No Bake Cranberry Cheesecake
This No Bake Cranberry Cheesecake is rich, creamy, and loaded with sweet, tangy cranberry flavor. It’s an easy way to make the season merry and bright without adding a ton of work.
We love cheesecake any time of year, but the holiday season is where it really shines, in our opinion. Every year, we make tasty desserts like pecan pie cheesecake and Christmas cheesecake bars throughout the season to keep it merry and bright.
This year, we’ve added this no bake cranberry cheesecake. With its buttery graham-cracker crust and cranberry-sauce-swirled cheesecake filling, it’s super-festive, absolutely delicious, and so easy to make. You can’t beat that!
Table of contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Limited Ingredients: This cheesecake requires fewer than ten basic ingredients found in any kitchen or grocery store.
- So Easy: It only takes about 10 minutes of prep to make this cheesecake. The hardest part is waiting for it to chill!
- Customizable: It’s easy to change up the flavors to create a variety of no bake cheesecakes.
- Versatile: This is easy enough to be a weeknight dessert and pretty enough for any Thanksgiving or Christmas table.
Key Ingredients
We’ve made this list to help you save time on your next trip to the grocery store. You can find the full amounts needed in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Graham Cracker Crumbs: Graham cracker crumbs create a classic crust for these cheesecake.
- Cream Cheese and Homemade Whipped Cream: Cream cheese and whipped cream create a rich, luxurious cream cheese filling with a silky texture.
- Jellied Cranberry Sauce: Jellied cranberry sauce swirled into the cheesecake mixture gives it a festive color and flavor.
Variations
- Graham Crackers: You can use gingersnaps, vanilla wafers, or chocolate cookies for different crusts.
- White Sugar: Use powdered sugar for a silkier, more luxurious texture or brown sugar for a caramel note.
- Cranberry Sauce: Try whole-berry sauce for more texture in your cheesecake.
- Whipped Cream: You can use whipped topping if you prefer.
- Butter: Coconut oil or margarine can be used in place of butter for the crust.
How to Make No Bake Cranberry Cheesecake
This is a quick overview of the steps needed to make this recipe. You can find the full instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Mix the graham cracker crumbs and butter. Then, press the mixture evenly into a springform pan and chill.
- Beat the heavy whipping cream until stiff peaks form and set aside.
- Beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth and creamy. Then, fold in the whipped cream until light and fluffy.
- Spread the filling on top of the chilled crust. Then, microwave the cranberry sauce and whisk until smooth.
- Swirl the sauce into the cheesecake mixture to create a pretty look.
- Refrigerate or freeze for four hours. Garnish with whipped cream, fresh cranberries, and rosemary sprigs, and enjoy!
Expert Tips
- Use room-temperature cream cheese to avoid lumps in the filling.
- Chill your bowl and beaters to make whipped cream that holds its peaks quickly.
- Gently fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture for a light, airy filling.
- While you can serve this cheesecake after chilling for four hours, overnight is much better.
- Run a sharp knife under hot water to cut cheesecake into clean-edged slices.
No Bake Cranberry Cheesecake FAQs
Do you have questions about this recipe? Here are the answers to the most commonly asked questions.
You only need to microwave the sauce long enough to thin it out. It should not be hot when swirled into the cheesecake.
You can freeze this cheesecake for up to a month, wrapped tightly in a double layer of plastic wrap and a layer of foil.
If you don’t fully soften your cream cheese, you could end up with little bits of raw cream cheese in the batter, creating a grainy texture. In addition, if you freeze the cheesecake for longer than a month, water crystals will accumulate, making the texture grainy.
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📖Recipe
Want to make this recipe? Print the recipe card below, or pin this recipe, so you can find it later.
No Bake Cranberry Cheesecake
Equipment
- medium bowl
- 8 inch springform pan
- large mixing bowl
- Electric mixer
- large bowl
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs
- ⅓ cup butter melted
- 32 ounces cream cheese softened to room temperature
- ½ cup white sugar
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- ⅔ cup jellied cranberry sauce
- Whipped cream fresh cranberries, rosemary for garnish
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs with melted butter until evenly moistened.
- Press mixture firmly into the bottom of an 8-inch springform pan. Refrigerate while you prepare the filling.
- In a large chilled bowl, beat the heavy whipping cream until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
- In another mixing bowl, beat softened cream cheese with sugar until smooth and creamy.
- Gently fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture until light and fluffy.
- Spread the cheesecake filling evenly over the chilled crust.
- In a microwave safe bowl in 30 second intervals warm the cranberry sauce and whisk until smooth.
- Place spoonfuls of cranberry sauce all over the top of the cheesecake and use a knife to swirl the cranberry sauce all in the cheesecake mix.
- Refrigerate for 4 hours or freeze for 4 hours.
- Garnish with dollops of whipped cream, fresh cranberries, and rosemary sprigs before serving.
Notes
- Use room temperature cream cheese: Cold cream cheese won’t blend smoothly and can leave lumps in the filling.
- Chill the bowl and beaters: Cold equipment helps the heavy cream whip faster and hold stiff peaks.
- Don’t overmix the whipped cream: Fold gently into the cream cheese mixture to keep the filling light and airy.
- Warm the cranberry sauce slightly: This makes it easier to whisk smooth and swirl into the cheesecake.
- Chill or freeze fully: A minimum of 4 hours is needed to set, but overnight in the fridge gives the best texture.
- Slice neatly: Run a sharp knife under hot water, wipe dry, then slice for clean edges.
Disclaimer
Any nutritional data I provide is an approximation and actual dietary information can vary based on ingredients and proportion sizes.
