Rainbow Cheesecake Recipe

This Rainbow Cheesecake Recipe is a gelatin free, no bake cheesecake, perfect for any rainbow themed party, or a St. Patrick’s Day dessert. It’s as much fun to make as it is to eat!

This recipe was originally posted in March of 2018. It’s been updated in March of 2021 with more info and new step by step photos!

RAINBOW CHEESECAKE INSPIRATION

A few years ago I went to the Queen Mary Tea Room in Seattle with my mother-in-law and sister-in-law to celebrate our birthdays. The first thing you see when you walk into the shop is their well stocked dessert case.

And there, shining like a beautiful multi-colored beacon, was a stunning rainbow cheesecake.

Before we were seated I snapped a quick photo with my phone, determined to make my own rainbow cheesecake that was just as lovely.

As I developed the recipe, I decided to go the no bake cheesecake recipe route, and set each layer individually so that I could really get those distinctive colors in every slice.

ICEBOX CHEESECAKE RECIPE

There are a few different ways to make no bake cheesecake. Most no bake cheesecake recipes use gelatin to set the filling. But I was planning to serve this cheesecake to a group that included vegetarians who eat dairy but would not eat gelatin.

After doing some research, I decided to adapt Martha Stewart’s cheesecake which did not use gelatin. A lot of the reviews said that their filling never set using that recipe. So I made this an icebox cheesecake.

Icebox cheesecake (or icebox cake) basically means it has a softer texture, so you keep your dessert in the freezer. Keeping the cheesecake in the freezer also helps the layers to stay very distinctive when you slice it.

Once you slice your rainbow cheesecake, it begins to soften as you eat it. And don’t worry, the high sugar content of the sweetened condensed milk keeps it from freezing completely solid.

HOW TO MAKE NO BAKE CHEESECAKE RECIPE

STEP 1: Crush up a box of graham crackers into crumbs. You can use a food processor or just crush them in a sealed bag.

STEP 2: Mix the crumbs with melted butter and press into the bottom and up the sides of a spring form pan, then place in the freezer to firm up.

STEP 3: Mix softened cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk, vanilla extract and lemon juice until completely smooth and creamy.

STEP 4: Divide the cheesecake filling between 7 bowls. Mix one color into each bowl.

STEP 5: Remove crust from freezer and spread the red filling into the bottom. Freeze for 15-30 minutes, until set.

STEP 6: Repeat with remaining colors, freezing each color until set. Your freeze time will shorten for each layer as you go since the cheesecake is getting colder and colder.

STEP 7: When purple layer on top is set, pipe swirls of whipped cream around the edge.

STEP 8: Sprinkle whipped cream with funfetti.

STEP 9: Keep cheesecake in the freezer until ready to serve.

TIPS FOR NO BAKE RAINBOW CHEESECAKE RECIPE

• I am a big fan of graham cracker crusts, so our crust is super thick. Feel free to use just 2/3 the amount of graham crackers and butter if you want less crust.
• Make sure to use full fat cream cheese. The low fat kind has an even harder time without gelatin and will not set up.
• Want to guarantee your cheesecake filling sets? If you don’t mind using gelatin, just mix one package with 1 cup boiling water. Stir that into your filling before dividing it between your bowls. Then make as directed.
• To get those perfect rainbow layers, clean your knife between each slice, and slice the cheesecake fresh from the freezer.

RAINBOW CHEESECAKE RECIPE SUPPLIES

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• My favorite food processor (you can crush the graham crackers by hand but if you want a food processor, I just LOVE mine!)
• Affordable hand mixer (Great deal and perfect for mixing the filling)
• Large glass mixing bowl (for mixing the crust and then the filling)
• Smaller glass bowls (for mixing filling colors)
• Icing colors (for dyeing filling)
• Springform pan (mine is Pampered Chef glass bottomed one, but I think this would work well)
• Piping bags (for whipped cream)
• Large piping tip set (for whipped cream)
• Funfetti sprinkles

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