No-Bake Cherry Cream Cheese Dessert

By
Leah Maroney
Leah Maroney
Leah Maroney
A recipe developer and food photographer, Leah Maroney is an ardent home cook and food blogger who has written over 300 recipes for The Spruce Eats.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 10/12/22
Tested by
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Tested by Diana Rattray
Southern-cuisine expert and cookbook author Diana Rattray has created more than 5,000 recipes and articles in her 20 years as a food writer.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
No bake cherry cream cheese dessert

The Spruce Eats / Abby Mercer
Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 0 mins
Chill: 4 hrs
Total: 4 hrs 15 mins
Servings: 8 to 12 servings
Yield: 1 pie
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
347 Calories
14g Fat
50g Carbs
6g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8 to 12
Amount per serving
Calories 347
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 14g 18%
Saturated Fat 7g 35%
Cholesterol 34mg 11%
Sodium 243mg 11%
Total Carbohydrate 50g 18%
Dietary Fiber 1g 2%
Total Sugars 28g
Protein 6g
Vitamin C 4mg 20%
Calcium 156mg 12%
Iron 1mg 4%
Potassium 269mg 6%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

This dessert calls to mind a very basic no-bake cheesecake and it certainly gives you some of those flavors—but without the time it takes to make the beloved dessert. It calls for canned cherry pie filling, making it a super simple dessert that comes together with minimal effort. Beginner bakers and kids interested in baking will find assembling this pie a breeze.

This no-bake cherry cream cheese pie requires only five ingredients and tastes like a dessert that took all day to make. Thankfully, it comes together with just a few minutes of mixing followed by a few hours of chilling. It’s creamy and less dense than cheesecake but still offers a delicious, sweet, and tangy taste. 

This fruity, creamy pie is a cool dessert that tastes especially good in the summertime, and you can vary it with seasonal fruit if you like. Serve it at your next barbecue or picnic.

"This cherry cream cheese dessert was super easy, and it was delicious. You could easily whip this up in 10 minutes or less using a ready-made graham cracker crust. It's an excellent option for when you need a yummy dessert and don't want to heat up the kitchen." —Diana Rattray

Cherry cream cheese dessert/tester image
A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

  • 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, room temperature

  • 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

  • 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

  • 1 homemade or store-bought graham cracker crust

  • 1 (21-ounce) can cherry pie filling

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients to make a no bake cherry cream cheese dessert

    The Spruce Eats / Abby Mercer

  2. Beat the cream cheese with a hand mixer until fluffy. Alternatively, use a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.

    A bowl of whipped cream cheese

    The Spruce Eats / Abby Mercer

  3. Beat in the sweetened condensed milk, lemon juice, vanilla extract, and salt until a thick, batter-like mixture forms.

    A bowl of blended cream cheese, condensed milk, lemon juice, and salt

    The Spruce Eats / Abby Mercer

  4. Pour the mixture into the prepared graham cracker crust.

    A graham cracker crust filled with the cream cheese mixture

    The Spruce Eats / Abby Mercer

  5. Chill the pie in the refrigerator until the filling is set, at least 4 hours. (Note: You can also freeze the pie up to this point to speed up the process. Freeze least 2 hours.)

    A full chilled cream cheese pie

    The Spruce Eats / Abby Mercer

  6. Once it’s chilled, spread the cherry pie filling over the top of the pie. Slice and serve immediately.

    A cream cheese pie topped with cherry pie filling

    The Spruce Eats / Abby Mercer

Recipe Variations

There are so many ways to vary this very simple recipe, you'll have fun experimenting:

  • Less Sweet: Use less sweetened condensed milk for a less sweet pie. This will also give the pie a firmer texture. 
  • Gluten-Free: Use a gluten-free cookie crust or gluten-free pretzel crust instead.
  • Sugar-Free: If you're cutting back on sugar, you can try a sugar-free crust.
  • Chocolate Cherry Pie: Use a chocolate cookie crust and top with chocolate sauce or shavings for a delicious chocolate variation of this pie. 
  • Berries: Use other pie fillings as a topping. Try blueberry or strawberry pie filling instead; fresh fruit is especially good, and you can also make your own cherry pie filling to use as a topping.
  • Parfait Desserts: Sprinkle graham cracker crust crumbs in dessert glasses, and then top with the cream cheese filling and cherry pie filling. Chill and serve with spoons.


How to Store and Freeze

  • You can make this pie up to three days in advance. Add the cherry pie filling just before serving.
  • Wrap any leftovers well and refrigerate. It should keep up to five days in the fridge.
  • You can also freeze this dessert. Wrap the slices individually and freeze for up to three months. Defrost in the refrigerator before serving.


Does canned cherry pie filling go bad?

Unopened, canned cherry pie filling will be good for three years. Once you have opened the filling, store any unused filling in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days. Leftover filling is delicious over vanilla or chocolate ice cream.

Is sweetened condensed milk the same as evaporated milk?

Sweetened condensed milk and evaporated milk are not the same. Sweetened condensed milk is sweetened and very thick, like a syrup. Evaporated milk is canned milk that has had some of its water removed. It is slightly sweeter and thicker than regular milk, but not nearly as sweet or thick as sweetened condensed milk. They cannot be used interchangeably.