Reminiscent of our childhood, this No-Bake Orange Creamsicle Cheesecake is absolutely AMAZING! Swirled layers of creamy cheesecake and bright orange combine to create a decadent yet light and fluffy no-bake dessert.
Apparently I am very inspired by ice cream bars this month because I have not one but two ice cream-inspired desserts. As one does, I suppose!
I didn’t even plan this, but I’m not mad at it, either! Who doesn’t love ice cream bars or the treats inspired by them? And if you love orange dreamsicles, you’re going to LOVE this cheesecake!
I’ve been trying to think of some springtime treats and desserts for Easter events and figured a nice, dreamy and light cheesecake would be perfect. Cheesecakes are always a relatively easy but totally impressive dessert to serve to company or for a holiday meal and this one is not only delicious but gorgeous, too. Plus, the orange flavor is super spring-y and just perfect.
There are a few elements to making this Orange Creamsicle Cheesecake happen, so let’s go over them:
The Crust
The crust is your standard graham cracker crust. I chose a graham cracker crust because I find graham crackers have the finest crumb which is best for cheesecake crusts. You could use Nilla Wafers but just make sure you grind them really finely because if they’re too coarse, your crust will be too crumbly. You need your crust to be really compacted in there. The crust is just some brown sugar, graham cracker crumbs, and melted butter. Pretty standard!
The Filling
The filling has two components: the regular cheesecake and the orange part. The regular cheesecake is just cream cheese, granulated sugar, and vanilla whipped together until smooth, and then we’ll fold in some freshly whipped cream to make it fluffy and extra creamy. For the orange part, we’ll whisk together some orange gelatin, fresh orange zest and boiled water and let it cool completely, then whisk in some of that fresh whipped cream. This makes the orange part super creamy and thickens it up as well. Then you’ll just layer the two mixtures in the pan alternating them to create that layered and swirled effect. Both mixtures have different textures (the no-bake cheesecake is very thick and the orange one is thinner) so you can’t spread them or even swirl with a knife as well, but it looks amazing in its imperfection, trust me! It may even look lumpy because of the different textures, but this is normal! The photo above ^ is right before I spread the dollops of cream cheese as best I could and before the final orange layer was added. As you can see, it will be kinda lumpy. No biggie!
Garnish
I garnished this simple cheesecake with some more freshly whipped cream and some orange segments to really drive home the orange flavor!
Bright and zesty orange, cool and creamy cheesecake – you’re going to LOVE this refreshing No-Bake Orange Creamsicle Cheesecake!
*adapted from Cincy Shopper
No-Bake Orange Creamsicle Cheesecake
Ingredients
For the Crust:
- 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
For the Orange Layer:
- 3 oz box (1 small box) orange gelatin
- 3/4 cup boiling water
- Zest of one medium orange
For the Cheesecake:
- 16 oz (2 packages) cream cheese, softened
- 3/4 cup granulated white sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract divided
- 16 oz heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
Instructions
- Lightly grease a 9" round springform pan with cooking spray. If desired, place a parchment paper round on the bottom of the pan and spray again. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, light brown sugar and melted butter until moistened and combined. Pour the crust mixture into the prepared pan and press into an even layer. Place in the freezer for at least 30 minutes.
- Next, add the orange gelatin to a heat-safe bowl and whisk the boiling water and orange zest into it until dissolved. Let cool completely to room temperature (about 30 minutes).
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the cream cheese, granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon of the vanilla extract together with the paddle attachment until fluffy and smooth, about 1 minute. Scrape out of the stand mixer bowl and place in another small bowl. In the stand mixer bowl, add the heavy whipping cream, confectioners' sugar and remaining 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and using the whisk attachment, whip on HIGH speed until stiff peaks form, about 5-7 minutes. Fold half of the whipped cream mixture into the cream cheese mixture. Fold the remaining half of the whipped cream mixture into the cooled orange gelatin mixture.
- Add half of the cream cheese mixture to the bottom of the pan and spread it out into an even layer; top with half of the orange mixture. Remember, we are working with two different textures and the orange mixture, while thickened, will still be runnier than the cream cheese mixture so layering will be tricky. Dollop the remaining cream cheese mixture evenly over the orange layer and try your best to spread a little - doesn't have to be perfect and it may look lumpy; this is okay! Lastly, add the last of the orange mixture.
- Cover and refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight. Carefully remove from the pan and garnish with whipped cream and orange segments, if desired.
I love how cool, refreshing and creamy this tangy and bright cheesecake is!
Have a super sweet day!
xo, Hayley
Julie says
I made this for Easter and we loved it. Definitely get the creamsicle vibes yet all the cheesecake creaminess that you want! It is delicious.
Michelle says
I have made this recipe twice exactly as directed and it is absolutely fabulous! Everyone that tried it thought it tasted just like a creamsicle and it looks beautiful too! Thank you!