Easy to whip up No Bake Rhubarb Cheesecake! A delicious make ahead no bake cheesecake dessert that pairs perfectly with wine. Plus, some tips for entertaining with wine.
Please enjoy wine responsibly.
This No Bake Cheesecake with a Rhubarb layer is inspired by a rosé. I’m a huge fan of rosé and its very photogenic pink hue.
More than anything though, I love to enjoy it on a hot sunny afternoon or pair it with a treat that I can share with family and friends.
Entertaining can be cumbersome, but why not take some tips from the experts? Pairing wine to food can feel overwhelming, but with tapping into internet information like this post to find ample options for pairings.
Cheese and wine are the usual ‘go to’ (which I totally appreciate), but sometimes, something more is needed for entertaining.
Or simply pair wine with what you know works. For me, that is cheese and more tart desserts, which is why I came up with this No Bake Cheesecake.
The most important part of this recipe is the inclusion of whipping cream and beating it until stiff peaks form. The photo below shows exactly how the mixture should look before you pour it into the pan.
How about reworking that cheese into a not too sweet make-ahead dessert that pairs perfect with rosé? This make-ahead No Bake Cheesecake is the answer. Rhubarb is a great pairings for wines that land on the off-dry or sweeter side of wine.
This cheesecake has very little sugar (and zero refined sugar in the rhubarb portion) making it perfect to those dessert-type wines.
What do I love to pair with wine (beyond cheese of course)? These warm Spring/Summer days are ideal to celebrate everyday moments with family and friends.
Make memories by pairing everyday meals with a delicious bottle of wine, and sharing it with family and friends.
Some of my favourite Spring pairings include:
- Spring vegetables and salads with Sauvignon Blanc (brings out their bright and fresh flavours)
- Spring Lamb with a full-bodied Merlot (balanced acidity that works well with a juicy protein)
- Sweet Peas (English Peas or Sugar Snap Peas) with a dry white wine such as Pinto Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc (showcases and balances the sweetness of the vegetable)
- Stone Fruits such as peaches and plums with a Riesling to compliment the sweetness and viscosity of one another.
The colour of this cheesecake is SO pretty, isn’t? Rhubarb gives off that perfect pale pink hue. If you don’t believe me, you’ll have to check out these other rhubarb recipes to sway you into chopping those stalks off your rhubarb plant like I do on the regular:
- Healthy Strawberry Rhubarb Bars: the kind of rhubarb where I still feel virtuous after eating.
- Rhubarb & Strawberry Tart: really quick and easy dessert that features rhubarb and strawberries over top of a light lemon cream.
- Sparkling Rhubarb Margarita: Sub White Zinfandel for sparkling wine and this would be a delicious rose cocktail!
- Vanilla Rhubarb Bundt Cake: a stunning cake (thanks to an affordable pan) with a great complimenting vanilla flavour (try with a Chardonnay or Riesling)
One of my favourite resources for pairing wine is What to Drink with What You Eat by Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page. It lists not only wines and spirits and which foods go best, but also which foods go with with alcohol flavour profiles.
Do you have a favourite way to pair wine or cocktails with food? I’d love to hear about it, please drop me a comment below if you do!
Easy to whip up No Bake Rhubarb Cheesecake! A perfect make-ahead dessert that pairs perfectly with wine.
- 3 cups chopped rhubarb, fresh or frozen
- 1/4 cup honey
- 2 tbsp water
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp (1 small 7 gram) sachet (package) gelatin
- 1/4 cup boiling water
- 2 sleeves graham crackers around 20 full crackers or 2 cups of ground graham crackers
- 10 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- 2 packages of 250 grams cream cheese (500 grams in total, approximately 18 oz.) ** this should be block cream cheese
- 1.5 cups whipping cream 33% fat liquid whipping cream
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tsp lemon zest
- 1/2 cup icing (powdered) sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (clear extract if available)
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Line the bottom of a 9 or 10″ springform pan with parchment paper. Spray pan with non-stick spray.
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Pulse graham crackers in a food processor (or crush in a zip-lock bag) and mix with melted butter. Press firmly into prepared pan (I use the bottom of a 1 cup measuring cup as mine have a flat smooth surface that works well). Place in fridge to chill.
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Place rhubarb, honey, and water in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook for 15-20 minutes.
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Remove from heat, add lemon juice and blend on high in a blender until completely smooth. Set aside.
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Beat cream cheese with an electric mixer (handheld or stand) until completely smooth. Scrap down the sides of bowl until there are no small chunks of cream cheese and it is completely smooth.
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Add whipping cream and beat until stiff peaks form, about 2 minutes (see photo in post above). Add icing sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla. Pour mixture into graham cracker base and smooth top. Return to fridge.
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Once cheesecake is made and chilling in fridge. Place gelatin in a small bowl and top with boiling water. Stir with a spoon for a minute or so, until gelatin is completely dissolved. Add to rhubarb puree and stir. Top cheesecake with rhubarb mixture and spread evenly.
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Return to fridge and chill for at least 3 hours, although overnight is preferred*.
* Cheesecake can be place in freezer (well wrapped with plastic wrap) for up to 3 months. Thaw in refrigerator overnight before serving.
** Use cream cheese found in a block and not the spreadable cream cheese used for bagels. A
Enjoy! xo
Christina
I’m always trying to use less sugar when I bake, I’ll have to try this cheesecake. You can never go wrong with a no-bake cheesecake!
Samantha
And in this case the touch of honey pairs so well with the rhubarb!
Audrey
This cheesecake sounds amazing! I love the combination of the sweet and the tart. I love that it’s a no-bake cheesecake even more. I can’t wait to try it.
Samantha
Thank you so much! For me, no bake is definitely the way to go when it come to cheesecake.
April
Oh my gosh….rhubarb, cheesecake AND no bake all in one?! I am DEFINITELY adding this to my list of have to try immediately desserts 😉 Yum!!
Samantha
You got it! Hope you enjoy it 🙂
Freya
You had me at rhubarb, my favourite Spring fruit! And mixed with creamy cheesecake, perfection!
Lauren
How did you get this to set? My friend and I tried to make this and the rhubarb turned out beautifully but the cheesecake itself was as runny as when it came out of the mixer. Stiff peaks never formed even though we made sure to beat the cream cheese until it was perfectly smooth. Thanks in advance!
Samantha
What type of cream did you add to the cream cheese? It needs to be whipping cream (33% M.F.) and that’s where the stiff peaks form. The cheesecake sets in the fridge (in the 3 hours or overnight). The cheesecake mixture should be fairly thick when poured on top of the crust. Was a whisk attachment used? I wonder if I should add that to the recipe.
Lauren
We used the paddle attachment at first to make the cream cheese very smooth, and then switched to the whisk attachment when we added the whipping cream. We left it in the fridge for 3 hours, then added the rhubarb and let it set again. The rhubarb was perfectly set so we thought it would be ready but as soon as we released the spring form it ran all over the counter. We rescued the rhubarb topping and have been using it in yogurt though!
Samantha
That’s really bizarre. There’s enough cream cheese in there to firm up the centre so I’m not quite sure what happened. Mine was nowhere near that runny even when I transferred it from the mixing bowl to the base. The rhubarb will likely set quick from the gelatin, it’s really the centre that needs the time in the fridge to firm up so it slices nicely.
KK
I had the same problem! Could not get it to set even though I left it in the fridge for almost 24 hours.
Samantha
Hi there, not sure what happened. A few people made the cheesecake over the weekend as per the recipe no problem (they posted the photos on IG). Was whipping cream used? I wonder if cream was used instead?
KK
I did use whipping cream, but I could tell as I was mixing it that it just wasn’t forming peaks. I’m not sure what happened!
Samantha
Very bizarre. I’m not too sure what could have happened either. I know a lot of people make this recipe so it’s challenging for me to identify what went sideways.
Natalie
I made this and did not add the icing sugar as the method never told me when to add it. Didn’t realize this till I was done. Sadly the cheese part was not sweet at all. When are you supposed to add?
Samantha
Oh shoot! I’m so sorry Natalie. It’s with the other cheesecake ingredients. Recipe is updated now.
Gillian
I would love to try your recipe but I have no idea how to convert your US cups to grams or even UK ounces. The guidance on internet seems to relate to flour and baking ingredients.
Samantha
Hi there! I’m attempting to set up a conversion kit so that all my recipes get converted for you through the recipe card. Hope to have it sorted by the end of today.
Michelle
Wow! I was looking for a fun dessert with rhubarb and I found it with your recipe! I was a bit worried about mixing whipping cream with cheese but it was perfect and delicious. Then adding the rhubarb purée was amazing. This is going to be my new go to dessert with neighbors. It’s a winner!
Samantha
So glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Donna
Would it be ok to whip the cream and then fold it into the cheese mixture?
Samantha
Definitely.
Nesh
Looking forward to seeing how this one turned out. I’m in the UK and have measuring cups… makes it so much easier instead of converting recipes! Rhubarb is from my mums allotment, and I’ve everything crossed it sets ok!… bit worried my top is a little runny.. didnt seem enough gelatine to set it but we will see 😀 excited!
Samantha
Hopefully the gelatin set. I recently made this cheesecake myself and the gelatin set on mine so fingers crossed it’s all good for you too.
Allyssa
Thank you so much for sharing this amazing no bake rhubarb cheesecake recipe! Will surely have this again! It’s really easy to make and it tasted so delicious! Highly recommended!
Samantha
It’a a favourite over here too.
Sean
I am in love with anything rhubarb! This is just in time for late spring picnics!
Samantha
Ohhhh I want to come to those picnics!
Erin
This is a great no-bake cheesecake dessert that also contains one of my favorite summer harvests, rhubarb!
Samantha
Rhubarb is such a summer gem – agree with you on that!
Allyssa
So easy to follow and very easy to make! Will surely have this again, highly recommended! Thanks a lot for sharing! Loved it!
Samantha
Good to hear 🙂
Andrea
This looks amazing! I’ve never made a no-bake cheesecake like this before. I’m using the rhubarb topping on some little cheesecakes. Thank you for the recipe!
Samantha
Pleasure! Hope the minis work out 🙂
Ann
I love rhubarb, but have never tried a rhubarb cheesecake. I bet it is delicious! I am excited to give it a try once my rhubarb is ready to cut!
Samantha
Mine is almost there so I hope your is too!
Tim
My mother-in-law in Iowa turned me on to rhubarb, which I had never even heard of before, and I was instantly in love! I will surely be keeping up with your recipes once I’m on your mailing list.
Samantha
Nice! I hope you enjoy all our rhubarb recipes. This is certainly a favourite!
Suzanne Young
is there another pan I could use? I dont have a springform. 9×13?
Samantha
If you used a 9 x 13 you’ll want to line the pan on all sides with parchment paper and leave a large overhang to make removing it from the pan easier. Let me know how this works out please! I’m curious. 🙂
Jan
I’m going to try this recipe tomorrow. In reading some of the comments about the cream cheese layer not setting, I think I’m going to whip the whipping cream separately and then fold into the cream cheese just in case. Most recipes say to fold in so I’ll stick to that.
Also, I know it is a completely different taste but what do you think of the flavours together if I use chocolate crumbs instead of Graham wafer crumbs? I have chocolate crumbs to use up. It might go with red wine nicely. What do you think? 😊
Samantha
How did it work out? I think the chocolate crumbs could be a nice switch up 🙂
Basia P
I like this cheesecake, not overly sweet and will make it again
My cheesecake turned out perfect. I made the cheesecake mixture first, set it aside and then whipped the cream. I folded the whipped cream into the cheesecake mixture.
Next time I make this I will make half of the graham crust or buy an already made graham crust.
Samantha
Glad it was a success!