This no bake Baileys cheesecake is ultra creamy, packed with loads of milky coffee flavour, and has a crunchy oreo crust. It has a Baileys infused chocolate ganache and fluffy whipped cream on top. To stabilize, it has white chocolate (no gelatin here) which really complements the milky creamy flavour without standing out. It’s the perfect boozy make ahead cheesecake for the holidays or a celebration!
Why you will LOVE this recipe:
- Baileys: There’s a whole cup of Baileys in the no bake cheesecake for all the flavour. The white chocolate and a bit of instant coffee help to amplify that flavour.
- Creamy: The texture is perfectly set without being hard. It's smooth and creamy.
- Easy: There are a lot of steps involved but it’s still much easier than making a baked cheesecake.
- Chocolate: It’s topped with rich chocolate ganache and the crust is made from oreos so it’s definitely not lacking in the chocolate side.
So much Baileys!
When I say packed with flavour, I really mean packed! There’s a whole cup of Baileys in here. This being a no bake cheesecake, all of that alcohol stays right in there. It’s definitely not a kid friendly cheesecake! Check out these no bake funfetti cheesecake bars for a kid friendly alternative.
The two toned effect is achieved by adding a bit of very concentrated coffee into half of the cheesecake filling. That way you have two slightly different flavours and colours in the cheesecake that makes it much more interesting.
How to stabilize cheesecake without gelatin
I personally don't like to use gelatin to set no bake cheesecakes because the texture is too firm and not creamy enough. I much prefer to use white chocolate or nothing at all.
Since there's a whole cup of Baileys in here, this cheesecake definitely needs some help with setting. Some melted white chocolate folded into the cheesecake works perfectly! The white chocolate flavour matches perfectly with the creamy Baileys flavour. Make sure that the cream cheese is at room temperature for this recipe or else the no bake Baileys cheesecake will be lumpy and it won't set.
Key ingredients
Full steps and ingredients in recipe card below. But read through these for all the tips you will need for success!
Baileys: Make sure it's at room temperature so that it incorporates evenly. I haven't tried substituting Baileys with anything else and I don't recommend substituting it in this recipe. You'd be risking the cheesecake not setting.
Cream cheese: Use a good quality cream cheese. Don’t use a low fat variety, it has too much water and the consistency will be watery. Leave the cream cheese out at room temperature 2 hours before making the cheesecake for it to soften.
Heavy whipping cream: Heavy cream will add body and thickness. Don't use anything less than 35% milkfat! This is super important for a good set.
White chocolate: Use a good quality white chocolate for this recipe. Do not use chocolate chips, they might not melt down. When in doubt, choose a white Lindt or Ghirardelli bar.
Oreos: The crust is made from oreos to really complement that creamy coffee flavour. You can use whole oreos and crush them into a fine crumb with a food processor, blender, or in a bag with a rolling pin. You will need about 1 regular sized pack of regular oreos (45 cookies). Don't remove the fillings out of them - blend them up whole! Or you can buy oreo crumbs in the baking section of most large grocery stores.
Coffee powder: You can use instant coffee or espresso powder. I don't recommend using brewed coffee because it won't be concentrated enough to give the no bake Baileys cheesecake some colour and flavour.
Step by step
Step 1 - Crust. Combine oreo crumbs, melted butter, and salt. Stir until even. Pour into 9” round springform nonstick cake pan. Pack it into the bottom tightly with the flat bottom of a glass. Set aside.
Step 2 - Coffee concentrate. Dissolve coffee powder in boiling water and set aside until later.
Step 3 - Melt white chocolate. Bring a saucepan filled with 2” of water to a simmer. Find a heat safe bowl that fits on top of the saucepan without touching the water. Melt chopped white chocolate in the bowl on top of the simmering water. Stir frequently and take off the heat as soon as it’s melted. Let cool to room temperature.
Step 4 - Whip cream. Beat cream (by hand with a whisk or in a stand mixer) until stiff peaks. Set aside in the fridge until ready to use.
Step 5 - Cheesecake filling. In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla. Beat until completely smooth. Gradually pour in the Baileys in three additions, beating well and scraping down the sides in between each addition.
Step 6 - Fold. Gently fold white chocolate into the cream cheese mixture with a spatula (by hand). Gently fold in the whipped cream by hand. Stop folding as soon as you stop seeing streaks of cream.
Step 7 - Assemble. Scoop half of the cheesecake mixture on top of the prepared crust. Smooth out the top. Add the dissolved coffee into the remaining half of the cheesecake mixture and gently fold just until even. Scoop the remaining cheesecake mixture into the cake pan and smooth out the top. Cover and refrigerate overnight (for at least 9 hours).
Step 8 - Make ganache. The day of serving, bring heavy cream and baileys to a simmer in a pot. While the cream is heating, place chocolate chips into a heat safe bowl. Pour hot cream over the chocolate, cover, and let sit for 8 minutes. Whisk together until completely smooth and let cool completely before topping.
Step 9 - Decorate. Carefully run a thin spatula or knife around the edge of the cheesecake to help release it. Unlatch the ring slowly to release the cheesecake. Spread cooled ganache over the chilled and set cheesecake.
Step 10 - Whip cream for top. Beat together cream, sugar, and vanilla until stiff peaks. Place into a piping bag fitted with a piping top. Pipe a rope of frosting all around the cheesecake. Alternatively, spread the whipped cream on top with a spatula.
Step 11 - Finishing touches. Sprinkle roasted coffee beans and chocolate curls over the whipped cream. Refrigerate until ready to serve, or serve right away.
FAQ
I did not test the recipe with anything other than Baileys so I don’t recommend swapping it with anything else. You’d be risking the cheesecake not setting in the fridge.
Make sure you are starting off with room temperature full fat cream cheese. Philadelphia (original in bricks) is my go to for the perfect set. Make sure the cream cheese is at room temperature so the melted white chocolate doesn’t harden and turn into lumps when added.
It’s very important that the cream is whipped to stiff peaks. This will give the cheesecake body and help thicken it. Do NOT use whipping cream in a can, it’ll melt 5 minutes later. Gently fold the whipped cream into the cheesecake mixture so it doesn’t deflate and so that it doesn’t overwhip as it’s mixed in.
Lastly, it’s very important that the cheesecake is chilled overnight - for at least 9 hours. It needs time in the fridge for the fat to solidify, the white chocolate to do its work, and for it become sliceable.
For this cheesecake, it’s very important that the cream is whipped to stiff peaks. That means that when you lift up the whisk, the cream stands up stiffly without flopping off. If you use cream that is still sloppy and not quite so stiff, you will end up with a cheesecake that won’t set.
Be careful not to overwhip the cream because then it’ll turn into butter. As a rule of thumb, once the cream starts to thicken up to a thin yogurt consistency, I keep a very close eye on it because it will thicken to stiff peaks very quickly. If you’re using a stand mixer or electric mixer you can finish it off with a hand whisk to make sure that it doesn’t overwhip.
Use a good quality white chocolate. I don't recommend using white chocolate chips because a lot of them are not "real" chocolate and are made to keep their shape when baked. You'll have a very hard time melting them! The best way to go is a good quality white chocolate bar.
Check out these other recipes:
- Passion Fruit No Bake Cheesecake – Without Gelatin
- No Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
- Nutella Cheesecake Recipe with Oreo Crust
Happy baking!
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📖 Recipe
Baileys Cheesecake No Bake
Equipment
- 9" round spring-form pan
Ingredients
Crust
- 45 oreo cookies (18 oz or 510g) crushed into fine crumbs
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
Cheesecake
- 2 tablespoons instant coffee powder
- 2 tablespoons water boiling
- 8 oz white chocolate 226g
- 1 ¼ cup heavy whipping cream
- 24 oz cream cheese softened
- 2 ¼ cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup Baileys liquor room temperature
Ganache
- ⅓ cup heavy whipping cream
- 3 tablespoons Baileys liquor
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Assembly
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons roasted coffee beans
- 4 tablespoons chocolate curls
Instructions
Crust
- Combine oreo crumbs, melted butter, and salt. Stir until even. Pour into 9” round nonstick spring-form cake pan. Pack it into the bottom tightly with the flat bottom of a glass. Set aside.45 oreo cookies, 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, ¼ teaspoon sea salt
Cheesecake
- Dissolve coffee powder in boiling water and set aside until later.2 tablespoons instant coffee powder, 2 tablespoons water
- Bring a saucepan filled with 2” of water to a simmer. Find a heat safe bowl that fits on top of the saucepan without touching the water. Melt chopped white chocolate in the bowl on top of the simmering water. Stir frequently and take off the heat as soon as it’s melted. Let cool to room temperature.8 oz white chocolate
- Beat cream (by hand with a whisk or in a stand mixer) until stiff peaks. Set aside in the fridge until ready to use.1 ¼ cup heavy whipping cream
- In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla. Beat until completely smooth. Gradually pour in the Baileys in three additions, beating well and scraping down the sides in between each addition.24 oz cream cheese, 2 ¼ cup powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract, 1 cup Baileys liquor
- Gently fold melted white chocolate into the cream cheese mixture with a spatula (by hand).
- Gently fold in the whipped cream by hand. Stop folding as soon as you stop seeing streaks of cream.
- Scoop half of the cheesecake mixture on top of the prepared crust. Smooth out the top. Add the dissolved coffee into the remaining half of the cheesecake mixture and gently fold just until even.
- Scoop the remaining cheesecake mixture into the cake pan and smooth out the top. Cover and refrigerate overnight (for at least 9 hours).
Ganache
- The day of serving, Bring heavy cream and Baileys to a simmer in a pot. While the cream is heating, place chocolate chips into a heat safe bowl.⅓ cup heavy whipping cream, 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips, 3 tablespoons Baileys liquor
- Pour hot cream over the chocolate, cover, and let sit for 8 minutes. Whisk together until completely smooth and let cool completely before topping.
Assembly
- Carefully run a thin spatula or knife around the edge of the cheesecake to help release it. Unlatch the ring slowly to release the cheesecake.
- Spread cooled ganache over the chilled and set cheesecake.
- Beat together cream, sugar, and vanilla until stiff peaks. Place into a piping bag fitted with a piping top. Pipe a rope of frosting all around the cheesecake. Alternatively, spread the whipped cream on top with a spatula.1 cup heavy whipping cream, ¼ cup powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Sprinkle roasted coffee beans and chocolate curls over the whipped cream. Refrigerate until ready to serve, or serve right away.3 tablespoons roasted coffee beans, 4 tablespoons chocolate curls
Beth
Hi Mary! I have been waiting to try this one and St Patrick’s Day was the perfect time. Went to a large party so the big cheesecake fed many! People were raving about it. It was absolutely terrific. Only change I made was I used a 10” spring form instead of a 9”. Thankfully they begged me to leave the remainder behind otherwise it would have been todays breakfast!!! Your recipes are always tippy top.
Faithful follower,
Beth
Abhisri
The cheesecake came out absolutely amazing. It was creamy and there were so many hints of flavours that go well together! Everybody loved it.
Emily
I made this for my moms birthday and she loved it! I had a couple of issues because I used white chocolate chips instead of a bar and I didn’t whip my egg whites properly (I just need to follow the directions better!). Even with those challenges it was amazing and we all ate the whole thing! Just with spoons instead of forks :).
Michael
I Tried it. I wanted more. I ate more. It was delicious. I have no regrets. Amazing cheesecake.
Mary
Thank you, so happy you liked it! 😀
AT
Omg this looks so good! Will have to give it a try sometime!
Mary
Thank you so much! I hope you love it if you end up making it. It's so delicious!
Monika
For the crust - 45 oreo cookies (18 oz or 510g) crushed into fine crumbs - is that just the dry part or is it the full cookie (i.e. with the filling)?
(I don't have Oreo's. I'd like to use another biscuit (dry). Would I use 510 grams but increase the melted butter to account for moisture from the creme that I assume you're using in the Oreo's?)
Thanks!
Mary
Hi, crush up the oreos whole with the fillings! If you're using a cookie without a filling, you're right - I would recommend adding in an extra tablespoon of melted butter at a time until the mixture clumps up and becomes hard like damp sand if you press it tightly with your hands. Hope you end up making it and love it! 😀