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No-Bake White Chocolate Cranberry Cheesecake Jars
Creamy, festive, and wonderfully easy, these no-bake white chocolate cranberry cheesecake jars layer a buttery graham crust, homemade cranberry sauce, and a light white chocolate cheesecake filling. A sparkling sugared cranberry topping makes them perfect for holiday gatherings.
Ingredients
For the graham cracker layer:
- ½ cup (50 g) graham cracker crumbs, about 4 full sheets
- 1 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
For the cranberry sauce:
- 1 cup (100 g) fresh or frozen cranberries
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) water
For the filling:
- ½ package instant white chocolate pudding mix, about 1.7 ounces (48g)
- ¾ cup (180 ml) cold milk
- 4 ounces (113 g) cream cheese, softened
- ¼ cup (60 ml) heavy cream, whipped to stiff peaks, or 1/2 cup frozen whipped topping
- sugared cranberries and rosemary, for garnish, see notes
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Instructions
To make the graham cracker layer:
- In a small bowl, mix the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, and sugar until combined. The mixture should look like wet sand.
- Divide evenly between 4 small jars and press gently into the bottoms.
To make the cranberry sauce:
- In a saucepan, combine the cranberries, sugar, and water.
- Cook over medium heat until the cranberries burst and the sauce thickens, about 8 minutes. Let cool completely.
To make the cheesecake filling:
- Whisk the pudding mix and cold milk until thickened, about 2 minutes.
- In another bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the pudding mixture and mix until combined.
- Fold in the whipped cream until fluffy.
To assemble:
- Spoon a layer of cranberry sauce over the crust in each jar.
- Pipe or spoon the cheesecake filling on top.
- Garnish with sugared cranberries and rosemary, if using. (See notes for how to make them.)
- Refrigerate at least 30 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Cranberry sauce: Be sure the sauce is fully cooled before layering so it doesn’t soften or melt the cheesecake filling.
- Whipped cream: Whip to stiff peaks for a fluffy but stable filling. Frozen whipped topping works as a shortcut.
- Jars: Four-ounce jam jars or mini parfait cups are ideal for these portions.
- Sugared cranberries and rosemary: If you’d like to add the sparkly cranberry-and-rosemary garnish shown in the photos, follow my full tutorial here. Make them the same day for the freshest look.
- Make ahead: You can prepare the cranberry sauce up to 3 days in advance and the filling up to 1 day ahead. Store each covered in the refrigerator.
- Scaling the recipe: This recipe makes four small jars and uses half a package of pudding mix. If you’re serving a crowd, you can easily double the recipe to use the full package and make eight jars.
- Storage: Keep assembled jars covered and refrigerated for up to 3 days. The sugared garnish looks best within the first 24 hours.
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