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This no bake cherry cheesecake is such an easy and amazing no bake dessert. The combination of a graham cracker crust with creamy cheesecake filling, and topped with cherry pie filling makes this classic dessert irresistible!
No Bake Cherry Cheesecake
I love this recipe! People think cheesecake is hard to make, but this version couldn’t be easier and it’s foolproof! Just a few simple ingredients like cream cheese and whipped topping make the most incredible cheesecake layer.
Top it with cherry pie filling and it’s the best cheesecake dessert!
I make this for my own family and small family gatherings. If you have a large family at holidays or celebrations you might want to make two! It goes fast!
It’s a great potluck recipe too because it’s in an easy portable disk and is cut in bar shapes.
Cheesecake Ingredients
For the crust:
- graham crackers – you’ll need a sleeve, about 9
- sugar – only 2 tablespoons, but this is what helps glue the crust in place
- salt – helps counter the sweetness
- butter – use unsalted. It’s melted and creates a glue for the graham crackers
For the cheesecake layer:
- cream cheese – use two whole blocks of softened cheese
- powdered sugar – this adds sweetness without the graininess of granulated sugar
- whipped topping – one container of frozen whipped topping like Cool Whip, thawed
- vanilla – adds tons of flavor
- lemon juice – use a teaspoon of fresh lemon juice
- cherry pie filling – one can.
How to Make No Bake Cherry Cheesecake
Line an 8×8 baking dish with parchment paper, letting the parchment fold over two sides of the dish. This will allow you to pull the cheesecake out of the pan later.
In food processor, pulse graham crackers until they are small crumbles. If you don’t have a food processor, put the crackers in a zip top back and hit them with a mallet or other kitchen object.
In medium-sized mixing bowl, place graham cracker crumbs, sugar, salt, and melted butter and mix to combine.
Press graham graham mixture into bottom of the baking dish, pressing until firm. Place in refrigerator to chill while you make the cheesecake filling.
With electric mixer beat cream cheese until soft, mix in powdered sugar, vanilla, and lemon. Stir until smooth.
Fold in Cool Whip until combined and smooth.
Pour cheesecake mixture on top of graham cracker crust. Cover and chill in refrigerator for 4-6 hours or overnight.
Top with cherry pie filling before serving.
Can You Freeze No Bake Cheesecake?
Yes, you can freeze this dessert, although to be honest I don’t think it will last long enough for you to need to freeze it. It will hold up in the refrigerator for nearly a week. If you still have some left and want to freeze it, just cover the completely chilled dish with plastic wrap and freeze.
Remove from freezer and let thaw in the refrigerator.
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Ingredients
For the crust:
- 9 graham crackers 1 sleeve
- 2 Tbsp. sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 stick butter unsalted, melted
For the cheesecake:
- 2 blocks 8 oz. each cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 8 oz. container Cool Whip
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice fresh
- 1, 21 oz. can cherry pie filling
Instructions
- Line an 8×8 baking dish with parchment paper, letting the parchment fold over two sides of the dish. This will allow you to pull the cheesecake out of the pan later.
- In food processor, pulse graham crackers until they are small crumbles. If you don’t have a food processor, put the crackers in a zip top back and hit them with a mallet or other kitchen object.
- In medium-sized mixing bowl, place graham cracker crumbs, sugar, salt, and melted butter and mix to combine.
- Press graham graham mixture into bottom of the baking dish, pressing until firm. Place in refrigerator to chill while you make the cheesecake filling.
- With electric mixer beat cream cheese until soft, mix in powdered sugar, vanilla, and lemon. Stir until smooth.
- Fold in Cool Whip until combined and smooth.
- Pour cheesecake mixture on top of graham cracker crust. Smooth out with spatula. Cover and chill in refrigerator for 4-6 hours or overnight.
- Top with cherry pie filling before serving.
Nutrition
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Kim says
Hey there! This is a great recipe, except in the recipe listing it says 1/4 cup of salt. I think you mean teaspoon. Just wanted to let you know. Thanks!!
Alicia at BalancingMotherhood.com says
Thanks. The recipe has been updated.
Deb says
Do you realize this recipe calls for 1/4cup salt instead of 1/4 tsp?☃️
Alicia at BalancingMotherhood.com says
We’ve updated the recipe to say 1/4 teaspoon. Thanks for pointing that out.
Amanda says
Way too much salt. Triple checked to see if I was reading incorrectly.
Alicia at BalancingMotherhood.com says
The recipe calls for 1/4 teaspoon salt. It’s been updated to reflect that.
Jeanne says
This cheesecake is delicious, & you can make it in 10 minutes. I didn’t have cherry filling, so I used strawberry filing. It was still delicious!!! Thank you for sharing!
Kathy says
I made this for the first time yesterday, it was good. However the cool whip over powered the cream cheese flavor. I will make this again but use less Cool Whip.
Danet Trivette says
I made this in two Graham Cracker pie shells, doubled recipe. It is absolutely delicious. I’ve sharing the recipe.
Alicia at BalancingMotherhood.com says
Thanks for the sweet comment. So glad you like it!