No-Bake Peppermint Cheesecake is a festive, make-ahead treat! A sweet Oreo® crust, light peppermint filling, whipped cream, and crushed peppermint complete this holiday treat.
For more peppermint treats, check out Peppermint Snowball Cookies and Peppermint Bark Brownie Cookies.
Best No Bake Peppermint Cheesecake
During the busy holiday season, I’m always looking for shortcuts or make-ahead dishes. No-Bake Peppermint Cheesecake checks both boxes—it’s a delicious shortcut dessert you can prepare in advance.
This cheesecake is much easier to make than a regular one—no baking required! It’s also a frozen dessert, so it can be made and stored in the freezer days before serving.
Oreo Crust
The base of No-Bake Peppermint Cheesecake is an Oreo crust—hard to beat for flavor! Just pulse Oreos, mix with sugar and butter, and press into the pan.
Quick Tips:
- Break down Oreos completely: Large chunks make slicing tricky.
- Cool melted butter: Adding hot butter can melt the sugar, making the crust greasy.
- Press firmly: Use the bottom of a metal measuring cup for an even crust.
- Line with parchment paper: This makes removal easier and gives clean slices.
How To Make No-Bake Peppermint Cheesecake
- Cream Cheese: Start with room-temperature cream cheese and beat until smooth.
- Sweetened Condensed Milk: Add it in and mix until smooth.
- Color & Peppermint Extract: Add food coloring (optional) and peppermint extract.
- Crushed Peppermint: Blend in crushed candy canes.
- Whipped Cream: Gently fold in Cool Whip®.
- Assemble & Freeze: Pour into crust and freeze. Ready to serve!
No-Bake Peppermint Cheesecake tips:
- Use peppermint extract, not mint extract: Mint extract tastes like toothpaste.
- Bring cream cheese to room temperature: Cold cream cheese or microwaving it causes lumps. Let it sit at room temp for at least an hour.
- Allow time to set: Freeze the filling for 8 hours. Store leftovers in the freezer.
- Use a sharp knife to slice: Run the knife under hot water, dry it, and cut. Repeat for each slice.
- Choose full-fat products: Low-fat or fat-free ingredients make the cheesecake too soft and wet, so avoid them for this recipe.
More Christmas Desserts:
- Peppermint Sugar Cookies
- Five-ingredient Peppermint Bark Cookies
- Microwave Fudge
- Christmas Snack Mix no baking required
- Santa Cookies
No-Bake Peppermint Cheesecake
Delicious No-Bake Peppermint Cheesecake is an easy make-ahead dessert that requires minimal effort. A thick and sweet Oreo cookie crust is filled with a light peppermint cheesecake filling and topped with whipped cream and crushed peppermint.
Equipment
- 9 inch springform pan
Ingredients
- 25 regular Oreo cookies
- 3 tablespoons white sugar
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 package (8 ounces) full-fat cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
- 1 and 1/2 to 2 teaspoons peppermint extract (do not use mint extract)
- Red food coloring (optional for richer color)
- 1/16 teaspoon salt (tiny pinch of salt)
- 6 candy canes or peppermint candies crushed
- 1 container (8 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed
- Whipped topping and additional crushed candy for topping, optional
Instructions
- OREO CRUST: Blend or pulse the Oreos (no need to remove the filling) until they resemble fine crumbs. Mix the crumbs with the sugar and melted butter. Spray a pie pan or springform pan (I use a 9-inch) with nonstick spray and press the cookie crust evenly along the bottom and slightly up the sides. Place in freezer while preparing the filling.
- FILLING: In a large bowl, beat the room-temperature cream cheese until smooth and creamy.
- FILLING CONT.: Once the batter is smooth, slowly add in the sweetened condensed milk while continuing to beat the mixture. Blend until smooth. Beat in the peppermint extract, food coloring if desired, a pinch of salt, and crushed candy canes (you can crush them in a food processor or powerful blender). With a spatula, fold in the whipped topping to the mixture gently until completely combined. Taste the mixture and increase any of the peppermint flavors if desired. Make sure to not over-mix once the whipped cream has been added in.
- ASSEMBLE: Pour the cheesecake mixture over the Oreo crust, smooth into an even layer with a spatula, and freeze for at least 8 hours.
- SERVE: When ready to serve, remove cheesecake from the freezer and cut into slices. (See Note 1) If desired, garnish individual slices with whipped cream and crushed peppermint.
- LEFTOVERS: Cover any leftovers rightly and return to the freezer promptly.
Video
Recipe Notes
Note 1: Cutting the cake: Run a sharp knife under hot water, quickly dry it off, and then make a cut. Repeat for each cut; this cheesecake is dense.
Nutrition
Serving: 12slices | Calories: 411kcal | Carbohydrates: 56g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 29mg | Sodium: 379mg | Potassium: 300mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 46g | Vitamin A: 275IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 216mg | Iron: 3mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Oh man, Chelsea. This cheesecake looks SOOOO good! YUM! I can’t wait to try this out for the holidays!
I’m dying over here. Chelsea, you are pure genius!! I’m totally trying that with a cheesecake sometime soon. And that gorgeous pink color is just so cute! 🙂 Pinned!
WOW what a cheesecake!! All the elements look so delicious and dreamy Chelsea! I really would love a slice (or eight) of this! Pinning definitely!!
OMGosh Chelsea…this looks absolutely amazing! You made my mouth water at 6:30 a.m. and now I’m craving cheesecake. I’m definitely pinning this, because I have to try it!
This cheesecake looks gorgeous, Chelsea! I love the pretty pink and chocolate and peppermint is my favorite during the holidays! Hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your family 🙂
These do look pretty dang good…and just plain pretty, too! I love chocolate and peppermint — this looks divine!
Oh my god, can I please have a slice of this??! It looks so delicious and flavorful! Pinned!
oh my gawd, these look crazy good!! love it! it’s about the same thickness as the cheesecake!! love!!
Chelsea, this thing is beautiful! The colors look so great and festive, especially with the swirl of whipped cream and crushed peppermint! So pretty! 🙂
I actually am going to pin every single image- amazing photos buddy!