This super easy No Bake Easter Cheesecake is rich, dense, creamy, and smooth! Perfect for your Easter celebration or any occasion your sweet tooth desires!
Super Cute No-Baked Cheesecake
I am so happy to share the recipe with you!!
I don’t mean to brag or anything, but this No-Bake Easter Cheesecake is A.M.A.Z.I.N.G, and the best part is that it’s super easy to make. Totally stress-free.
Honestly, I think that this Easter version is the cutest cheesecake ever. Well, I may be biased here because cheesecake is my favorite dessert, but who can blame me, right?
You’ll love this No-Bake Easter Cheesecake as it’s rich, dense, creamy, and smooth! It’s cheesecake perfection in every sense of the word.
If you prefer the traditional baked cheesecake, check out my Best Eggless Cheesecake [Video].
Keeping This Easter Cheesecake Eggless
I used NILLA Wafer to make the crust. These round, thin, light wafers are perfect to create a yummy crust, and just because the crust is my children’s favorite part, I made it double thick. Yes, you hear me… double! YUM.
To make this cheesecake totally eggless, use NILLA Wafer Reduced Fat. This version does not contain eggs. It worked great. But if you can find them or prefer a homemade version, check out my Eggless Vanilla Wafers (Egg-Free Nilla Wafers) recipe.
You can also use a homemade or store-bought graham cracker crust. Check out my How to Make Easy Graham Cracker Crust post.
Eggless No-Bake Easter Cheesecake Ingredients
Amounts are included in the printable recipe below (scroll down). You’ll need:
For The Wafer Crust:
- Wafer crumbs – I use Nilla Wafer Reduced Fat. The regular Nilla Wafer has eggs.
- Butter
- Sugar – Regular white sugar, also known as caster sugar.
For The Eggless Cheesecake Filling:
- Fresh lemon juice – While it may be tempting to use bottled lemon juice, fresh lemon juice yields the best results. Your cheesecake will taste brighter and fresher.
- Knox Original Gelatine Unflavored –
- Cream cheese — Please use full-fat cream cheese, or the cheesecake won’t set properly.
- Sweetened condensed milk – Please use the full-fat cream version, or the cheesecake won’t set properly.
- Pure Vanilla Extract: Reach for pure vanilla instead of imitation for optimal flavor. Even better, try homemade vanilla extract!
- Gel food coloring – AmeriColor is the brand the one I use.
To Decorate (Optional):
- Whipped cream
- Sprinkles
Step By Step Recipe Photo Tutorial
Detailed instructions are included in the printable recipe below (scroll down).
1 – Prepare the Crust
- Mix vanilla wafer crumbs, butter, and sugar in a medium bowl until well blended. Press evenly into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan. Chill the crust in the freezer for at least 10 minutes.
2 – Make the Cheesecake Batter
Mix the lemon juice and gelatine and let sit for 5 minutes. Beat the cream cheese until smooth, creamy, and free of lumps. Add in the condensed milk a little at a time, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl occasionally. Add in the lemon juice/gelatine mixture and vanilla.
3 – Divide the Cheesecake Batter
Divide the batter into 3 portions, which should be about 2 cups each. Add 1- 2 drops of gel food coloring into each portion and mix until the color is smooth and uniform.
4 – Assemble
Spread the first color over the crust; smooth the layer with the back of a spoon. Spread the second color on top of the first and then the third on top of the second; smooth the top. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until firm, at least 6 hours, ideally overnight.
Before unmolding, run a sharp knife between the cheesecake and the side of the pan. Unclasp the sides of the pan, and remove the cheesecake. Decorate with whipped cream and sprinkles, if desired. Serve.
Extra Tips
Plan ahead! As this is a no-bake cheesecake, the cheesecake needs time to set in the fridge, ideally overnight.
Make sure the cream cheese is at room temperature to prevent a lumpy filling.
While it may be tempting to use bottled lemon juice, fresh lemon juice yields the best results. Your cheesecake will taste brighter and fresher.
A springform pan with a removable base makes removing the cheesecake to serve easier.
For beautiful clean slices, run your knife under hot water before slicing.
Have trouble pressing your crust evenly? Try using the bottom of a measuing cup or mug to press the crust down evenly.
Be sure to use full-fat cream cheese for the best results.
Variations
- Instead of whipped cream, decorate the top with shaved white chocolate or add a white chocolate ganache layer.
- To go with the Easter theme, you can also try mini Easter eggs as a topping; be sure to ensure they’re eggless.
- You can adapt this recipe to any celebration by changing the layers’ color. I love to make white, red, and blue for the 4th of July, or orange, purple, and black for Halloween, or red, green, and white for Christmas.
Storing & Freezing Instructions
Store this no-bake cheesecake covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
This no-bake cheesecake can be frozen for up to 3 months.
- Once the Easter no-bake cheesecake has finished chilling in the refrigerator and is set, wrap the whole pan in plastic and aluminum foil.
- Freeze for up to 3 months.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can. However, the texture might be slightly different. Gelatin can give a «creamy» texture, whereas agar gives a firmer texture. Agar is much more powerful than gelatin. 1 teaspoon agar powder is equivalent to 8 teaspoons of gelatin powder.
There are a few reasons why a no-bake cheesecake didn’t set:
1 – Not following the recipe or not measuring the ingredients properly.
2 – Using low-fat ingredients, such as low-fat cream cheese or sweetened condensed milk.
3 – Not enough chilling time. Refrigerate the cheesecake for at least 4- 6 hours, but overnight is better.
Baked and no-baked cheesecakes have completely different textures. Baked cheesecake is dense and velvety, while no-bake cheesecake is light and airy.
More Recipes You’ll Love!
- No-Bake Eggless Chocolate Cream Pie
- Best No-Bake Strawberry Cheesecake
- No-Bake Eggless Dulce de Leche Cheesecake
- more dessert recipes…
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Recipe Card 📖
NO-Bake Easter Cheesecake
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Crust:
- 11 oz (1 box – 312 g) Nilla wafers, (Be aware that the Nilla wafers REDUCED FAT version is eggless; the regular version has eggs in it. You can also use a homemade or store-bought graham cracker crust.)
- 10 tablespoons (140 g) butter, melted
- 1/4 cup (50 g) granulated sugar
For the Filling:
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon (9.5 g) unflavored gelatine
- 32 oz (4-8oz packages / 907 g) full-fat cream cheese, room temperature
- 28 oz (2 cans / 792 g) full-fat sweetened condensed milk
- 2 teaspoons (10 ml) pure vanilla extract
- Gel food coloring (I used pink, yellow and blue)
- Whipped cream and sprinkles to decorate (optional)
Important
Don’t forget to check out the step-by-step photos above in the post—they’ll guide you through the process and make everything super clear!
Instructions
Make the Crust
- Grind the wafers with a food processor or blender. Alternately, you can also crush them in a zipped top bag with a rolling pin.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine wafer crumbs, butter, and sugar with a fork until evenly moistened.
- Pour the crumbs mixture into the pan and press the crumbs down into the base and up the sides. Tip: Use the bottom of a measuring cup or glass to press down the crumbs evenly.
- Refrigerate until you make the filling.
Make the Filling:
- In a microwave-safe small bowl, mix the lemon juice and gelatin and let sit for 5 minutes.
- Place the cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, and beat over medium speed until it is smooth, creamy, and free of lumps. Beat in the condensed milk a little at a time, occasionally scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl.
- Microwave the lemon-gelatine mixture for 10 seconds, or until liquid again.
- Add the liquid lemon juice/gelatine mixture and vanilla to the cream cheese mixture. Beat until well incorporated, about 2 minutes.
- Divide the cheesecake into three equal portions (each should be about 2 cups). Tint each portion with 1- 2 drops of gel food coloring of your preference, mixing until the color is smooth and uniform.
- Spread the first color over the crust; smooth layer with the back of a spoon or an offset spatula. Then, carefully, spread the second color on top of the first and then the third on top of the second; smooth the top. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until firm, at least 6 hours, ideally overnight.
- Before unmolding, run a sharp knife between the cheesecake and the side of the pan. Next, unclasp the sides of the pan, and remove the cheesecake.
- Decorate with whipped cream and sprinkles, if desired. Serve.
- Once the Easter no-bake cheesecake has finished chilling in the refrigerator and is set, wrap the cheesecake in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil.
- Freeze for up to 3 months.
- Plan ahead! Cheesecake, in general, needs time to set in the fridge, ideally overnight, so make sure to plan accordingly.
- Make sure the cream cheese is at room temperature to prevent a lumpy filling.
- While it may be tempting to use bottled lemon juice, fresh lemon juice yields the best results. Your cheesecake will taste brighter and fresher.
- A springform pan with a removable base makes removing the cheesecake to serve easier.
- For beautiful clean slices, run your knife under hot water before slicing.
- Have trouble pressing your crust evenly? Try using the bottom of a measuring cup or mug to press the crust down evenly.
- Be sure to use full-fat cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk for the best results.
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Eggless Baking Frequently Asked Questions
You’ve asked, and I’ve answered! Read on for a handful of answers to the most frequently asked questions about eggless baking.
This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone.
Originally posted in 2017, post content edited to add more helpful information, no change to the recipe in March 2022.
I am looking forward to making this cheesecake. I just have one question. Is the butter meant to be melted? I’ve always used melted butter in my crusts when I make them. Thank you.
Hello Anne! Yes, the butter for the crust should be melted. I apologize for the confusion. Thanks for your interest in my recipe. Please come back and let me know how you like it =)
So cute! What size of cake tin is needed?
Thanks so much, Mary! 4-Inch Mini Springform (https://amzn.to/33H9avJ) Thanks for your interest in my recipe. Please come back and let me know how you like it =)
Hi Oriana,
Thanks for the recipe! I just looked up and saw Nilla wafers have eggs in so I haven’t made it yet. Is it okay to still use?
Thanks!
Caitlin
Hello Caitlin! You need to use Nilla wafers reduced-free (https://amzn.to/3rHqHdG). Those are egg-free. Hope that helps.
Hello! Thank you for such a simple and fun recipe for Easter! My 6 year old loved helping me make it and loved all the colors. I do have a couple of questions though. When I made the crust according to your directions, and pressing it into the pan, it seemed very greasy with all that butter. So I ended up putting in extra Nilla Wafers, probably close to another 1/2 cup crushed. That seemed better. So I put it in the freezer after that, and it ended up in there for proably 2 hours by the time we got around to the cheesecake part. When we went to have it yesteray for Easter dessert though, it was so incredibly thick, it ended up being almost impossible to cut through and even separated from the cheesecake. Do you have any thoughts?
Hello Janel! I think adding more wafers made the crust too dense. Next time, you can half the crust quantities to make a thinner crust. Thanks so much for trying my recipe and for taking the time to come back and let me know!
what I can use if I don’t want to use gelatin in your “No Bake Easter Cheesecake” recipe?
Hello Priya! You can skip the gelatine. Make sure to refrigerate the cheesecake long enough in order to set. Thanks for your interest in my recipe. Please come back and let me know how you like it =)
Can fresh fruit such as strawberries or blueberries be added to the recipe? If so how would the measurements need to be changed?
Hello Loise! Yes, you definitely can. I would start with 1 cup of fresh fruit. Thanks for your interest in my recipe. Please come back and let me know how you like it. ?
I made this for Easter brunch yesterday and it never set. I made it a good 48 hours ahead of time and even put it in the freezer for a couple hours. Love the thought of this recipe but I think there is definitely a stabilizer needed for this.
I followed the directions and made this for our easter dessert, but for some reason it never set. It was runny and that’s after 24 hrs plus in the fridge. Not sure why but this did not work for me.
Hello Brandy! I am so sorry to hear that. In this recipe the sweetened condensed milk reacts with the citrus of the lemon and thicken the mixture. I am not sure what went wrong. Perhaps not adding enough lemon juice, or using low fat sweetened condensed milk, or cream cheese, might caused some troubles. Please let me know if you have any other feedback. Thanks for stopping by.
I just made this for a desert tomorrow i hope it tastes as good as it looks ????
Great!! Thanks for trying my recipe, Justine ????
Big fan of cheesecake and this looks amazing. Perfect colors for Easter! Hope you have a lovely holiday!
Thanks for stopping by, Shumaila ????
These are absolutely fabulous. I love the colors!
Thanks Sandi!
You had me at no bake! This looks so fun and colorful. I love how easy it is to make and yum, Nilla Waffers! Luci’s Morsels | fashion. food. frivolity.
I love you effortless desserts and this one was a HIT!! Have a great weekend, Luci =)
You had me at no bake, my favourite kind of cheesecake! My favourite kind of everything actually. But how pretty is this!! Perfect centre piece for Easter dessert.
Cheesecake is your fave too, Sara! My daughter picked the colors and she was so excited to be my helper. Thanks so much for stopping by ????
What a beautiful cake, it’s spring in a bite! My hardest problem using Nilla Wafers is having enough to make the crust with. They disappear pretty quick in our home! 🙂
Hi Debra! I had the same problem in my home LOL. I am so glad you like this cake. Happy weekend!