3 Ingredient No Bake Cheesecake: The Foolproof Recipe That Changed My Mind About Simple Desserts
I’ll be honest—when I first saw recipes claiming you could make a legitimate cheesecake with just three ingredients and no oven, I was skeptical. As a former pastry chef, I’d spent years perfecting water baths and precise baking temperatures. But after my daughter Emma requested cheesecake for her birthday during a particularly hot Portland summer, and my oven was on the fritz, I decided to give this 3 Ingredient No Bake Cheesecake a try.
After testing this recipe seventeen times (yes, I counted—my family didn’t complain), I can confidently say this is the easiest, most reliable no-bake cheesecake you’ll ever make. Here’s the science behind it: we’re creating a stable emulsion using cream cheese as our base, sweetened condensed milk for sweetness and structure, and whipped heavy cream for that luxurious, airy texture. No gelatin, no complicated techniques—just three ingredients working in perfect harmony.
Ingredients
For this 3 Ingredient No Bake Cheesecake, you’ll need:
- ¾ cup heavy whipping cream (must be cold—I keep mine in the back of the fridge)
- 16 ounces cream cheese (2 standard 8-oz blocks, softened to room temperature)
- 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk (1 standard can)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (optional, but I always include it)
- 1 (9-inch or 10-inch) graham cracker crust (store-bought or homemade)
Pro tip from my pastry days: The quality of your cream cheese matters more than you think. I’ve found that full-fat Philadelphia cream cheese gives the most consistent results, though store brands work too—just make sure it’s fully softened.
Instructions
Step 1: Prepare Your Cream Cheese (The Game-Changer)
Here’s where most recipes go wrong: they tell you to just “soften” the cream cheese without explaining what that means. After testing this recipe dozens of times, I’ve found that proper cream cheese preparation is the secret to a lump-free filling.
Remove your cream cheese from the refrigerator 45-60 minutes before starting. It should be soft enough that when you press your finger into it, it leaves an indent without your finger getting cold. If you’re in a hurry, cut the cream cheese into 1-inch cubes—it’ll soften in about 20 minutes.
Add the softened cream cheese to your stand mixer bowl (or a large mixing bowl if using a hand mixer) and beat on medium speed for 60-90 seconds. You’re incorporating air here, which creates a lighter texture. The cream cheese should look fluffy and smooth.
Step 2: Build Your Base
With the mixer running on low speed, slowly pour in the entire can of sweetened condensed milk. Here’s the science behind it: sweetened condensed milk isn’t just a sweetener—it’s providing the structure and stability that baked cheesecakes get from eggs. The milk proteins bind with the cream cheese fats to create that signature cheesecake texture.
Add your vanilla extract (if using) and increase the speed to medium. Mix for 1-2 minutes until the mixture is completely smooth and homogeneous. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a silicone spatula—I always find unmixed pockets lurking there.
In my testing, I found that mixing this base for the full 2 minutes creates a noticeably creamier texture than rushing through it.
Step 3: Whip the Heavy Cream (Temperature Matters!)
Transfer your cream cheese mixture to a separate large bowl and set aside. This is crucial—you need your mixer bowl to be completely clean and cold for whipping cream.
Here’s a trick from my professional kitchen days: place your mixer bowl and whisk attachment in the freezer for 10 minutes before whipping cream. Cold equipment = better, more stable whipped cream.
Pour your ¾ cup of cold heavy cream into the chilled bowl. Beat on medium speed for about 30 seconds, then increase to medium-high speed. Watch it carefully—you want stiff peaks, which means when you lift the whisk, the cream forms peaks that hold their shape and don’t droop. This usually takes 2-3 minutes total.
Warning: Don’t over-whip! Once you see those stiff peaks, stop immediately. If you keep going, you’ll make butter (Emma calls it “science gone wrong”).
Step 4: The Folding Technique (This Makes or Breaks It)
This step is where gentle hands win. Add about one-third of your whipped cream to the cream cheese mixture. Using a silicone spatula, fold it in using a sweeping motion: cut down through the center, sweep along the bottom, and bring the spatula up the side, rotating the bowl as you go.
After the first third is mostly incorporated (a few streaks are fine), add the remaining whipped cream. Continue folding gently until you see no more white streaks. In my testing, this usually takes 25-30 folds—I’ve counted. The goal is to maintain all those air bubbles you worked hard to create.
Pro tip: Resist the urge to use the mixer here. I tried it once during my testing phase, and the filling deflated into a dense, heavy mass. My son Jake still remembers that failed batch as “the sad cheesecake.”
Step 5: Assemble and Chill
If you’re using a store-bought crust and want it to hold together better, you can pre-bake it at 350°F for 5 minutes and let it cool completely. I skip this step about half the time—it’s truly optional.
Pour your filling into the graham cracker crust, using your spatula to spread it evenly to the edges. Here’s a little detail that makes a difference: I like to create gentle swirls on top with the back of a spoon for a more elegant presentation.
Cover the cheesecake with plastic wrap (press it directly onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming) and refrigerate for at least 8 hours. I always make mine the night before I need it—overnight chilling gives the best texture.
Step 6: Serving Your 3 Ingredient No Bake Cheesecake
Here’s something I discovered by accident: for a firmer, more sliceable cheesecake, transfer it to the freezer for 1-2 hours before serving. It’ll be cold and dense, almost like ice cream cake—my kids actually prefer it this way during summer.
For clean slices, use a sharp knife dipped in hot water and wiped dry between each cut. This restaurant trick makes your homemade dessert look professionally made.
I like to garnish with fresh strawberries and a sprig of mint from my garden, but this cheesecake is a blank canvas—top it with any fruit, chocolate sauce, caramel, or just enjoy it plain.
Storage Instructions
Store your 3 Ingredient No Bake Cheesecake covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. The texture actually improves on day 2, as the flavors meld together.
For longer storage, this cheesecake freezes exceptionally well for up to 2 months. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, then aluminum foil. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
3 Ingredient No Bake Cheesecake
Course: RecipesCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy10
slices15
minutes8
hours236
kcalThis easy 3 ingredient no bake cheesecake uses cream cheese, condensed milk, and heavy cream. No oven needed! Includes testing tips and troubleshooting.
Ingredients
3/4 cup cold heavy whipping cream
16 ounces cream cheese (2 standard 8-oz blocks), softened to room temperature
14 ounces sweetened condensed milk (1 standard can)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (optional)
1 (9-inch or 10-inch) graham cracker crust (store-bought or homemade)
Directions
- Remove cream cheese from refrigerator 45-60 minutes before starting. It should be soft enough that pressing your finger into it leaves an indent. Add softened cream cheese to stand mixer bowl and beat on medium speed for 60-90 seconds until fluffy and smooth.
- With mixer running on low speed, slowly pour in entire can of sweetened condensed milk. Add vanilla extract if using. Increase speed to medium and mix for 1-2 minutes until completely smooth. Stop mixer and scrape down sides of bowl with silicone spatula.
- Transfer cream cheese mixture to separate bowl and set aside. Clean mixer bowl thoroughly. Optional: place mixer bowl and whisk attachment in freezer for 10 minutes. Pour 3/4 cup cold heavy cream into chilled bowl. Beat on medium speed for 30 seconds, then increase to medium-high speed. Whip until stiff peaks form, about 2-3 minutes total. Stop immediately when peaks hold their shape.
- Add one-third of whipped cream to cream cheese mixture. Using silicone spatula, fold gently using sweeping motion: cut down through center, sweep along bottom, bring spatula up the side, rotating bowl as you go. After first third is incorporated, add remaining whipped cream. Continue folding gently until no white streaks remain, about 25-30 folds total. Do not use mixer.
- Optional: Pre-bake graham cracker crust at 350°F for 5 minutes and let cool completely. Pour filling into graham cracker crust, spreading evenly to edges. Create gentle swirls on top with back of spoon if desired. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing directly onto surface. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours or overnight.
- For firmer texture, transfer to freezer for 1-2 hours before serving. For clean slices, dip sharp knife in hot water and wipe dry between each cut. Garnish with fresh strawberries and mint if desire
Notes
- If your filling is grainy: Your cream cheese wasn’t soft enough. Next time, make sure it’s truly at room temperature—it should be 65-70°F if you have a thermometer.
- If it’s too soft after chilling: You may have over-folded and deflated the whipped cream, or your heavy cream wasn’t cold enough. Try freezing it for an hour to firm it up.
- If you see liquid separating: This happened to me once when I used ultra-pasteurized cream. Stick with regular pasteurized heavy cream for best results.
- Sugar-free option: My husband is diabetic, so I’ve made this with sugar-free sweetened condensed milk and it works beautifully—just expect a slightly less sweet result.
Nutrition Information (Per Serving)
- Calories: 236 kcal
- Carbohydrates: 18g
- Protein: 4g
- Fat: 16g
- Saturated Fat: 8g
- Cholesterol: 34mg
- Sodium: 166mg
- Sugar: 8g
Frequently Asked Questions
The 3-ingredient no-bake cheesecake with Philadelphia cream cheese is exactly what this recipe is! It uses Philadelphia (or any brand) cream cheese as the base, combined with sweetened condensed milk for sweetness and structure, and heavy whipping cream that’s whipped and folded in for that airy, mousse-like texture. The “three ingredients” refers to these core components—the graham cracker crust and optional vanilla aren’t counted in the name, even though you’ll need them.
In my testing, I found that Philadelphia cream cheese gives the most consistent results because of its specific fat and moisture content, but I’ve successfully made this with store brands too. The key is using full-fat cream cheese—don’t try this with reduced-fat versions, or you’ll end up with a grainy, unstable filling.
The three main ingredients in this no-bake cheesecake are cream cheese (16 ounces), sweetened condensed milk (14 ounces), and heavy whipping cream (¾ cup). Here’s the science behind why these three work so perfectly together:
Cream cheese provides the tangy, rich cheesecake flavor and creamy fat base. Sweetened condensed milk is doing double duty—it sweetens the cheesecake while also providing milk proteins that help bind everything together (this is what replaces the eggs you’d find in a baked cheesecake). Heavy whipping cream gets whipped to incorporate air, giving you that light, fluffy texture instead of the dense, heavy consistency you’d get from just cream cheese and condensed milk.
I always include vanilla extract as well, though it’s technically optional. But after making this seventeen times, I can tell you the vanilla makes a noticeable difference in the depth of flavor.
No-bake cheesecake filling is made of a base of cream cheese and sweetener (in our case, sweetened condensed milk) combined with a lightening agent—usually whipped heavy cream, sometimes Cool Whip, and occasionally stabilizers like gelatin.
This recipe uses the whipped heavy cream method, which I prefer because it creates a more luxurious texture. Here’s what’s happening at a molecular level: When you whip heavy cream, you’re creating a foam structure by trapping air bubbles in the fat globules. When you fold this into the cream cheese mixture, those air bubbles distribute throughout, creating a light, mousse-like consistency.
Some recipes use gelatin to firm up no-bake cheesecake, but I’ve found that unnecessary if you whip your cream to proper stiff peaks and chill the cheesecake long enough. The cold temperature solidifies the fats naturally, giving you perfect slicing texture without any additional stabilizers.
After testing this recipe more times than my family cared to count, I’ve identified three secrets to achieving that perfectly creamy no-bake cheesecake filling:
Secret #1: Room temperature cream cheese is non-negotiable. I used to try to rush this step, and every single time, I ended up with lumps that no amount of mixing could fix. Your cream cheese should be soft enough to blend smoothly but not melted or greasy. I set mine out 45-60 minutes before starting, or cut it into cubes for faster softening.
Secret #2: Proper whipped cream technique. Your heavy cream must be cold (I keep mine in the coldest part of my fridge), and you need to whip it to stiff peaks—not soft peaks, not medium peaks, but stiff peaks where the cream holds its shape when you lift the whisk. This creates the stable structure that makes your filling fluffy yet sliceable.
Secret #3: The folding method. This is where I see most people go wrong. Use a gentle folding motion with a silicone spatula rather than stirring or using a mixer. You want to maintain all those air bubbles you created during whipping. I fold in the whipped cream in two additions—first about a third to lighten the base, then the remaining cream. Take your time here; rushing creates a deflated, dense filling.
One bonus tip from my professional pastry days: let your cheesecake chill for the full 8 hours or overnight. The texture improves dramatically with proper chilling time as the fats solidify and the flavors meld together.
Final Thoughts from My Kitchen Laboratory
This 3 Ingredient No Bake Cheesecake has become my most-requested recipe—even more popular than the elaborate layered cakes I used to make in my pastry chef days. There’s something beautiful about a recipe this simple working so perfectly.
My kids love helping make this because they can handle most of the steps (with supervision on the mixer, of course). Emma has made it three times this year for school potlucks, and Jake proudly tells everyone his mom “does science with desserts.”
The best part? Once you master this basic recipe, it becomes a canvas for endless variations. I’ve made versions with lemon zest, espresso powder, and even lavender from my garden. But honestly, the plain version is perfection on its own.
Happy baking—or should I say, happy not baking!
For more recipes follow us on Facebook and Pinterest.
Did you try it?
There are no reviews yet. Be the first one to write one.
