These delicious No Bake Mango Cheesecake Cups are like mango icecream meet cheesecake! They are creamy, light and let the mango flavor shine. They also look incredible without much effort, making them a great dessert for hosting and large gatherings.
Read the full blog post below for detailed notes, tips, tricks, photos and videos.
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COMPONENTS OF NO BAKE MANGO CHEESECAKE
These No Bake Mango Cheesecake Cups have 4 main components:
- The crust. This is made with Nilla wafers and melted butter. You can also used Graham crackers, and skip the butter altogether for more of a crumb than a crust
- The mango cheesecake filling. This is a soft set filling made with cream cheese, a small amount of sugar, vanilla, mango pulp, whipped cream and gelatin. You can make your own mango pulp if you have access to good fresh mangos by blending and straining them (no added water). Otherwise, you can use canned Kesar mango pulp which tastes great!
- Mango pulp. More mango pulp is layered on top of the cheesecake cups after they have set to add a stronger mango flavor and a decorative element
- Decoration. I like to decorate with some plain whipped cream and fresh chopped mangoes, but you can decorate however you like!
LINK TO MY DESSERT CUPS
I know I am going to get this question, so getting ahead of it! Unfortunately, the exact dessert cups I have were purchased from Target 2 years ago and are no longer available. However, I found very similar ones on Amazon here!
NOTE ABOUT THE TEXTURE OF THIS CHEESECAKE
As someone who has made many cheesecakes, both baked and no-bake, I have to admit: no bake mango cheesecakes are very tough. They stubbornly refuse to set, mainly because the mango pulp adds viscosity and makes the cheesecake filling too runny. I have also read that mango has an enzyme which makes gelatin less effective. Recipes online try to fix this issue in a few different ways:
- They add very little mango pulp to try to maintain the thickness of the filling. But this means the mango flavor is not too pronounced
- They add melted white chocolate to help set the cheesecake, but that adds a strong flavor and sweetness that I am not a fan of
- They add a lot of gelatin, which is totally fine, but does make the texture a bit more jelly like instead of creamy
As you can see, none of these solutions is ideal. So what's my solution? Instead of making a full sized cheesecake, I have turned it into cheesecake cups instead, which allow us to get away with the cheesecake not fully setting. The texture of this cheesecake is not fully firm. It is a hybrid between creamy and set, which I actually really like!
Because of this, you cannot use this recipe to make a full sized cheesecake! It will not hold shape.
HOW TO CUSTOMIZE THIS RECIPE
This is an easy, versatile and customizable recipe, but I do want to share a few important notes and tips with you:
- You can change the crust into a crumb. A crust is fully set, while a crumb is more crumbly. This crust is somewhere in between, which is my preference for cheesecake cups. However, you can also skip the butter altogether, and add layers of crushed Nilla wafers in the dessert cups for a crumb, which also tastes amazing!
- You can omit the gelatin, but I don't recommend it. Without the gelatin, the cheesecake will not set even partially, and be very creamy instead. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but just know what you're going for
- Feel free to add more fresh mango! I add fresh cubed mango on top as decoration, but you can also add it as a layer in the cheesecake, or mix it into the cheesecake filling directly
- You can adjust the quantities of the filling, but know that the texture will be affected. For a stronger mango flavor, add more pulp, but know it will make the filling more runny. For a firmer texture, add more gelatin and / or reduce the mango pulp. You can also omit the heavy cream and just do cream cheese and mango pulp as the 2 main ingredients
- You can customize the size of the dessert cups to your liking. Make the dessert cups as big or small as you like, and go for the ratio of crust to filling that you like. For more crust and less filling, go for shallow cups so the cheesecake layer is not too deep, or use deeper cups but add multiple layers of crushed wafers as crumb!
- You can easily scale up or down this recipe! This recipe makes 6-8 fairly big dessert cups (10oz each). You can double all quantities to make 12 big or 24 small cups, and so on
VIDEO TUTORIAL
Here is a short video tutorial for the visual folks:
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PROCESS WITH PHOTOS
The detailed recipe is in the recipe card at the bottom of this post, but let's quickly go over the steps with photos to help you visualize the process.
First, crush the Nilla wafers into a fine crumb, and mix with melted butter:
Divide evenly between the dessert cups, and gently press down (not too tightly):
Bloom gelatin by sprinkling it over cold water and refrigerating. In the meanwhile, whisk together the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until creamy:
Whisk in the mango pulp:
Heat the gelatin to dissolve it, then slowly mix into the cheesecake filling:
In a separate bowl, whip heavy cream until stiff peaks. Add it to the cheesecake filling, and gently fold until combined:
Divide the filling between the cups and spread it out evenly. Then let them set overnight:
To decorate, spoon over some pulp, and pipe on plain whipped cream:
Garnish with freshly chopped mango, and enjoy!!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
You can, but the cheesecake filling will be very creamy. Please read the sections above about the texture of this cheesecake and customizing this recipe.
Yes! If you have tasty fresh mangoes, you can blend their flesh and pass it through a sieve to make your own pulp. Otherwise, use canned pulp like me.
Yes, you can add chopped mango inside the cheesecake filling too. Read my notes on customizing this recipe above.
Yes. You can prepare the crust and filling, assemble the cups, and leave them in the fridge for 1-2 days, making sure to cover the cups with cling wrap. Leave the mango pulp and decoration for whenever you are ready to serve.
You can store these cups in the fridge for 2-3 days. Don't leave any exposed mango on top of the cups if storing in the fridge, as it can get dried out.
RELATED RECIPES
Here are a few more no bake recipes you might enjoy!
NO BAKE MANGO CHEESECAKE CUPS RECIPE
- Total Time: 30 min + chilling
- Yield: 6-8 dessert cups
Description
Mango Ice Cream meets cheesecake in these creamy, delicious and very easy to make No Bake Mango Cheesecake Cups!
Ingredients
Crust:
- 150g Nilla wafers (about 40 wafers)
- 40g unsalted butter, melted (3 tbsp) *see notes
Mango cheesecake filling:
- 2 tbsp cold water + 2 tsp gelatin powder *see notes
- 2 blocks room temperature cream cheese (16 oz or 450g)
- ½ tsp vanilla
- 2-4 tablespoon sugar (to taste, depending on sweetness of mangoes)
- ¾ cup mango pulp, strained (170g) *see notes
- ½ cup heavy cream, chilled (120g)
Decoration:
- ¾ cup mango pulp (170g)
- ½ cup heavy cream, whipped
- 1-2 mangoes, chopped into small cubes
Instructions
Crust:
- Blitz the Nilla wafers in your food processor until they form a fine crumb. Add the melted butter and gently mix
- Divide the crumbs evenly between the dessert cups. Lightly press them down using the bottom of a thinner glass. You don't want the crust to be packed too tightly, as that can make it hard to break it with a spoon when eating out of a dessert cup
- Place the cups in the fridge while you work on the filling
Mango cheesecake filling:
- Add 2 tablespoon cold water to a small bowl or a glass, and sprinkle over 2 teaspoon of gelatin powder. Place in the fridge for 5-10 minutes while you work on the filling
- Add the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla to a large bowl. Use an electric hand mixer to whisk on medium speed for 2-3 minutes until the mixture is creamy, making sure to scrape the edges and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula halfway through
- Strain in the mango pulp and whisk again until just combined. Do not overmix
- Remove the gelatin from the fridge and stir. It should be clumpy / firm. Microwave it for ~10-15 seconds until it warms up and the gelatin dissolves in the water
- Add the dissolved gelatin to the cheesecake filling and whisk on low speed until just combined
- In a separate bowl, add the chilled heavy cream. Whisk on high speed until the cream reaches stiff peaks
- Add the whipped cream to the cheesecake filling, and use a rubber spatula to gently fold it in until just combined. At this point, you should have a light and fluffy cheesecake batter
- Divide the batter evenly between the cups with the crust inside, and tap them so the filling spreads out evenly
- Place in the fridge overnight to set (at least 6 hours recommended)
Decoration:
- When you are ready to serve, add 1-2 tablespoon of mango pulp on top of each cheesecake cup, and tilt the cups to spread it out
- Whip cold heavy cream until it forms stiff peaks. Transfer to a piping bag with any piping tip you like, and pipe onto the cheesecake cups
- Cut a mango into small cubes and place them on top of the cups
- Serve and enjoy!
Video Tutorial:
Notes
- Butter: You can omit the butter in the crust and turn it into a crumb instead. If using a crumb, I recommend doubling the amount of Nilla wafers, and adding 2 layers of the crushed biscuits and 2 layers of the cheesecake filling in each dessert cup. This will make more of a mango cheesecake parfait, which is also very delicious!
- Gelatin: 2 teaspoon of gelatin bloomed in 2 tablespoon water result in a soft set texture instead of a firm set texture in these cheesecake cups. You can skip the gelatin but the result will be a creamy filling. If you want a fully set filling, try doubling the amount of gelatin and water (although I don't recommend this)
- If you have good fresh mangoes, you can make your own mango pulp by blending the flesh and straining. Otherwise, canned Kesar mango pulp works great
- Read the blog post above for notes on the texture of this cheesecake, customizing the recipe, and frequently asked questions
- Prep Time: 30 min
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: American
Khadeeja says
This looks wonderful! I needed a dessert to make for Eid. Any suggested variations to make this into a tray version vs cups? I was just going to double the recipe and hope it works out.
Zoha says
so sorry I did not see this in time! You can just do that, but know that the cheesecake does not set fully firm, so you won't be able to slice it up
Hiba Imtiyaz says
Hello!! Can i use cooking cream instead of heavy cream? Is it the same?
Amena says
Assalam alai kum! New to your blog and already excited about trying out a bunch of recipes. Definitely considering this one for Eid. Instead of gelatin, would using Agar Agar powder give the same results?
Thank you!
Zoha says
Hi Amena! Welcome. I have never used agar agar personally so unfortunately I cannot say for sure
Sheeba says
Delicious recipe!! everyone loved it
Zoha says
Really really happy to hear that!
Fatima Hussain says
I tried this recipe and I really loved the results... it is very easy to make and it is a perfect dessert for parties and get togethers.. looking forward to making it for my guests soon. thanks for sharing
Zoha says
Thank you so much, Fatima!
Ayesha says
Hello! These look delicious and I am thinking of making them soon. I was wondering what brand of gelatin you used and where you got it from. Thanks!
Rijah says
I made it for a dinner party but with less sugar- around 2 tbsp since I was using mango purée (which is already sweetened)… it was too tart, I could tell it was hard to finish for people, nobody really enjoyed. That was probably my fault for using less sugar but instructions were unclear. Just wanted to let people know so they don’t make the same mistake I did!
Zoha says
Hi Rijah! The beauty of no bake desserts is you can (and should) always taste the mixture before finalizing it 🙂 That will ensure something like this doesn't happen in the future!
Zoha says
I use Rossmoor gelatin and get it from Pakistan 🙂
Wajiha says
Hi. Just want to ask the vanilla you used is vanilla extract right? Thanks.
Zoha says
Extract, essense, paste - all work 🙂
Zain says
These look and taste phenomenal - can’t believe how easy they are to make!!
Zoha says
Ah thank you!
Mahreen says
Hi! Excited to try this recipe. Just one question, Is there a halal version of gelatin? I’ve never used it so just wanna make sure. What brand of gelatin do you use or recommend ? Thanks
Zoha says
I get mine from Pakistan, brand is Rossmoor and it's halal 🙂
Deborah says
Made it. Very nice easy and of course very tasty. Thanks for sharing
Mina says
Hi! Looking to make this recipe on Saturday! Can I do the decor part (piped whipped cream and chopped mangoes) ahead of time, and put it in the fridge right before the guests come? Or do I have to do it right before serving? Thanks
Natasha S says
Hi Zoya, I'm so excited to make this for a potluck this weekend! Quick question - I'd like to substitute the powdered gelatin for some sheet gelatin that I have in the pantry (200 bloom) - so I was wondering what is the bloom strength of the powdered gelatin that you use in your recipe? I can use this info to help me figure out how many sheets to use instead of the powder.
NamitaJ says
I only needed for 4 servings, so I halved all the ingredients. It came out delish, and the cheesecake layer set, so it worked out amazingly. (It set pretty well for me with Knox brand gelatin, I used 1 tsp since I was halving everything). Thank you for the recipe, I made it as is, with no changes. The only difference is that I didnt used the whipped cream for serving, as I didnt have time to whip it up. I just topped the cheesecakes with pulp and fresh mango for serving.
Because of the size of the serving cups I used (reused petit pot containers), there was extra of the cheesecake layer after I portioned it into the pots. We poured just this into a fifth 'pot' and then the remaining, my husband and I gobbled up. It was soo soo good, and a perfect instant 'reward' without having to wait for everything to set overnight. Thank you for this recipe.
Zoha says
THANK YOU for the detailed and very helpful review! I am sure others will learn from you
Rima says
Easy to prepare and very detailed instructions. Hit of the party every time I make it! Thank you so much Zoha
Zoha says
Thank YOU!
Elizabeth says
you have to cook the mango to inactivate the enzyme