Description
A delightful no bake cherry cheesecake featuring a fluffy cream cheese filling, vibrant cherry topping, and crunchy graham cracker crust—perfect for summer or anytime you want a cool, easy dessert.
Ingredients
- 2 cups cherries (fresh or frozen), pitted and halved
- ½ cup water
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- ¾ cup powdered sugar, divided
- 8 ounces cream cheese (1 block), room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 5 full‑sized graham crackers, crushed
Instructions
- Wash, pit, and halve the cherries. Combine water and lemon juice in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk together sugar and cornstarch, stir into the liquid, and cook for 1–2 minutes. Add cherries and continue cooking until thickened. Cool completely.
- Chill the mixing bowl and beaters for 5–10 minutes. Whip cream until it begins to thicken, gradually add ¼ cup powdered sugar, and beat to stiff peaks. Refrigerate.
- In the same bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add the remaining ½ cup powdered sugar and vanilla, mixing until creamy. Fold in the whipped cream until fully combined.
- Spoon graham cracker crumbs into each jar or dish. Add a layer of cheesecake mixture, then a layer of cooled cherry filling. Repeat with cheesecake and top with cherry filling and more crumbs before serving. Chill up to 4 hours or serve immediately.
Notes
- Add citrus zest to the cheesecake for a fresh flavor twist.
- Swap graham crackers with crushed Oreos or Biscoff for a different crust.
- Store components separately for best texture.
- Best served chilled; not suitable for freezing.
- Easily scalable for larger servings or a trifle format.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 jar (approx. 1/4 of recipe)
- Calories: 370
- Sugar: 28g
- Sodium: 160mg
- Fat: 24g
- Saturated Fat: 15g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 36g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 4g
- Cholesterol: 65mg
