems with the cheesecake setting before. I would just be sure to use full fat cream cheese and heavy whipping cream.
Annie says
Hi Ashley….this looks so quick and refreshing for the Summer months when you don’t want to put the oven on. Can I make this a lower sugar version of this by substituting the sugar with Splenda?
Ashley Fehr says
Hi Annie! I’m sure you could, but I’ve never tried