No-Bake Pistachio Cheesecake Cups
No-bake pistachio cheesecake cups are individual cheesecakes with a crushed biscuit base, a filling of cream cheese, whipped cream and sweet pistachio cream, and crushed pistachios on top. Nothing is baked and there is no water bath: the filling sets in the fridge in about 3 hours. The pistachio cream is a sweet spread, which is why the cups taste like a pistachio dessert rather than a nut butter.
Ingredients
- 150 gdigestive biscuits or graham crackers
- 60 gbutter
- 250 gcream cheese
- 200 mlheavy cream
- 120 gpistachio cream
- 3 tbsppowdered sugar
- 1 tspvanilla extract
- 1 tbsplemon juice
- 40 gcrushed pistachios
- 30 gpistachio cream for drizzling
Method
- Crush the biscuits to fine crumbs — a food processor works, or seal them in a bag and use a rolling pin. Mix with melted butter until the crumbs hold together when squeezed in your fist. Divide between 6 glasses or ramekins and press down firmly with the back of a spoon. Refrigerate while you make the filling.
- Beat the cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla and lemon juice until completely smooth. The cream cheese must be at room temperature — cold cream cheese leaves lumps that don't beat out.
- In a separate bowl, whip the heavy cream to soft peaks, not stiff: the cream should hold a soft curl and slump slightly when you lift the whisk. Fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture in two additions, keeping as much air as possible.
- Add the 120 g of pistachio cream and fold it in gently. The colour should be an even pale green. Don't overwork it.
- Spoon or pipe the filling over the biscuit bases. Tap each glass gently on the counter to settle the filling.
- Refrigerate for at least 3 hours. Before serving, scatter crushed pistachios over the top. Warm the 30 g of pistachio cream for drizzling in the microwave for 10 seconds until pourable and drizzle it over each cup.
FAQ
Lumpy filling almost always comes from cream cheese that was too cold. Cold cream cheese doesn't beat smooth: it forms small white curds that stay visible after several minutes of mixing. The fix is prevention, so leave the cream cheese out for at least an hour before using it. If the mixture is already lumpy, set the bowl over a pan of hot water for a minute while stirring; this sometimes dissolves the lumps, but it isn't guaranteed.
Yes. Press the biscuit base into a 20–22 cm springform tin lined with parchment, pour in the filling and smooth the top. Chill for at least 6 hours, because a large cheesecake needs longer to set than individual cups. Cups are more practical for parties since they are already portioned, while a whole cake cuts more dramatically at the table. If you want a baked version instead, see Cheesecake.
Any smooth sweet nut spread works. Chocolate-hazelnut spread in the same 120 g gives a hazelnut-chocolate version. If you only have unsweetened pistachio paste, mix 60 g of paste with 60 g of powdered sugar to get the same 120 g. Another option is 100 g of melted white chocolate, cooled, blended with 40 g of finely ground pistachios. The same sweet pistachio spread is the base of the Dubai Chocolate Bar.
Two things set a no-bake cheesecake: the cream cheese and the cold. Use full-fat cream cheese (about 33% fat), not a low-fat tub, and keep the fridge at 4–5°C. Individual cups need at least 3 hours, and if the filling is still very soft after that, give it another 2–3 hours. The whipped cream adds lightness and, once cold, structure. If you want extra insurance for a large cake, dissolve 1 teaspoon of gelatine in 2 tablespoons of warm water and fold it in, though the cups do not need it.
They are one of the easier dinner party desserts. They are made entirely in advance, up to 3 days ahead, and need nothing at serving time except the pistachios and the drizzle. There is no oven space to juggle and no cutting or plating mess, since each guest gets a glass. The pale green colour with scattered pistachios looks good on a table. For a plated dessert with the same flavour, see Pistachio Cream Tart.
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Comments (1)
These pistachio cheesecake cups need at least 4 hours in the fridge to set properly — overnight is even better. I learned the hard way that 2 hours is not enough. The filling looks set on top but collapses when you try to unmold it. Patience is the only ingredient that matters here.