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The Best No Bake Cheesecake

AmericanDessertMedium
Prep
30 min
Cook
13 min
Total
1483 min
Serves
12
✦

Ingredients

crust

  • 12whole graham crackers, crushed with rolling pin or processed to crumbs in food processor (about 1 1/2 cups)
  • 1 tbspsugar
  • 6 tbspunsalted butter, melted

filling

  • 1 cupheavy cream, divided
  • 1 envelopeunflavored gelatin (about 2 1/2 teaspoons)
  • 0.6666666666666666 cupsugar
  • 1 lbcream cheese (2 8-oz. containers), cut into 1-inch chunks and softened 45 minutes to an hour at room temperature
  • 1.5 tbsplemon juice from fresh lemon
  • 1 tsplemon zest
  • 1.25 tspvanilla extract
  • pinchsalt

Method

  1. 1For the crust: The crust may be frozen or pre-baked. (See notes for author's preference.) If baking your crust, preheat oven to 325F degrees and adjust oven rack to middle position. Stir graham cracker crumbs and sugar together in medium bowl, then add butter and stir well with fork until mixture resembles wet sand. Transfer crumbs to 9-inch springform pan and use your hand or a glass to firmly press the crumbs into an even layer on the bottom and slightly up the sides.
  2. 2For frozen crust: Place pan in freezer for 30 minutes. For baked crust: Bake for 13 minutes or until edges just start to turn golden. Cool completely on wire rack.
  3. 3[Filling preparation and assembly instructions — steps not captured in binder pages; see source URL for complete method. General approach per the author's tips: bloom gelatin in 1/4 cup cream (microwave briefly) and cool; beat softened cream cheese with sugar until smooth; mix in lemon juice, zest, vanilla, salt; gradually whip in remaining cream and cooled gelatin mixture; spread into prepared crust.]
  4. 4Chill the cheesecake in the refrigerator for a full 24 hours before serving. The cheesecake will be firm enough to serve after 6 hours but will only taste 'okay' — it gets better with time. It keeps for up to one week in the refrigerator wrapped in plastic. Do not freeze — the gelatin does not take well to freezing.

Notes

INCOMPLETE — filling preparation steps are missing from the binder pages captured in this batch. Only the crust instructions and the author's tips section are present. The full method is available at the source URL. Recipe is an original by the author but tested and adapted after making recipes from Cook's Country, Martha Stewart Living, Food Network and others. AUTHOR'S TIPS: (1) Sweetened condensed milk vs. whipped cream — tested a recipe using sweetened condensed milk from a largely famous Hollywood-type expert and it was a major fail; preferred gelatin version. (2) Gelatin (or agar-agar for vegetarians) adds firmness and better texture; tested with and without, preferred with gelatin. (3) Freezing vs. baking the crust — frozen crust turned out soft and a little too soft; baking the crust for 13 minutes with a tablespoon of sugar turned out a crust that hardened enough and the sugar/crackers bake together, providing a barrier from the filling and keeping the crust just right. (4) Use good quality, full-fat cream cheese; if lactose intolerant, try Green Organics Lactose-free cream cheese. (5) If you want cheesecake more tart, add 2 full tablespoons of lemon juice rather than 1 1/2. (6) If still have tiny lumps after mixing, press filling through a sieve strainer with rubber spatula. (7) PLEASE use good quality full-fat cream cheese; reduced fat will work but not taste as luxurious. Soften at room temperature rather than microwave. (8) Make sure the gelatin-whipping cream mixture is cooled before adding or cream cheese will separate and look like cottage cheese cake. (9) The cheesecake will be firm enough to serve after 6 hours but tastes 'okay'; make a full 24 hours before serving — loved it after 2 days. (10) Keeps up to one week in fridge wrapped in plastic; do not freeze.