No Bake Cherry Pie is an easy no bake dessert made with cream cheese, Cool Whip, canned cherry pie filling and premade graham cracker crust. A perfect make ahead dessert for your next cookout this summer, holiday or dinner party.
Tips and Tricks
When do you serve this pie? This is a family favorite recipe so we often have it at all of the major holidays like Christmas, Thanksgiving and Easter. It’s also something I’ve made for office potlucks because it’s easy to make, with only a few easy to find ingredients and travels really well. This no bake cherry pie isn’t just for the holidays, it’s a great summer time dessert. No bake desserts are great when you don’t want to turn the oven on and heat up the house. Just be sure to store it in the fridge before you set it out and don’t leave it out in the sun.
What do you serve this pie with? This pie is an easy make ahead dessert that goes great with any dinner party. It’s perfect for a more elaborate dinner because it can be made ahead the day before and stored in the fridge until you’re ready to serve dessert. It really goes great as a sweet treat at the end of any meal.
How many people does this pie serve? This pie is a nine inch standard pie. It serves six to eight people very easily. Because it is a rich and decadent pie, a little bit goes a long way.
How do you store this pie? Store this pie covered in the fridge for up to four days. Truthfully, it’s never lasted that long in our house.
Method
How do you make no bake cherry pie? Start by adding softened, full fat cream cheese and white sugar into a large mixing bowl. Using either a hand mixer or stand mixer, cream together until smooth and then add all of the Cool Whip. Mix well and then add in vanilla and kosher salt. Next, pour about 3/4th of the cream cheese filling into the graham cracker crust and smooth out. On top of the cream cheese filling, add the entire can of cherry pie filling and spread almost to the edges. Add the rest of the cream cheese mixture and place the cover on. Allow to set in the fridge for at least four hours but preferably overnight, it’s better the next day.
Do you really need to let it rest before serving? It will taste fine if you serve it immediately after preparing it, but the consistency will be runny. This no bake dessert tastes best the next day after it’s set in the fridge overnight. If you’re in a hurry, it can be made and set in the fridge for four hours before serving.
How do you get the filling creamy? The key to creamy filling is to use softened cream cheese and a stand or hand mixer. When cream cheese is softened, it’s easier to mix and you avoid the unpleasant lumps. The mixers also ensure that your arm doesn’t fall off trying to mix it all together.
Ingredients
Can you make this less decadent with fat free cream cheese or less sugar? This recipe isn’t meant to be a healthy dessert. It’s meant to be a rich, creamy and sweet comforting dessert served to friends and family at a cookout, after a big holiday meal or at the end of an office potluck. If you’re worried about the calories or sugar content, I’d suggest having a smaller piece.
What size graham cracker crust do you use? I always buy a six ounce, nine inch pre-made pie crust. I just buy whatever it is at the store and try to avoid it being cracked.
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No Bake Cherry Pie
Ingredients
- 8 oz full fat cream cheese softened
- 1 cup white sugar
- 16 oz Cool Whip defrosted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Pinch kosher salt
- 6 oz 9 inch graham cracker crust
- 21 oz can cherry pie filling
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, using a hand mixer or stand mixer on low to medium, cream together cream cheese and white sugar until smooth.
- Next add in the entire Cool Whip container and combine into the cream cheese mixture until smooth.
- Mix in vanilla and a pinch of kosher salt and set aside cream cheese mixture.
- Pour ¾ of the cream cheese mixture into the graham cracker crust and spread evenly to the edges.
- Top the cream cheese mixture with the entire can of cherry pie filling. Spread the cherry pie filling almost to the edges of the cream cheese mixture, but allow the cream cheese mixture to peak through at the edges.
- Finally, top the cherry pie filling with the rest of the cream cheese mixture and spread gently, but do not completely cover the cherry.
- Add the cover and allow to set in the fridge for at least 4 hours but preferably overnight.
- Cut and serve once set.
Notes
- Use softened cream cheese to avoid lumps in the final cream cheese mixture.
- This recipe tastes best with full fat cream cheese and canned cherry pie filling, it’s nostalgic and delicious.
- Allow the pie to set at least for 4 hours in the fridge, but overnight is preferred, it’s better the next day.
- Store leftover pie in the fridge, covered for up to 4 days.
- This pie serverd 6-8 people
