No-Bake Cheesecake Recipe
I adore cheesecake. Love, love, love it. But sometimes I want to get all the delicious cheesecake flavor without the extra effort. Or sometimes I want to put cheesecake on something else, like pumpkin pie. Especially for those occasions, I created this easy, addictive no-bake cheesecake recipe.
Ingredients
8 oz cream cheese (one package)
8 oz whipping cream (1 cup)
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Unless you are using the cheesecake as a topping, you will also need a pre-prepared crust, either a pre-baked pie crust or a graham cracker crust.
Method
1. Whip the cream until stiff. For instructions, see How To Make Whipped Cream. Set aside.
2. Whip the cream cheese, sugar and lemon juice until fluffy. Scrape the bowl often and really whip it up. Don't skip the lemon juice, even if you're pairing the cheesecake with another flavor. It's an essential ingredient. It doesn't make the cheesecake taste lemony, just gives it a depth of flavor that you need since there's no eggs or baking involved.
3. Add the whipped cream back in and whip until the whole thing is smooth, smooth, smooth. It might take a few minutes to get all the lumps out.
4. Spoon the cheesecake mixture into a pre-made crust (I recommend graham cracker) or onto another pie (like pumpkin), or just into bowls to eat like pudding.
5. Chill until firm.
The cheesecake will firm up and be slice able in a couple of hours, and you'll need to store the cheescake in the fridge until it's all gone. Which shouldn't be too long!
Enjoy! :-)
Comments (36)
Carissa @ mommygossip-gno:
Emily@remodelingthislife:
Mattress:
Laurie:
Jess Sanders:
averagebetty:
ellen Crimi-Trent:
Beverly:
Priss:
melissa @ the inspired room:
Laurel Plum:
MichelleB:
Anne Sutton:
karen:
Kham Tran:
Kathleen:
Bunny got Blog:
Eve:
Yolanda Elizabet:
Jbats:
Angela (Cottage Magpie):
Joy the Baker:
huma:
ginas ww recipes:
Healthy Diet Lets Woman Lose Thirty Pounds in Thirty Days:
UK Foodie:
joan anderson:
Sarah:
Sarah:
Amy:
Renee:
Kourai:
Claire:
Cassandra:
Naomi:
Sue Peter:
for you.... i am still up...shhhh don't tell anyone else though! Will tweet this in the AM OH MY HECK and yummness! Stumbling RIGHT NOW !!
Carissa
Posted by Carissa @ mommygossip-gno | November 24, 2008 11:30 PM
Posted on November 24, 2008 23:30
You left out one key thing in your instructions? Is it okay to make and eat for breakfast? Because I really want to.
Posted by Emily@remodelingthislife | November 25, 2008 5:00 AM
Posted on November 25, 2008 05:00
YUMMY, I want to make this as the dessert I serve on Thanksgiving this Thursday, yayy =)
Posted by Mattress | November 25, 2008 7:18 AM
Posted on November 25, 2008 07:18
What a great idea to pair it with a pumpkin pie. I'm going to try it! Thanks and Happy Thanksgiving...Laurie
Posted by Laurie | November 25, 2008 7:41 AM
Posted on November 25, 2008 07:41
Wow that looks SO yummy! My mom-in-law is addicted to those Jello insta-cheesecakes, I can't wait to show her this recipe and add a little quality to that snack :) I love the idea of adding cheesecake to a pumpkin pie, too!
Posted by Jess Sanders | November 25, 2008 8:22 AM
Posted on November 25, 2008 08:22
This is an amazing recipe! Can't wait to try and share this gem! Thank you, Angela!
Posted by averagebetty | November 25, 2008 10:26 AM
Posted on November 25, 2008 10:26
sadly I am not a big fan of cheesecake but it sure looks yummy!!!
Posted by ellen Crimi-Trent | November 25, 2008 10:57 AM
Posted on November 25, 2008 10:57
Oh, My, this is far to easy and I love cheese cake!!
Posted by Beverly | November 25, 2008 2:43 PM
Posted on November 25, 2008 14:43
Oh my stars, that's TASTY. I can't tell you if I did mine right yet. I was short on whipping cream, so I had to use 1/4 cup of half & half, and I used a packet of TrueLemon powder rather than lemon juice. It's still lemon, but dry.
I'm trying to patiently wait for it to firm up and licked the mixing bowl clean. And the spatula. And random drops that got on the counter...
I'm going to be the chubbiest, happiest housewife ever.
Posted by Priss | November 25, 2008 5:19 PM
Posted on November 25, 2008 17:19
I have never attempted cheesecake but this looks like something I could handle! Thanks for the recipe!!
Your family must be loving this week!
Melissa
Posted by melissa @ the inspired room | November 25, 2008 6:52 PM
Posted on November 25, 2008 18:52
This is so much easier than the deserts I had planned. I'll have to add the pumpkin cheesecake pie to the menu. That just sounds too yummy to resist! I was just wondering if you have ever tried to use the filling as a cream cheese icing? I bet it would be fabulous!
Posted by Laurel Plum | November 25, 2008 6:59 PM
Posted on November 25, 2008 18:59
My family loves cheesecake (me, not so much), and they love pumpkin pie (again, me, not so much), I might just have to try this for them.
Posted by MichelleB | November 26, 2008 7:25 AM
Posted on November 26, 2008 07:25
Wow! I am so glad to see you are back and at it again! This is the first chance I've had to stop by and say hi. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family. I can't wait to see this shop you've got going! Way to go Angela!
Posted by Anne Sutton | November 26, 2008 7:23 PM
Posted on November 26, 2008 19:23
ok i don't need to gain a pound, but for this fine treat it will be well worth it. Thanks for this recipe!!!!
Posted by karen | November 29, 2008 3:54 PM
Posted on November 29, 2008 15:54
Sounds delicious yet simple. I'm definitely going to try this recipe.
Posted by Kham Tran | November 29, 2008 7:03 PM
Posted on November 29, 2008 19:03
I make a no-bake with lemon jelly(Jello) and sweetened condensed milk which is always a hit.It is very easy,very smooth and very rich.
Posted by Kathleen | November 30, 2008 10:56 AM
Posted on November 30, 2008 10:56
This looks so delicious.I will have to try it.
I love cheesecake.
Posted by Bunny got Blog | November 30, 2008 12:29 PM
Posted on November 30, 2008 12:29
I tried this today and used it to top pumpkin pie. It is absolutely fantastic and SO easy!
Posted by Eve | November 30, 2008 4:54 PM
Posted on November 30, 2008 16:54
Hey, stop this food thingy immerdiately, I'm on a diet and your post is making me hungry. :-)
Posted by Yolanda Elizabet | December 1, 2008 4:11 AM
Posted on December 1, 2008 04:11
you should use powdered sugar for this, as it blends better with the rest of the ingredients. I've been making this quick dessert for over 13 years and have found that it works best with the powdered sugar. keep up the good work.
Posted by Jbats | December 5, 2008 8:52 AM
Posted on December 5, 2008 08:52
Thanks all for the great comments! :-)
Jbats: Thanks for the suggestion to use powdered sugar. I personally choose not to use powdered sugar because it contains corn (corn starch). But I find the sugar dissolves into the other ingredients just fine and leaves a very smooth texture.
Posted by Angela (Cottage Magpie) | December 9, 2008 11:05 PM
Posted on December 9, 2008 23:05
This looks just lovely! I love the sprinkling of lemon zest!
Posted by Joy the Baker | January 12, 2009 3:46 PM
Posted on January 12, 2009 15:46
helloo
u cant believe how happy i am to hav found this recipe...it seems so easyyy
but please can you tell me can i use cottage instead of cream cheese will the resulta b the same???
please do replyyyy
Posted by huma | February 7, 2009 11:16 AM
Posted on February 7, 2009 11:16
I made a low fat version of this and it was great! Loved it!! I'm sure using heavy cream is much better but I have to watch my figure :) Here's the link http://weight-watchers-points-recipes.blogspot.com/2009/04/no-bake-cheesecake.html
Posted by ginas ww recipes | April 30, 2009 8:20 AM
Posted on April 30, 2009 08:20
Hi, interesting post. I have been thinking about this issue,so thanks for posting. I'll definitely be coming back to your blog.
Posted by Healthy Diet Lets Woman Lose Thirty Pounds in Thirty Days | April 30, 2009 8:35 PM
Posted on April 30, 2009 20:35
:-0 Wow, that sounds and looks fantastic, will give it a try sometime - thanks for sharing!
Posted by UK Foodie | May 29, 2009 4:31 AM
Posted on May 29, 2009 04:31
I've been told you need lemon juice in the unbaked cheesecake to help it set. What do you think? I just made an unbaked one last week, and since it didn't have lemon juice, I added a bit. It set quite well. It was: 1 pkg cr cheese, 1 cup sour cream, 1 cup cool whip & vanilla. It was delicious, and set well, but as I said before, I did add a bit of lemon juice.
Posted by joan anderson | July 24, 2009 6:56 AM
Posted on July 24, 2009 06:56
Hello again,
Thanks for the speedy reply on my graham cracker crust quandary (wow, say that 5 times fast!).
I made the cheesecake and crust for my boyfriend's birthday last night and it was AWESOME. The only thing I didn't have was a toddler to crush the graham crackers for me, but I made do.
I, too, used salted butter for the crust and it turned out wonderfully.
Next question: Can I re-post your recipe or link my friends over to your page? I've been blogging about my day of domesticity (yesterday) and have been getting many inquiries from my friends about this fabled no-bake cheesecake. ;)
Thanks again!
~Sarah
Also, I put this sauce on the cheesecake. It's quite sweet, but contrasted well with the savory cheesecake.
1 pound fresh strawberries , washed, hulled, and cut lengthwise into 1/4- to 3/8-inch wedges
1/4 cup sugar
Pinch table salt
1/2 cup strawberry jam
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon)
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Toss the berries, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl and let stand until the berries have released some juice and the sugar has dissolved, about 30 minutes, tossing occasionally to combine.
2. Process jam in a food processor until smooth, about 8 seconds. Put the jam in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Simmer, stirring frequently, until dark and no longer frothy, about 3 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice, then gently stir the warm jam into the strawberries. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold, at least 2 hours or up to 12. To serve, spoon a portion of the topping over individual slices of cheesecake.
Borrowed and adapted from Cook's Illustrated. ;) I used 1.5 lbs of strawberries and skipped the food processing bit.
Posted by Sarah | August 13, 2009 10:32 AM
Posted on August 13, 2009 10:32
Hi Angela,
I'm actually referencing a LiveJournal community I'm on called PrettyGoodFood. If you have an LJ you should definitely check it out!
I'll just post a link to your site, then, if you don't mind, and tell everyone to come visit you. ;)
Posted by Sarah | August 13, 2009 3:22 PM
Posted on August 13, 2009 15:22
I just finished making this a second time to bring to our church's Christmas dinner tomorrow. My nine year old son did most of the work while I supervised. This recipe is great for cooking with kids and soooo tasty. I'm sure it will be a big hit tomorrow. I made a double batch in a 9 by 13 pan and will top it with cherry pie filling after it is firm. Made enough to serve a good sized gathering :o)
Posted by Amy | December 19, 2009 4:01 PM
Posted on December 19, 2009 16:01
Good recipe, I didn't really like the whip cream in it, I guess it's a personal choice.
I make a recipe my mom always made as I was growing up, it's a no bake as well.
Lemonade concentrate, Jello instant pudding (vanilla), cream cheese and evaporated milk... it doesn't last long, that's for sure!
Thank you though for your recipes, you are brilliant!
Posted by Renee | December 23, 2009 5:29 PM
Posted on December 23, 2009 17:29
I just loved this recipe! I don't own an oven, and I hate not being able to bake desserts, so I'm really happy to find this! I'm going to use it very soon!
Posted by Kourai | January 28, 2011 1:45 AM
Posted on January 28, 2011 01:45
Looks yummy and so easy, good for emergencies when you forget someone's coming for dinner....!
Posted by Claire | May 10, 2011 12:33 PM
Posted on May 10, 2011 12:33
I've been looking for the perfect no bake cheesecake recipe and I finally did! Thank you for posting this easy recipe, but one thing I want to ask, instead of manually whipping the cream, can I use the instant whipped cream?
I'm just scared I might just not make it whipping it to a stiff :) Thank you!
Posted by Cassandra | June 6, 2011 9:21 AM
Posted on June 6, 2011 09:21
Cool Whip works wonders in a pinch ;)
Posted by Naomi | July 3, 2011 8:52 AM
Posted on July 3, 2011 08:52
Thanks so much for the great recipe I love cheesecake too!
Posted by Sue Peter | July 25, 2011 8:00 PM
Posted on July 25, 2011 20:00