Easy Graham Cracker Crust Cheesecake Pie Recipe
For many home bakers, Philadelphia no-bake cheesecake was one of the first cheesecakes we made. It’s an easy recipe to follow and turns out great every time! Top it with your favorite fruit filling.
Servings: 12
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Graham Cracker Crust:
- 2 cups graham cracker crumbs about 16 whole graham crackers
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter melted
For the Cheesecake:
- 1 ¼ cups heavy cream
- 3 packages cream cheese room temperature (8-oz each package)
- 1/4 cup sour cream room temperature
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Optional pie filling - for topping
Instructions
Make the Graham Cracker Crust
- Pulverize the graham crackers using a food processor or blender until fine.
- Mix together graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar and melted butter. It should have the consistency of wet sand.
- Pour into a 9-inch springfrom pan. Press with a water glass and up the sides with your fingers. Make sure it’s packed in very tightly, otherwise, it can fall apart when cutting the cheesecake.
- Freeze for about 10 minutes while you prepare the filling.
Make the Cheesecake Filling
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the heavy cream on medium-high speed using a hand mixer until stiff peaks form, about 5 minutes.
- In another bowl, add softened cream cheese and sugar. Beat on medium speed until completely combined and smooth.
- Add sour cream and vanilla extract, and use a spatula to fold into the cream cheese mixture until smooth. (Make sure there are no lumps of cream cheese.)
- Add the whipped cream into the cheesecake filling. Gently mix until combined.
Assemble the Cheesecake
- Take the graham cracker crust from the freezer and pour the cheesecake filling on top of the crust. Smooth the top with an offset spatula.
- Cover with aluminum foil or plastic wrap. Place it in the refrigerator for 6 hours or up to 2 days. (I recommend letting it chill overnight for the best result.)
- Gently remove the rim. Serve with optional toppings.
Notes
Bring your cream cheese to room temperature before cooking to ensure a smooth texture.
Make sure to pack down your crust very tightly until it’s firm so that it doesn’t break apart when you cut the cake for serving.
It’s important to beat the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Otherwise, your cheesecake filling can become runny.
Make sure to pack down your crust very tightly until it’s firm so that it doesn’t break apart when you cut the cake for serving.
It’s important to beat the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Otherwise, your cheesecake filling can become runny.