Martha Stewart’s cheesecake is a no-bake recipe with a graham cracker crust and a cream cheese filling made with condensed milk, lemon, and vanilla. It chills in the fridge for 2½ to 3 hours until firm, with no oven time at all. The recipe serves 8.
This recipe sits on Stewart’s official site as her go-to no-bake cheesecake. The condensed milk does two jobs: it sweetens the filling and helps it set without gelatine or eggs. Stewart says the homemade crust makes a real difference compared to a shop-bought one.
The detail that causes the most problems is the cream cheese temperature. It must be at room temperature before you start beating. Cold cream cheese won’t blend smoothly and leaves lumps in the filling that no amount of mixing will fix.
Martha Stewart Cheesecake
Course: DessertsCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy8
servings25
minutes550
kcal3
hours45
minutesA no-bake cheesecake with a homemade graham cracker crust and a four-ingredient cream cheese filling, from marthastewart.com. No oven, no eggs, no gelatine. Just chill and serve.
Ingredients
- For the crust:
2 packets (20 sheets) graham crackers, finely crushed
155g (11 tbsp/1⅜ sticks) unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons sugar
- For the filling:
450g (2 x 8 oz packets) full-fat cream cheese, at room temperature
1 x 397g (14 oz) tin sweetened condensed milk
60ml (¼ cup) fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
- Put the graham crackers in a large resealable bag and crush with a rolling pin until you have very fine crumbs.
- Tip the crumbs into a bowl, stir in the sugar, then add the melted butter and mix until well combined.
- Press the crumb mixture into a 23 cm (9 in) springform tin, spreading it 4-5 cm (1½-2 in) up the sides. Press flat. Chill in the freezer for at least 10 minutes.
- Beat the room-temperature cream cheese in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until smooth. Beat in the condensed milk a little at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Beat in the lemon juice and vanilla until evenly combined.
- Pour the filling into the chilled crust and smooth the top with a spatula. Cover with cling film and refrigerate until firm, 2½ to 3 hours.
- Unclasp the sides of the springform tin, remove, and serve.
Notes
- Variations:
Double chocolate: Use 280g (10 oz) crushed chocolate wafer biscuits instead of graham crackers for the crust. Stir 175g (1 cup) mini chocolate chips into the finished filling before pouring it into the crust. Sprinkle more chips on top once chilled.
Cheesecake parfait: Skip the crust entirely. Spoon the filling into individual glasses, layering with broken biscuits and fresh berries. Refrigerate for 30 minutes and serve. - Tips:
Take the cream cheese out of the fridge and unwrap it a full hour before using. Room-temperature cream cheese blends smoothly; cold cream cheese creates lumps.
Crush the crackers as finely as possible. Chunky crumbs make the crust uneven and difficult to slice cleanly.
For the cleanest slices, dip a sharp knife into very hot water for a few seconds, dry it quickly, then cut in one confident motion. Repeat before each slice.
The cheesecake can be made up to 2 days ahead. Keep it covered in the fridge. Overnight chilling gives the firmest, cleanest slices.
Topping ideas: fresh berries, segmented orange slices, strawberry compote, lemon curd, or roasted rhubarb and sour cherry compote. - Calories: Graham crackers 280g = 336 kcal. Butter 155g = 1,111 kcal. Sugar 25g = 97 kcal. Cream cheese 450g = 1,539 kcal. Condensed milk 397g = 1,274 kcal. Lemon juice 60ml = 15 kcal. Vanilla = 12 kcal. Total: 4,384 kcal / 8 servings = 548, rounded to 550.
FAQs
How long does the cheesecake really need to chill?
Stewart says 2½ to 3 hours, but longer is better. If you cut into it too early, the centre will still be liquid and the filling slides off the crust. Overnight in the fridge gives the firmest set and the cleanest slices.
I make mine the evening before I need it and let it sit in the fridge overnight. If you’re short on time, 3 hours is the absolute minimum. Don’t try to speed things up in the freezer because it changes the texture of both the filling and the crust.
Why does Stewart insist on room-temperature cream cheese?
Cold cream cheese is stiff and doesn’t break down evenly when beaten. You end up with small lumps in the filling that stay visible in every slice of the finished cheesecake. No amount of extra beating fixes them once they’ve formed because the condensed milk makes the mixture too thick.
Take the cream cheese out of its packaging a full hour before you start. Stewart is specific about unwrapping it because the foil wrapper traps cold and slows down warming. Press a finger into the block: if it sinks in easily, it’s ready.
Can I use digestive biscuits instead of graham crackers?
Graham crackers aren’t always easy to find in the UK, so digestive biscuits are the closest swap. They’re slightly less sweet and more buttery, so the crust will taste a little different but it works well. Use the same weight of crushed biscuits and the same amount of melted butter.
For the double chocolate variation, use chocolate digestives or bourbon biscuits instead of chocolate wafer cookies. Crush them finely in a food processor or in a bag with a rolling pin.
How do I stop the crust from crumbling when I slice?
The crust holds together best when the butter is evenly distributed through the crumbs. If some areas have less butter, they crumble when you cut. Press the mixture firmly and evenly into the tin using the flat bottom of a glass, not just your fingers.
Chilling the crust in the freezer for at least 10 minutes before adding the filling also helps it set. Stewart’s hot-knife technique is the other half of the solution. A warm blade melts through the filling cleanly without dragging the crust apart.
Can I freeze no-bake cheesecake?
Stewart doesn’t recommend it. Freezing changes the texture of the filling, making it grainy, and the crust goes soft and loses its crunch. The cheesecake keeps perfectly well in the fridge for up to two days, so there’s little reason to freeze it.
If you want a make-ahead dessert that freezes better, the banana bread holds up for three months in the freezer. For a completely different no-bake approach, hard-boiled eggs are another zero-oven recipe from Stewart’s site.
What toppings work best?
Stewart suggests fresh berries, segmented orange slices, strawberry compote, lemon curd, or a roasted rhubarb and sour cherry compote. I like a handful of raspberries piled in the centre because the sharpness offsets the sweet condensed milk filling.
Add toppings just before serving so they stay fresh and don’t bleed juice into the filling. If you’re using a compote, spoon it on at the table rather than spreading it in advance. For a savoury contrast at a bigger spread, the crown roast makes a good main before this cheesecake closes the meal.
