Pistachio cheesecake

A delicious no-bake Pistachio Cheesecake with a crunchy 2 ingredients crust and creamy, airy pistachio cream cheese mousse filling. It's full of natural pistachio flavor, and there's no baking involved. It's the easiest pistachio cheesecake recipe ever!

Jump to:

• 🌟 Why this is the best pistachio cheesecake recipe
• 📝 Ingredient notes
• 👩‍🍳 How to make this recipe
• 👩‍🍳Storage and Freezing
• 📚Flavor Variations & Substitutions
• 🎓 Expert tips
• 🥣 Equipment notes
• ❓ Recipe FAQs
• 🧀 More Cheesecake recipes
• Pistachio Cheesecake

🌟 Why this is the best pistachio cheesecake recipe

1. It is so easy – No bake, no water bath, no hassle! The cheesecake crust has just 2 ingredients, and the pistachio cream cheese filling is also very easy to make.
2. It is super delicious – I never compromise on taste! This easy pistachio cheesecake is super luxurious, creamy, and silky, with deep natural pistachio notes with no artificial flavorings or coloring.
3. No special equipment is needed – You will likely already have all of the equipment in your kitchen. This is one of those beginner-friendly pistachio cheesecake recipes that anyone can make!

📝 Ingredient notes

For the cheesecake crust

1. Butter - I recommend using unsalted butter to control the quantity of salt in your recipes. European-style 82% fat-content butter will give the best results. We need the unsalted butter melted.
2. Biscuits - A hard biscuit or cookie, like Graham crackers or Digestive biscuits, is best for this pistachio cheesecake crust.
3. Salt - This balances the sweetness and enhances the flavor of this creamy pistachio cheesecake, so don't skip it!

Read my tutorial on making the perfect cheesecake crust before you begin!

🛒 You’ll find detailed measurements for all Ingredients in the printable version of the Recipe Card at the bottom of this post

For the pistachio cheesecake filling

1. Gelatin - I use sheet gelatin (1.7 g / sheet), which I find easier to handle. Simply soak the gelatin sheet in cold water for a few minutes before you need it, and use it according to the recipe. Powdered gelatin can be used in a 1:1 swap, so when I state 1 gelatin sheet, that means 1.7 g gelatin powder. If you prefer to use agar agar, check my agar agar guide for further details.
2. Heavy whipping cream - Also known as heavy cream, you will need cream with a fat content of between 36% and 40%. It needs to be very cold.
3. Granulated sugar - I do not use much sugar in this recipe but feel free to adjust the quantity if desired. If you want to learn about the different types of sugar and how to use them in baking, please read my sugar guide.
4. Full Fat Cream cheese - I always use full-fat Philadelphia cream cheese in my recipes. Take it out of the fridge before use so that it is at room temperature. Check out some of my other cream cheese desserts as well!
5. Pistachio paste - Make my homemade pistachio paste recipe or purchase high-quality 100% pistachio butter to achieve the best taste and color.

If you love pistachios as much as I do, don´t forget to check out my pistachio desserts collection.

🛒 You’ll find detailed measurements for all Ingredients in the printable version of the Recipe Card at the bottom of this post

👩‍🍳 How to make this recipe

1. How to make cheesecake crust

1. Prepare a 16cm / 6 inches cake pan, mousse ring, or springform.
2. Pulse the biscuits in a food processor or place them into a ziplock bag and crush them with a rolling pin.
3. Melt the butter and then mix the melted butter with the crumbs and a pinch of salt.
4. Press crumbs firmly and evenly into the side and the bottom of your cake ring. Start with the sides and work your way up before continuing with the bottom.
5. Freeze the crust for 30 minutes whilst preparing the cream cheese mousse filling.

💡 Top Tip: I use a bent spoon to press the crust into the pan and it takes me 10-15 minutes to make sure that it is neat and even on the sides and base.

2. How to assemble the no-bake pistachio cheesecake

1. Soak the gelatin sheets in water for a few minutes until softened.
2. Heat the smaller amount of cream and the sugar together in a saucepan over medium heat (stir to allow the sugar to dissolve). Bring to a simmering point, then squeeze out the gelatin sheets and stir them in.
3. Pour the gelatin mixture over the pistachio paste in a mixing bowl, stir to combine and allow to cool slightly, but not completely to room temperature (so it does not melt the cream cheese).
4. Whip room-temperature cream cheese with an Electric hand mixer for a minute until fluffy. Gently fold the whipped cream cheese into the cream and gelatin mixture.
5. Whip cold heavy cream until soft peaks form. Gently fold whipped cream into the other mixture gently with a rubber spatula.
6. Pour or pipe the cheesecake filling into the crust and smooth the top with an Offset spatula.
7. Place the pistachio cheesecake into the fridge and set it for a minimum of 6 hours. Move the remaining cream filling into a piping bag fitted with a French star nozzle and refrigerate.
8. Decorate your easy no-bake pistachio cheesecake with pistachio piped filling and garnish with some chopped pistachios.

💡 Top Tip: Be patient and do not fill the cheesecake crust before it sets, and do not open the cake ring before the cheesecake has set. Release it very gently from the pan.

👩‍🍳Storage and Freezing

For best results, serve pistachio cheesecake within 24 hours. However, it can be stored in the fridge in an air-tight container for 2-3 days.

You can freeze the cheesecake crust before filling it easily to defrost as and when you need it. You can also freeze pistachio cheesecake whole after the filling is in. However, it might lose some of its crunchy & creamy consistency. So it is best enjoyed fresh.

📚Flavor Variations & Substitutions

Once you have mastered this easy recipe for pistachio cheesecake, feel free to experiment with different flavors to make different types of cheesecake. For example, you could replace the pistachio paste with hazelnut butter or peanut butter, or enhance the crust further with crushed nuts or even freeze-dried raspberries.

If you are baking around a dietary restriction and need to make substitutions, be sure to check out my baking guides first.

🎓 Expert tips

1. While preparing the crust, make sure that you press the crumbs firmly and evenly into the side and the bottom of your cake ring. If you feel that the mixture is too runny, pop it into the fridge for 5 minutes before continuing.
2. Respect the chilling time. Chilling time is needed both for the buttery cheesecake crust to set and also for the gelatin to set the cheesecake filling.
3. Don't be tempted to skip or combine steps; there is a reason why we whip the ingredients separately and combine them in a particular order. And make a note of any room temperature ingredients so you can get them out of the fridge ahead of time.
4. Do not over-mix the cream cheese filling or overwhip the heavy cream, as they can go runny or even split. Make sure to use a flexible rubber spatula to be able to fold the mixtures together correctly.
5. Use the cream cheese filling immediately. The pistachio cream filling will be fluffy and airy, but it will be set in a few hours due to the gelatin, so use it straight away.

🥣 Equipment notes

Weigh your ingredients rather than measuring by volume using a digital scale.

I use a Mousse cake ring (adjustable in size) set to 16cm / 6 inches to make this easy pistachio cheesecake recipe and make a base from kitchen foil. Alternatively, you can use a springform pan, but note that it does not have such a neat side.

For pressing the Graham cracker crust together, I use a spoon with a bent handle to get into the corners.

Use an Electric hand mixer to whip the cream cheese and heavy cream and a Rubber spatula to fold the whipped cream in without breaking it or knocking out air.

Use a Piping bag with a simple French star nozzle tip to decorate your no-bake pistachio cheesecake.

❓ Recipe FAQs

🧀 More Cheesecake recipes