No-Bake Cheesecake Cups

A dessert in a glass topped with a halved strawberry, a blackberry, and crumbled cookie or biscuit, with creamy layers beneath.

No ratings yet

No-bake cheesecake cups that pipe into clean swirls and taste like real cheesecake, not sweetened cream cheese. The lemon juice is the move that makes the difference.

Prep Time29

Chilling Time2

Total Time2 29

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: individual cheesecake cups, no-bake cheesecake cups, no-bake cheesecake recipe, no-bake dessert cups, pipeable cheesecake filling

Servings: servings

Calories: 429kcal

Author: Chef Jenn

Ingredients

6 whole vanilla wafer cookies for the base
12 ounces full-fat cream cheese softened
½ cup powdered sugar lightly scooped
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
¾ cup cold heavy whipping cream
8 vanilla wafer cookies crumbled (for topping)
1 cup fresh fruit for topping

Instructions

Drop one whole vanilla wafer into the bottom of each of 6 glasses.
In a large bowl, beat the softened cream cheese on medium speed for 2 minutes until completely smooth with no lumps, scraping the bowl often.
Add the powdered sugar, vanilla, and lemon juice. Beat on low until combined, then medium for 1 minute until silky. Taste and add another tablespoon of powdered sugar if you'd like it sweeter.
In a separate cold bowl, whip the heavy cream to stiff peaks, 2 to 3 minutes.
Add the whipped cream to the cream cheese mixture in two additions, gently folding with a spatula until fully combined and no streaks remain.
Fit a piping bag with a large star or round tip (at least 1/2-inch opening). Spoon the filling in, push down toward the tip, and twist the top closed.
Pipe the filling over the wafer in each glass. Tap each glass gently on the counter to settle.
Refrigerate at least 2 hours, up to 24.
Just before serving, top each glass with crumbled vanilla wafers and fresh fruit.

Notes

Recipe Card Tips

Beat the cream cheese smooth before anything else goes in the bowl. Two full minutes on medium, scraping often. Lumps you leave at this stage will not dissolve later, and they will clog your piping tip when you go to fill the bag.
Whip the cream to stiff peaks, not soft. Soft peaks fold in fine but the finished filling loses body in the piping bag and you get droopy swirls instead of clean ridges.
Top with cookies and fruit just before serving, not when you pipe. Cookies sitting on the filling for hours go soft, and fruit weeps juice into the swirl.

Nutrition