Listen, sometimes you just crave that cool, tangy flavor of cheesecake, right? But the idea of wrestling with a water bath and worrying about cracks? Forget it! That is why I live and breathe for desserts that come together without ever seeing the inside of an oven. We are talking about my absolute favorite crowd-pleaser: the **No Bake Cherry Cheesecake Bars**.

These bars are magic. Seriously, they are creamy, they are sweet, they have that perfect little tart hit from the cherries, and they absolutely scream summer party perfection. I’ve perfected this recipe over several summer potlucks and backyard BBQs because they never fail to disappear first. The beauty of these is the simplicity paired with that rich, decadent mouthfeel. You won’t believe how little effort goes into achieving that silky-smooth filling!

Why You Will Love These No Bake Cherry Cheesecake Bars

Honestly, if you were looking for a dessert that impresses everyone but takes hardly any real work, this is it. I keep this recipe tucked away for those ridiculously hot days when the thought of turning on the oven makes me sweat just thinking about it. They set up perfectly in the fridge, which means morning prep guarantees an afternoon treat!

You really can’t go wrong. If you want to see how popular these bars are, check out the other easy no-bake cheesecake recipes out there—they all share that wonderful spirit of easy indulgence, but mine has the cherry factor, which just hits different.

Zero Baking Required: Seriously, just measuring spoons and a fridge. Perfect for beginners or busy weeks!
Incredible Texture: That filling is so light and cloud-like thanks to the whipped cream folded in. It melts in your mouth.
Perfect Flavor Combo: The sweet, buttery graham crust provides the perfect anchor for that bright, tart cherry topping.
Easy to Serve: Cutting them into neat squares means you never need plates or forks unless you want them! Great for picnics.

Essential Ingredients for Perfect No Bake Cherry Cheesecake Bars

Okay, listen up, because for these bars to achieve that legendary creamy status, you can’t cheat on the ingredients. Since we aren’t relying on eggs and baking powder to do the heavy lifting, the quality of what you use really shines through! Don’t worry, the list isn’t scary long, but remember that cream cheese needs to be perfectly soft—I mean completely yielding—or your filling will have lumps, and nobody wants a lumpy **No Bake Cherry Cheesecake Bars** experience.

First up is the foundation: we need graham cracker crumbs, about a cup and a half, mixed with just a quarter cup of plain white sugar. Then, six tablespoons of butter, melted down nicely. That makes the base sturdy enough to hold everything up!

For that glorious filling, get an 8-ounce block of cream cheese, sure, but make sure it’s room temperature; this is non-negotiable for smoothness! We’ll balance that richness with one cup of powdered sugar and a teaspoon of real vanilla extract. The real secret to the texture, by the way, is half a cup of heavy cream that you absolutely must keep ice cold so you can whip it into proper stiff peaks. And finally, the star topping: one whole 21-ounce can of cherry pie filling. No need to cook it or mess with fresh fruit here—just open and spoon!

Step-by-Step Instructions for Making No Bake Cherry Cheesecake Bars

Okay, you’ve got the ingredients, now let’s put this thing together! It’s so straightforward, I feel like I almost don’t need to write this down, but trust me, following the sequence keeps everything smooth. We need an 8×8 inch pan, and I always line mine with parchment, making sure there’s an overhang on two sides. That parchment sling is your best friend when it’s time to lift these out later!

Preparing the Graham Cracker Crust for Your No Bake Cherry Cheesecake Bars

First things first, get your crust ready so it can chill while you tackle the filling. In a medium bowl, you’ll mix up your one and a half cups of graham cracker crumbs with that quarter cup of sugar. Now, pour in the six tablespoons of melted butter. I like to use a fork here at first, just to make sure every crumb is coated. You want it to look like wet sand—you should be able to squeeze a bit in your hand and have it hold its shape.

This is where I channel my inner construction worker: press that mixture firmly into the bottom of your prepared pan. And I mean *firmly*! I use the bottom of a glass to really get it packed down evenly. A loose crust means a messy bar later, and we want structure here. Once it’s tamped downしっかり (firmly), slide that pan into the fridge to chill for about 15 minutes while you move onto the good stuff.

Creating the Creamy Cheesecake Filling for No Bake Cherry Cheesecake Bars

While the base is chilling, we get that cloud-like filling going. Grab your mixer and beat that softened cream cheese until it’s buttery smooth—no lumps allowed! Seriously, stop and scrape down the sides until it’s perfect. Next, add your powdered sugar slowly, followed by that teaspoon of vanilla.

Now for the secret to the fluff: the heavy cream. Make sure it’s straight from the fridge! Whip that half cup of cream separately until you get stiff peaks. Once that’s done, switch your mixer speed down to the absolute lowest setting, or better yet, put the mixer away and grab a spatula. You need to *gently* fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture. This is crucial! Overmixing here will deflate all that lovely air you just whipped in, and we want air for that light texture. Just fold until you see no white streaks left!

Assembling and Chilling the No Bake Cherry Cheesecake Bars

Time for stacking! Pull that crust out—it should be nice and solid now. Spread that beautiful, fluffy filling evenly across the crust. Take your time to get it level; it makes the final presentation so much nicer. Then comes the cherry topping. Just gently spoon that can of cherry pie filling right over the top. You don’t need to spread it perfectly edge-to-edge; a little bit of marbling or variation is fine. In fact, if you wanted to drizzle some of that simple syrup in there for extra sweetness before the cherries, that’s a pro move!

Cover the whole thing up with plastic wrap—don’t let it touch the cherry topping, just tent it loosely—and slide it into the refrigerator. You need at least four hours for this to firm up properly. I always leave mine overnight if possible; they cut cleaner that way!

Expert Tips for the Best No Bake Cherry Cheesecake Bars

You know how sometimes a no-bake recipe can be just *okay*? Well, we’re aiming for more than just okay here; we want legendary, sliceable perfection. Because we aren’t baking, we have to be a little smarter about temperature and timing. These little tricks I’ve picked up over years of making these for church potlucks mean the difference between a perfect square and a creamy puddle!

Ingredient Temperature and Texture Secrets for No Bake Cherry Cheesecake Bars

This is where most people stumble, so pay attention! Remember how I mentioned the cream cheese needs to be soft? It needs to be truly room temperature—think super squishy, not just slightly soft. That’s to guarantee a velvety smooth filling. If it’s cold at all, you’ll end up with little cream cheese pebbles in your dessert. On the flip side, your heavy cream has to be ice cold. If it’s not cold enough, it just won’t whip up into those beautiful, stiff peaks we rely on for structure. Keep the cream in the coldest part of your fridge!

Achieving Clean Slices of No Bake Cherry Cheesecake Bars

The number one complaint I hear is that the bars are too hard to cut cleanly, especially once they are truly firm. Don’t try to slice them straight out of the fridge if they’re rock solid; the graham cracker crust might crumble! My favorite trick is to let the bars sit out on the counter for just five minutes before slicing. Then, grab a long, sharp knife and dip it in a tall glass of hot water. Wipe that knife completely dry with a paper towel, make your cut, and then immediately place the knife back in the hot water to clean it before the next slice.

Repeat that hot water dip and wipe clean for every single cut. It sounds fussy, I know, but it shears right through that creamy layer without tearing or smearing. If you can, chill them until they are *very* firm, even longer than the minimum four hours—overnight is always best for cutting!

Variations for Your No Bake Cherry Cheesecake Bars

Part of the fun with this simple recipe is how easily you can switch things up to suit your mood or what you have in the pantry. While the cherry topping is classic—and trust me, it’s my go-to—you aren’t locked into that flavor profile forever! Think of the crust and the filling as your blank canvas.

If you get tired of cherries, you can absolutely swap that can out for other pie fillings. Blueberry filling is fantastic; it gives the bars a deeper, almost wine-like sweetness that contrasts beautifully with the tang of the cheesecake. Raspberry works too, but it tends to be a bit softer, so just make sure your bars are super chilled before you cut them.

For the crust, if you don’t have graham crackers (or maybe you just want a change!), try trading them out for crushed vanilla wafers or even those chocolate wafer cookies. The chocolate crust makes it taste like a totally different dessert, almost like a chocolate-dipped cherry treat, but still without the hassle of baking! It’s a great way to keep these bars exciting for return trips.

Storage and Make-Ahead Guide for No Bake Cherry Cheesecake Bars

Since these bars have zero baking involved, storage is super simple, which is another reason I love prepping them ahead of time. You can totally make these a day or two before your event, and honestly, they taste even better once they’ve had a full 24 hours in the fridge for everything to really settle together.

Keep them tightly covered—I mean really sealed up—in that 8×8 pan, or transfer them to an airtight container after cutting. They’ll stay creamy and delicious for up to five days in the refrigerator. And yes, they freeze beautifully if you have leftovers! Just wrap individual squares tightly in plastic wrap, then foil, and they’ll be good for about a month. Thaw them overnight in the fridge before you want to serve them.

Frequently Asked Questions About No Bake Cherry Cheesecake Bars

I always get so many questions after people try these for the first time because they are just that good! People always want to tweak or troubleshoot, so here are a few things that come up most often when folks are making their own batch of perfect **No Bake Cherry Cheesecake Bars**.

Can I use fresh cherries instead of pie filling in my No Bake Cherry Cheesecake Bars?

That is a fantastic question! While the canned cherry pie filling is the easy button for guaranteed sweetness and that thick, jellied texture we need, you absolutely *can* use fresh cherries. If you go that route, you can’t just toss them on top, though.

You’ll need to pit and halve about two cups of cherries, then cook them down on the stove with a quarter cup of sugar and maybe a little splash of water until they soften. To make it set up like the pie filling, you’ll need a thickener. Mix one tablespoon of cornstarch with two tablespoons of cold water to make a slurry, then stir that into your simmering cherries until the whole mixture thickens up beautifully. Let it cool completely before spooning it over the filling, otherwise, you’ll melt your beautiful cheesecake layer!

Why did my cheesecake filling not set properly?

This is the number one panic call I get! If your filling is soupy after chilling, it usually comes down to two things, maybe three. The culprit is almost always the heavy cream. If it wasn’t ice cold when you started whipping it, it won’t achieve those stiff peaks we rely on for the structure of the whole bar. You need volume there to hold up the cream cheese!

Second, did you fold gently? If you used the mixer or stirred too vigorously when incorporating the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture, you knocked all the air out. That air is what sets up firming in the cold! A quick look at some mixing guides will remind you that folding needs a light hand. And finally, just sheer patience! Four hours is the *minimum*. If your kitchen is warm, you might need six, or even better, leave it overnight!

Estimated Nutritional Snapshot for No Bake Cherry Cheesecake Bars

Now, I have to be totally honest with you guys here—I almost never bother tracking this stuff when I’m baking for fun or for a party. When you’re focused on making something delicious and easy, who has time to weigh everything out perfectly?

Because these bars use standard grocery store ingredients like pre-made pie filling, the exact nutritional breakdown can swing a little bit depending on what brand of graham crackers or what kind of cream cheese you grab. So, take this snapshot with a grain of salt!

The approximate values I’ve seen published are really just estimates for guidance purposes only. If you are making these **No Bake Cherry Cheesecake Bars** for someone with serious dietary restrictions, you’ll want to measure everything meticulously yourself using your preferred brands. For the rest of us just grabbing a square for dessert? Let’s just say they are creamy and delicious!

Share Your Experience Making These No Bake Cherry Cheesecake Bars

Alright, my kitchen adventure buddies, that’s all she wrote for this recipe! I hope you’re as excited as I am about how incredibly easy these bars are to pull off. The best part about sharing these recipes online is hearing from you all on how they turned out in your own kitchens!

Seriously, once you try them, come right back here and let me know! Did you stick to the classic cherry, or did you sneak in that blueberry variation we talked about? Don’t be shy! Drop a comment down below—I love hearing about your small wins and seeing how you make the recipe your own.

If you snapped a gorgeous picture of your perfectly chilled and sliced squares, tag me on social media! Seeing those little squares lined up makes my day. Happy chilling, and enjoy every creamy bite!

No Bake Cherry Cheesecake Bars

Author: cocktailmixguide.com
Total Time: 4 hr 20 min
Yield: 16 bars 1x
Diet: Vegetarian

Print Recipe

Description

Simple, no-bake bars featuring a graham cracker crust, creamy cheesecake filling, and a sweet cherry topping.

Ingredients

Scale

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup granulated sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup heavy cream, cold
1 (21 ounce) can cherry pie filling

Instructions

Combine graham cracker crumbs and 1/4 cup granulated sugar in a bowl. Pour in melted butter and mix until crumbs are moistened. Press mixture firmly into the bottom of an 8×8 inch baking pan lined with parchment paper, leaving an overhang for easy removal. Chill crust for 15 minutes.
In a separate bowl, beat the softened cream cheese until smooth. Gradually beat in the powdered sugar and vanilla extract until fully combined.
In another bowl, whip the cold heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture until just combined. Do not overmix.
Spread the cheesecake filling evenly over the chilled crust.
Spoon the cherry pie filling over the cheesecake layer. Spread gently to cover the top.
Cover the pan and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or until firm.
Use the parchment paper overhang to lift the bars out of the pan before cutting into squares.

Notes

For easier cutting, chill the bars until very firm.
You can substitute other canned fruit fillings if you prefer.

Prep Time: 20 min
Cook Time: 0 min
Category: Dessert
Method: Chilling
Cuisine: American

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 bar
Calories: 250
Sugar: 25g
Sodium: 150mg
Fat: 14g
Saturated Fat: 8g
Unsaturated Fat: 6g
Trans Fat: 0g
Carbohydrates: 30g
Fiber: 1g
Protein: 3g
Cholesterol: 35mg

Keywords: no bake, cherry, cheesecake, bars, graham cracker, easy dessert