Cherry Cheesecake
This easy and creamy cherry cheesecake recipe is a quick one-hour dessert that is sure to satisfy any cheesecake craving. Made with simple ingredients and assembled in mason jars, these no-bake cherry cheesecakes are a rich, tangy, and decadent treat that’s easy to feed to a crowd.
Craving a classic cherry cheesecake, but don’t have the time to construct and bake one? Try making these no-bake cherry cheesecake cups instead! All you’ll need to get started are a few pantry staples, a hand mixer, and some small mason jars. The resulting dessert is sweet, fruity, fluffy, and best served cold! Once your homemade graham cracker crust, cheesecake mixture, and cherry pie filling are layered into your mason jars, you’ll find it hard not to grab a spoon and dig in. But don’t give into temptation! These individual cherry cheesecakes are so much thicker and creamier when eaten straight out of the fridge.
One of the best parts about this one-hour cherry cheesecake recipe is that it can be made without dirtying a ton of dishes! There’s no need to worry about washing a springform pan or pie slicer since these cherry cheesecake cups are best eaten straight out of the mason jars. All you’ll need to enjoy this treat are a few close friends or family members and a handful of spoons. In fact, I find these no-bake cherry cheesecake cups one of the easiest desserts to feed to a hungry crowd. Everyone gets to enjoy their own little portion of homemade cherry cheesecake!
We Love This Recipe Because It’s…
- A quick one-hour dessert recipe!
- Great for enjoying in the hot summer when you don’t feel like turning your oven on.
- Pre-portioned into individual servings, making it a great treat to serve to a crowd.
- Easily customized by swapping out the cherries or graham crackers for different types of fruits and cookies.
Ingredient Notes
- Cream Cheese—Softened. This will make it easy to whip into a smooth cheesecake filling.
- Cherry Pie Filling—Canned or your favorite homemade recipe.
- Sweetened Condensed Milk—Perfectly sweetens your cherry cheesecake filling without making it grainy.
- Heavy Cream—Adds richness and thins out the cream cheese mixture.
- Graham Crackers—Finely crushed. Act as the crumbly base of these cherry cheesecake bites.
- Brown Sugar—Gives your graham cracker crust a hint of molassesey sweetness.
- Salted Butter—Helps “glue” the graham cracker crumbs and brown sugar together to form your cheesecake crust.
How to Make No Bake Cherry Cheesecake
- In a microwave safe dish, melt the salted butter.
- Add the crushed graham crackers and brown sugar and stir until the mixture resembles wet sand.
- In a separate mixing bowl, whip together the sweetened condensed milk, heavy cream, and cream cheese until smooth. Set aside.
- Press the graham cracker crust mixture into the base of eight small mason jars.
- Top the crust with a generous spoonful of the cheesecake mixture followed by equal amounts of the cherry pie filling.
- Cover your cherry cheesecakes and allow them to chill in the fridge until set.
- Serve cold and enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use this recipe to make a full-sized cherry cheesecake?
Yes! Instead of dividing your graham cracker crust, cheesecake mixture, and cherry pie filling among small mason jars, you can turn it into a full-sized cherry cheesecake. Simply press the graham cracker mixture or my Vanilla Wafter Crust into the base of a pie pan before topping with the cream cheese mixture and cherry pie filling. Cover the cheesecake with a layer or two of plastic wrap and allow it to chill in the refrigerator overnight. Your finished no-bake cheesecake will not slice as nicely as a baked cheesecake, but will still taste sweet, creamy, and delicious!
Does no-bake cherry cheesecake taste different than a traditional cherry cheesecake?
Yes! These no-bake cherry cheesecake cups are lighter and fluffier than a traditional baked cheesecake. Both types of cheesecake feature a buttery graham cracker crust as well as strong notes of tangy, sweet cream cheese. However, this no-bake cherry cheesecake recipe utilizes sweetened condensed milk and heavy cream to create a smooth and creamy filling as opposed to a baked cheesecake which would use eggs to give it some structure.
Can I make these cheesecake cups with other kinds of pie filling?
Absolutely! If cherries aren’t your thing, try topping your no-bake cheesecake cups with different types of fruity pie fillings. Blueberry, strawberry, and peach are a few of my favorites. Alternatively, you can top your cheesecake cups with candied nuts, fresh fruit, caramel sauce, shaved chocolate, or whipped cream.
How to Serve and Store Cherry Cheesecake Cups
One of the best things about these cherry cheesecake cups is that they can be served straight from the fridge—no thawing, slicing, or transferring required. Simply grab a spoon and dig in! If you’re feeling extra fancy, you can top your chilled cheesecakes with a swirl of fresh whipped cream and some extra graham cracker crumbs before enjoying.
If you happen to have any leftover cherry cheesecake cups, simply cover them and store them in the fridge. When stored properly, your cherry cheesecake will stay good in the fridge for up to two weeks. I do not recommend freezing these no-bake mason jar cherry cheesecakes.
Expert Tips and Tricks
- Not a fan of graham crackers? Try making your cherry cheesecake crust with crushed vanilla wafers, speculoos cookies, or shortbread cookies instead.
- Turn this recipe into cherry chocolate cheesecake by adding some melted baking chocolate to the cream cheese mixture. Make sure to mix until well-combined!
- Don’t have any small mason jars? No worries! Simply layer your cherry cheesecake ingredients into clear disposable cups or tall drinking glasses instead. Cover with a tight layer of plastic wrap before chilling and serving as normal.
I love cheesecake and honestly I make it a lot! I’ve made some fun variatons over the years and id love for your to try them! Cookie dough cheesecake bars, Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberries, Chocolate cheesecake candy cane bars
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Cherry Cheesecake
Ingredients
- 2 cups Graham Crackers Crushed
- 2 cups Cherry Pie Filling Canned
- 1 cup Sweetened Condensed Milk
- 1/2 cup Melted Butter Salted
- 8 oz Cream Cheese 1 Block
- 1/4 cup Brown Sugar
- 1/4 cup Heavy Cream
Instructions
- Make your crust mixture by melting your butter in a microwave safe dish. ONce the butter in melted stir in the crushed graham cracker and brown sugar
- In a separate bowl, combine the condensed milk, heavy cream, and softened cream cheese. Using a hand or stand mixer, whisk the ingredients together until smooth and creamy.
- Divide the graham cracker mixture between eight mason jars or disposable cups and top with about 1/4 cup of the cream cheese mixture and 1/4 cup of the cherry pie filling
- Screw the lids onto the mason jars or cover tightly with plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- When you keep the cheesecakes tightly covered, you can store them for up to two weeks in the fridge.
- If you don’t have mason jars then you can use glasses and cover them with plastic wrap.
- You can easily modify this recipe with your favorite kind of canned pie filling. Blueberry is one of our favorite substitutes.
- You can use 4 larger glasses or mason jars and add two layers of each filling.
- These no-bake cheesecakes are best served chilled, so make sure you keep them in the fridge until you are ready to enjoy them.
Nutrition
Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.
2 Comments on “Cherry Cheesecake”
Can this mixture be placed in a muffin tin?
I would recommend it unless you were planning on eating it directly out of the tin, they wouldnt hold their shape trying to get them out