- Prep time25 mins + overnight chill
- Cook time0 mins
- Servings10
- DifficultyEasy
- CategoryContinental
No-bake cheesecake trades the oven for the fridge and a little gelatin-free ingenuity: the structure comes from whipped cream folded into sweetened cream cheese, which sets firm enough to slice cleanly after an overnight chill. The base is a classic biscuit crumb pressed firmly — pack it tight or it crumbles when sliced. Lemon juice is the quiet hero, cutting the richness so the whole slice disappears.
Ingredients
- For the base: 250 g (about 2 1/2 cups) digestive biscuits, crushed fine, 100 g (7 tbsp) butter, melted, 1 tbsp sugar
- For the filling: 600 g (21 oz) full-fat cream cheese, at room temperature, 3/4 cup (150 g) sugar, 300 ml (1 1/4 cups) heavy cream, cold, 2 tbsp lemon juice, 2 tsp vanilla extract, a pinch of salt
- Cherry compote or fresh berries, to serve
Method
- Mix the biscuit crumbs, melted butter and sugar. Press very firmly and evenly into the base of a 9-inch springform pan. Chill 30 minutes.
- Beat the cream cheese and sugar until completely smooth — no lumps, or the texture suffers.
- Add the lemon juice, vanilla and salt; beat to combine.
- Whip the cold cream to firm peaks. Fold it into the cream cheese mixture in two additions, keeping as much air as possible.
- Spread over the chilled base, smooth the top, and refrigerate at least 8 hours, preferably overnight.
- Run a thin knife around the edge before releasing the pan. Slice with a hot, dry knife and serve with compote.
Tips for success
- Room-temperature cream cheese is essential — cold cream cheese means lumps forever.
- Press the base with the bottom of a glass for an even, compact crust.
- Overnight chill beats 4 hours; the slice sets cleaner and the flavor deepens.
Watch video tutorial
Prefer to watch it being made? This from Divas Can Cook walkthrough covers the same no-bake cheesecake step by step — the spoken narration doubles as an audio tutorial.