The cheesecake in a glass recipe
for your table
Take the cream cheese out of the refrigerator half an hour beforehand and beat it smooth with the powdered sugar. Cold cream cheese stays lumpy, and you won’t be able to get the lumps out later, no matter how long you keep beating. At room temperature, it becomes smooth in half a minute.
Whip the cream separately until stiff, then fold it into the cream cheese together with the lemon juice. If you whip the cream directly into the cream cheese, you won’t incorporate any more air and the mixture will remain heavy. The acidity of the lemon also helps the mixture set slightly, allowing it to hold its shape without gelatin.
Coarsely crumble the biscuits and loosely mix in the melted butter until the crumbs are just moist. Spoon them into the glass and only level them off. Don’t press them down as you would in a springform pan: a pressed base can’t be broken up with a spoon and comes out as a disk.
Spoon the cream cheese mixture on top, smooth it against the sides, and refrigerate the glasses for at least two hours. Add the fruit or coulis just before serving; otherwise, the juice will seep into the mixture and discolor the white top layer from above.
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The story
No-bake cheesecake is not a fallback solution but a recipe in its own right. In the baked version, eggs bind the cream cheese during baking; in the chilled version, whipped cream and the acidity of lemon do that work, while the refrigerator sets everything. This also means it remains looser than a baked cake, which is precisely why a glass works better here than a mould: you do not need to be able to slice it. In a glass, the filling can remain creamy and the base can stay loose instead of being pressed into a hard layer.
The right glass
For a cheesecake in a glass, the shape does two things. It shows that there are layers, and it determines whether you can get a spoon through them. The dessert coupe below holds 26 centilitres and stands on a stem; according to the description, layers of mascarpone, crumble and fruit remain visible through the glass, with a swirl of whipped cream sitting neatly above the rim. The bowl is wide enough to place a spoon diagonally all the way to the bottom, which is what you need to get crumble and filling in one bite. Next to it is a 28-centilitre round ice cream coupe, described as a wide, shallow stemmed coupe for a layered dessert; it is shallower, so the layers are thinner and wider and the spoon has even less trouble. A narrow, tall glass works poorly here, because the bottom is out of reach of an ordinary dessert spoon. More coupes can be found among the ice cream coupes.
RCR Timeless Dessert Coupe 26 cl (6 pieces)
Royal Leerdam Fun 4 Food ice cream coupe 28 cl Primavera (6 pieces)
Both sets together € 65,90.
The right tools
For a cheesecake in a glass, besides the glass, you use a citrus juicer to squeeze the lemon for the filling and a zester to grate a thin layer of zest over it. These are the bar tools we use ourselves; you can find everything in our bar tools & cocktail sets.
Glassware set (our choice 01) + 2 bar tools together € 67,85.
What will you add on the side?
A cheesecake is sweet and rich, so whatever you serve with it should be kept small. A glass of limoncello from the freezer picks up the lemon's acidity, amaretto complements the speculaas version, and Kahlúa pairs with the Oreo crumb version. Prefer bubbles? Then cava is dry enough to balance the sweetness. On each drinks page, you'll find the alcohol percentage, what it tastes like, which cocktails it works well in, and which glass you need.
Variations & twists
Replace the biscuits with speculaas and you have the winter version, with a pinch of speculaas spices mixed into the filling. Oreo crumbs create a dark base that contrasts sharply with the white filling; set some crumbs aside for the top. A layer of lemon curd between the filling and the fruit makes it tangier and slightly firmer at the same time. For a dairy-free version, use plant-based cream cheese and whipped cream in the same way, although the mixture will remain looser and need an extra hour in the refrigerator. Looking for more inspiration? Browse more than 100 cocktail recipes.
Serving tip
Keep the glasses in the refrigerator until just before serving and take them out fifteen minutes beforehand, because when it's ice-cold, you can barely taste the lemon. Serve with a narrow spoon that reaches the bottom. Only finish them at the table with fruit, coulis, or some reserved crumbs; that way, the top is still dry and the crumbs are still crisp.
Good to know
Why don't you press down the base?
In a springform pan, you press the crumbs into a layer that supports the weight of the filling and can be cut into slices. In a glass, that isn't necessary and works against you: a firmly pressed base cannot be broken with a spoon and will come out in one piece. So mix the butter through the crumbs loosely and only smooth them flat.
What does the lemon juice do in the mixture?
Two things. It provides the acidity that balances the sweet cream cheese, and it helps the mixture set slightly, so it holds its shape after a few hours of chilling without gelatin. One tablespoon per 200 grams of cream cheese is enough; more will make it grainy rather than firmer.
How long should it be in the refrigerator?
At least two hours, preferably three. By then, the butter in the base has hardened and the mixture has set. You can chill it for less time, but then the cream cheese will still spread when you dip a spoon into it, and the coulis will sink through it.
Can you make it a day in advance?
Yes, with one drawback: the crumb becomes softer the longer it lies under the mixture because it absorbs moisture. After a day, it will be soft rather than crisp. To prevent this, make the mixture a day in advance, keep it covered, and add the crumb and mixture to the glass only on the day itself.
Converting the quantities for four glasses
For four glasses, use 200 grams of cream cheese, 150 ml of whipping cream, 60 grams of icing sugar, the juice of 1 lemon, 150 grams of crumbled biscuits or speculaas, and 50 grams of melted butter, plus fruit or coulis on top. This is exactly the amount in one pack of cream cheese and one small carton of whipping cream, so you do not need to measure out anything that you would otherwise have left over.
Which cream cheese do you use?
Full-fat, plain cream cheese from a tub, not the light variety or the herbed version. The light variety contains more moisture and therefore remains runny, even after chilling overnight. Let it come to room temperature before you begin, because it will not whip smooth when cold.
Frequently asked questions
How do you make cheesecake in a glass without an oven?
You beat room-temperature cream cheese with icing sugar until smooth, fold in separately whipped cream and lemon juice, spoon loose biscuit crumbs with melted butter into the glass, and add the mixture on top. Chill for two hours and no oven is needed.
Why must the base not be pressed down?
Because you need to get a spoon through it. In a springform pan, you press the crumbs into a base so the cake can be cut, but in a glass that base stays intact and slides ahead of the spoon. Loosely scattered crumbs mixed with butter do form a layer while still breaking apart.
Can you make cheesecake in a glass a day in advance?
You can, but the crumb will become softer because it absorbs moisture from the mixture. If you want to keep it crisp, make the cream cheese mixture a day in advance and assemble the glasses on the day itself. Two hours of chilling is then enough.
Which glass do you use for cheesecake in a glass?
A wide coupe or a wide glass of approximately 25 to 30 centilitres, so that a spoon can reach the bottom at an angle. The sides should be colourless, because the crumb layer and the white mixture are half the visual effect when viewed from the side. A narrow, tall glass is difficult to eat from: an ordinary dessert spoon cannot reach the bottom.
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