This delicious No-Bake Cranberry Cheesecake is the perfect dessert for the holidays! It’s made with a simple graham cracker crust, a sweet cream cheese layer swirled with homemade cranberry sauce, and then topped with sugared cranberries. Creamy, beautiful, and bursting with cranberry flavor.
Desserts are always top of mind when planning our celebration menus, and cheesecakes, like my no-bake Blueberry Cheesecake and Lemon Cheesecake, always top the list of family favorites.
During the holidays, this No-Bake Cranberry Cheesecake is an absolute must for us. Swirled with homemade cranberry sauce and topped with plump sugared cranberries, this cheesecake puts a wonderful holiday spin to a classic dessert.
The best part? There is no baking required. This ultra creamy no-bake dessert comes out perfect every time and with less fuss than a baked cheesecake. You don’t have to fear it cracking on you or worry about extra steps like water baths.
It’s even egg-free, which makes it a good option for serving up to those with that dietary restriction (just make sure your graham cracker crumbs are egg-free too).
Why we love this recipe
- It’s delicious! The sweet cream cheese layer is balanced perfectly by some tartness from the cranberries.
- Cheesecake is always a popular dessert. This treat disappears quickly at family gatherings and there are rarely any leftovers.
- Less fuss than a baked cheesecake. No water baths and baking required.
- It is ultra festive. Cranberries are included two ways – in a sauce swirled right into the cheesecake, and as a topping, making it perfect for the holidays.
Ingredients in No Bake Cranberry Cheesecake
- Cranberries: Fresh cranberries are a must for the sugared cranberry topping, but if you forgo the topping, you can use frozen cranberries for the sauce swirled into the cheesecake.
- Sugar: white granulated sugar and icing sugar (aka confectioners sugar or powdered sugar).
- Citrus juice: Orange juice is used in the cranberry sauce and lemon juice is used in the cream cheese layer.
- Cinnamon: a stick of cinnamon is used to make the cranberry sauce.
- Salt: a little salt enhances the flavor of this dessert without making it salty.
- Graham crumbs: Used to make the base of this cheesecake.
- Butter: Helps to bind the graham crumbs for the base, also adding a delicious buttery flavor.
- Cream cheese: softened. 24oz, 750g, or 3 packages.
- Cool whip: Mixed into the cream cheese layer.
- Vanilla extract: flavor.
**Note: Ingredient quantities and full instructions are in the recipe card at the end of this post.**
How to make No Bake Cranberry Cheesecake
There are essentially 4 components to make for this no bake cranberry cheesecake:
- the cranberry sauce
- the graham crust
- the cream cheese filling and
- the sugared cranberry topping.
Make the cranberry sauce:
- Add all of the sauce ingredients to a saucepan and bring to a simmer on medium heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue stirring as cranberries begin to burst.
- Continue to stir until cranberries have all burst and the sauce begins to thicken. [You can help the process along by squishing softened cranberries against the side of the saucepan as you stir.]
- Remove the cinnamon stick. Remove from heat and let the sauce cool. The sauce will continue to thicken as it cools.
- Once cooled, place the sauce in a food processor or blender to puree the cranberries (a smoother sauce is ideal for swirling into the cheesecake). Store in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Make the graham crust:
- Line the bottom of a 9 inch spring form pan with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, add the graham crumbs, melted butter and sugar and mix together. Press the graham crust mixture evenly onto the bottom of the pan and place in the fridge to chill.
Prepare the cream cheese layer:
- In a large bowl using a hand mixer (or in the bowl of a stand mixer), mix the softened cream cheese until fluffy. Add the cool whip, sugar, vanilla and lemon juice and mix until smooth.
- Spread half of the cream cheese mixture evenly over the graham crust. Spoon 1/2 cup of the cranberry sauce over the cream cheese layer and use a butter knife to gently swirl the cranberry sauce into the cream cheese.
- Repeat this process with the remaining cream cheese mixture and another 1/2 cup of cranberry sauce.
- Chill in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours to set.
Prepare the sugared cranberry topping:
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, place the water and a 3/4 cup of sugar. Simmer together for about 5 minutes, whisking often until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and let it cool for 5 minutes.
- Stir in the cranberries to ensure they are coated well in the syrup. Let them soak in the syrup for about 10 minutes.
- Using a slotted spoon, transfer the cranberries to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Allow them to cool for 1 hour.
- Place the remaining sugar in a bowl. Working in small batches, roll the cranberries into the sugar. The cranberries will be sticky and so the sugar should easily adhere to them.
- Add the sugared cranberries on top of your prepared cheesecake and serve.*
Tips for best results
- Ensure your cream cheese is softened before beginning. This will ensure a lump-free, ultra smooth filling.
- Use a food processor to remove lumps. If you have followed the step above but still find your filling is a bit lumpy, you can pop the cream cheese mixture into a food processor and pulse it until smooth. I do this in batches since there is a lot of filling.
- Allow plenty of chill time for your cheesecake to set up. This is a no bake cheesecake afterall and since it isn’t baked with eggs, the cheesecake will need some time in the fridge to firm up again before slicing.
- Avoid making your sugared cranberries too far ahead of time. The sugared cranberries can lose their sugary coating when refrigerated. They become “wet” with the condensation and the sugar granules will begin to slide off or melt. I leave this step until just hours before serving my cheesecake. If you want to get this step done ahead of time, I recommend making the sugared cranberries and storing them separately from your cheesecake. This way, you can re-toss them in granulated sugar if it is needed before topping your cake.
Storing your cheesecake
Cheesecake can be kept in the fridge for up to 4-5 days if properly covered with plastic wrap or placed in an airtight container. This makes it perfect for making ahead of time so you aren’t spending time on dessert when planning other elements of your get-together.
Can you freeze cheesecake?
Yes, you can definitely freeze leftover cheesecake. You will need to wrap it in plastic food wrap and then again in aluminum to prevent freezer burn. I personally like to place little squares of parchment paper between my cheesecake slices so that I can easily remove as many slices as needed instead of thawing out all of the leftovers.
If you are freezing your cheesecake, I recommend removing the sugared cranberry topping as it will become watery after thawing.
It is best to consume leftover frozen cheesecake within a few months for the best texture and flavor.
You may also like these no bake cheesecake recipes:
No Bake Blueberry Cheesecake
Lemon Cheesecake (No Bake)
Looking for more cranberry recipes? Check out:
Cranberry Bars
Cranberry Orange Streusel Cake
Cranberry Sauce Muffins
Sugared Cranberries
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No Bake Cranberry Cheesecake
Ingredients
For the cranberry sauce:
- 1 cup cranberries washed and drained
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup orange juice
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
For the crust:
- 2 cups graham crumbs
- 1/2 cup butter melted
- 2 tablespoons sugar
For the cheesecake layer:
- 24 oz cream cheese softened (750g or 3 packages)
- 4 cups cool whip (a 1L container)
- 1 1/4 cups icing sugar (i.e. confectioners sugar or powdered sugar)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
For the sugared cranberries topping:
- 3/4 cup water
- 1 1/4 cup sugar divided
- 2 cups fresh cranberries washed and drained
Instructions
Make the cranberry sauce:
- To make the cranberry sauce, add all of the sauce ingredients to a saucepan and bring to a simmer on medium heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue stirring as cranberries begin to burst.
- Continue to stir until cranberries have all burst and the sauce begins to thicken. [You can help the process along by squishing softened cranberries against the side of the saucepan as you stir.]
- Remove the cinnamon stick. Remove from heat and let the sauce cool. The sauce will continue to thicken as it cools.
- Once cooled, place the sauce in a food processor or blender to puree the cranberries (a smoother sauce is ideal for swirling into the cheesecake). Store in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Prepare the crust:
- Line the bottom of a 9 inch spring form pan with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, add the graham crumbs, melted butter and sugar and mix together. Press the graham crust mixture evenly onto the bottom of the pan and place in the fridge to chill.
Prepare the cream cheese layer.
- In a large bowl using a hand mixer (or in the bowl of a stand mixer), mix the softened cream cheese until fluffy. Add the cool whip, sugar, vanilla and lemon juice and mix until smooth.
- Spread half of the cream cheese mixture evenly over the graham crust. Spoon 1/2 cup of the cranberry sauce over the cream cheese layer and use a butter knife to gently swirl the cranberry sauce into the cream cheese.
- Repeat this process with the remaining cream cheese mixture and another 1/2 cup of cranberry sauce. Gently "jiggle" the cheesecake to remove any air pockets.
- Chill in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours to set.
Prepare the sugared cranberries:*
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, place the water and a 3/4 cup of sugar. Simmer together for about 5 minutes, whisking often until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and let it cool for 5 minutes.
- Stir in the cranberries to ensure they are coated well in the syrup. Let them soak in the syrup for about 10 minutes.
- Using a slotted spoon, transfer the cranberries to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Allow them to cool for 1 hour.
- Place the remaining sugar in a bowl. Working in small batches, roll the cranberries into the sugar. The cranberries will be sticky and so the sugar should easily adhere to them.
- Add the sugared cranberries on top of your prepared cheesecake and serve.*
Notes
Note: Metric ingredient measurements are provided as a courtesy using a third-party calculator and are rounded to the nearest unit. The recipes provided on this site have not been tested with metric measurements and their accuracy cannot be verified.
Nutrition
The nutritional information provided is based on third-party calculations and is an estimate only. Accurate nutritional facts will vary based on the particular brands used, portion sizes, measurement accuracy and more.
