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Best Philadelphia No Bake Cheesecake Recipe

This easy Philadelphia no-bake cheesecake is made completely from scratch! With a smooth and creamy filling and a crumbly graham cracker crust, this cool whip cheesecake is a crowd-pleasing dessert that requires no baking! All you need to do is to mix the ingredients and let the cheesecake set in the refrigerator.
Prep Time 30 minutes
Chill Time 6 hours
Servings 12

Equipment

  • 9-inch Springform Pan
  • Mixing Bowl

Ingredients

For the Graham Cracker Crust:

  • 2 cups graham cracker crumbs about 16 whole graham crackers
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter melted

For the Cheesecake:

  • 1 ¼ cups heavy cream
  • 3 packages cream cheese room temperature (8-oz each package)
  • 1/4 cup sour cream room temperature
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Optional pie filling - for topping

    Instructions

    Make the Graham Cracker Crust

    • Pulverize the graham crackers using a food processor or blender until fine.
    • Mix together graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar and melted butter. It should have the consistency of wet sand.
    • Pour into a 9-inch springform pan. Press with a water glass and up the sides with your fingers. Make sure it’s packed in very tightly, otherwise, it can fall apart when cutting the cheesecake.
    • Freeze for about 10 minutes while you prepare the filling.

    Make the Cheesecake Filling

    • In a large mixing bowl, beat the heavy cream on medium-high speed using a hand mixer until stiff peaks form, about 5 minutes.
    • In another bowl, add softened cream cheese and sugar. Beat on medium speed until completely combined and smooth.
    • Add sour cream and vanilla extract, and use a spatula to fold into the cream cheese mixture until smooth. (Make sure there are no lumps of cream cheese.)
    • Add the whipped cream into the cheesecake filling. Gently mix until combined.

    Assemble the Cheesecake

    • Take the graham cracker crust from the freezer and pour the cheesecake filling on top of the crust. Smooth the top with an offset spatula.
    • Cover with aluminum foil or plastic wrap. Place it in the refrigerator for 6 hours or up to 2 days. (I recommend letting it chill overnight for the best result.)
    • Gently remove the rim. Serve with optional toppings.

    Notes

    • Bring your cream cheese to room temperature before cooking to ensure a smooth texture.
    • Make sure to pack down your crust very tightly until it’s firm so that it doesn’t break apart when you cut the cake for serving.
    • It’s important to beat the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Otherwise, your cheesecake filling can become runny.