No Bake Mascarpone Cheesecake

Desserts don't get much easier than this No Bake Mascarpone Cheesecake. You only need 6 ingredients and 15 minutes to make this easy cheesecake. The hardest thing about it is waiting for it to chill and deciding what to put on top!

Sliced Mascarpone cheesecake with fresh berries.

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Looking for a dessert that is fancy enough for company but easy enough to make on a weeknight? Your search is over with this No Bake Mascarpone Cheesecake. One bite of this decadent dessert, and you will see why it has been a family favorite for years.

Made in just one bowl, it's creamy, rich, and not too sweet. The best part is it uses a handful of easy-to-find ingredients and takes minutes to put together, no oven required.

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Why you'll love this recipe
Ingredients
Instructions
FAQs
Expert Tips
Substitutions and Shortcuts
More Easy Desserts
Recipe
Reviews

Why you'll love this recipe

It's fast. You usually have to wait for cream cheese to come to room temperature when making a regular cheesecake. Not here! You can use cold mascarpone cheese straight from the fridge so you don't need to plan ahead when you are making this easy dessert.
It's easy to customize. The sky is the limit with the toppings making it easy to pair with any menu. It even tastes delicious plain! Fruit, chocolate, or caramel are all tasty options.
The ingredient list is short. You only need one bowl and 4 ingredients to make the filling. No long intricate ingredient list here.

Ingredients

You can everything you need for this Mascarpone Cheesecake in one trip to the grocery store.

Ingredient Notes:

Cookies: Chocolate sandwich cookies make a great base for the crust but you can also use a box of chocolate cookie crumbs from the grocery store.
Butter: Both unsalted and salted work in this recipe. Use whatever you have.
Mascarpone Cheese: Mascarpone cheese is a must for this recipe. This Italian "cream cheese" is in the refrigerated section of the grocery store or in the specialty cheese section.
Heavy Whipping Cream: The heavy cream gives this dessert its fluff and cannot be substituted with the same results.

Instructions

You need a food processor and a hand mixer to make this easy Mascarpone Cheesecake.

Step 1: Add the cookies to the bowl of a food processor and pulse until the fine crumbs form and all of the big chunks are gone. Then add melted butter and pulse until the mixture is well combined.

Step 2: Pour the mixture into a springform pan and press the mixture down firmly. Freeze while you are making the filling.

Step 3: Place the mascarpone cheese and powdered sugar in a medium bowl and mix until creamy.

Step 4: Add whipping cream and vanilla.

Step 5:Beat until stiff peaks form.

Step 6: Spoon filling over prepared crust and smooth with an offset spatula. Chill for at least 2 hours.

FAQs

How do you pronouce mascarpone and what is it?

Mascarpone (maa-skaar-pow-nay) cheese is Italy's answer to cream cheese. It's higher in fat because it is made with whole-fat cream and then has an acid such as lemon juice or vinegar added to it. The result is a rich, creamy cheese that is softer in texture and tangier in flavor.

Can I replace mascarpone with cream cheese?

You can swap cream cheese and mascarpone in a 1:1 ratio, but I do recommend mixing softened cream cheese with a little whipping cream to get a similar creamy texture to mascarpone.

Can you make this no-bake cheesecake ahead of time?

Yes, you can make this up to one day in advance. The crust tends to get soggy after a few days so it's best eaten within 2 days.

Expert Tips

Mascarpone is a richer, creamier cheese so it doesn't set as firmly as a cream cheese cheesecake. Chill cheesecake for several hours or overnight and then freeze for 30 minutes before slicing for clean cuts.
Keep whipping cream chilled until ready to whip. This allows you to get stiffer peaks faster. I also recommend that you use a chilled bowl and chilled beaters.
Don't overwhip the mascarpone and whipping cream otherwise it gets a grainy texture.
Use an offset spatula to get a smooth top.

Substitutions and Shortcuts

Buy chocolate cookie crumbs in a box rather than crushing your own cookies. You can also use a graham cracker crust or a Biscoff cookie crust.
Use a tart pan instead of a cheesecake pan for a different look or use individual tart pans for an easy pre-portioned dessert for a group.
Top with crushed cookies, cherries, hot fudge, salted caramel sauce, or enjoy it plain.

More Easy Desserts

We love easy dessert recipes! Check out this No Bake Chocolate Lasagna and our other reader-favorite dessert recipes!

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