Cheesecake For A Crowd

Smooth, sweet, and perfectly fluffy, this No-Bake Cheesecake for a Crowd is a dessert everyone loves. Top it with your favorite pie filling — cherry is our go-to choice every time.

No-Bake Cheesecake Bars For A Crowd

In under 30 minutes this easy dessert for 30 people can be mixed up. Inspired by our popular Easy Cherry Cheesecake, this 5 ingredient no bake recipe is one of my family’s most often requested.

My mom makes this recipe often and she’s known for excellent cooking!

We have noticed when offering multiple desserts that many people enjoy like Banana Pudding or Dirt Dessert for a Crowd, the red cherries tend to catch people’s eye the fastest!

The weight of the cheesecake makes having a 13 x 18″ sheet cake pan important. Especially when storing and transporting. Otherwise be sure to have a commercial sized baking sheet or other sturdy board that a disposable foil pan can be moved on.

Ingredients Needed

• Cream Cheese – my mom’s only uses Philadelphia and I do notice a higher quality, but the price is also noticeably different than the store brand.
• Cool Whip – we don’t notice a difference in quality between name brand and store brand on whipped topping.
• Butter – use the real deal – skip the margarine!
• Sugar – granulated, white sugar will sweeten up the crust and the filling.
• Graham Cracker Crumbs – I like a container of the pre-crushed to save time, you can run regular graham crackers through the food processor too.
• Topping – We prefer two cans of extra cherry pie filling and topping – any flavor will work, blueberry and mixed berry pie filling are popular too.

Step By Step Instructions

Allow the cream cheese to soften and defrost the whipped topping in the refrigerator.

The crust can be mixed up and covered tightly one to two days before adding the cheesecake filling.

In a large mixing bowl melt butter. Add 1/2 cup of sugar and graham cracker crumbs and mix well.

Lightly coat a 13 x 18″ pan (or two 9 x 13″ pans) with non-stick cooking spray. I like to use a flat bottomed measuring cup to help press level in the pan.

Using a clean, large mixing bowl beat cream cheese until smooth. Add 1 cup of sugar and mix well.

Add two regular tubs or one large 16 ounce tub of Cool Whip and use a spatula to carefully fold into the cream cheese mixture.

Scrape the bowl clean and spread in an even layer on top of the graham cracker crust.

I like to use a butter knife to create an even pattern across the top.

The no-bake cheesecake filling needs to be refrigerated at least 2 hours before serving to chill through.

Pour two cans (42 ounces total) of pie filling over the top OR cut into squares and let each guest spoon their own pie filling over the top. I used the second technique to get the piece with cherry glaze dripping down the sides in the picture.

Cover tightly with foil and store in the refrigerator.

Recipe Tips:

• Great to make the cheesecake a day ahead of time – wait to add topping until ready to serve.
• Can offer different toppings and let guests spoon their own over each square of plain cheesecake.
• I like to use extra wide foil to make covering the large pan easier. Plastic wrap can sink in the center, foil does not when wrapped tightly.
• Just like we say when making Avocado Black Bean Salad, Cucumber Ranch Pasta Salad, and Coleslaw for 50 people make sure you have enough room in the refrigerator to set this pan in a level spot. You can add a large baking sheet to the top, (upside down so the corner doesn’t slide into the cheesecake) to be able to carefully stack other ingredients.

More Easy Recipes To Feed A Crowd

• Spaghetti for 50
• Chicken and Noodles in an electric roaster
• Scalloped Potatoes for a crowd
• Baked Beans for a crowd of 100