No-Bake Peppermint Cheesecake Jars
Looking for a festive and fun way to enjoy your cheesecake? These individual servings of peppermint cheesecake are perfect! Plus, they look great on any table. No baking required – these little jars of deliciousness can be made in 30 minutes or less with just a bowl and a whisk!
No-bake cheesecake is a staple in our house. I grew up without desserts ever being served in our house, so I make it a point to let my kids enjoy them semi-regularly. It’s never anything super unhealthy or epically indulgent (unless of course I want to make something for this website – in which case, they get to be the taste-testers), but they can have a popsicle or ice cream bar every once in a while as a treat.
But if I’m feeling extra nice, I’ll go out of my way to make them something a little fancier – like cheesecake.
Let there be no mistake, however. I am not about to spend hours putting together a from-scratch cheesecake that has to be baked in a water-bath so that cracks don’t form and has to be set aside for hours before it can be cut into. I don’t have that kind of time, friends. For us, it’s all about the no-bake cheesecakes.
During the holiday season, we definitely indulge in some, ahem, heavier fare than we might normally. Chocolate, peppermint, eggnog, pumpkin, and caramel cheesecakes are all especial favorites, and we may go ahead and dig into them a little more often. But we justify it by throwing out that favorite excuse of treat-lovers everywhere – “But it’s CHRISTMASSSSSS.“
Never mind that we start the Christmas season in October.
Ahem.
Ahem, ahem, ahem.
Okay, but I do have a valid excuse of sorts. I want to share these recipes here, with YOU. Dear reader, I assume you came here for this very decadent and delicious recipe, and you need time to save it, grab the ingredients, find the necessary accoutrement, and get your menu ready for the big day when you debut it to the world. Perhaps you’ll want to give it a trial run beforehand so you can make sure it tastes as good as it looks (it does, trust me – trust my kids!).
So I have to make it in October and share it here and now so you have enough time to discover it and add it to your recipe box. Add it to your Pinterest. Add it to your belly.
Have I convinced you yet? I think I may have convinced myself. Maybe.
Let’s get on with it, shall we? For this very delicious and very simple recipe, you will need to break it down into a few steps, but in the end everything combines together, and you’ll wind up with the ultimate no-bake peppermint cheesecake. You obviously don’t have to serve it in a jar, but I highly recommend it. You can buy 8oz jars online, and they work wonderfully.
Ingredients
Crumble
- 12 chocolate sandwich cookies, filling removed and saved
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
For the filling
- 1 Container cool whip
- 16 oz cream cheese, room temperature
- 12 cookie fillings
- 1 (14-oz) can sweetened condensed milk
- 1/2-1 cup peppermint, crushed
Instructions
To begin, add the cream cheese, cookie fillings and vanilla to a bowl, and use a whisk or mixer to beat until smooth.
Next, add in the sweetened condensed milk, mixing until incorporated. Then, fold in half of the container of Cool Whip.
Once everything is well mixed in, you can add the second half of the Cool Whip and the crushed peppermint.
A note on the peppermint – the finer you crush it, the nicer it will look and feel in the final cheesecake. It’s fine to leave larger pieces, but try to make it as small as possible if you can so that it melts into the mixture and really combines with the cheesecake batter.
Fold well until all streaks are gone. Then place the mixture in the fridge for 15 – 20 minutes to firm up.
Next it’s time for the crust. This is where your chocolate sandwich cookies will come in. Since you’ve already removed the fillings, you will simply take your cookies and crush them up by whatever method works best for you. A food processor works great, or you can use a rolling pin to beat them (or if you’re not the aggressive type, just roll over them).
Mix your melted butter with the cookie crumbs so you have a nice mixture that holds its shape when you crush it in your fist.
Now it’s time to assemble our jars. This is the fun part. Bring your cheesecake mixture out of the fridge and add your filling to a piping bag. You don’t have to do this, but I find it makes it SO much easier to get it in the jars without a big mess. That said, you can just as easily spoon it in if you are careful.
Add some of your cookie crust mixture to the bottom of each jar. Feel free to add a good amount, depending on how many jars you are making. This recipe makes 24 oz, which is either three 8 oz jars or two 8 oz and two 4 oz.
Once you have your cookie crumble in there, you can pipe in your cheesecake filling.
If you have enough, you can add a middle layer of cookie crumble, as well. And I like to top the whole thing with crushed peppermint or mini candy canes to complete the look and let people know exactly what they are getting.
These little jars are so so fun, and they look so beautiful. You can decorate the outsides if you want or just leave them plain. For a nice Christmassy look, you can add some checkered ribbon and wooden cutlery for an easy effect.
Another thing to note is that you don’t have to use chocolate sandwich cookies for this to work. You can use the vanilla sandwich cookies instead, which taste very nice.
And, though the filling of sandwich cookies adds a little something extra to the cheesecake mixture, it’s not a necessary component. So feel free to use Biscoff cookies, chocolate cookies or even crushed graham crackers as a base. All of these can change up the flavor a bit, so test them out and see what you like.
I hope you love this recipe and give it a try. It’s beautiful, tasty and simple, and it will add that elegant touch to any holiday table. Don’t forget to like, comment and save. You’ll be glad you did!
No-Bake Peppermint Cheesecake
Looking for a festive and fun way to enjoy your cheesecake? These individual servings of peppermint cheesecake are perfect! Plus, they look great on any table. No baking required - these little jars of deliciousness can be made in 30 minutes or less with just a bowl and a whisk!
Ingredients
Crumble
- 12 chocolate sandwich cookies, filling removed and saved
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
Cheesecake
- 1 Container Cool Whip
- 16 oz cream cheese, room temperature
- 12 cookie fillings
- 1 (14-oz) can sweetened condensed milk
- 1/2-1 cup peppermint, crushed
Instructions
- Add the cream cheese, cookie fillings and vanilla to a bowl, and mix until smooth.
- Add in the sweetened condensed milk, mixing until incorporated. Then, fold in half of the container of Cool Whip.
- Once everything is well mixed, add the second half of the Cool Whip and the crushed peppermint.
- Fold until all streaks are gone. Then place the mixture in the fridge for 15 – 20 minutes to firm up.
- Next it’s time for the crust. Take your cookies and crush them up by whatever method works best for you.
- Mix your melted butter with the cookie crumbs so you have a mixture that holds its shape when you crush it in your fist.
- Now it’s time to assemble the jars. Take the cheesecake mixture out of the fridge and add your filling to a piping bag.
- Add some of your cookie crust mixture to the bottom of each jar. Then, you can pipe in your cheesecake filling.
- If you have enough, you can add a middle layer of cookie crumble, as well.
- Top the whole thing with crushed peppermint or mini candy canes to complete the look and let people know exactly what they are getting.
Notes
- Peppermint – the finer you crush it, the nicer it will look and feel in the final cheesecake. It’s fine to leave larger pieces, but try to make it as small as possible if you can so that it melts into the mixture and really combines with the cheesecake batter.
- To crush your chocolate cookies, you can use a food processor, or simply take a rolling pin to gently pound or roll over your cookies until they are ground down to a fine sand-like consistency.
- You don’t have to use chocolate sandwich cookies for this to work. You can use the vanilla sandwich cookies, Biscoff cookies, chocolate cookies or even crushed graham crackers as a base.
- If you prefer not to pipe your mixture or do not have a piping bag, you can also just spoon the cheesecake into your jars carefully.
- Jars are not strictly necessary, and this recipe can be made as a traditional cheesecake instead. If jars are being used, this will make three 8 oz jars, six 4 oz jars, or two each of the 4 oz and 8 oz jars.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving:Calories: 1118Total Fat: 77gSaturated Fat: 39gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 30gCholesterol: 138mgSodium: 764mgCarbohydrates: 96gFiber: 4gSugar: 54gProtein: 16g
This nutrition information is automatically calculated and may not be entirely accurate. Please do your own research if you are overly concerned about specific macros.
Katie Reed is a passionate writer and mother of four vivacious boys from Salt Lake City, Utah. Drawing from her own journey through TTC, pregnancy, and the joys of raising children, she offers a wealth of insight into the world of motherhood. Beyond her heartfelt tales, Katie delights her readers with family-friendly recipes, engaging crafts, and a curated library of printables for both kids and adults. When she’s not penning her experiences, you’ll find her crafting memories with her husband and sons—Dexter, Daniel, Chester, and Wilder.
