No-Bake Cheesecake Jars made with yogurt, cream cheese and lightened up with less sugar. Only 7 ingredients, ready in 20 minutes and finished with fresh summer berries! Gluten free friendly and the perfect summer dessert.
If you love mini cheesecakes, be sure to check out Mini Yogurt Cheesecakes, Mini Mocha Cheesecakes, Single Serve Banoffee Cheesecakes and Mini Key Lime Cheesecakes.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Ready in 20-minutes and no need to turn on the oven!
- Minimal ingredients and half the sugar!
- Individual servings in cute little jars are perfect for BBQs, cookouts and more!
- Completely foolproof – no baking, no eggs and no water bath in sight!
Looking for a full-size no-bake cheesecake recipe? Check out this Philadelphia No-Bake Cheesecake from my friend Beth.
Recipe Ingredients
What’s better than cheesecake in the summertime? These no bake cheesecake jars are a quick and easy healthy dessert, perfect if you are a cheesecake lover. Here’s a look at what we need:
- graham crackers or crunchy cookies – you need one half cup of crumbs for the base. You can make these cheesecake jars gluten-free by using your favorite gluten free graham crackers, OR use crunchy cookies like Simple Mills for a grain-free (and gluten free) option as well.
- melted butter – to mix with the graham cracker crumbs to create the base.
- softened cream cheese – even though this cheesecake is no-bake, it’s still helpful to have the cream cheese sit out at room temperature to soften so it’s easily incorporated with the yogurt. You can use full-fat cream cheese for a richer flavor, but reduced fat or fat free cream cheese also works. Use a block of cream cheese as opposed to whipped cream cheese.
- sugar – you can use a granulated sugar of your choice or light brown sugar. Just note that if you use coconut sugar, the mixture will be much darker. If you use a sweetened yogurt, taste test the filling before adding sugar.
- skyr or greek yogurt – you’ll also want the yogurt to be slightly room temperature. You can opt to use a sweetened vanilla, which means you won’t need to add as much added sugar. Sour cream or mascarpone cheese are both great subs.
- vanilla extract – for sweet vanilla flavor.
- lemon juice – a little hint of lemon juice gives the filling some tangy punch. Lemon zest would give it even more citrus flavor.
- fresh berries / fresh fruit – I like a mix of strawberries, blueberries and raspberries, but blackberries or even chopped peaches or apricots would be divine.
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Jars for No Bake Cheesecake Jars
Making this recipe is very simple and requires just a few steps. I used 7 ounce Weck tulip jars, but you can also assemble these in smaller dessert shooter style glasses as well. Or 8 ounce mason jars work too – just add more berries to fill to top.
If you don’t have jars or glasses on hand, small glass bowls will work!
How to Make Cheesecake in a Jar
This easy cheesecake dessert takes hardly any time at all and no ovens necessary! Here’s how to do it in 3 easy steps:
Make the Graham Cracker Crust
In a small food processor or blender, process graham crackers into crumbs. Transfer crumbs to bowl with melted butter, stir until crumbs are moistened and resemble wet sand.
Add about 1.5 – 2 tablespoons to each jar, pressing into the bottom of the jars with back of spoon.
Whip Together Cheesecake Filling
In a large bowl, whip the room temperature cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy. Then add in yogurt, vanilla extract and lemon juice, mixing on medium-high speed until smooth.
Add Your Favorite Berries or Jam
Add about 3-4 tablespoons of cheesecake mixture to each jar. Top or layer with berries as desired. (I use my cookie scoop for easy dispensing.)
TIP: You can top off the jars with jam, or alternate a layer of berries, or do a mix of both!
Have Fun with the Toppings
This cheesecake jar recipe makes 4 (7-ounce) jars total, so feel free to have fun with the toppings. I love the fresh fruit layer, but you could try garnishing with sweet and colorful additions, or any of your favorite toppings, like:
- Your favorite jam
- Salted caramel
- Chocolate syrup
- Chocolate ganache
- Whipped cream
- Sprinkles
- Fresh mint
How to Make Ahead & Store
The cheesecake jars do not need to be chilled to enjoy right away, but if preparing ahead of time, refrigerate until ready to serve. Simply:
Make Ahead: Prepare the layered cheesecake jars as instructed, cover and store in the fridge. Cheesecake jars can be layered up to 2 days in advance.
Storage: Leftover cheesecake in jars will keep, covered, in the fridge for up to 4 days. Remove from the fridge 5-10 minutes before serving.
Serving Suggestions
No bake cheesecake jars make a fantastic dessert that’s already divided into individual portions. Wow all your friends with the mason jar dessert trend and serve these for:
- Summer Holidays: Think Memorial Day Weekend or 4th of July. The colors bring out the essence of the season!
- BBQs, Cookouts and Picnics: Bring these to any and all outdoor adventures you have planned for the warm summer months. Pop them in the fridge if you are going to a house party or keep in a cooler with ice if planning to spend a lot of time outdoors.
- Special Occasions: Perfect for baby showers, bridal showers, wedding celebrations, graduation parties or any occasion where individual desserts are highly desired.
Recipe Tips & Notes:
- Use room temperature ingredients. Both the cream cheese and yogurt will whip to a silky smooth texture if whipped at room temperature.
- If using sweetened yogurt, taste the cream cheese filling first before adding the sugar.
- Scale up the recipe. The recipe easily doubles (or triples) for more dessert jars. Simply multiply and scale the recipe up by however many you need.
More Cheesecake Recipes You’ll Love:
If you make this Cheesecake in a Jar recipe, be sure to leave a comment and star rating on the blog! I love hearing from you, and it helps others learn more about the recipe too. Xx Ashley
No-Bake Cheesecake Jars
Ingredients
- ½ cup graham cracker crumbs, about 8 graham crackers
- 2 tablespoons softened butter or ghee
- 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, see notes
- ⅔ cup vanilla or plain Greek yogurt or Skyr yogurt, I recommend 2% or whole milk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- fresh berries, chopped strawberries, blueberries, and / or raspberries
Instructions
- Make the crust: In small food processor or blender, process graham crackers into crumbs. Transfer crumbs to bowl with melted butter, stir until crumbs are moistened. Add about 1.5 tablespoons or so to each jar, pressing into bottom with back of spoon; set aside.
- Make cheesecake filling: In a medium mixing bowl using an electric hand mixer, beat together softened cream cheese with sugar until light and fluffy. Add in yogurt, vanilla and lemon juice, mixing on medium-high speed until well combined. Mixture should be thick and smooth.
- Assemble jars: Transfer cream cheese yogurt mixture evenly into the four jars, topping or layering with berries as desired. The cheesecake jars do not need to be chilled to enjoy right away, but if preparing ahead of time, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
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