You won't find an easier cheesecake recipe! This single serving no-bake cheesecake comes complete with a buttery graham cracker crust. It's creamy, it's delicious and so easy to make. Satisfy a sweet craving with this delightful dessert recipe.
This no-bake cheesecake is as simple as it gets. The filling is refreshing, tart, and perfectly sweet.
Why This Recipe Works
- Made with just a few simple ingredients: This creamy cheesecake is a quick and easy dessert recipe. All you need are a few simple ingredients and a short time in the fridge.
- There's no baking involved: The ingredients are whipped together and refrigerated. No-bake cheesecakes are different than traditional cheesecakes, they have more of a light and airy, mousse-like consistency rather than a dense, custard-like filling.
- You can adjust the sweetness level in this dessert: I use 2 tablespoons of sugar but you can add a little more or use a little less sugar if preferred.
- This recipe doubles well: If you want to make two mini cheesecakes, just double the ingredients.
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
To make a single serving no-bake cheesecake, you will need:
- Graham crackers: Graham crackers are sweet whole wheat cookies made from graham flour. They are commonly found in the US in the cookie aisle of the grocery store. You can also use ginger snaps or vanilla wafers. In the UK, you can use digestive biscuits and in Australia, Arnott’s Granita biscuit is a good substitute.
- Butter: Use melted butter. The butter is mixed with the cookie crumbs to create the cheesecake crust.
- Cream cheese: Use room temperature cream cheese from a block of real cream cheese, not cream cheese spread or whipped cream cheese. Just leave the cream cheese on the counter for 30 minutes and it should be soft enough to use.
- Sugar: Use granulated sugar in this recipe. Feel free to adjust the amount you use to suit your tastes. I happen to love the taste of this cheesecake with the amount of sugar listed in the recipe but use a touch more or a little less if you prefer.
- Vanilla extract: Adds a wonderful flavor.
- Heavy cream: Also called double cream, this is the "secret" ingredient to a thick no-bake cheesecake filling. Make sure you beat the cream into stiff peaks. This will take 2-3 minutes of whipping with an electric hand mixer.
See below for ways to use leftover ingredients.
How To Make No Bake Cheesecake For One
See the recipe box below for ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions.
- Place 2 sheets of graham crackers in a ziplock bag, seal, and roll with a rolling pin or heavy can to crush. This yields about ¼ cup of crushed graham crackers. Alternatively, you can add the cookies to a food processor and pulse until the cookies turn to crumbs.
- Pour the cookie crumbs into a small bowl and stir in the melted butter.
- Spoon crumbs into a dessert dish and press down with the back of a spoon. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, mix together the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla.
- Pour the heavy cream into a medium-sized bowl. With an electric mixer on medium speed or using a hand whisk, whisk until stiff peaks form, about 2 minutes.
- Fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture.
- Spoon over the graham cracker crust and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes before eating.
Pro Tip: For a much firmer cheesecake filling, refrigerate for about 6 hours.
RELATED: The Best Cookie Recipes For One
Expert Tips
Make Ahead Instructions
- You can make the crust 1-2 days ahead of time. Cover tightly and store in the refrigerator.
Storing Instructions
- Store a no-bake cheesecake in the refrigerator. It will keep well for up to 5 days, covered.
No Bake Cheesecake Tips
- Bring the cream cheese to room temperature before using. This helps to guarantee a smooth cheesecake filling.
- The heavy cream MUST be cold in order to whip into stiff peaks.
- This recipe works great with your favorite graham crackers, but you might like to consider using ginger snaps or Biscoff cookies instead.
- You can certainly enjoy this cheesecake right after you make it. However, if you refrigerate the cheesecake for a few hours you'll end up with a firmer, yet still mousse-like consistency.
- Consider making a crustless cheesecake by leaving out the crust and spooning the cheesecake mousse into a pretty dessert dish.
Frequently Asked Questions
To get cheesecake filling to firm up, it needs to be refrigerated for a minimum of 6 hours. It will not be as firm as a cheesecake that has been baked in an oven.
You can certainly eat a no bake cheesecake shortly after it's made - and it's absolutely delicious this way - but it will have more of a mousse-like consistency.
Also, beat cold heavy cream into stiff peaks. Be sure to fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese filling gently so that the cream doesn't deflate. The filling will thicken in the refrigerator.
Yes! If you'd like to make two small cheesecakes, double the ingredients.
The dishes I most often use in this recipe are mini pie/tart pans, an 8.5-ounce, a 10-ounce ramekin, or a pretty dessert dish. These dishes can be found on our Cookware Page and our Bakeware Page.
Ways To Use Leftover Ingredients
If you have any ingredients leftover from this individual no bake cheesecake recipe, you might like to consider using them in any of these single serving and small batch recipes.
- Graham crackers: Icebox Cake, Peanut Butter Pie, Lemon Meringue Pie, Key Lime Pie, Mini S'mores Dip
- Cream cheese: Pumpkin Bars, Keto Fat Bombs, Mini Carrot Cake, Hummingbird Cake, Mini Red Velvet Cake
- Heavy Cream: Blue Cheese Dressing, Alfredo Sauce, Crustless Quiche Lorraine, Two Ingredient Chocolate Mousse, Mini French Silk Pie
Other No Bake Cheesecake Recipes
You might also like to try these single serving cheesecake recipes:
A word about calories...
The nutrition information calculated in the recipe box is an estimate based on an online nutrition calculator.
Keep in mind that this recipe yields one VERY LARGE serving of cheesecake. It is not a typical slice. The cheesecake can be enjoyed in one sitting or over a couple of days.
The majority of the calories come from the cream cheese and the heavy cream - two ingredients that are essential to making a no-bake cheesecake.
For more information on the cooking and baking dishes I use in our “recipes for one”, please visit our FAQ page.
For examples of the dishes used at One Dish Kitchen, please visit our Store page.
RELATED: Easy Slow Cooker Recipes For One
If you’ve tried this no bake cheesecake recipe or any recipe on One Dish Kitchen please let me know how you liked it by rating the recipe and telling me about it in the comment section below.
If you take a picture please tag us on Instagram (@onedishkitchen) we’d love to see it!
No Bake Cheesecake For One
See the post above for expert tips,
FAQs and ways to use leftover ingredients.
Equipment
- Dessert dish
Ingredients
- ¼ cup graham cracker crumbs (2 large sheets of graham crackers)
- 1 tablespoon salted butter , melted
- 2 ounces cream cheese , softened
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 ounces heavy cream
Instructions
- Place 2 sheets of graham crackers in a ziplock bag, seal, and roll with a rolling pin or heavy can to crush. This yields about ¼ cup of crushed graham crackers. Alternatively, you can add the cookies to a food processor and pulse until the cookies turn to crumbs.
- Pour the cookie crumbs into a small bowl and stir in the melted butter.
- Spoon crumbs into a dessert dish and press down with the back of a spoon. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, mix together the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla.
- Pour the heavy cream into a medium-sized bowl. With an electric mixer on medium speed or using a hand whisk, whisk until stiff peaks form, about 2 minutes.
- Fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture.
- Spoon over the graham cracker crust and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes before eating.Pro Tip: For a much firmer cheesecake filling, refrigerate for about 6 hours.
Notes
- This cheesecake can be made 1-2 days in advance. It can be refrigerated for up to 2 days before eating.
- You can make the crust 1-2 days ahead of time. Cover tightly and store in the refrigerator.
- Store a no-bake cheesecake in the refrigerator. It will keep well for up to 5 days, covered.
- Bring the cream cheese to room temperature before using. This helps to guarantee a smooth cheesecake filling.
- The heavy cream MUST be cold in order to whip into stiff peaks.
- This recipe works great with your favorite graham crackers, but you might like to consider using ginger snaps or Biscof cookies instead.
- You can certainly enjoy this cheesecake right after you make it. However, if you refrigerate the cheesecake for a few hours you'll end up with a firmer, yet still mousse-like consistency.
- Consider making a crustless cheesecake by leaving out the crust and spooning the cheesecake mousse into a pretty dessert dish.
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
J. Hegyi says
Great recipe.
Libby Cummings says
My creme cheese is already too sweet. Do I need to add more sugar? I'm using Pillsbury brand
Joanie Zisk says
Hi Libby, Are you using Pillsbury cream cheese "frosting"? Cream cheese should not be sweet at all and I wasn't aware that Pillsbury had a cream cheese product.