No Bake White Chocolate Coconut Cheesecake
No bake coconut cheesecake sweetened with melted white chocolate, with a salted coconut graham cracker crust and crunchy coconut flakes on top.
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Equipment
- 8-inch Springform Pan with Removable Bottom
- Electric Mixer (Stand or Handheld)
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 ¾ cups finely crushed graham crackers, approximately 1 1/2 "sleeves"
- ½ cup natural unsweetened coconut flakes, finely chopped with a food processor
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
Filling
- 1 ½ lbs cream cheese, softened for 30 minutes at room temperature
- ½ cup natural unsweetened coconut flakes, finely chopped with a food processor
- ¼ - ½ cup powdered sugar
- 4 oz white chocolate chips or chopped white chocolate, melted and cooled for 10 minutes
- 2 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- 1 ¼ cups cold heavy whipping cream
- ½ cup natural unsweetened coconut flakes, for the topping
Instructions
Crust
- Preheat the oven to 325F. Lightly spray the bottom of an 8-inch springform pan with non-stick baking spray, or line it with parchment paper. You can also use a 9-inch springform pan, although your cheesecake won't be quite as tall.
- Combine the crushed graham crackers, chopped coconut, sugar and salt. Drizzle with the melted butter, and toss with a fork until moistened and crumbly. Dump the crumbs into the pan, and press the crumbs firmly against the bottom and up the sides of the pan.
- Bake the crust for 8-10 minutes, until fragrant and golden brown. Cool completely. You can speed up the cooling by letting it cool at room temperature for 10 minutes, then in the refrigerator for another 10 minutes.
Filling
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese, chopped coconut and powdered sugar on medium speed for 2 minutes, until smooth. Start with 1/4 cup of powdered sugar for a less sweet filling. If you prefer a sweeter dessert, taste the filling after you've added the melted white chocolate and cream, and then you can beat in more powdered sugar to taste.
- Scrape the bowl down and beat in the melted white chocolate and the vanilla extract, until smooth, then beat in 1/4 cup of the cream.
- Pour in the rest of the cream, and beat for several more minutes on medium speed until thick, fluffy peaks form that hold their shape.
- Spread the filling into the cooled crust, and sprinkle the top with the remaining 1/2 cup of coconut flakes. Refrigerate the cheesecake for a minimum of 2 hours before serving.
- To serve, run a sharp knife around the sides of the pan to loosen the crust from the pan, then carefully remove the sides of the pan. Set the cheesecake on a serving plate or cake pedestal.
Notes
Leftover no bake cheesecake should be covered and refrigerated, and is best eaten within 2-3 days.
I personally don't care for the taste, texture or appearance of sweetened shredded coconut. I would only recommend natural unsweetened coconut flakes for this recipe.
I recommend using a small food processor or Ninja to crush the graham crackers and finely chop the coconut.
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