Light and creamy no bake peanut butter cheesecake, with a salted graham cracker crust, peanut butter maple caramel sauce and crunchy peanuts. You can serve the cheesecake without the sauce, and it will still be great, but it’s a really simple sauce to make that cooks up in just a few minutes. I’ve dipped apple slices in it, spooned it over ice cream, and drizzled it on top of a cake. The combination of the creamy peanut butter with the brown sugar, vanilla and maple is a beautiful marriage of fall flavors that pairs perfectly with the mousse-like cheesecake.
Looking for more no-bake cheesecake recipes? You’ll love my classic vanilla bean cheesecake with blueberry compote, blackberry cheesecake, and strawberry orange cheesecake.
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Why You’ll Love This Cheesecake
So Easy to Make. From the filling to the sauce, this is a simple, uncomplicated recipe using standard pantry ingredients. It comes together quickly, and the hardest part is just waiting a few hours for it to chill before you can cut a slice!
Creamy, Crunchy, Salty and Sweet. There are so many good textures and salty sweet flavors in this cheesecake, with the buttery graham cracker crust, the smooth, creamy peanut butter filling, the sweet and gooey sauce, and the crunchy peanuts.
See the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.
Ingredients
Crust
- Graham Crackers. Use any flavor graham crackers you like, or try a crust made of shortbread or biscoff cookies instead.
- Salt. Coarse Kosher salt balances the sweetness and enhances the flavor of the peanut butter.
- Butter. Melted butter binds the crust together and adds a rich flavor.
Filling
- Heavy Whipping Cream. The fat and richness in heavy whipping cream makes a creamy, luxurious cheesecake filling.
- Gelatin. I make all of my no bake cheesecakes with unflavored powdered gelatin, which sets the filling for a silky, mousse-like consistency.
- Cream Cheese. The star of a cheesecake! Use full-fat cream cheese for the best flavor.
- Sugar. A combination of powdered sugar and dark brown sugar adds sweetness and a hint of molasses to complement the flavor of the peanut butter.
- Peanut Butter. Be sure to use creamy, not crunchy peanut butter, for a silky smooth texture.
- Vanilla Extract. Flavor.
Caramel Sauce
- Butter. Unsalted butter adds flavor and richness.
- Peanut Butter. Creamy peanut butter adds more flavor and a creamy texture.
- Sugar. A combination of powdered sugar and dark brown sugar adds sweetness and a hint of molasses to complement the flavor of the peanut butter.
- Light Corn Syrup. Corn syrup is an inverse sugar, so it helps to stabilize the sugar crystals in the sauce so that it’s smooth, not grainy.
- Salt. Balances the sweetness.
- Cream. You can use either heavy whipping cream, table cream or half and half. This thins the sauce to a pourable consistency and adds a rich flavor.
- Vanilla + Maple Extracts. Flavor. The maple is optional, but it’s a really nice complementary flavor to the peanut butter.
- Peanuts. A sprinkling of salted peanuts on top adds crunch and flavor.
Instructions
Bake the crust.
- Preheat the oven to 325 F. Lightly spray an 8-inch springform pan with non-stick spray.
- Combine the crushed graham crackers and salt. Drizzle with the melted butter and stir until evenly moistened. Press the crumbs firmly against the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Bake for 10 minutes.
- Let the crust cool slightly while you make the filling.
Make and chill the filling until set.
- In a liquid measuring cup, combine 1/2 cup of the cream with the gelatin. Let stand for 10 minutes. Microwave for 30-60 seconds until very hot. Stir to dissolve the gelatin.
- With an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Beat in the powdered sugar, brown sugar, peanut butter and vanilla extract until smooth.
- Slowly pour in the remaining 1 cup cold heavy whipping cream, and beat until thick and fluffy. Add the hot cream/gelatin mixture (strain it first, if there are any lumps of undissolved gelatin), and beat until smooth.
- Pour the filling into the crust and smooth out the top. Refrigerate the cheesecake for 6 hours, or overnight, until chilled and set.
- To serve, run a sharp knife around the sides of the pan, loosen the sides and remove the sides from the base. Spread the top of the cheesecake with the prepared sauce and sprinkle with peanuts.
Make the sauce.
- In a saucepan, melt the butter, peanut butter, brown sugar and corn syrup. Whisk in the salt, cream, vanilla and maple extracts. Whisk in the powdered sugar until smooth.
- Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook for about 5 minutes, whisking frequently, until thick and bubbly.
- Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature before serving with the cheesecake.
Be sure to read all of my BAKING FAQs where I discuss ingredients, substitutions and common baking questions, so that you can be successful in your own baking!
Frequently Asked Questions
If I don’t have an 8-inch spring form pan, can I use a 9 or 10 inch pan?
Yes, you can, although the cake won’t be as tall. For a fuller cheesecake in a larger pan, add another 8 ounce block of cream cheese, and increase the powdered sugar by 1/4 cup.
Does this recipe work with all-natural peanut butter?
You should use creamy peanut butter, and all-natural peanut butter works great.
What can I use instead of graham crackers for the crust?
Classic honey graham crackers, cinnamon or chocolate graham crackers all make a delicious crust with the peanut butter cheesecake filling. You could also use shortbread cookies, biscoff cookies or digestive biscuits.
Can I top this cheesecake with chocolate ganache instead of the caramel sauce?
Ganache would be fantastic with the creamy peanut butter filling. Combine equal parts (by weight) hot cream with good-quality chopped chocolate, and pour over the top of the cheesecake. About 2-3 ounces of each should make enough ganache to top an 8-inch cheesecake.
If I’m allergic to peanuts, what can I use instead of peanut butter?
You can substitute any creamy nut butter, such as sun butter, cashew butter, almond butter or Nutella. For a nut-free alternative, Biscoff cookie butter works well. If using a cookie butter or spread that includes sugar, you should reduce the sugar slightly in the cheesecake so that it’s not too sweet.
How long does this cheesecake stay fresh?
You should cover the leftover cheesecake and keep it refrigerated for up to 3 days.
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Peanut Butter Cheesecake (No Bake)
All recipes on Curly Girl Kitchen are developed for high altitude at 5,280 feet. See FAQs for adjusting to higher or lower elevations.
Equipment
- 8-inch Springform Pan with Removable Bottom
- Electric Mixer (Stand or Hand-Held)
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 ½ cups finely crushed graham crackers
- 1 tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
Filling
- 1 ½ cups cold heavy whipping cream, divided
- 1 envelope (1/4 oz) unflavored powdered gelatin
- 1 lb cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- ¼ cup dark brown sugar, lightly packed
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Caramel Sauce
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- ¼ cup creamy peanut butter
- 2 tbsp dark brown sugar
- 2 tbsp light corn syrup
- ¼ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream of half and half
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp maple extract, optional
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- ½ cup salted peanuts
Instructions
Crust
- Preheat the oven to 325 F. Lightly spray an 8-inch springform pan with non-stick spray.
- Combine the crushed graham crackers and salt. Drizzle with the melted butter and stir until evenly moistened. Press the crumbs firmly against the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Bake for 10 minutes.
- Let the crust cool slightly while you make the filling.
Filling
- In a liquid measuring cup, combine 1/2 cup of the cream with the gelatin. Let stand for 10 minutes. Microwave for 30-60 seconds until very hot. Stir to dissolve the gelatin.
- With an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Beat in the powdered sugar, brown sugar, peanut butter and vanilla extract until smooth.
- Slowly pour in the remaining 1 cup cold heavy whipping cream, and beat until thick and fluffy. Add the hot cream/gelatin mixture (strain it first, if there are any lumps of undissolved gelatin), and beat until smooth.
- Pour the filling into the crust and smooth out the top. Refrigerate the cheesecake for 6 hours, or overnight, until chilled and set.
- To serve, run a sharp knife around the sides of the pan, loosen the sides and remove the sides from the base. Spread the top of the cheesecake with the prepared sauce and sprinkle with peanuts.
Sauce
- In a saucepan, melt the butter, peanut butter, brown sugar and corn syrup. Whisk in the salt, cream, vanilla and maple extracts. Whisk in the powdered sugar until smooth.
- Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook for about 5 minutes, whisking frequently, until thick and bubbly.
- Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature before serving with the cheesecake.
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