No bake and no cook desserts are always on demand during the summer months. This easy No Bake Chocolate Cheesecake will be your new best friend for bringing to parties and BBQs! Sure to please the chocolate lover(s) in your life.
No Bake Cheesecake Recipes
Quick cream cheese desserts are always a winner. Which is funny, because cream cheese it typically thought of as a savory ingredient instead of sweet.
I won’t sit here and tell you it tastes just like a rich New York style cheesecake. It doesn’t and there is no way it possible could. But I might like this version better, at least for the summer months.
It isn’t as dense as traditional cheesecake. Light and whipped, it is the perfect dessert on a hot day. It does need to stay chilled, so keep that in mind when toting it around.
Why You’ll Love This No Bake Chocolate Cheesecake
A quick whipped cream cheese base blended with semisweet chocolate and spread in a premade graham cracker crust makes for a super simple and super tasty no-bake treat- what’s not to love?
- Quick and easy – With only 20 minutes of hand on time, you can have this easy dessert ready in no time at all!
- Simple ingredients – With less than 10 ingredients (only 6 to be exact) your grocery list will be short while your tummy is full.
- Easily customized – This recipe is pretty basic, allowing room for you to totally transform it into your dream easy chocolate cheesecake recipe.
Ingredients
With just a handful of basic ingredients, you’ll have a super easy dessert that’s worthy of any special occasion.
- Graham cracker pie crust – You can either buy this pre-made, or combine graham cracker crumbs and melted butter in food processor to make your own.
- Cream cheese – Make sure the cream cheese that you’re working with is room temperature. The brand of cream cheese I like to use is Philadelphia. Full fat gives the most luxurious texture. Lower fat cream cheese doesn’t have as much body.
- Vanilla – Because the rest of the ingredients are so simple, I like to use a good quality vanilla extract that you can really taste.
- Semi-sweet chocolate – You can either use chocolate chips here, or a chocolate bar broken into pieces. Either will work perfectly.
- Butter – When melted butter is mixed with chocolate, it makes a super smooth mixture that is perfect for blending into a cheesecake batter. I do use salted for this recipe since none of the other ingredients contain salt, I don’t need to worry as much about controlling the saltiness.
- Powdered sugar – We need an element of sweet (besides the chocolate) and the fine consistency of powdered sugar is perfect!
How to Make No Bake Chocolate Cheesecake Pie
You are going to love how easy it is to make this rich chocolate cheesecake.
- Beat cream cheese and vanilla. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add vanilla, continue mixing.
- Melt butter and chocolate. Place unsalted butter and semi-sweet chocolate in a microwave safe dish. Heat on high and stir.
- Combine chocolate with cream cheese. When fully melted and smooth, immediately combine with cream cheese mixture, mixing well.
- Mix in powdered sugar. Add powdered sugar, fully incorporating.
- Spread into crust and chill. Evenly spread into the bottom of the graham cracker crust. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Slice and serve. Serve with whipped cream and vanilla bean ice cream.
Variations
There are plenty of ways you can make this no bake chocolate cheesecake recipe your own.
- Crust – Instead of using graham crackers to make a crust, try something different. Use oreo cookie crumbs to make an oreo cookie crust for the ultimate chocolate lovers dream.
- Filling – Add some cocoa powder into the filling. This will make for a much more rick chocolate cheesecake. You could add espresso powder for an even richer flavor.
- Toppings – I like to top mine with whipped cream, but you can certainly use anything you’d like to. Suggestions include: Cool Whip, chopped chocolate (such as milk chocolate,) chocolate ganache, raspberry sauce or any type of berries or fruit.
- White chocolate pie – Just substitute white chocolate for regular chocolate, but keep in mind that white chocolate isn’t the same texture as regular chocolate. It is actually a derivative of cocoa butter. It is still tasty though and makes for a very stunning pie.
Storage, Make Ahead and Freezing
Storage: Regardless of whether it is a traditionally baked cheesecake or a no-bake cheesecake, you shouldn’t leave it out for more than 2 hours. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Make ahead: You can also make this ahead of time. In fact, you should be making it at least a few hours ahead of time so it has time to chill. Since this is a no-bake cheesecake recipe, it doesn’t require cooking or cooling time, but chilling is necessary to get the right texture.
Freezing: Technically you can, but since it isn’t the same as a baked cheesecake, it will thaw to a slightly different consistency and it isn’t my favorite so I recommend not freezing. It only takes a few minutes to make a fresh one!
Frequently Asked Questions
You can add dark chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, peanut butter chips or even cherry chips! Only about 1/2 cup should do the trick, but you can also sprinkle more on the top.
The cheesecake filling is gluten free, but the crust is not. If you want to use a gluten free crust, then it will be! Always check your individual ingredients for gluten, as brands may vary.
Don’t be surprised if it doesn’t have the texture of a traditional cheesecake. It won’t. It will be more like a velvety cream cheese, but light and fluffy. If you made it correctly, it is set.
You can, but it changes the texture. It will be a little dry and crumbly. It really depends what recipe you plan to use it in as to whether you can use frozen cream cheese.
More No Bake Desserts
- Classic No-Bake Cookies
- No-Bake Strawberry Chocolate Cake
- Pistachio Icebox Cake
- Balsamic Strawberry Parfaits
- No Bake Peanut Butter Pie
- Chocolate Cheesecake Dip
- No Bake Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip
No-Bake Chocolate Cheesecake
Equipment
Ingredients
- 10 ounces cream cheese , room temperture, full fat preferred
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate , broken into pieces
- 1 tablespoon salted butter
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 8 inch graham cracker pie crust
- Whipped Cream optional for garnish and serving
- Vanilla Bean Ice Cream optional for garnish and serving
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or in a medium mixing bowl with an electric hand mixer, beat the cream cheese until light and fluffy, approximately 3-4 minutes. Add the vanilla, continue mixing. Set aside.
- Place the butter and chocolate in a microwave safe dish. Microwave on high for 30 seconds, stir. If it is not fully melted, heat at additional 15 second increments, stirring between each.
- When the chocolate mixture is fully melted and smooth, immediately combine with the cream cheese mixture, mixing well until no streaks remain.
- Blend in the powdered sugar until just mixed.
- Evenly spread the cheesecake mixture into the graham cracker crust. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Serve with whipped cream and vanilla bean ice cream.
- If you've tried this recipe, come back and let us know how it was in the comments or star ratings.
Video
Nutrition
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This is great. So easy
This recipe is easy to follow and I already had all the ingredients in my pantry. The filling is creamier than other cheesecakes I make. My mother freezes cream cheese but I do not. We have had the debate over the consistency of thawed-out cream cheese for years. So, I was happy to read your tip about frozen cream cheese and show her that others agree with me! Thanks so much for the recipe!
Glad it worked so well for you!!! It is one of our favorites too 🙂
Loved it! Not exactly like a baked cheesecake, but light and fluffy, which was actually better for the hot summer weather. Making it again for a pool party next week. Thanks!
Can this recipe be made with milk chocolate? I only have milk chocolate chips, how many lb of chocolate chips would you recommend?
Sure! Four ounces would be 1/4 pounds.
What a pie! Perfect for the chocaholic like ME! 😀
Oh, you just can’t go wrong with chocolate … or cheesecake … or no-bake. And you’ve got all THREE in this one delicious dessert! I call that a major win. 🙂
Tracey @ The Kitchen is My Playground
This looks fabulous! Love a creamy, chocolaty, cheesecake, dessert! YUM!
I love that it’s a fuss-free dessert and so delightfully chocolaty!!!
I love how easy this looks, great summer dessert!!
My whole family LOVES chocolate and this is a perfect no-bake dessert to serve – any day of the week and any time of the year!
You photo shows 3 forks….. I am inclined just to serve this with ONE fork…. yep…. this is definitely not one for sharing cos I would easily eat the whole pie! Looks absolutely delicious Jessica!