In full transparency, this gingersnap cheesecake started out as a gingerBREAD cheesecake. But I didn’t have time to bake my own gingerbread, and I couldn’t find gingerbread cookies in the stores anywhere. To be fair, it was 2 days before Christmas and the stores were sold out of everything. So, in order to make it work, I decided to use what I had…which was fresh gingersnap cookies. What came to be was a delicious & easy no bake gingersnap cheesecake!
I had never made a no-bake cheesecake before, and to be honest, I wasn’t sure I’d like the texture as much as a baked cheesecake. But I am happy to report that I think I like the no bake kind even more ?!
This gingersnap cheesecake is flavorful with cozy holiday spices like warm cinnamon and nutmeg and a hint of spice with zesty ginger. It would work well for any Fall or Winter occasion, but also would work well in the Summer months because, well…there’s no oven required.
This cheesecake is soft & creamy and will serve anywhere from 12-15 people with a small slice. (Or 10-12 if you have dessert lovers like me that want larger slices!)
No Bake Gingersnap Cheesecake Recipe
No Bake Gingersnap Cheesecake Ingredients
For the crust:
- 9″ springform pan (this one has over 37,000 reviews)
- 12 oz. Gingersnap cookies (I love these because they contain little bits of real ginger!)
- 3/4 stick of butter
For the cheesecake:
- 4 blocks of 8 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 cup white sugar
- 2 cups heavy cream or whipping cream
- 5 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground all spice
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Gingersnap Cheesecake Instructions
- Melt the butter in the microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring after each 30 seconds. It shouldn’t take more than 45 seconds to a minute to completely melt the butter.
- While the butter is melting, crush your gingersnap cookies for the crust. You can either put them in a food processor and pulse until crumbly OR if you don’t have a food processor you can place them in a plastic ziploc bag and crush with a meat tenderizer or mallet. (This is also a great way to get out any extra holiday stress!)
- Be sure to save a few gingersnap cookies to decorate/crumble on the cheesecake and for garnish at the end.
- When the cookies are crushed, place them in a small bowl. Pour the melted butter over the crumbs and stir to coat completely.
- Take the crumbly mixture and press it firmly into the bottom of the springform pan, pressing it flat with your palm or the bottom of a cup or spoon.
- Place this crust in the fridge for a minimum of one hour to chill and to set the butter. You can even do this step and chill overnight.
- When the crust is near ready, take the cream cheese and soften it in a large bowl with a mixer set on Low/Medium. The cream cheese should be room temperature, or else you won’t get that fluffy texture – and it will make the cheesecake grainy. Add the sugar and spices and mix to combine, until the sugar is dissolved.
- In a separate bowl, whip the heavy cream with a mixer on Medium/High until the cream turns into whipped cream with stiff peaks (mix for about 3-4 minutes).
- Slowly and carefully add the whipped cream to the cream cheese mixture by hand. Be sure to gently fold the whipped cream in because you don’t want it to lose it’s light and airy texture.
- Once the filling is completely combined, carefully pour it into the gingersnap crust, which, at this point, should be completely chilled and firm.
- Smooth out the top and garnish with any crushed gingersnap cookies that were left over. You can also garnish with other items such as whipped cream dollops (this cake decorating set would work great!) or a drizzle of caramel sauce.
- Refrigerate the cheesecake overnight, or for a minimum of 4-6 hours.
A couple of notes on this recipe:
- I used a 9″ springform pan, but if you only have a smaller one, like a 7″ pan, I would reduce the amount of filling by half. That way the cheesecake won’t be as tall and overpowering in a 7″ pan.
- Always, ALWAYS use room temperature cream cheese. This makes a nice soft texture for the filling, otherwise it can be grainy and lumpy.
I have to say, after making this cheesecake I am a new no-bake cheesecake convert! I think I like the texture of this even more than baked cheesecakes. And the fact that you don’t have to turn on and occupy the oven is an added bonus!
I also love that you can make this dessert ahead of time and simply refrigerate until needed. It makes a great dessert for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or any occasion in between.
If you do insist on making a baked cheesecake, I really love this Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake. I made this for Easter one year and it was a big hit!
If you have any questions or if you make this cheesecake I’d love to hear from you! Send me a DM on Instagram.
Xx
