This no-bake orange creamsicle cheesecake is a nostalgic dessert that’s creamy, refreshing, and perfect for summer. Featuring bright orange and vanilla layers on a buttery graham cracker crust, it’s an easy, crowd-pleasing treat for BBQs, picnics, or any warm-weather celebration.
Why You’ll Love This Orange Creamsicle Cheesecake
This no-bake orange creamsicle cheesecake recipe is the ultimate treat for anyone craving a nostalgic dessert. The creamy, no-bake filling combines sweet vanilla and orange flavors that remind you of those classic creamsicle pops. With a buttery graham cracker crust and no need to turn on the oven, it’s an easy, refreshing dessert perfect for summer gatherings or a simple weeknight treat.
Ingredients for the Perfect Orange Creamsicle Cheesecake
- Graham crackers: You can make your own graham cracker crumbs or buy them already crushed in the baking section of your grocery store. You can also use digestive biscuits, crushed shortbread cookies, Nilla wafers, or another kind of cookie with a firm crumble to create the cheesecake crust.
- Salted butter: If you prefer to use unsalted butter, feel free. You can also use melted coconut oil and it will give the same effect with the crumbs, but it won’t provide as much flavor.
- Orange jello: If you like the idea of this cheesecake, but prefer a different flavor, feel free to swap the orange gelatin for lemon, lime jello, or any flavor you love.
- Boiling water
- Cream cheese: Make sure your cream cheese is at room temperature to avoid lumps in the mixture. For the richest, creamiest cheesecake filling, I recommend using full-fat cream cheese rather than reduced-fat or fat-free cream cheese in this recipe.
- Powdered sugar
- Plain Greek yogurt: Switch this out for some vanilla Greek yogurt for a little extra sweetness.
- Heavy cream
- Fresh oranges: You will need fresh oranges for the orange zest but you can use either fresh orange juice or orange juice from concentrate. You can also grab a couple extra to use as an optional garnish!
- Whipped topping: Feel free to use Cool Whip or make your own stabilized homemade whipped cream (use heavy whipping cream, confectioners’ sugar and vanilla extract and whip on HIGH speed until stiff peaks form).
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Orange Creamsicle Cheesecake: A Step-by-Step Guide
- Create The Crust: Mix together the graham cracker crumbs and melted butter until combined. Press into the bottom of a 9 inch springform pan and refrigerate until ready to use.
- Prepare The Jello Powder: In a medium bowl, whisk together the jello mix with boiling water until the powder dissolves. Do not chill; set aside for now.
- Make The Cream Cheese Mixture: Use a stand mixer to beat the cream cheese until completely smooth. Slowly beat in the powdered sugar, Greek yogurt, heavy cream, orange juice, and orange zest until light and fluffy.
- Make The Whipped Cream Mixture: Fold the whipped topping into the cream cheese mixture and divide it into thirds.
- Make The Orange Mixture: Whisk or beat ⅓ of the orange cream cheese mixture into the cooled jello mixture. Set aside.
- Assemble: Spread ⅓ of the plain cream cheese mixture into the bottom of the graham cracker crust. Then pour the orange mixture on top and cover with dollops of the last ⅓ of the cream cheese mixture. Swirl a butter knife or palette knife through the mixture to create a marbling effect.
- Chill: Chill in the refrigerator for 4-8 hours or overnight.
- Serve: Serve with a dollop of whipped topping and an orange wedge on top. Enjoy!
Tips for the Best No Bake Orange Creamsicle Cheesecake
- Prepare The Pan: Using parchment paper circles at the bottom of the springform is helpful. This will help your graham cracker crust release from the bottom of the pan when transferring the cheesecake to a serving plate.
- Crush The Cookies: To crush graham crackers into crumbs, place them in a resealable plastic bag and then use a rolling pin to roll over them until they are finely crumbled. You can can also use a food processor or blender to achieve the same result.
- Form The Filling: Make sure you use room-temperature ingredients when making the filling. If the ingredients are not at room temperature, the cream cheese will not mix smoothly.
- Cut Clean Slices: To get clean cheesecake slices, make sure that you are using a serrated knife. I find it best to dip my knife into hot water before cutting, and once the knife heats up, wipe off the excess water, and slice the cheesecake. Heat and wipe the knife in between each slice.
- Customize Your Cake: Feel free to stir some cinnamon and nutmeg into the graham cracker crumbs for a warm, spiced kick in the crust. If you’re feeling extra summer-y, amp up the orange zest for an even bolder burst of citrus flavor. Or use your favorite flavor of Jello to make this recipe your own. While orange creates the classic creamsicle experience, other flavors work just as well for a personalized touch.
- Simplify The Steps: If you want to make this recipe even more simple, just combine the orange jello with the entire cream cheese mixture and don’t worry about the layers!
Variations of Orange Creamsicle Cheesecake
Create Cheesecake Bars: Transform this recipe into easy-to-serve bars by using a square pan. My Pecan Pie Cheesecake Bars, Cheesecake Bars, and Brownie Cheesecake Bars are perfectly portable for parties or grab-and-go treats!
Tasty Toppings: Add a vibrant fruit topping, like fresh orange slices, mandarin segments, or a drizzle of orange glaze, to enhance the citrus flavor.
Layered Look: Why not use a few different fruity flavors of jello to make a cheesecake with a pretty layered look? Mix each color with whipped topping and stack them inside the crust. A red, white, and blue layered cheesecake works well for Memorial Day or 4th of July and an Easter Jello-Pie is perfectly pastel for Easter.
Baked Vs No Bake Cheesecake
Baked cheesecakes most often contain eggs and are baked low and slow. The texture is generally dense, rich, creamy, and smooth.
No-bake cheesecakes usually contain gelatin, which acts as a natural thickening agent. The texture is generally more light and fluffy than its baked counterpart. In my no-bake cheesecakes, I use a whipped topping in my filling; it sets up firm in the fridge and has a soft and silky smooth texture.
How to Store and Serve Orange Creamsicle Cheesecake
Make sure to keep this cheesecake in the fridge in between servings! If it sits out too long, it will become soft and begin to lose its shape.
Store leftovers in the refrigerator, covered in plastic wrap or in an airtight container, for up to 5 days. Or store it in the freezer for up to 2 months and thaw in the refrigerator when ready to eat.
More No-Bake Cheesecake Recipes
- No Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake
- No-Bake Cheesecake Balls
- No Bake Strawberry Cheesecake
- Reese’s No Bake Cheesecake
- Orange Creamsicle Cheesecake
If you tried this No-Bake Orange Creamsicle Cheesecake Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!!!
Orange Creamsicle Cheesecake
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust:
- 1¾ cups graham cracker crumbs
- 7 tablespoons salted butter melted
Orange Creamsicle Filling:
- 1 3 ounce box orange jello
- 1 cup boiling hot water
- 2 8 ounce boxes cream cheese softened
- 1¼ cups powdered sugar
- ⅓ cup plain Greek yogurt
- 3 tablespoons heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons orange juice (about half an orange)
- 1 tablespoon orange zest (about half an orange)
- 1½ cups whipped topping plus more for garnish
- Fresh orange slices optional garnish
Instructions
- To make the crust, mix together the graham cracker crumbs and salted butter until combined.
- Press into the bottom of a 9 inch springform pan to create a crust. Refrigerate until ready for use.
- In a medium sized bowl prepare the orange jello by whisking together orange jello mix with boiling water until the jello dissolves. Do not chill. Set aside for now.
- In a mixer, beat the cream cheese until it is completely smooth.
- Slowly beat in the powdered sugar, Greek yogurt, heavy cream, orange juice, and orange zest until light and fluffy.
- Fold in whipped topping until combined.
- Divide cream cheese mixture into thirds.
- Take ⅓ of the cream cheese mixture and whisk or beat it into the cooled jello mixture until combined. Set aside.
- Spread ⅓ of the cream cheese mixture carefully and evenly into the bottom of the graham cracker crust, making sure not to disturb the crust.
- Then pour the jello mixture on the top to create another layer. Dot the jello with spoonfuls of the last ⅓ of the cream cheese mixture and carefully move a butter knife or palette knife through the mixture to create a marbling effect.
- Set into the refrigerator to chill for 4-8 hours. It’s best when left overnight to chill.
- Plate and serve with a dollop of whipped topping and an orange wedge.
Jenn’s Notes
- Make sure that your cream cheese is soft when you add it to the top of the jello layer and marble it! If it’s too hard it can totally ruin the jello layer.
- I have found that this recipe is best if it is able to sit overnight.
