This mouth-watering, No-bake Pecan Cheesecake is the ultimate fall dessert. It has a crunchy biscuit base, a creamy filling, and a sweet caramelized pecan topping. Serve at Thanksgiving and other special occasions.
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This delightful no-bake pecan cheesecake is a crowd-pleaser! It is made with easy-to-find ingredients and does not require any baking. Prep the dessert and leave it to chill in the fridge before serving. This cheesecake has a golden biscuit base, a creamy filling with a layer of caramelized pecans in the center, a caramelized pecan topping, whipped cream, walnuts and caramel! It is a proper combination of delicious fall flavors.
Serve it with Homemade Hot Chocolate Drink or Easy Baileys Hot Chocolate.
Why This Recipe Works
- The combination of the crunchy base, creamy filling and caramelized nutty topping is heavenly!
- It is a no-bake cheesecake, so you can make it ahead of time and leave it to chill in the fridge before serving.
- You can decorate this cheesecake however you like.
- The proportions can be varied depending on how many people you intend to feed. You can also prepare it in a square tin and make pecan cheesecake bars instead.
Ingredients
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
- Digestive biscuits: Use a good brand for the best flavor.
- Unsalted butter: For this recipe, melt unsalted butter in a microwave or stovetop. This will help the biscuit base hold and set.
- Cream cheese: Use full-fat cream cheese for the best flavor and texture.
- Cream: Select full-fat heavy, double, or whipping cream to achieve the desired texture.
- Pecans: Select good-quality whole pecans for the best flavor.
- Brown sugar: Use brown sugar to make the caramelized sauce for the pecan topping.
Tips and Tricks
- Digestive biscuits: This recipe calls for digestive biscuits to make the base; however, you can use graham crackers instead.
- Topping: This cheesecake is topped with caramelized pecans, swirls of whipped cream, pecans, and caramel. However, you can top it with crushed pecans only, Whipped White Chocolate Caramel Ganache, or skip the whipped cream.
- Filling: No-bake cheesecakes are egg-free because they are not baked in the oven. Be sure to mix the filling until incorporated to achieve the desired creamy texture.
How to Make No-bake Pecan Cheesecake
- Add digestive biscuits to a food processor.
- Blitz until it forms a crumb-like texture and add melted butter. Stir the melted butter and crumbs in a bowl until combined.
- Then, pour the crumb base into a circular 7" springform tin.
- Press the crumbs into the tin using a glass cup or spoon. Make sure it is even. Cover the biscuit base with plastic wrap and leave to chill for 30 minutes while you prepare the filling and topping.
- Add butter and brown sugar to a pot.
- Melt the butter and sugar and stir.
- Then, pour heavy cream into the pot and stir well.
- Bring the mixture to a boil.
- Let the mixture simmer and thicken for 5 minutes.
- Add pecans to the caramel.
- Stir the pecans and caramel well.
- As the caramelized pecans cool, prepare the creamy filling. Pour heavy cream into a bowl, whisk until stiff peaks form, and add cream cheese.
- Whisk cream cheese and whipped cream until combined.
- Then, smooth the creamy filling on top of the biscuit base until flat.
- Add half of the caramelized pecans.
- Gently flatten the mixture.
- Add another layer of cream cheese filling on top of the caramelized pecans.
- Smooth the filling and add the final layer of caramelized pecans.
- Then, gently flatten the pecans. Cover the cheesecake with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 6 hours.
- Once the cheesecake has been set, gently remove the tin and top it with whipped cream and pecans.
21. Serve this delicious no-bake pecan cheesecake for dessert.
Recipe FAQs
Follow the recipe and use the correct cream-to-cream cheese ratio to achieve the right texture. In addition, the temperature of the cream cheese and heavy cream should not be too warm. If not, the filling will not be firm.
Yes. Cream cheese should be at room temperature before mixing. If it is too cold, it will not combine properly with the whipped cream, resulting in a lumpy filling.
Wrapt the cheesecake tightly in plastic wrap or an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days. To freeze pecan cheesecake, wrap it in plastic wrap, then foil it, and freeze it for up to one month. Let the cheesecake defrost in the fridge overnight when serving.
More Delicious Fall Desserts
No-bake Pecan Cheesecake
Equipment
- 7" springform tin
- mixing bowl
- Hand-held electric whisk
Ingredients
- 400 g Digestive biscuits
- 150 g unsalted butter melted
Filling
- 460 g of cream cheese room temperature
- 75 g of granulated sugar
- 245 ml of whipped cream room temperature
Caramelized Pecans
- 2 cups of pecans
- 6 tablespoon of unsalted butter
- ½ cup of brown sugar
- ⅓ cup of heavy cream
- a pinch of salt
Topping
- Whipped cream
- Caramel for serving
Instructions
- Add digestive biscuits to a food processor and blitz until they form a crumb-like texture.
- Stir the melted butter and crumbs together in a bowl until combined.
- Pour the crumb base into the springform tin. Press the crumbs evenly into the tin using a glass cup or spoon.
- Cover the biscuit base with plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes while you prepare the filling and topping.
Caramelized pecans
- In a pot, melt butter and brown sugar, stirring until combined.
- Next, pour in heavy cream and stir well. Bring the mixture to a boil, then let it simmer and thicken for 5 minutes.
- Add pecans to the caramel and stir well.
Filling
- While the caramelized pecans cool, prepare the creamy filling. Whisk heavy cream in a bowl until stiff peaks form, then add cream cheese and whisk until combined.
- Smooth the creamy filling on top of the biscuit base until even.
- Add half of the caramelized pecans and gently flatten them. Add another layer of cream cheese filling on top of the caramelized pecans, smoothing it out. Add the final layer of caramelized pecans, gently flattening them.
- Cover the cheesecake with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 6 hours.
- Once set, gently remove the tin and top the cheesecake with whipped cream and pecans.
- Serve this no-bake pecan cheesecake for dessert.
Notes
- Digestive Biscuits: The recipe uses digestive biscuits for the base, but graham crackers are a substitute.
- Topping: This cheesecake features caramelized pecans, whipped cream swirls, pecans, and caramel. Alternatively, you can use crushed pecans, Whipped White Chocolate Caramel Ganache, or skip the whipped cream.
- Filling: No-bake cheesecakes are egg-free since they're not baked. Ensure the filling is well-mixed to achieve the desired creamy texture.
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