No baking, no water bath, no eggs. This easy no-bake cheesecake is light and airy, smooth and creamy. It sets up beautifully in the fridge and only requires 6 ingredients (already including the crust).

In summer, I love desserts that don’t require baking. This cheesecake is a fantastic dessert when the weather is warm or when you just don’t feel like baking.

Easier than classic cheesecake

No-bake cheesecake is a lot easier than baked cheesecake. Without eggs, fussy water bath, and without baking (no over- or underbaking, no cracking), there is almost zero room for error.

You just make a quick crust by combining graham crumbs and melted butter, add the simple filling, chill it for several hours until firm, and serve!

Texture and taste

This version is just as good as the original baked cheesecake. And you might actually end up preferring it if you are a fan of creamy and light cheesecake versus the rich, dense, and rather heavy regular cheesecake.

This no-bake cheesecake is lightly sweet and the lemon zest adds a hint of lemon flavor, which makes it perfectly refreshing!

Step-by-step recipe

For the crust, blitz graham crackers in a food processor until fine crumbs or crush using a rolling pin or glass bottle.

Mix crumbs and melted butter in a bowl until evenly moistened.

Press the crumbs firmly into bottom and up on the sides of the pan to create a thick crust, using a measuring cup or glass with flat bottom and straight sides. If you don’t care for the crust reaching up the sides, only cover the bottom (this is also way easier!). Put in the fridge while you make the filling.

For the filling, beat the heavy cream to soft peaks with a mixer (no need to clean beaters, use them for the cream cheese later).

In a bowl, add softened cream cheese and powdered sugar (sifted). Then grate the zest of ½ lemon directly into the bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice.

Beat cream cheese mixture with the mixer for about 1 minute until combined. Do not beat for too long as the filling might get more liquid.

Use a rubber spatula to gently fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture.

Scrape the cheesecake batter into the prepared crust in 2 or 3 batches to avoid creating large air pockets.

Smooth the top using a rubber spatula. Do not worry if the filling comes up higher than the crust. Cover the pan and chill for 4 hours.

Remove the ring of the pan and the parchment paper strips.

Top with fresh fruit before serving. Enjoy!

Oh, and if you are looking for a classic baked cheescake, you’ll find the recipe here.

Easy No-Bake Cheesecake

Yield: 8-inch / 20 cm springform pan

No baking, no water bath, no eggs: This cheesecake is light, airy, and creamy. It only requires 6 ingredients (including crust) and sets up beautifully in the fridge. It’s the perfect summer cake!

Recipe: Ursula | lilvienna.com

Ingredients

Crust:
• 200 g / 7 oz (about 2 cups) graham cracker crumbs
• 6 tablespoons (85 g) butter, melted
Filling:
• 18 oz (500 g) full-fat plain cream cheese, at room temperature
• 90 g (3/4 cup) powdered sugar
• 1 organic lemon
• 1 cup (240 g) heavy cream/whipping cream (35% fat)
For serving:
• Fresh fruit like raspberries, strawberries, or blueberries

Instructions

Prepare:
1. Put cream cheese (in junks or cubed) in a large bowl to soften at room temperature. Line an 8" springform pan with parchment paper. Do not forget to line the sides to remove the ring of the pan with ease after chilling.
Crust:
2. Blitz graham crackers in a food processor until fine crumbs or crush using a rolling pin or glass bottle. Mix crumbs and melted butter in a bowl until evenly moistened.
3. Press the crumbs firmly into bottom and up on the sides of the pan to create a thick crust, using a measuring cup or glass with flat bottom and straight sides. If you don’t care for the crust reaching up the sides, only cover the bottom (this is also way easier!). Put in the fridge while you make the filling.
Filling:
4. Beat the heavy cream to soft peaks with a mixer (no need to clean beaters, use them for the cream cheese later).
5. Sift powdered sugar into the bowl with the softened cream cheese. Then grate the zest of ½ lemon directly into the bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice.
6. Beat cream cheese mixture with the mixer for about 1 minute until combined. Do not beat for too long as the filling might get more liquid. Use a rubber spatula to gently fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture.
7. Scrape the cheesecake batter into the prepared crust in 2 or 3 batches to avoid creating large air pockets. Smooth the top using a rubber spatula. Do not worry if the filling comes up higher than the crust. Cover the pan and chill for 4 hours.
8. Remove the ring of the pan and the parchment paper strips. Top with fresh fruit before serving. Enjoy!

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https://www.lilvienna.com/no-bake-cheesecake/