Easy No bake Oreo cheesecake

This easy No bake Oreo cheesecake recipe is a must for Oreo and cheesecake lovers! A crunchy, decorative tall 2 ingredients Oreo crust filled with extra smooth cream cheese mousse loaded with Oreo pieces! This No-bake Oreo cheesecake is super light and taste amazing with just the right amount of sweetness!

I love everything about this no bake cheesecake; the texture, the flavour, the design and most importantly that it comes together in literally no time with ZERO effort! No special equipment is needed to make this No bake Oreo cheesecake, you don’t even have to turn the oven on, which is handy during warm summer months.

Fun fact! I used to work 8 years for a company called Mondelez.... who happens to produce the world`s most famous cookie brand; Oreo! And... the world`s most famous cream cheese brand; Philadelphia! These two brands will be always close to my heart and I am very proud to share with you my very best, seriously epic No-bake Oreo cheesecake recipe!

My Top 3 Baking Tips for home bakers

1. Read the recipe carefully including my tips and recommendations on how to avoid and fix typical issues during baking. Not much issue expected while making this No bake Oreo cheesecake recipe but you will have to pay attention while making the Oreo crust and also while creaming the cheesecake filling
2. Avoid using substitutes and changing the recipe unless you are aware of how to fully reformulate the recipe in order to keep the balance in texture as well as flavour. In general, reducing sugar, using poor quality cream cheese etc. will all have an impact on your No bake Oreo cheesecake
3. For consistent, happy baking experience always measure your ingredients with the help of a Digital scale. Cup measurement is provided as an indicative figure only and might be used for less complex and large batch recipes however it is not an appropriate method if you want consistent results

Some important notes regarding the INGREDIENTS of the No bake Oreo cheesecake

For the Oreo crust

1. Butter: Use always unsalted as you want to be in control of the quantity of the salt. I am using 82% fat content butter in all my recipes. While in most of the recipes butter needs to be on room temperature and I always recommend to avoid last minute microwaving this is an exception. The butter needs to melted in the microwave. I am slightly reducing the butter in this recipe vs my other cheesecake recipes given the Oreo filling already has some fat content
2. Biscuit base: It´s a No bake Oreo cheesecake recipe so you will need some Oreos, obviously! Easy peasy! To be on the safe side, like always, I am giving the recipe in grams as opposed to no of pieces as perhaps it varies per country
3. Sugar: I honestly don’t think that you need extra sugar for the crust given Oreo already contains enough sugar plus it will be crunchy anyway so no sugar!
4. Salt: An essential ingredient in most of the dessert recipes. Balances flavour and enhances other ingredients. This is a lovely sweet crust and I just love that extra very mild salty kick at the end

Please make sure you read my top 10 tip about the perfect cheesecake crust in this tutorial! Whether you are using Oreo crust or Graham or Digestive or any other biscuit, same rules apply so you will certainly find it useful.

For the cream cheese mousse

1. Gelatin: It´s an odorless, tasteless and colorless thickening agent, very often used in pastries particularly in mousse cakes or no-bake cheesecakes like this No bake Oreo cheesecake. Powder or sheet versions are available, in my recipes I always use sheet (1,7 g / sheet), which I found easier to handle. Simple soak the gelatin sheet into cold water for a few minutes before you need them and use it according to the recipe. Powder gelatin can be used 1:1 so when I state 1 gelatin sheet that means 1,7 g gelatin powder. Please note that gelatin is not suitable for vegetarians. Agar agar can be a good substitution for vegetarians however replacing gelatin with agar agar is not 1:1. If using agar agar check the conversion rate to gelatin and adjust the quantity accordingly.
2. Heavy cream: Also known as whipping cream, has a fat content between 36% and 40%, in my recipes I use 36% . Use it very cold and do not substitute with vegetable based “whipping cream”. Heavy cream will make the No bake Oreo cheesecake extra smooth and creamy, effectively a mousse like consistency. While whipping cream you have to start on low speed then gradually increase. Once reached the right consistency (in this case soft peaks) stop whipping otherwise it will go into stiff peaks which makes it difficult to fold
3. Granulated sugar: I use simple, white granulated sugar, nothing fancy . While heating it up with cream make sure the sugar granulates fully dissolve. If you want to learn about the different types of sugar and how to use them in baking, please read my article in here.
4. Lemon juice: Use freshly squeezed lemon juice. The filling won´t taste lemon but lemon juice balances the flavours (just like salt in the crust)
5. Cream cheese: I always use full fat Philadelphia tub (the one that is available in Europe) when I state cream cheese in my recipes. I find it easy to cream and very pleasant in taste. I usually beat it with a hand mixer for less than a minute, just until it becomes fluffy and increases a bit in volume. Please avoid over whipping
6. Oreo: there will be some Oreo pieces in the filling, so dreamy!

For the decoration

1. Cream cheese: As per above
2. Heavy cream: As per above
3. Icing sugar: Icing sugar is the first choice when it comes to whipping up frosting (other option is syrup but let´s not over complicate this recipe). Question I often get is whether the quantity is a typo. NO, it´s not! You do not actually need a lot of sugar when making frosting. One of the biggest myth in baking is that you need half a kilo icing sugar to make frosting fluffy. It is wrong! All we need is good quality ingredients and appropriate mixing technique. Please see below my tips!

4 Tips regarding the TECHNIQUE of making this No bake Oreo cheesecake recipe

Making No bake Oreo cheesecake is really so easy! Absolutely hassle-free, no need to worry about issues like water bath, cheesecake cracking, collapsing etc. , issues you normally have to handle during making baked cheesecakes. Yet, I have some important tips for you below so your cheesecake will turn out exactly like mine!

1. How to prepare the perfect No bake Oreo cheesecake crust

Please make sure you read my top 10 tips about the perfect cheesecake crust in this tutorial!

The crust for the No bake Oreo cheesecake is super easy if you follow the process below:

• Use a food processor to make the Oreo biscuit crumb but make sure you do not overprocess it as that would make it too oily. Alternatively you the good old fashioned zip bag and rolling pin method. Use oreos with cream in it, no need to remove the filling
• Melt butter in the microwave on low heat - it can easily explode on high heat, we´ve all been there! No need to boil it, just gentrly melt it
• Mix butter and Oreo crumb while butter is warm and runny (melted). Butter will act like a binding agent in the recipe. Once it is cooled down in the fridge, it will set creating crunchy, but firm crust to hold the filling. You might have bad experience from the past with cheesecake crust being too crumby and not holding its shape, it’s probably due to not enough butter (fat) in the recipe
• When butter is melted the mixture might be runny or too sticky depending on the temperature of the butter but do not add more Oreo crumb. If too runny, pop it into the fridge for 5 minutes, it will set very quickly into a consistency you can use making the Oreo crust
• The one and only secret of making firm, neat cheesecake crust is to press crumbs firmly and evenly into side and the bottom of your cake ring. Start with the side and work your way up then when it looks neat and even, continue with the bottom. Find some equipment in your kitchen like bend a spoon and use it to really press the crust. I spent probably a good 10-15 minutes just focusing on the crust making sure that it is even on the side and really neat. Place your Oreo cheesecake crust in the freezer and let it set while you prepare the filling

Pro tip: Invest into a proper mousse ring like this one Mousse cake ring (adjustable in size)  for neat looking, tall cheesecake side!

2. How to prepare Oreo cream cheese filling for this No bake Oreo cheesecake

Preparing the filling of this No bake Oreo cheesecake could not be simpler, one thing that can go wrong is over mixing instead of gently folding which would result in breaking the consistency. Do not attempt to cut corners and reduce the number of steps, there is a reason why we whip the ingredients separately then fold them together in a particular order.

• Step 1: Prepare the gelatin mixture, boil together cream and sugar then mix gelatin sheets in. Once everything mixed, key here is to bring the mixture to lukewarm temperature before step 2. Too warm? It will melt cream cheese in Step 2. Too cold? Gelatin will set and will be impossible to mix it with the rest of the ingredients. Do not place the mixture into the fridge to speed up the chilling process as gelatin can start to form lumps
• Step 2: Whip room temperature cream cheese until fluffy, for about a minute. Cream cheese is an interesting ingredient, it won´t get more fluffy or harder if you beat longer, in fact, it will break and become runny. I suggest to use an Electric hand mixer  to avoid over beating. Fold whipped cream cheese mixture into the gelatin mixture
• Step 3: Whip heavy cream until soft peaks. Make sure heavy cream is very cold or it might be difficult to whip up. While whipping heavy cream, remember that it will go through the following stages: runny, soft peak, stiff peak then it will break and few minutes later buttermilk separates and you can make butter . For this recipe make sure you stop at stiff peak so it will be easy to fold the mixture together and keep the mixture fluffy without breaking it. Fold whipped cream into rest of the ingredients
• Last step: Fold in Oreo pieces carefully
• Use OreO cream cheese filling immediately. The filling must be fluffy, airy although it won´t be stiff at this point. Don´t worry, it will set in a few hours due to the gelatin added at step 1

That´s it! Remember, making the cream cheese filling for this No bake Oreo cheesecake is very easy but a step by step process!

Is it possible to make this Ore cream cheese filling without gelatin?

Yes, but you have to use some sort of thickening ingredient otherwise mixture won’t set. It can be substituted by agar agar, check the substitution ratio on your agar agar pack. By the way gelatin is very often used by pastry chefs whenever they make a mousse like airy dessert.

Is it possible to make this cream cheese filling without Philadephia cream cheese?

Yes, but you need to use another cream cheese then that has a similar consistency and fat content. Philadelphia is brilliant when it comes to texture and flavour but feel free to use any other full fat cream cheese you have available.

How does Oreo cream cheese filling taste?

It is creamy, airy, has the perfect consistency for a no bake cheesecake. Taste wise, it is not too sweet with mild Oreo flavour. Since the recipe is using a fair amount of cream, expect the taste very creamy as opposed to very cheesy, if that makes sense?

4. How to make cream cheese frosting decoration

I am using a very light and airy cream cheese frosting decoration on this No bake Oreo cheesecake; it is cream cheese, heavy cream and a small amount of icing sugar whipped until fluffy, pipeable consistency. It makes this No bake Oreo cheesecake super pretty and quite refreshing!

While making cream cheese frosting there are a couple of considerations worth to bear in mind:

1. Heavy cream must be very cold 2. Cream cheese should be taken out of a fridge before using to slightly warm up 3. sift icing sugar to avid lumps 4. do not over whip the mixture and 5. use full fat cream cheese and min 36% fat heavy cream

Basically you will have to whip the frosting with an electric hand mixer for a minute or two until it reaches a creamy, fluffy consistency then stop – that is where a lot of people make the mistake. Bear in mind that the cream cheese frosting won´t get more stiff after this point, in fact if you over beat it, it will get only runnier then it will break. I don´t use my stand mixer to whip cream cheese frosting since it is really easy to over whip it.

5. How to assemble this Oreo cheesecake

Patience is key when making mousse type cakes, like this No bake Oreo cheesecake. You just can’t rush certain steps or it will make a mess. It is a super simple recipe, but you have to respect time, concretely leaving enough time in between the steps until each phase sets.

• Start with preparing the Oreo crust then freeze it for 30 minutes while preparing the Oreo cream cheese filling
• Make the Oreo cream cheese filling and pipe or pour it into the cold crust. Smooth the top with an offset spatula
• Move cheesecake into the fridge and let it set for minimum 6 hours. Do not attempt to proceed with the decoration before cheesecake top properly set or they will melt together
• After cheesecake fully set, carefully remove cake ring
• Make the cream cheese frosting decoration as per recipe and move it into a piping bag fitted with Wilton 1M piping nozzle tip
• Pipe decoration around the cheesecake, decorate with more Oreos

6. What equipment is needed to make this Oreo cheesecake

You will be pleased to hear that making this No bake Oreo cheesecake does not require too much equipment!

For assembling the cheesecake I am using a Mousse cake ring (adjustable in size) set to 16cm / 6 inches. I really like the neat tall design of it however it does not have bottom so I make one using kitchen foil. Alternatively use a spring form.

Electric hand mixer will necessary to whip cream cheese and heavy cream and a Rubber spatula is absolutely crucial to fold the cream without breaking it.

Last but least for the decoration I am using a Piping bag and Wilton 1M piping nozzle tip but chose one according to your liking.

Want to try some other No-bake Cheesecakes recipes?

• Pistachio cheesecake recipe: I´ve made many cheesecakes in my life but this Pistachio cheesecake is special! If you are a cheesecake and pistachio lover and like to make delicious desserts without a lot of fuss, this will be a recipe you will love! A No-bake, no problem recipe!
• Strawberry cheesecake recipe: Strawberry cheesecake is one of the most popular desserts all around the world and no wonder why! It is phenomenal as the silky ultra cream cheese filling meets the fruity strawberry compote in crunchy, sweet crust.