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No-Bake Peach Cheesecake With Wheat Thins Crust

A cheesecake with peach and cream cheese filling and a wheat thin crust on a serving plate with a bowl of sliced peaches.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Susan Kim
  • Active Time

    40 minutes

  • Total Time

    45 minutes, plus chilling and macerating times

Cheesecake is one of those perfectly dreamed up desserts: tangy-sweet filling, silky all the way through the slice, with a hit of crunch at the end from a buttery cookie crust. While there are a couple of methods to make the dessert, in the summer you’ve got to go no-bake. It’s simple to assemble, feeds a crowd, and a great way to show off the year’s best fruit. This no-bake peach cheesecake boasts a rich and subtly tart whipped cream, cream cheese, and sour cream filling, with peach jam folded in for a bit of added sweetness. Juicy macerated peaches are the ideal topper. But here’s the best part: Instead of a classic graham cracker crust, this one uses Wheat Thins. The extra-crunchy salty-sweet crackers hold up to the creamy filling as the cheesecake sets in the refrigerator.

Ingredients

8–10 servings

Crust

3 cups Wheat Thins (about 6½ oz.)
1 Tbsp. granulated sugar
1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted, slightly cooled

Filling and assembly

12 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
6 Tbsp. sour cream or plain whole-milk Greek yogurt
6 Tbsp. powdered sugar
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1½ tsp. vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract, divided
1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt, divided
6 Tbsp. chilled heavy cream
½ cup peach or apricot jam
3 large peaches, thinly sliced
¼ cup (packed) light brown sugar
  1. Crust

    Step 1

    Line bottom of a 9"-diameter pie dish or springform pan with a parchment paper round. Pulse 3 cups Wheat Thins (about 6½ oz.) in a food processor until finely ground. Add 1 Tbsp. granulated sugar and 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt and pulse to combine. With motor running, drizzle in ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted, slightly cooled, and process until combined and crumbly. (Alternatively, you can crush crackers in a large resealable plastic bag with a rolling pin until finely ground. Transfer to a medium bowl and stir in sugar and salt, then butter.)

    Step 2

    Transfer mixture to prepared pan and press firmly into bottom and halfway up sides with a flat-bottomed measuring cup or glass. Chill crust in freezer while you make the filling, at least 30 minutes.

    Do ahead: Crust can be made 2 days ahead. Keep frozen.

  2. Filling and assembly

    Step 3

    Using an electric mixer on medium speed or a large whisk, beat 12 oz. cream cheese, room temperature, and 6 Tbsp. sour cream or plain whole-milk Greek yogurt in a large bowl until very smooth. Add 6 Tbsp. powdered sugar, 2 tsp. fresh lemon juice, 1 tsp. vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract, and ½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt and beat until incorporated. 

    Step 4

    Using clean beaters or whisk, beat 6 Tbsp. chilled heavy cream in a small bowl until stiff peaks form. Vigorously stir ½ cup peach or apricot jam in another small bowl with a spoon to loosen. Using a rubber spatula, fold whipped cream and jam into cream cheese mixture.

    Step 5

    Spoon filling into chilled crust and spread into an even layer. Cover cheesecake and chill at least 8 hours and up to 12 hours. (If you are in a hurry, you can freeze 2 hours, then chill in refrigerator 3 hours).

    Step 6

    Just before serving, toss 3 large peaches, thinly sliced, ¼ cup (packed) light brown sugar, remaining ½ tsp. vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract, and remaining ½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt in a medium bowl. Let sit until juicy, 30–40 minutes.

    Step 7

    Slice cheesecake into wedges, wiping knife clean between cuts, and top with peach mixture.

    Do Ahead: Cheesecake (without peach topping) can be made 3 days ahead. Keep chilled, or freeze up to 2 weeks.

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How would you rate No-Bake Peach Cheesecake With Wheat Thins Crust?

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  • The filling never fully set, but the flavors were good.

    • Anonymous

    • Los Angeles, CA

    • 12/20/2022

  • To begin, I considered another reviewer comments and with a graham cracker crust I have used repeatedly; and I'm a fan of sweet/savory flavor profiles. Otherwise I made this recipe as written. The one star is due to the excellent topping of fresh peaches which, by itself, deserves 4-5 stars. As for the "cheesecake" neither the texture or the flavor reflects the finished product. The texture is essentially "pudding" even after overnight in the fridge. I did not expect classic baked cheesecake texture but neither did I expect pudding. The peach flavor very faint after using a high quality peach preserve. All that being said I am keeping the peach topping instructions for use with other desserts going forward. The topping rescued the "pudding pie".

    • Middle Earth

    • Joplin, MO

    • 9/5/2022

  • The crust is a little too salty for my taste. The flavor of the cheesecake is really good but it never hardened, maybe omit a little of the whipping cream next time? Definitely has potential!

    • Anonymous

    • San Diego

    • 8/8/2022

  • Wheat thins hint of salt crackers might work.

    • Anonymous

    • 8/2/2022

  • Why oh why would you EVER use Wheat Thins for a cheesecake crust? Too much salt! Use a different firm cookie / biscuit if you must but never a salty cracker. Save the cracker for your cheese board.

    • Dot Wyckoff

    • Las Cruces, NM USA

    • 8/1/2022

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