No Bake Berry Cheesecake
Simple and Delicious Dessert
This no bake berry cheesecake is one I return to often during the summer and with some modifications, it could be great year round! I probably make this most around the 4th of July because it is so easy to do a red, white, and blue theme with this dessert. That means it could be great for Memorial Day and Flag Day too… and for other countries with a red, white, and blue color scheme.
This no bake cheesecake obviously isn’t a true cheesecake but it is great for those who see traditional cheesecake as a daunting task, like me! It also, in my opinion, is a lighter choice. It feels fresher and light in comparison to traditional cheesecake. That isn’t to say it is low calorie, because it isn’t, it is just a nice and fresh summer treat!
What You’ll Need
- graham crackers*
- toasted pecans*
- oil or butter*
- powdered sugar (confectioners’ sugar)*
- cream cheese
- greek yogurt
- lemon*
- berries*
- 9×13 pan* and measuring tools
* See notes below
Making the No Bake Berry Cheesecake
This dessert is really 2 steps, the making of the “crust” and topping, then, the chilling and adding of the berries. I recommend chilling for at least 2 hours but you could make the crust and chill the dessert the night before, making the day of prep easy!
- Combine the pecans and graham crackers into a food processer and blend until crumbled
- Melt the butter or oil and add to the cracker and pecan mixture. Pulse in the processor until combined. It will look crumbly still but kinda wet.
- Press the mixture into the 9×13 inch pan
- Wash out your food processor or you can use your stand mixer.
- Melt your oil or butter
- Combine the Greek yogurt, cream cheese, lemon, and sugar. Mix until smooth.
- Dollop the wet mixture onto the crumb base
- Smooth out the mixture
- Cover with lid or cling wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours
- Wash your berries and cut any bigger berries, like strawberries
- Add your berries to the top of your cheesecake
- At this point you can serve or chill again, though with cut fruit you will want to serve soon.
- Cut and serve! You can get 16 squares from this pan though my family usually finishes it in 8-12 servings. This is a dish you might want to precut and hand serve at a party or potluck, as people will just scoop huge portions… even if they are precut!
*Notes
- I tend to buy organic ingredients when possible, this is a personal decision based on years of research and because I have Lupus, however, the grocery store by my house doesn’t carry organic graham crackers. I bought the brand that had no high-fructose corn syrup and that had no bioengineered ingredients, which was the Kroger brand. Check here for some organic options. Some are sweetened with honey and dates. Regardless if you are organic or not, I would caution you away from Honey Maid as they have bioengineered ingredients. ALWAYS check your labels!
- Speaking of graham crackers, if you are not from the US you might not be familiar or can’t get them. I would suggest using Digestive Biscuits as a substitute.
- If you don’t want to use pecans, you can substitute for walnuts or omit them. Just add the equivalent of cracker to the base.
- In this recipe it says oil or butter, and I use coconut oil… to me it adds another flavor profile to the berries, but butter is delicious too! Use what you like and it might vary depending on what topping you add to your cheesecake.
- This recipe has added sugar, however, you could play with the recipe some. Try honey or maple syrup… and if you do, PLEASE comment and tell me how it went. I would avoid gritty sugars because they won’t blend smoothly as well.
- My family loves the mix of the sweetness of the sugar with the tanginess of the Greek yogurt and the acidity of the lemon, so I add more lemon than some might like. I include zest too, but you can start with a tablespoon and add more if you want. Personally, I use the juice of a whole lemon and add some of the zest.
- This is a berry cheesecake but the base recipe is calling for other flavors. You could do a key lime cheesecake, a caramel apple cheesecake, add chocolate chips… really the sky is the limit. You could flavor the base with vanilla, lemon, raspberry, or other extract to the cream cheese and yogurt mixture. You could even use chocolate graham crackers! Make this yours… and then come share your recipe with me!
- As I said, I do this for the 4th of July, so I usually use strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries for the topping, but I just throw them on. If you wanted to make it more holiday themed, beyond color, you could put the blueberries into a corner for the blue portion of the US flag and add the red berries as stripes. I haven’t done this because I think everyone wants all the berries, but I do this for my 7-layer dip that I make for 4th of July. I use olives as the “blue” portion because not everyone loves olives.
- If you want to make a smaller portion, cut everything in half and use a 9 inch pie dish.
- I have a Ninja Mega Kitchen System and honestly LOVE it. I use it as a food processor, blender, smoothie maker, and I can make dough in it. Since getting this thing, my family makes fruit smoothies every day and we really have put this Ninja and its attachments through the ringer… and it still works great. We try to buy American-made products when we can but a Waring Food Processor, which is made in the USA, runs at almost $800 and it doesn’t come with a blender or smoothie maker. I am sure it is worth it but at this point, it is out of my price range.
Enjoy Your Cheesecake!
Whether you make this no bake berry cheesecake for the 4th of July or just because, I hope you love it!
Don’t forget to print the recipe… and if you make this please let me know what you think! You can comment below or head over to Instagram or Facebook and share your pics… just tag me @bemandfam!
I am excited to see how people might modify it to make it their own desert!
Don’t forget to pin this for later and if you like Pinterest, I am there too!
Happy 4th of July and Happy Summer!
BEM and Fam 
- 8-9 ounces graham crackers
- ½ cup pecans
- ½ cup oil or butter melted
- 16 ounces cream cheese two 8 ounce packages
- 2 cups Greek yogurt
- ⅔ cup powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 5 cups berries
-
Pulse graham crackers and pecans in a food processor until finely ground.
-
With the motor running, add the butter or oill, then pulse to combine. Press into a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.
-
Wash out the food processor or use your mixer to combine the cream cheese, yogurt, sugar, and lemon until smooth.
-
Dollop the cream mixture onto the crumb crust and smooth it out into a smooth layer.
-
Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
-
When ready to serve, wash and cut the bigger berries and then top the cheesecake with the berries.
-
This can be cut into 16 squares, but cut how you would like.
- Don't forget to check your graham crackers to avoid bioengineered ingredients.
- Speaking of graham crackers, if you are not from the US you might not be familiar or can't get them. I would suggest using Digestive Biscuits as a substitute.
- If you don't want to use pecans, you can substitute for walnuts or omit them. Just add the equivalent of cracker to the base.
- In this recipe it says oil or butter, and I use coconut oil... to me it adds another flavor profile to the berries, but butter is delicious too! Use what you like and it might vary depending on what topping you add to your cheesecake.
- This recipe has added sugar, however, you could play with the recipe some. Try honey or maple syrup... and if you do, PLEASE comment and tell me how it went. I would avoid gritty sugars because they won't blend smoothly as well.
- My family loves the mix of the sweetness of the sugar with the tanginess of the Greek yogurt and the acidity of the lemon, so I add more lemon than some might like. I include zest too, but you can start with a tablespoon and add more if you want. Personally, I use the juice of a whole lemon and add some of the zest.
- This is a berry cheesecake but the base recipe is calling for other flavors. You could do a key lime cheesecake, a caramel apple cheesecake, add chocolate chips... really the sky is the limit. You could flavor the base with vanilla, lemon, raspberry, or other extract to the cream cheese and yogurt mixture. You could even use chocolate graham crackers! Make this yours... and then come share your recipe with me!
- As I said, I do this for the 4th of July, so I usually use strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries for the topping, but I just throw them on. If you wanted to make it more holiday themed, beyond color, you could put the blueberries into a corner for the blue portion of the US flag and add the red berries as stripes. I haven't done this because I think everyone wants all the berries, but I do this for my 7-layer dip that I make for 4th of July. I use olives as the "blue" portion because not everyone loves olives.
- If you want to make a smaller portion, cut everything in half and use a 9 inch pie dish.
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