No-Bake Cranberry White-Chocolate Cheesecake (Printable)
Silky no-bake cheesecake layered with white chocolate and a bright cranberry topping on a buttery cookie crust.
# What You'll Need:
→ Crust
01 - 7 ounces graham crackers or digestive biscuits, finely crushed
02 - 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
→ Cheese Filling
03 - 14 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
04 - 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
05 - 5 1/2 ounces white chocolate, chopped
06 - 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
07 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
08 - 1 tablespoon lemon juice
→ Cranberry Topping
09 - 7 ounces fresh or frozen cranberries
10 - 1/3 cup plus 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
11 - 1/4 cup water
12 - 1 teaspoon cornstarch dissolved in 2 teaspoons water
# How-to Steps:
01 - Line the base of a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper.
02 - In a mixing bowl, blend crushed cookies with melted butter until evenly coated. Firmly press mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan to form an even layer. Refrigerate while making the filling.
03 - Gently melt white chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over simmering water, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
04 - In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and granulated sugar using a hand or stand mixer until smooth. Blend in vanilla extract and lemon juice until fully incorporated.
05 - In a separate bowl, whip heavy cream to medium-stiff peaks.
06 - Fold the melted white chocolate into the cream cheese mixture. Gently incorporate whipped cream until just combined, taking care not to deflate the mixture.
07 - Spread the filling over the chilled crust, smoothing the top with a spatula. Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, or overnight for best texture.
08 - For the topping, combine cranberries, granulated sugar, and water in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until the berries burst and the mixture thickens, about 8 minutes. Stir in dissolved cornstarch and simmer an additional 1–2 minutes until glossy and thickened. Allow to cool completely.
09 - Just before serving, spread the cooled cranberry topping over the cheesecake. Unmold and slice as desired.
# Expert Pointers:
01 -
- Friends will be stunned that you didn’t turn on the oven even once.
- Creamy white chocolate and tangy cranberries keep every bite bright, never too heavy.
02 -
- Once, I tried to rush assembling with cold cream cheese—lumpy filling is not worth the shortcut!
- Letting the cheesecake chill at least 6 hours makes all the difference for neatly slicing and real flavor development.
03 -
- Room temperature ingredients blend far smoother, so let everything sit out while prepping your pans and topping.
- Using the back of a spoon to swirl in the cranberry topping gives a gorgeous marbled effect that looks impressive but takes seconds.