A delicious no-bake dessert, a vanilla cheesecake with Oreo crust. Made with fresh vanilla bean paste and white chocolate. All on top of a delicious and buttery Oreo crust.

It has a creamy and rich texture. For this recipe, you don’t need to use the Bain Marie method or melt the chocolate in the microwave.

We recently made vanilla bean paste with homemade vanilla, and we have been using it a lot lately, like in our vanilla bean Biscoff cheesecake bars or our vanilla pistachio tiramisu.

Vanilla Bean Cheesecake

This easy no-bake dessert doesn’t need gelatin, an oven, or fancy ingredients. Here is what will help this cheesecake set without using anything else!

We have followed the same technique for many of our no-bake desserts. It’s all about the ingredients, the technique, and the chill time. Because yes! It’s possible to make a cheesecake without gelatin.

*Quick note for our UK readers: I have seen recently that people share that the cream cheese in England is sometimes very watery. If that is the case, I recommend you use a cheesecloth and squeeze the cream cheese to remove all the excess liquid. Or you can leave it in the cheesecloth overnight with a plate under to collect all of the liquid; remember to add a weight on top.

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All of the ingredients we have used for this recipe are listed below, learn why we are using them, or a possible substitution.

• Oreo cookies: We are using whole cookies for this Oreo crust. If you use another Cookies and Cream brand, you might need to use slightly more butter. Every brand can absorb different amounts of butter.
• Butter: I recommend unsalted butter; this way, you can have better control over the amount of salt that goes into the dessert.
• Cream cheese: leave it on the counter for 1 hour before you start with this recipe. You need room temp cream cheese to avoid any unnecessary lumps.
• Vanilla: use vanilla bean or vanilla paste.
• White chocolate: Use a good quality chocolate; we are using Callebaut Velvet white chocolate 32%. It adds the most delicious flavor to this cheesecake.
• Heavy whipping cream: whipped until soft peaks. I recommend a 35% fat cream; it will whip beautifully and double in size.
• Powdered sugar: whip the sugar with the heavy whipping cream. We reduce the amount of sugar since we are using white chocolate, which is already very sweet.

Did you know you can make powdered sugar at home? All you need to do is blend the granulated sugar using a blender until it forms a fine powder. To store it, add 1 tsp of cornstarch so it doesn’t turn hard like a rock!

How to make a perfect crust

Creating a perfect crust is easier than you think. If that’s something that intimidates you, let me explain to you how to do it. We are using the same technique in our Oreo Cheesecake.

What you want in your cookie crust: not too wet and not too dry, you don’t want it to crumble, but also you don’t need it to be wet. In this recipe, we gave you the right amounts of butter and cookies to have the perfect texture. You can always adjust it as some butters have more fat, or more water.

Some ‘butters’ like vegetable margarines require more quantity as they are made of oils and water.

A good quality butter will give you the best crust.

All you need is a blender/or food processor.

Best tips to make a vanilla cheesecake with an Oreo crust

It’s not a secret that we love making new cheesecake recipes every week, like our brownie-bottom Nutella cheesecake. We have learned a lot and improved our technique ever since the day we started.

Here are my best tips!

• Don’t use a whisk with your cream cheese; it changes the structure and makes it more liquid. I recommend you use a spatula and work it with it. The cream cheese needs to be at room temperature.
• Chill time. Your cheesecake needs to chill in the fridge for at least 8 hours. It needs enough time to set so it doesn’t collapse. I recommend leaving it in the fridge overnight as it will give it more time to set and allow the flavors to get to know each other. Creating a more tasty cheesecake.
• Don’t over-whip the cream. It’s important to whip it only until it reaches soft peaks. When you add it to the rest of the ingredients, it will continue whipping, which can curdle the vanilla cheesecake filling. Check out how to fix over-whipped cream right below.

How to fix overwhipped cream

Have you ever made the mistake of overwhipping cream? because I have, so many times. You get distracted for a second, and you have to start from zero. That’s why I learned how to fix that.

Possible options:

1. Remove ¼ part of the over-whipped cream and warm it up in the microwave until liquid, pour it into the over-whipped cream, and fold it gently.
2. Add a big splash of unwhipped heavy cream and fold it into the over-whipped cream.

If you over-whip cream, there’s a high chance it will become over-whipped again, so use gentle movements when incorporating the new cream into it.

*Quick note: heavy whipping cream can only be fixed in the stages before separating the liquid from the fat. After this stage, there’s nothing else you can do besides making butter.

How to melt white chocolate without burning

Melting white chocolate without burning is easier than you think. If you are like past me and burn your chocolate, USE this method.

We are not going to microwave the chocolate or melt it using the Bain-Marie method.

Start by adding half of the cream cheese for this recipe to a saucepan. Melt it until it’s liquid, lump-free, and warm. Turn off the stove and pour in the white chocolate callets. Let it sit for 5 minutes untouched and stir with a spatula.

This will melt the white chocolate and also help with avoiding the melted chocolate from solidifying as soon as you add it to the cream cheese mixture.

Key points in this cheesecake recipe

(Delicate or important steps or ingredients that you should pay extra attention to!)

1. Cream cheese, manage it with a spatula, not a whisk.
2. Not over-whipping the heavy cream, but if you do, read how to fix it, shared earlier in this article.
3. Chill. Don’t skip the chill time; it helps with creating a tastier white chocolate cheesecake and also helps with the structure.

We have to be mindful of the same things in our Oreo tiramisu dessert!

Tools needed

• A whisk, stand mixer, or hand whisk. Only used to whip the heavy whipping cream.
•  Spatula, fold the ingredients, work the cream cheese, and scrape the bowl.
• 8-inch (20 cm) round springform pan, for easy removal
• Saucepan, melt the cream cheese, then melt the chocolate.

How to serve and enjoy

To finish this vanilla cheesecake, we are making a delicious white chocolate ganache, and that will be the beautiful decoration it has. Nothing else is needed; you can optionally add some crushed Oreos on the side.

This cheesecake is best enjoyed cold. If it’s at room temperature for too long, it will start to slowly melt as the warm will melt the heavy cream.

Storing tips

• Keep it in the fridge at all times
• It’s safe to eat for up to 3 days. For longer storage, you can freeze it.
• Keep it in a food-safe container. If it’s not made for food, it can contain toxins that are not good for us.

Can you freeze this cheesecake?

Yes. Portion this cheesecake into slices. Place them all separately in a large freezer-safe tray lined with parchment paper; this will make removal easier. Freeze for 5 hours, just to harden slightly.

You can either place them in a freezer-safe bag or in a freezer-safe container.

*Mention of freezer-safe bags and containers: a container that is not made for the freezer can break with the cold. It also won’t protect your food from the same freezer. Containers are best for stacking in the freezer. A freezer bag will ensure no odor enters your food, and it won’t get freezer-burnt.

Most cheesecakes can stay in the freezer for up to 3 months. Don’t forget to add the name of the food to easily identify what it is and the date it was made, to always know if it’s safe to consume.

If you love Oreo recipes, try our Oreo rolls and our Oreo Ice cream sandwich, perfect for the hot weather.

Q: What’s your favorite cheesecake flavor?

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