This incredibly decadent No-Bake Caramel Turtle Brownie Bottom Cheesecake is nestled on top of a baked brownie and smothered in melted chocolate, homemade caramel sauce and chopped pecans.
Disclaimer: ONLY the cheesecake portion of this recipe is no-bake. The brownie crust will need to be baked. If you want a FULLY no-bake cheesecake, you will need to use a different crust recipe. See crust variations WITH RECIPES below!
Let's talk cheesecake. Have you ever made a no-bake cheesecake before? If not, you are in for a real treat! Baking a cheesecake can sound like such a daunting and intimidating task because of all the steps involved and things that can go wrong like over-mixing, cracked tops, etc. This is the most incredible cheesecake recipe that requires no baking! The flavor is exactly the same as a baked cheesecake. The texture is a bit lighter than a traditional, more firm cheesecake, but I promise you won't even miss it once you taste it!
Jump to:
- Why you'll love this recipe
- No-Bake Cheesecake Ingredients
- Homemade Caramel Sauce Ingredient Notes
- Need a no-bake crust? Recipes here!
- Substitutions & Variations
- Cheesecake Topping Ideas
- How do you make an easy no-bake cheesecake?
- Tips for making a perfect no-bake cheesecake
- How to make homemade caramel sauce
- Storage
- Recipe FAQs
- More no-bake recipes you'll love
- 📋 Recipe
- ⭐ Reviews
Why you'll love this recipe
- No-bake cheesecake, you guessed it, does not need to be baked! Perfect for those warm days you don't want to keep your oven on for too long.
- The brownie crust DOES need to be baked though. Short-cut with a brownie mix.
- The brownie bottom combined with he caramel cheesecake filling is absolutely delicious.
- The texture of this no-bake cheesecake is so smooth and creamy, it's addicting!
- This no-bake cheesecake recipe is the perfect make-ahead dessert since it needs time to chill in the fridge!
No-Bake Cheesecake Ingredients
- Cream Cheese: Room temperature, regular full-fat cream cheese for best results.
- Sugar: I use a combination of granulated sugar and light brown sugar for a deeper flavor.
- Prepared Caramel sauce: Recipe provided below! (You can also use store-bought.)
- Frozen whipped topping: I like to use frozen whipped topping aka cool whip rather than homemade whipped cream because it makes the cheesecake much more sturdy.
- Spices: Cinnamon & Nutmeg
- Brownie Crust: Use your favorite box of brownies. You can also use this base recipe to make homemade brownies for the crust!
Homemade Caramel Sauce Ingredient Notes
- Sugar: Granulated sugar is used in this recipe.
- Heavy cream: Gives the caramel sauce it's smooth richness.
- Butter: Unsalted butter to control salt content in this recipe.
- Vanilla Extract: For yummy flavor.
- Salt: Offsets the sweetness.
Need a no-bake crust? Recipes here!
Oreo crust:
- 24 Oreo cookies
- 5 tbs unsalted butter, melted
Graham Cracker:
- 18 graham crackers
- 2 tbs light brown sugar
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
For both recipes, pulse cookies/graham crackers into a fine crumb in a food processor. Add rest of ingredients until crumbs are moistened. Press into prepared springform pan. No need to bake! Continue on with the recipe as directed.
Substitutions & Variations
- Sub store-bought caramel sauce if you do not want to make it from scratch.
- Leave out spices and caramel in the filling for a classic cheesecake flavored no-bake cheesecake!
Cheesecake Topping Ideas
- To make your cheesecake "Caramel Turtle" style you will need:
- chopped pecans
- prepared caramel sauce
- hot fudge sauce
- Flakey sea salt
- Chopped nuts of choice
- Toasted coconut
How do you make an easy no-bake cheesecake?
Tips for making a perfect no-bake cheesecake
- Use high-quality ingredients: If you splurge on anything in this recipe, let it be the cream cheese!
- Speaking of cream cheese, letting it come to room temperature for about an hour or two before you plan to make the cheesecake will ensure that it will incorporate well with no cold lumps.
- Give the cheesecake time to set up properly. If you don't wait long enough, it will be too soft to cut into slice. While still delicious, you won't have nice clean slices.
- Use a springform pan for easy removal of the cheesecake.
- No-bake cheesecake is the perfect canvas for all sorts of toppings!
How to make homemade caramel sauce
Storage
Store cheesecake in the refrigerator wrapped tightly in plastic wrap or in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Freezing
After cheesecake is set in the refrigerator, wrap the entire pan in a layer of plastic wrap and then a layer of aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in refrigerator overnight.
Recipe FAQs
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. It stores extremely well.
Yes, you can make no-bake cheesecake ahead of time. In fact, it will need to be made at least 6 hours ahead of time, or overnight, so that it has time to set and firm up.
I don't recommend this as it will not set evenly.
Yes! Without toppings, wrap the whole pan of cheesecake in a layer of plastic wrap and then a layer of aluminum foil. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight and it will be just as good as the day you made it!
Sure! I would only recommend homemade whipped cream, DEFINITELY not the store-bought can. Be sure to beat your whipped cream until stiff peaks form to ensure it will give the cheesecake enough structure to firm up and cut into slices
More no-bake recipes you'll love
Did you make this recipe?
Please leave a ⭐️ review below and tag @sprinkle_some_sugar on Instagram!
📋 Recipe
No-Bake Caramel Turtle Brownie Bottom Cheesecake
Ingredients
Brownie Layer
- 1 box brownie mix + ingredients on the box
Caramel Sauce
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tbs water
- 6 tbs heavy cream
- 2 tbs unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch salt
Cheesecake
- 16 oz cream cheese softened
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- ¼ cup prepared caramel sauce*
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- pinch nutmeg
- 4 oz cool whip
Toppings
- ¼ cup pecans chopped
- ¼ cup caramel sauce
- ¼ cup hot fudge sauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven and grease a 9" springform pan. Optional: Cut out a circle of parchment paper and line the bottom of the pan for easier removal.
For the brownie crust
- Combine all brownie ingredients until smooth, pour into prepared pan and bake according to manufacturer's instructions on the box.
For the Caramel Sauce
- In a medium-sized heavy bottomed pot, heat water and sugar on HIGH heat and whisk just until the sugar is dissolved. It's important that you have high heat or you run the risk of seizing up the sugar, turning it into a solid mess.
- Once sugar is dissolved, whisk gently and constantly until the melted sugar turns a dark amber color, this will take about 5 minutes or so. The darker the amber color, the more intense caramel flavor you will have.
- After it turns dark amber, slowly and carefully pour in heavy cream. It will bubble up violently so you will need your whisk to whisk it very fast until it comes back down and it will start looking like caramel at this point. Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla. Allow to cool completely.
For the cheesecake filling
- In a large bowl, combine cream cheese and both sugars until smooth. Stir in the ¼ cup of caramel sauce and spices until combined. Fold in cool whip and mix until everything is incorporated and distributed completely. Top the baked and cooled brownie with the cheesecake mixture and spread into an even layer. Chill in refrigerator for minimum of 6 hours or overnight.
- Before serving, garnish cheesecake with remaining caramel sauce, hot fudge sauce and chopped pecans.
Notes
- *You can use store-bought caramel sauce, if desired.
- Storage: Wrap tight with plastic wrap or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- To Freeze: Without toppings, wrap entire pan in a layer of plastic wrap and then a layer of aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in refrigerator overnight. Top with caramel sauce, chocolate and pecans before serving.
The provided nutritional information is an estimate per serving. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
Carole B. says
Sorry to hear about your eye - I had same injury caused by a snapping plastic skirt hanger - VERY painful!
This recipe immediately made me think of the turtle pie we used to get at the ice cream shop (no longer made/very different now) which was my spouse's fav - think I'll try this for Father's Day. Love that it is easy too!
Jessica says
Thanks! Ouch, I forgot about that little eye incident lol, so painful. This is perfect for him then! Even though it's not ice cream, cheesecake is the next best thing. 😉
Cynthia says
Maybe you can tell me what I did wrong. My cheesecake layer is about half the height of yours and too soft. Do you think putting it in the freezer for a bit would help the texture?
SusAn says
I made this for a family bbq thiS weekenD and it was a hit ! I may freeze it instead of just cool in the fridge as we thought it was quite soft. Very much enjoyed by all.
Jessica says
Awesome!! I bet it would be great frozen too 🙂
aryn says
Looks yummy! Can I just use store bought caramel sauce?
Jessica says
Yes, definitely! You can also use soft caramels + a little heavy cream to make an easy caramel sauce. 🙂
Ami says
how long will the extra caramel sauce keep? At least a day or two? I want to make it a few days ahead of Easter. Thanks!
Jessica says
Yes, I have kept the extra at room temperature for two days with no issues!
Susan flynn says
This looks delicious! I would love to make it this weekend but we live int the UK and don't have Cool Whip, could I use fresh cream that I have whipped? x
Jessica says
Yes, that would work just fine! Just substitute one for the other.
Susan says
Thank you!
Crystal says
Confused, so i make the no bake mix and add it to the cream cheese mixture? Sorry
Jessica says
I'm sorry but I don't understand your question.. As the instructions state for the filling, you beat the cream cheese and both sugars until smooth, stir in caramel sauce and then fold in the cool whip. That mixture goes on top of the cooled, baked brownie. Hope this helps!
christie says
I just made the cheesecake left it in the fridge overnight and most of today. But when went to cut the cake it was a soupy and unable to cut. Shouldn't it have stiffened a little bit?
Followed the instructions.
Jessica says
Yes, it should have. While no-bake cheesecake is a much softer cheesecake than traditional, it should now have been soupy or unable to cut. Perhaps you didn't allow the caramel to cool to room temperature?
Megan says
I'm trying to make the caramel right now. I dissolved the sugar and water and it boiled and then turned crystaly again, now there are chunks... Am I doing this right? Can you list your steps for making the caramel sauce please?
Megan says
Me to!! I'm on my second batch. It crystallizes before it turns amber colored.
Jessica says
I'm sorry this happened, guys. This has happened to me before and I usually find that it happens when I stir the mixture too much. Here's what you can do to fix this problem: Follow the first step of whisking the water/sugar mixture to dissolve the sugar. After this step, you need to just swirl the pan (ONLY) a few times and not whisk at all. By whisking and stirring too much, this disturbs the caramelization process causing it to crystallize. Hope this helps!! Did either of you get it to work eventually?
kelly shanley says
yes that is right. i make caramel sauce all the time and ive never stirred or whisked it once once it starts to boil and it comes out perfect every time, but u really have to watch it tho. once it starts to turn color it can burn in seconds, so i never leave the stove, lol
Maria Igrejas says
How about using the caramel already made just saying
Jessica says
Go right ahead. I prefer homemade but that will work just fine.
Heather says
If using already made caramel, it's just going on top of the cheesecake, right? Lol, I'm no baker so I'm going to use already made caramel instead of messing anything up!
Jessica says
That's perfectly fine! No, you will need to add it into the cheesecake as per the recipe.
Kristen says
looks amazing!
Angelic Sinova says
I am OBSESSED with no bake deserts right now! This turtle cheesecake looks AMAZING <3