This Easy Passionfruit No Bake Cheesecake has a graham cracker cheesecake crust, a passionfruit cheesecake filling, and a passionfruit curd topping. This is the perfect easy dessert with no baking required.
Passionfruit No Bake Cheesecake
Hi hi! I am just popping in here to share the recipe with you for this Passionfruit No Bake Cheesecake! I grew up on No Bake Cheesecake (baked cheesecake isn't really a big thing in New Zealand), and it is one of my favourite desserts. It is super easy to make, and perfect to make ahead.
I made a passionfruit version this time around. I made a quick passionfruit curd, which I folded into the filling of the cheesecake, then reserved some and finished the cheesecake with a passionfruit curd on the top. This passionfruit no bake cheesecake is so easy to make, and just so, so good. I hope that you enjoy!
How to make No Bake Cheesecake
No Bake Cheesecake is super easy to make. Unlike a baked cheesecake, which is set with eggs, a no bake cheesecake is made with cream and cream cheese, and set with gelatine. The process is super simple - this one has an extra step with making the curd, but you can absolutely use store bought if you like too. I am all for wee steps that make things easy!
- Prepare your passionfruit curd - this is super easy to make and I just do in the saucepan. You can also make this in advance if you like and store in the fridge.
- Make your graham crust - this is just a regular no bake graham cracker cheesecake crust. I just mix together graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, some sugar, and a wee bit of salt. Easy easy. Press it into the pan and pop it into the freezer while you prepare the filling.
- Mix together the cheesecake filling - This has a few steps. First you whip up some cream and pop it in a separate bowl. Then, the gelatine gets dissolved in the smaller measure of cream, while the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla get all whipped up together. Gelatine mixture then goes into the cream cheese mix, and the whipped cream is folded in. At this point I also added in some of the passionfruit curd to make a passionfruit no bake cheesecake base.
- Add the curd to the top of the cheesecake - after the filling goes in, you then swirl the remaining curd over the surface of the cheesecake. This process is super easy and really fun to do. I just use a knife to swirl it in there!
- Leave the cheesecake to set - The cheesecake hangs out in the fridge for at least a few hours or up to overnight to set up properly, then you are good to go!
How to make Passionfruit Pulp
I used fresh passionfruit for this cheesecake, but frozen pulp works great too. I love passionfruit seeds but they are super, super crunchy, so what I do is pop the scooped out passionfruit pulp and seeds into a food processor, and then give it a few good pulses. What this does is separates the pulp from the seed without crushing up the seed, so you can then just strain the whole lot and get the juice out and have the seeds left behind! I then add just a wee bit of the seeds back into the curd to give some crunch, without the seeds being too overpowering. You can just pass it through a sieve too if you want but it's going to take forever that way.
Easy Passionfruit Curd
I made a super quick passionfruit curd to go in the filling and also on the top of the cheesecake. You can make curd in a double boiler situation if you like, but I just popped everything into the saucepan - passionfruit juice, egg yolks, butter, sugar, and a wee bit of salt. For a curd, you want to cook it until it coats the back of a spoon to the point that if you run your finger through it, it should leave a clear track. You can also make this up to a few days in advance. If you wanted to make this a lemon curd cheesecake, then it would be great with lemon curd too!
How to make this Passionfruit No Bake Cheesecake Small Batch
I have a rhubarb small batch cheesecake coming up soon, which I made in a loaf pan. I adapted the quantities of this recipe just to get the crust to filling ratio correct.
If you wanted to make this a small batch, the quantities for crust and filling are below. I would do about 100g passionfruit curd into the filling of the cheesecake and then more on top. I scaled the filling by about 0.45. Gram weights make this super easy to do! I haven't tested these quantities with this exact cheesecake but it worked great for the rhubarb one so it is a good guide to go off.
Graham Cracker Crust
- 135g Graham Cracker crumbs
- 15g sugar
- Pinch of salt
- 80g melted unsalted butter
No Bake Passionfruit Filling
- 130g plus 55g cream
- 1 teaspoon powdered gelatine
- 200g cream cheese
- 60g sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 100g passionfruit curd in the filling, plus more for the top.
Frequently Asked Questions for Passionfruit No Bake Cheesecake
Can this be made with other fruit?
Yes! It would be so so good with a lemon curd too.Add image
Can cheesecake be made without Gelatine?
Not this one sorry! I haven't tried without or with veggie gelatine unfortunately.
Can I substitute sheet gelatine in this recipe?
I don't know sorry. You can look up the conversion from powdered gelatine to sheet but I have not tested it myself.
Where can I get passionfruit pulp from?
I used fresh fruit and separated out the seeds. However you can often get frozen pulp in the frozen section of supermarkets - my local stocks it. If you find passionfruit juice check it does not have added sugar as 'passionfruit nectar' often has it added.
Can I make this so it has less filling?
Absolutely. If you prefer a higher crust to filling ratio, then you are welcome to scale down the filling quantity to accommodate! This is why we make things in grams - it makes doing this so easy!
Do I have to make my own Passionfruit Curd?
Nope! Store bought is totally fine. Lemon or passionfruit or another fruit curd would work great!
Why are there two quantities of cream in the recipe?
The larger quantity gets whipped to form the base of the cheesecake, and the second quantity is used to dissolve the gelatine to add to the cheesecake.
What can I use instead of Graham Crackers?
If you can't get graham crackers where you are, you can use digestive biscuits or something similar - something relatively plain. You may have to adjust the butter quantity slightly - you want it to look like wet sand.
What pan did you use? Can I make this in an 8" pan?
I assembled this cheesecake in this 9" pan - I also have this and love it! Yes you can make it in an 8" pan just be sure to scale the whole recipe by 80%.
For more Passionfruit Recipes, Check out:
❤️ Made this recipe and love it? ❤️
I would LOVE for you to leave me a review and star rating below to let me know how you liked it! Also, please make sure to tag me on Instagram!
Answers to your baking questions
Over the years, many of you have asked me questions about:
- baking in grams
- adjusting oven temperatures
- what kind of salt to use
- and many more!
I've curated and answered them all for your easy reference in this frequently asked questions post!
Passionfruit No Bake Cheesecake
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 4 hours
- Yield: 16 servings 1x
- Category: Cheesecake
- Method: No Bake
- Cuisine: American
Description
This Easy Passionfruit No Bake Cheesecake has a graham cracker cheesecake crust, a passionfruit cheesecake filling and passionfruit curd topping. This is the perfect easy dessert with no baking required.
Ingredients
Passionfruit Curd
- 200g passionfruit ‘pulp’ or juice (no seeds)
- 140g granulated sugar
- 100g unsalted butter, cold from the fridge is fine
- 100g egg yolks
- Pinch of salt
- ¼ tsp vanilla bean paste (optional)
- 45g reserved passionfruit seeds (optional)
Graham Cracker Crust
- 400g graham crackers
- 60g Sugar
- 175g unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- ¼ tsp salt
Passionfruit No Bake Cheesecake Filling
- 300g plus 120g cream
- 2 tsp (6g) powdered gelatine
- 450g cream cheese, at room temperature
- 130g sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
- ¼ tsp salt
Instructions
PASSIONFRUIT CURD
- Place all ingredients except for the seeds into a medium saucepan. Place over low to medium heat and cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring constantly, until the curd has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon and when you run your finger through it it leaves a clear track.
- Remove from the heat and strain through a sieve then add the reserved seeds. Press a piece of plastic wrap directly against the surface of the curd and place a lid on the container. Leave in the fridge to cool completely.
GRAHAM CRACKER CRUST
- Grease and line a 9” square pan with two pieces of parchment paper, extending over the sides to form a sling. Place the graham crackers and sugar in the work bowl of a food processor. Pulse until the crackers resemble fine crumbs, then transfer to a medium bowl. Add the salt and butter, and mix to combine - it should have the consistency of wet sand.
- Pour the base into the prepared pan, and pat down until smooth using the bottom of a flat glass or measuring cup, ensuring that it is an even thickness. Place in the freezer while you prepare the filling.
FILLING AND ASSEMBLY
- In a small pot over low heat, combine the 120g measure of cream and gelatine. Stir until the gelatine has dissolved. Set aside to cool slightly.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or using an electric mixer, whip the 300g measure of cream until soft peaks form. Transfer into a bowl. There is no need to wash the mixer between the cream and cream cheese mix. Whip the cream cheese and sugar in the mixer using the paddle attachment until smooth. Add the vanilla and salt and beat to incorporate, then add the gelatine and cream mixture and mix well.
- Remove the bowl from the mixer and add 200g of the cooled passionfruit curd and fold to incorporate. gently fold the softly whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture.
- Spoon the filling over the prepared base, tapping to remove any bubbles, then spreading with an offset spatula. Spread the remainder of the curd over the surface of the and using a swirling motion, gently mix it into the top section of the filling using a spoon, then bang the pan on the counter to flatten off the top of the cheesecake.
- Refrigerate the cheesecake for at least 3 hours or until set. Using the parchment paper as a sling, remove the cheesecake from the pan. Cut into squares using a knife that has been run through hot water and then dried before cutting.
- Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container.
Comments
stacy says
I made these and they're delicious!!
Olivia says
Uh yum.
This was so light and delicious.
Made in a round cake tin, reduced the base to fit and it was absolutely lovely.
Thank you Erin!
caribou says
These are perfect! They came together quickly and makes the perfect amount.
Amelia says
Sounds delicious can’t wait to make it
Steve says
So Yum! I love passionfruit and these are perfect for when you have some that are on the way to being overripe!
Grant says
In case it's helpful for anyone else making these trying to estimate how many fruit they need to buy… it took 15 purple passionfruit for me to get 200g of pulp without seeds. Here in Canada, at a typical supermarket, that's $30 of passionfruit! I went to an Asian grocery store, where it came to $10 of passionfruit, but this is definitely a pricey recipe with the cream cheese and cream - $25-45 depending on where you get your ingredients! Alas, I have never seen frozen passionfruit pulp at any supermarket anywhere in Canada. 🙁 Maybe things are cheaper in America?
Erin says
Hi! Yep depending on where you get your passionfruit it gets expensive fast! They grow in people's gardens in nz and so we have pretty easy access to them but I know that's not the case everywhere. For this reason I suggested people can use store bought lemon curd as an alternative if they want to or the frozen pulp is cheaper too! 🙂 The cheesecake makes enough for 16 servings so cost wise hopefully is worth it! Thanks for trying the recipe 🙂
Lisa Lima says
Hello what a marvelous recipe of no bake cheesecake. It will be my next try! When is the high season in my country I buy a lot of mangos, passion fruit and strawberry and freeze. Whenever I want I just use them perfectly in recipes with some adjustments. This one is cheaper comparing to the baked ones, because gas and loads of grams of cream cheese and sour cream.
I will let you know how it works. Thank you
Erin says
Ohhh you are smart! I would love to hear how it goes!
Nina says
I got refrigerated Passion Fruit pulp at our local South American grocery store for $7. Huge bag!
Erin says
ah yayyyy!
Susan Oher says
No need to ever bake cheesecake again! These are light and bright as a cloud. Absolutely delicious, perfectly written recipe and comes together in a snap. There may or may not have been words about who got the leftovers!
Will be making this again - so glad we can have dinner parties now that we’ve been vaccinated.
Erin says
Eeee so happy you loved it! Thank you thank you
Susan says
I just cut mine up and they are delicious! Very light and bright compared to baked cheesecake. Thank you for sharing your recipes! Can I freeze the leftovers??
Erin says
Hi! Cream cheese doesn't freeze super well so I'm not sure how it would freeze sorry!
Leo says
I got so excited when I saw these on your Instagram story I literally made them the minute I got home. I live in the Midwest and it's practically impossible to find passionfruit but I had this frozen passionfruit puree on hand that worked perfectly in the curd. These were so, so good. I'm going home to Puerto Rico soon so I can't wait to make these again with actual passionfruit!
Erin says
Yayyy so happy you loved them!
Mara says
These were amazing. I didn't have enough passionfruit but had a bit overripe mango, so I made a mango-passionfruit curd. Stellar! Also, we didn't wait the full 3 hours before we tucked in with spoons because it was too delicious and we are animals.
Erin says
Ohhhh I bet they were SO GOOD with the mango! So happy you loved!
Claudia says
My go to cheesecake recipe! I adapted this and make lemon curd to go on top as I didn't have passionfruit - worked perfectly!
Allana says
This is incredibly delicious, would devour again!
Jeannie MacLachlan says
Made this for valentines day and OMG so delicious!!!
I did mess up a bit by not folding carefully the soft peak whipped cream and put it all together when the gelatine mixture, but still came out great! Thanks for the recipe Erin!!!
Michelle says
If I’m buying curd, how much do I need for this recipe? Thanks!!
Ann says
Thanks so much for the recipe Erin! I’ve made the base twice now and each time it’s come out too “wet” even though I’ve followed the ingredient proportions as is and it’s been in the fridge for 4+ hours. It definitely isn’t coming out as firm and pretty as in the cover pictures but still so delicious 🙂 Has anyone experienced this and know potential fixes?
Erin Clarkson says
Hi! Different graham crackers / biscuit crumbs can have different levels of absorbency, so you may need to adjust the butter quantity that you are using - it should be the consistency of wet sand. When you say wet do you mean that it is crumbly? If it is crumbly you can add more butter to the base. I hope that helps!
Michelle says
Never mind!! I saw it in the recipe as I was making this tonight. Clearly I just need to read more carefully, haha. Can’t wait to see how this turns out!!
Abby says
Hello! These look soo delicious. I treated myself to a jar of citrus passionfruit curd from a local producer and am planning to make this recipe with it! Do you know roughly how much your curd recipe makes, so I can estimate how much to use in the filling vs. topping? The jar is 9oz/255g so I’m hoping 155g will be enough for the topping. Thank you in advance!
Erin Clarkson says
Hi! I'm not 100% sure sorry but you can add up the weights of the ingredients to get a general idea!
Hazel Mcgibbon says
Absolutely THE best cheesecake recipe I’ve made in recent years. It’s now become my go-to recipe. Easy to follow recipe. Works spot on every time. Thank you so much for the time and effort you go to to make sure the recipe is perfect.
Olga says
My colleagues were crazy about this cake and talked about it for weeks. and it's so easy to make! Is used gluten-free graham cracker so everybody at work can enjoy it.
Tikina says
Hi! This looks stellar but have a few questions:
1) do you need to use gelatine in the passionfruit layer, and
2) roughly how many eggs are required for the 100g egg yolks (and for the record, I will absolutely use a scale, just curious to know how many eggs to set aside 😅)
Thanks!
Erin Clarkson says
Hi! Yes you do. One egg yolk is usually about 20g depending on how big your eggs are!
Natalie says
My second time making this recipe, it’s amazing. My favourite fruit no bake cheesecake so far but I have yet to try my hand at berry one. Ive been a lover of New York and Basque for too long so I’m super glad to have tried this. I look forward to trying more of your recipes.
Julia says
This makes the most beautiful light, luscious cheesecake and even better no bake!
Heather says
For three years now, this is the only dessert my family asks for, and the dessert that they demand for every major holiday. To all of us, it is the perfect dessert - not too sweet, tangy, refreshing, silky, and light-as-air. I recommend this cheesecake every single time someone asks for a dessert recommendation, it is THAT good.
Ashley Wick says
These are absolutely amazing and I can’t wait to make them again. The recipe is clear and concise and easy to make.
The cheesecake is sweet, tart, creamy and just the most perfect. As an FYI, I froze some leftovers I had and they are also super delicous to eat right out of the freezer!
Kara says
Just made these this morning - can't wait to try them in a few hours when they are done chilling! I ended up using a 9x13 baking dish; my 8x10 dish was looking way too small when I poured the graham cracker crumbs in. The bars look plenty tall in the 9x13! I hope they set up nice and firm as I'm bringing them to game night tonight.
Kara says
These bars were delicious! They set up nicely but were a bit too soft to pick up and eat, so I brought little paper plates and forks to game night and it was just fine. I am so glad I put this recipe in a 9x13; that made bars that were a nice height, about 1 inch tall with a crust layer about 3/8 inch tall.
Marara Reweti-Stevens says
Made this for family lunch and everyone loved it. Great instructions, easy to follow so I’ll be making this again and again
Liz says
Hi! Would these work with mangoes? I have so many of them right now and getting bored of eating them straight up (first world problems, I know!)
Erin Clarkson says
I haven't tried it sorry but it should?
Brooke says
Amazing!! These were so good and I will definitely be making them again. I did cut down on the butter in the crust - the given amount was too much to achieve the wet sand texture for me. Otherwise, made as is and turned out beautifully!
Pam says
Hi Erin, this cheesecake is amazing! I have made this about a dozen times now. I always share with friends and neighbors and I repeatedly hear “this is the best cheesecake I have ever had” Just as an FYI I do tweak the recipe a little, I use half the amount of sugar your recipe suggests and it is still sweet. I also use store bought Walkers shortbread for the crust, use less butter and no sugar here. I take a fresh passionfruit and put some seeds and juice on top of each piece I serve, perfect balance of sweet and tangy, delicious. We live is California and are lucky to have a prolific passionfruit vine so thank you very much for sharing this amazing recipe.
Susan Cox says
Probably needed more butter in the base as mine was very dry and crumbly.
Erin Clarkson says
Ah yes different biscuits / graham crackers can be different amounts of thirsty so sometimes you need to adjust!
Ashley says
Hi Erin,
How do you recommend separating the seeds from the pulp of fresh passion fruit? I have tried and failed. I used a fine mesh sieve and it took forever and I still couldn't get them all separated. I tried a quick 5 second blitz in the blender and it pulverized the seeds and left black specks all throughout the juice.
Erin Clarkson says
Hi! I usually use the food processor!
Marilyn says
Hi, could you convert this to cups for me, I hate scales and won’t google!
Just kidding, recipe looks fab and I’m about to make it following a massive haul of passion fruit from the vine. Is the closest to graham crackers in NZ vanilla wines? Or are they more of a malt or actual cracker like salada? Thank you
Erin Clarkson says
Hahahahah amazing. Digestives! You'll need to use a little less butter x
Lindsay says
Okay. First of all—how dare you.
I innocently stumbled across this “No Bake Passionfruit Cheesecake” recipe, thinking, “Oh, what a light little treat, how quaint.” I was a fool. A sweet, creamy, citrus-blinded fool.
Within 15 minutes, my kitchen looked like a tropical storm had rolled through. There was cream cheese on the dog. The dog does not like cream cheese. My mixing bowl tried to leap off the counter in what I can only assume was a show of enthusiasm. I licked passionfruit pulp off my elbow. I have no regrets.
The base? Buttery, biscuity perfection. Like a hug from your favourite grandparent if they were made entirely of cookies. The filling? So smooth and tangy, it whispered sweet nothings to my soul. And the passionfruit topping?? It didn’t just top the cheesecake—it topped the charts. I briefly considered changing my emergency contact to this cheesecake.
I brought it to a family dinner and everyone now thinks I went to a culinary retreat in the Alps. My aunt called me a “gastronomic genius” and my cousin asked if I could cater her wedding. This cheesecake has given me a reputation, and now I have to live with that pressure.
In conclusion: 47.5 out of 5 stars. This recipe has altered the course of my life. My only complaint is that now I can never eat regular cheesecake again. It’s this one… or nothing.
BRAVO.
Erin Clarkson says
ahahahahahhaha this is amazing. So happy you loved!
pata says
The recipe is very well explained, and I made it yesterday (Sunday, August 17). I reduced the sugar a bit, and the cheesecake still turned out delicious. My only comment is that the process took me an eternity to complete—but it was worth it in the end! 😉
Kait says
This recipe sent me on a curd binge! Obsessed with how easy it is. Super refreshing, it was a hit at Thanksgiving (which is desperate for acidity!!)
The only thing I'd change is maybe a thinner graham crust, but that's just my preference I think!