Easy No-Bake Pistachio Cheesecake

By Melissa Clark

Published Feb. 9, 2024

Easy No-Bake Pistachio Cheesecake
Nico Schinco for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.
Total Time
5 to 7 hours
Prep Time
20 minutes
Cook Time
4½ to 6½ hours
Rating
4(221)
Comments
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Both cloudlike and rich, this no-bake cheesecake relies on cream cheese for structure and whipped cream for lightness. To keep the recipe as streamlined as possible, the pistachio flavor comes from melted ice cream, plus some chopped pistachios in the crust for a crunchy, nutty pop. The brand of ice cream you use makes a huge difference: The more like real pistachios it tastes, the better the cheesecake. (Some brands of pistachio use extracts and flavorings instead of actual pistachio nuts; check the ingredients before buying.) You can make the cheesecake up to 5 days in advance and keep it in the fridge until ready to top with raspberries and serve.

Featured in: Pistachio Cheesecake, 2 Ways: Super Simple and Simply Showstopping

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Ingredients

Yield:1 (9-inch) cheesecake

    For the Crust

    • 2cups/200 grams graham cracker crumbs
    • 2tablespoons light or dark brown sugar
    • ⅓cup/55 grams finely chopped pistachios, more for garnish if you like
    • ½cup/113 grams unsalted butter, melted
    • ¼teaspoon fine sea salt

    For the Filling

    • 1pound/454 grams cream cheese (2 8-ounce packages), at room temperature
    • 3tablespoons granulated sugar
    • 1teaspoon vanilla extract
    • ¾teaspoon almond extract
    • ¼teaspoon fine sea or table salt, to taste
    • ½pint pistachio ice cream, melted (1 cup/237 milliliters)
    • ½cup/118 milliliters heavy cream
    • Fresh raspberries, for garnish
Ingredient Substitution Guide
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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Make the crust: In a small bowl, stir together graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar, pistachios, melted butter and salt. Transfer mixture into a 7- or 8-inch springform pan. Press the crumbs into the bottom and all the way up the sides of the pan, using a measuring cup or flat-bottomed glass to create an even layer. Refrigerate until needed.

  2. Step 2

    Make the filling: Using an electric mixer, beat together cream cheese, sugar, vanilla and almond extracts, and salt until smooth, 1 to 3 minutes (or longer if your cream cheese was still a bit cold). Scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Add the melted ice cream and beat on low speed until no lumps remain. Transfer the cream cheese mixture to a large clean bowl and switch stand mixer to whisk attachment.

  3. Step 3

    Add heavy cream to the bowl you used for the cream cheese mixture and whip cream to stiff peaks. Fold the whipped cream gently into the cream cheese mixture until just combined. Transfer filling into the prepared crust and spread into an even layer. Cover with plastic and refrigerate until the filling is firm and cold, about 4 to 6 hours, or overnight.

  4. Step 4

    When ready to serve, remove the springform collar or serve directly from the pan. Top with a pile of fresh raspberries in the center and chopped pistachios around the top edge, if you like.

Ratings

4 out of 5
221 user ratings
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Comments

Martha

I make my own pistachio ice cream and I’ve been told that it’s the best they’ve ever tasted. My secret is Monin’s pistachio syrup. I used my ice cream for this cheesecake and it was lovely.

Mary D.

I wonder if this would work with other ice creams w/o mix ins (ie. strawberry, chocolate, vanilla etc.) (Also, as seen in the youtube video, the Van Leeuwen pistachio ice cream is quite excellent and can be found at whole foods and other grocery stores)

Janet H.

I jumped on this recipe because I love pistachios and had tons on hand. It was a little on the soft side, but I didn't have quality ice cream. My finished product did not come out too salty like the others. However, my pistachios were unsalted. I wonder if those whose end result turned out too salty used salted pistachios? The recipe should indicate salted or unsalted, but it does not. The extra salt in the recipe should definitely be omitted if salted pistachios are used, IMHO.

Jan

Turned out perfect for me. I used: Spring form: 7-inch CRUST: Lightly salted pistachios, half the amount of salt, cup measure for shaping and compressing it (just using your hands won't work) FILLING: Regular Philadelphia, 1/2 tsp of almond extract, no salt, Van Leeuwen ice cream - 1 cup in frozen, not melted state, very well-whipped cream, carefully folded in I let it sit in the fridge for approx. 20 hours Everything else like in the recipe. It's not a very sweet cake (which I like).

Shari

Ok - a couple gripes. This cake shows a white top that can't be whipped cream and is not mentioned in the directions. Why do that? I get that you might want to cover up the unattractive brownish green color of the cake, but give me the ingredients/directions! And I don't hold out for big flavor all the time (I can do subtle), but this is not that pistachio-y. I might add a couple drops of extract next time.

kel mcn

I would not recommend as a no bake cheesecake. It is not very solid & the taste is just okay. Looks pretty though

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