No Bake Caramel Apple Pie Cheesecake
This No Bake Apple Pie Cheesecake brings together warm Fall flavors of apple pie with the creamy, dense texture of a classic baked cheesecake—but with zero oven time! While there are a few steps to get it just right, you can easily simplify things by making it in stages or prepping a few days ahead. With a buttery graham cracker crust that stays firm and a salted caramel sauce on top, this dessert is a guaranteed showstopper for Thanksgiving, Friendsgiving, Christmas, or any festive gathering worth celebrating!
Ingredients
- 113 g (8 Tbsp / 1 stick) salted butter, reduced during browning
- 195 g (about 1⅔ cups / 13 full sheets) graham cracker crumbs, finely ground
- 18 g (1½ Tbsp) granulated sugar
- 42 g (3½ Tbsp) light or dark brown sugar
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ⅛ tsp salt
- 500 g (4 cups / 3-4 medium) apples, peeled, cored, sliced ¼” thick
- 5 g (1 tsp) lemon juice
- 50 g (¼ cup) packed brown sugar
- 25 g (⅛ cup) granulated sugar
- 1½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg (freshly grated preferred)
- ¼ tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp ground cardamom
- ⅛ tsp ground cloves
- ¼ tsp salt
- Slurry: 8 g (1 Tbsp) cornstarch + 15 ml (1 Tbsp) fresh apple cider or water
- 15 g (1 Tbsp) salted butter
-
678 g (3 bricks / 24 oz) full-fat cream cheese, softened to room temperature (68–72°F)
- 200 g (1 cup) granulated sugar
- 15 g (⅛ cup) powdered sugar
- 60 g (¼ cup) sour cream, room temperature
- 5 ml (1 tsp) lemon juice
- 2 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp salt
- 240 ml (1 cup) cold heavy cream
- 750 g (6 cups / 4-6 medium) apples, peeled, cored, sliced ¼” thick
- 8 ml (1½ tsp) lemon juice
- 50 g (¼ cup) packed light brown sugar
- 25 g (⅛ cup) granulated sugar
- 1¾ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¾ tsp ground nutmeg (freshly grated preferred)
- ¼ tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp ground cardamom
- ⅛ tsp ground cloves
- ¼ tsp salt
- 15 g (1 Tbsp) salted butter
- 15-30 ml (1-2 Tbsp) fresh apple cider or water, if needed
- Slurry: 8 g (1 Tbsp) cornstarch + 15 ml (1 Tbsp) fresh apple cider or water
- ¾ tsp vanilla extract
- 100 g (½ cup) granulated sugar
- 43 g (3 Tbsp) salted butter, cut into cubes
- 90 ml (⅜ cup) heavy cream, room temperature
- ¼ tsp salt
Brown Butter Graham Cracker Crust
Apple Pie Filling (Optional)
Cheesecake Filling
Apple Pie Topping
Salted Caramel Sauce
Instructions
Browned Butter
In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter, stirring occasionally.
Cook until golden brown and nutty, 6-9 minutes. Immediately pour into a heat-proof measuring glass. You should have about 80-95 g or 6 Tbsp of browned butter (just below the ½ cup line).
Graham Cracker Crust
Line the bottom and sides of a 9–inch springform pan with parchment paper (a circle for the bottom and two strips for the sides).
In a bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, browned butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt.
Press mixture tightly into the pan’s bottom and up the sides about ½–inch. Freeze until ready to use, or bake at 325°F for 10-12 minutes and let cool completely.
Apple Pie Filling (Optional)
In a large pot, mix apples, lemon juice, granulated sugar, brown sugar, spices, and salt. Let sit for 10 minutes.
Add butter, then simmer on medium-low for 8-10 minutes, or until apples are tender.
Stir in cornstarch slurry and cook for 1-2 minutes until thickened and apples are soft.
- Transfer to a heat-proof bowl and cool completely before adding to cheesecake.
Cheesecake Filling
In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth, about 1 minute on medium speed.
Add granulated sugar, powdered sugar, sour cream, lemon juice, vanilla, and salt, then mix on medium-low for about 1½-2 minutes until smooth.
In a separate bowl, whip cold heavy cream to medium-stiff peaks, 2-4 minutes on medium-high speed.
- Gently fold whipped cream into cream cheese mixture until just incorporated.
- If adding the middle layer of apples, pour half of the cheesecake filling into the crust and smooth the top. (If skipping the apple pie filling, pour all of the cheesecake filling over the crust, smooth the top, and jump to step #8).
- Layer the cooled apple pie filling evenly over the cheesecake, arranging slices to form a smooth layer.
- Spread remaining cheesecake filling over the apple layer, smoothing the top.
Cover and refrigerate for 8-12 hours. The longer it’s refrigerated, the more the cheesecake will set and develop the classic dense cheesecake texture.
Apple Pie Topping
In a large pot, mix apples, lemon juice, granulated sugar, brown sugar, spices, and salt. Let sit for 10 minutes.
- Add butter, then cook on medium-low for 8-10 minutes until apples are soft. Add apple cider or water if the liquid is evaporating too quickly, but there should be enough juice from the apples.
Stir in cornstarch slurry and cook for 1-2 minutes until thickened. This will be slightly thinner than the apple pie filling.
- Remove from heat, stir in vanilla, and let cool completely before topping the cheesecake.
Salted Caramel Sauce
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the sugar, stirring until it reaches a deep amber color.
- Add butter and stir until combined.
- Slowly add heavy cream, stirring constantly, as the mixture will bubble.
- Pour into a small heat-proof bowl, stir in salt, and cool slightly before drizzling.
Assembly
While cheesecake is cold, run a knife around the pan edge, release the springform rim, and peel away parchment.
Spread cooled apple topping evenly over the cheesecake.
- Drizzle caramel sauce, then slice with a sharp or serrated knife, wiping clean between cuts for neat slices.
- Drizzle each slice with more caramel right before serving. Serve cold.
Notes
- Servings: About 12-16 slices.
- Storage: Cover and refrigerate up to 5 days. Don’t let sit at room temp for more than 1 hour.
- Make Ahead: Prepare components on separate days if desired (e.g., Day 1: Crust, Day 2: Cheesecake filling, Day 3: Apple pie topping). The caramel can be made 2 weeks in advance, just wait to drizzle till the day you’re serving.
- Graham Crumbs: Ensure crumbs are evenly ground in a food processor. Since this is a no-bake crust, the crumbs should be as finely ground as possible to prevent cracking and crumbling.
- Crust Butter: Use 85 g (6 Tbsp) melted butter if skipping browning.
- Crust Height: Keep crust height to ½–inch on sides for easy release and reduced cracking.
- Cream Cheese: Fully softened cream cheese prevents lumps.
- Cheesecake Texture: Whip cream to medium-stiff peaks before folding into filling for a dense, baked-like texture. Avoid over-whipping.
- Apple Cider:Use fresh apple cider, not apple cider vinegar.
- Apples: Ambrosia and Honeycrisp are good choices for this recipe.
- Apple Filling: Middle apple layer is optional; skip for a classic cheesecake or to save on time.
- Caramel Sauce: Leftovers last 2 weeks in the fridge; reheat before using. Store-bought caramel is fine.
- Chilling: Chill at least 8 hours for best results. The longer it sits, the better the texture.
- Freezing: Freeze whole cheesecake without topping or middle layer for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge (8+hours) before adding topping.
Happy baking! ❤️
Emma & Eric
@birchberryco No Bake Apple Cheesecake 🍎🧀🍰 This no bake cheesecake recipe has a brown butter cheesecake crust, a creamy cheesecake filling, a delicious apple pie topping, and is finished with a salted caramel drizzle. This apple cheesecake is seriously one of our favorite easy no bake apple desserts because you can make it a couple days ahead or even each part on separate days. *** The full recipe is on our site Birchberryco.com (link in bio!) Let us know how it goes!! 🤍 #apple #cheesecake #cheesecakerecipe #applepie #baking #bakingrecipe #nobake #nobakecheesecake #thanksgivingdessert #dessert #fallbaking #fallvibes #bakingtherapy #baketok #bakingtiktok #aesthetic #asmr #cottagecore ♬ The Kite Live by Luisa Marion - luisa_marion_music
