No Bake Cherry Cheesecake with Cool Whip

This creamy no-bake cherry cheesecake is made with a smooth cream cheese filling, fluffy Cool Whip, and a buttery graham cracker crust. It's the kind of homemade dessert that looks fancy but comes together fast with simple ingredients. You'll love how easy it is to make ahead for holidays, cookouts, or family dinners. Pin it now so you'll always have this light, sweet cheesecake ready to share!

Pin

Why this is the best No-Bake Cherry Cheesecake recipe

This decadent dessert is delicious! Everyone loves cheesecake, and having a recipe that is extremely easy AND delicious will delight both kids and adults alike.

This is an easy dessert. Using just a few ingredients makes this no-bake cheesecake quick and simple. Just mix up the creamy filling, pour it into the crust, top with cherry pie filling, and chill. Can't get much easier than that!

Pin

The ingredients for this easy recipe are common. You probably have most of the simple ingredients already in your pantry. Anything you don't have will be found in almost any grocery store.

It's an irresistible flavor combination! The combination of creamy cheesecake, sweet cherry filling, smooth Cool Whip, and a crunchy graham cracker crust makes this simple dessert a perfect crowd-pleaser.

This no-bake cheesecake is a real treat! This no-bake cheesecake is made with the most delicious flavors that come together to make a delightfully creamy cheesecake.

Pin

What you'll need to make a no-bake cherry cheesecake

Equipment

• Electric mixer - A hand mixer breaks down the cream cheese, making it light and lump-free, more easily than a whisk and elbow grease.
• Citrus juicer - I recommend always using a citrus juicer because it gets the maximum amount of juice out of any lemon or lime. If you do not have a citrus juicer, you can roll the lemon on the counter, then cut it in half, and squeeze it over a strainer to catch seeds.

Ingredients  

Pin

See the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page for all measurements and nutritional information.

• Cream cheese - Always use full-fat cream cheese to make a cheesecake. You will be sorry and sad if you attempt to use a low fat version. The cream cheese must be softened to room temperature or slightly warmer.
• Cool Whip - You can use regular Cool Whip or Cool Whip Light, and the store brand works as well as the name. It needs to be cold but thawed. You can't fold frozen Cool Whip into the cheesecake filling.
• Lemon juice - I recommend always using fresh lemon juice because the stuff in a jar does not taste even remotely similar. You need fresh lemon juice in this recipe.
• Powdered sugar - This sweetens the no-bake filling while keeping it smooth and creamy. If you use regular white sugar, your cheesecake filling will be grainy.
• Prepared pie crust - You can bake a crust (from scratch or store-bought) or use a prepared graham cracker crust (again, from scratch or store-bought). An Oreo crust is also great for this recipe. Check out the Oreo crust in this baked cheesecake recipe.
• Cherry pie filling - This will work best if it is chilled before using it in the recipe.

How to make the best no-bake cherry cheesecake recipe

1. In a large mixing bowl, whip the softened full-fat cream cheese (at room temperature) and Cool Whip together until smooth with an electric mixer. Make sure the cream cheese is softened before mixing or it will not mix smoothly and you will get big cream cheese lumps.
   Pin
2. Add lemon juice. Add powdered sugar to the Cool Whip mixture a little at a time. Continue to beat until all powdered sugar is incorporated, and cheesecake mixture is creamy.
   Pin
3. Pour the cheesecake filling into the pie crust, spread it out evenly, and chill at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.
   Pin
   
4. Top with chilled cherry pie filling and return to the refrigerator.
   Pin
5. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.
   Pin

Substitutions & variations

This no-bake cheesecake can be topped with any flavor pie filling if cherry is not a favorite.

You can mix melted chocolate into the cheesecake filling (make sure it's not so hot that it melts the Cool Whip).

You can add crushed graham crackers to the cream cheese filling.

You can add a thin layer of crushed pineapple before the cherry pie filling. (Cherry pineapple is a wonderful combination, as in this cherry pineapple dump cake.)

You can stir a teaspoon of almond extract into the cheesecake filling or the cherry pie filling. then sprinkle the top with toasted almonds.

You can replace the cherry pie filling with fresh berries: raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, or any fresh fruit.

This recipe is versatile; add any texture you'd like!

Pin

You can create small cheesecake jars with graham cracker crumbs, cheesecake filling, and cherry pie filling on top, all in a 4-ounce mason jar. Or make it in an 8x8-inch pan and cut it into squares. It's such an easy and versatile dessert recipe!

And of course, don't forget the crust! You can use a store-bought or homemade crust, and you can do a pastry crust, a graham cracker crust, or an Oreo crust.

Pin

Storing leftovers

Make sure you cover the pan tightly.

Leftovers must be refrigerated in an airtight container and will last 4-5 days.

To freeze a whole cheesecake: chill it for a few hours so it's firm. Wrap in plastic wrap and then in aluminum foil. Freeze up to 2 months.

Thawing from freezer: transfer to fridge and let it thaw overnight. Add a fresh layer of cherry topping before serving if it looks a bit runny after thawing.

Check out more delicious cheesecake recipes.

• Fruity Pebbles Cheesecake - This one is no-bake.
• Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream
• Cherry Cheesecake Brownies - The brownie is baked, but the cheesecake layer is no-bake.
• Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake - This is my favorite, with a layer of cherry pie filling baked into the center of the cheesecake!
• Chocolate Peppermint Cheesecake
• Candy Cane Kisses Cheesecake - There is white chocolate but no brown chocolate in this one.
• Chocolate Orange Cheesecake
• S'mores Cheesecake - Topped with toasted marshmallows!

Recipe