Quick And Easy No Bake Cheesecake Recipe With Sour Cream

By Lindy Van Schalkwyk, last updated on October 3, 2024

This no bake cheesecake recipe with sour cream takes under 15 minutes to make and can be set in the fridge overnight. It’s creamy, airy, and tangy!

Now, you can easily impress your friends with a well-balanced cheesecake that is refreshing. And, you can even serve it with a wide range of toppings of your choice!

What Is A No Bake Cheesecake?

The biggest ongoing debate in the cheesecake community is which cheesecake is the best. And no, we aren’t talking about flavor, but rather techniques used. The argument for baked versus no bake cheesecake has been going on for decades. But, what are the actual differences?

Baked cheesecakes are baked in an oven. The recipes also always contain eggs and need to be cooled and set over a long period. They also have varying textures but are often denser than no bake cheesecakes and less creamy.

No bake cheesecakes aren’t baked or cooked at all. For this reason, they don’t contain any raw eggs. So, this means they mainly consist of cream cheese and flavoring ingredients. This makes them super creamy and very fluffy.

Because we are making a no bake cheesecake recipe with sour cream, we will discuss the benefits of this technique and why we chose it. Despite the massive difference in texture, no bake cheesecakes are also more refreshing. The flavors are unchanged and you can really play around with airiness a lot.

Furthermore, the overall technique requires a lot less effort and time. Simply make the base and set it in the fridge. That’s it!

Functions Of Sour Cream In Cheesecake

When it comes to a no bake cheesecakes recipe with sour cream, it adds the perfect amount of tanginess to the recipe that balances out the sweetness from the sugar.

Sour cream in baked cheesecakes helps to create a soft texture as well as add a tangy flavor. In a baked cheesecake it can be replaced with heavy cream. Although we have found that the best cheesecakes all have sour cream in them!

Can I Substitute Sour Cream For Heavy Cream In Cheesecake?

If you don’t have sour cream on hand, you can use heavy cream in the no bake cheesecake recipe with sour cream. Just remember that heavy cream won’t add the tangy flavor that sour cream does.

You can also try your hand at making your own sour cream. There are tons of tutorials online and they are incredibly easy!

What You Will Need For This No Bake Cheesecake Recipe With Sour Cream

Ingredients for the crust

•  2 cups graham crackers, crushed
• 1/4 cup brown granulated sugar
• ½ cup salted butter, melted

Ingredients for the sour cream cheesecake

• 24 ounces cream cheese, softened at room temperature
• 1/3 cup caster sugar, sifted
• 1/4 cup sour cream, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract or concentrate
• 1 1/4 cups heavy whipping cream, room temperature

Equipment

• 10-inch springform cake pan
• Non-stick baking paper or cooking spray
• Re-sealable plastic bag
• Rolling pin
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Mixing bowls
• Electric hand or stand mixer
• Rubber or silicone spatula
• Plastic or saran wrap

Steps For Making This No Bake Cheesecake Recipe With Sour Cream

 Step 1: Make the crust

Preheat an oven to 350°F (180°C). Then, line your 10-inch springform baking pan with non-stick baking paper and some cooking spray. This will add extra lubrication and will help your cheesecake come out easily!

Place the graham crackers in the zip-seal bag and use a rolling pin to crush the crackers into crumbs. Combine the crumbs with the sugar and melted butter. Mix the ingredients together until you have a uniform crumb texture.

Then, press the crumbs into a lined baking pan and make sure it is completely level. You can add a slight edge if you want to. Set the crust in the fridge and allow it to rest until it is needed.

Step 2: Make the filling for the cheesecake

To make the filling, lightly beat the cream cheese in a mixing bowl to soften. Add the sugar to the beaten cream cheese and beat you get a uniform creamy mixture.

Next, add the sour cream, lemon juice, and vanilla extract. Whisk the ingredients together until you have a uniform batter. Set these ingredients aside until they are needed again.

Start whipping the heavy cream in a separate bowl until they reach medium peaks. Then, gently fold the cream into the cheesecake base.

Step 3: Assemble the cheesecake and set

Gently pour the cheesecake batter into the crust-lined pan.  Then, wrap the entire pan with plastic or saran wrap and place it in the fridge to set it overnight.

Tips And Tricks For This No Bake Cheesecake Recipe With Sour Cream

• To prevent over-mixing your batter, make sure that all of your ingredients are soft and at room temperature. They will mix together much better this way.
• And, to prevent any lumps, your ingredients should also be softened and at room temperature.
• You can follow this informative article on beating cream to different consistencies. The cream has to be beaten to medium peaks. This consistency will best allow you to gently fold in the cream without losing the airiness.
• You absolutely have to wrap the springform cake pan before placing it in the fridge. Otherwise, the fridge will cause the batter to form an unappealing film and potentially even dry out. The batter can then also potentially absorb roaming flavors.

No Bake Cheesecake Recipe With Sour Cream – Potential Toppings

While sour cream is a great ingredient to use in your cheesecake, it can also be used on top as a garnish! You can also try and whip this cream to make an aerated topping or incorporate it into glazes and frostings.

For this recipe, you can also add some fresh-cut fruit or other garnishes like nuts.

Conclusion

This recipe is incredibly quick and easy to make. It is also incredibly creamy, airy, and packed with deliciously sweet and tangy flavors.

Let us know what you think in the comments below and feel free to share it with your fellow cheesecake lovers!

FAQs

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