No-Bake Creme Brulee Cheesecake
Looking for the deliciousness of Creme Bruleed cheesecake - without turning on the oven? Look no further than this decadent no-bake Creme Brulee cheesecake!
Servings: 16 servings
Calories: 296kcal
Equipment
- 9- or 10-inch springform pan (I usually use a 10-inch springform - more room for bruleed sugar on top!)
- Hand or stand mixer
- Brulee torch or flamethrower (+ fuel; maybe I’m just slow but torching a whole cheesecake usually takes me 5-6 minutes)
Ingredients
Crust
- 2 cups Nilla wafer crumbs (60 regular or 90 mini cookies - 180g or about 6.5 ounces)
- 6 Tablespoons Butter
- 2 Tablespoons brown sugar (optional)
Cheesecake layer
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream (about 4 cups whipped)
- 16 ounces cream cheese softened
- ¾ cup sugar (superfine or granulated both work)
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla bean paste
- ¼ cup instant vanilla pudding mix (optional: JUST the powdered mix. You can leave this out and just freeze the cheesecake 10min longer. ¼ cup is about half a 3.4oz package.)
Decorations
- ¼ cup superfine sugar (granulated will work also; it just takes a little longer to melt.)
- FIRE!! (Kidding. kinda. ;) )
Instructions
Crust
- Crush or blend Nilla wafers to a crumb consistency - the finer they’re crushed the easier your crust will be to press into the pan, and to cut cleanly later. Pour in melted butter (and sugar if using) and stir until well combined. Press into a springform pan and chill in the refrigerator for at least 10 minutes.
Cheesecake
- In another bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add sugar, vanilla bean paste, and pudding mix if using. Beat until well-combined and set aside.
- Whip 2 cups of heavy cream until stiff peaks form. (Fine to substitute pre-made whipped topping if you prefer!)
- Gently fold in whipped cream - continue folding until the mixture is even in color and consistency, but try not to overmix or the whipped cream will lose too much volume.) Transfer to springform pan on top of crust and smooth. Chill until you're ready to transfer it to the freezer before torching - see the next step for details.
- Freeze time!! My best success so far has been putting the cheesecake in the freezer AN HOUR AHEAD of when I plan to torch + serve it. This keeps the top of the cheesecake from melting.
Bruleed top
- This is the FUN PART!! Time to break out the brulee torch! Sprinkle a layer of sugar over the top of the cake. It should be enough to cover the top of the cheesecake so the cheesecake doesn’t show through. (Also though- worth noting the thicker the sugar is, the longer it will take to melt and the more likely it can be to burn (in my experience).
- Start the torch - and start caramelizing that sugar! (I usually work in small sections and move on to a new section if I notice sugar starting to burn. If there’s any un-dissolved sugar left in the prior section I come back to it when it’s had a minute to cool down.)
- High-five yourself on your INCREDIBLE CHEESECAKE - and enjoy! I hope you love this recipe like we do!!
Video
Notes
(Please note nutrition information is a rough estimate, and may not be exactly accurate. Optional ingredients have been included.)
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 296kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 21g