Rich and creamy, smooth and tangy is the name of the game with this no-bake passionfruit cheesecake. It’s easy to make, sets to the perfect set-yet-creamy consistency and you can make it ahead of time.

Love a cheesecake? Definitely try this no bake strawberry cheesecake and no bake raspberry cheesecake.

A slice of passionfruit cheesecake on a small dessert plate.

Why you’ll love it

If you’re a cheesecake lover, then you’re going to love the richness yet perfect tartness of this no bake passionfruit cheesecake.

  • Buttery, no-bake cookie base.
  • Creamy, lightly passionfruit flavoured cheesecake filling.
  • A simple tart, passionfruit jelly topping.

The passionfruit jelly topping adds the perfect tartness to this cheesecake. If you’re like me and love the flavour of cheesecake but can’t eat a lot of it, this is the one for you. The tartness of the jelly balances out that ultra-rich filling.

If you don’t like jelly, just use some passionfruit curd instead (link just above the recipe card) or spoon over some passionfruit pulp at the end.

This passionfruit cheesecake is so simple and just so so delicious. This passionfruit panna cotta is the same kind of simple, no bake, delicious tropical treat.

Tools you’ll need

Ingredients for passionfruit cheesecake

How can you go wrong with a rich cheesecake that only needs 7 ingredients? It keeps this recipe stunning but simple.

Ingredients for passionfruit cheesecake on a marble benchtop.

Detailed quantities and instructions in the recipe card below.

  • Cream cheese: Use full-fat cream cheese. Light cream cheese won’t set so well.
  • Powdered gelatine: I use powdered gelatine for this cheesecake as I personally find it easiest to use. Gelatine sheets all have different strengths so I cannot say which or how many to use.
  • Biscuits / cookies: I use Arnotts Granita (digestive) biscuits for the base but there are many you can use. Arnotts Malt-o-milk also work well and so do Graham Crackers.
  • Butter: Use unsalted butter for the base as you don’t want a salty flavour that salted butter can give.
  • Sugar: I use caster sugar (superfine sugar) so that it mixes through and dissolves into the cream cheese mixture perfectly without any graininess leftover.
  • Cream: Heavy cream, thickened cream, whipping cream – these will all work. You want a cream with 35% fat content so that it whips properly. Light creams won’t work.
  • Passionfruit pulp: You can use fresh passionfruit pulp, jarred fresh pulp or even passion fruit pulp in syrup that comes in tins. The tinned form tends to be sweeter than the other two. You can also use frozen passionfruit pulp, thawed. Leave the seeds in if you like or remove them, like I have.

Being no bake, there are no eggs in this cheesecake.

This cheesecake can easily be made gluten-free – just substitute the regular biscuits / cookies for gluten-free cookies.

How to make a no bake cheesecake

Where I’m from, baked cheesecakes aren’t really a big thing and they’re more often than not, no bake. There are a few ways to set a no bake cheesecake. I love using white chocolate sometimes which makes for a lighter set and luscious cheesecake.

This passionfruit cheesecake recipe uses gelatine to set it but it’s still soft and perfect – don’t worry, it’s not firm like jelly. Using gelatine is a balancing act to get a texture that has a nice mouthfeel yet still firm enough to hold it’s shape. Luckily, I’ve done all the testing for you.

While there are 3 layers to this, each one is simple and this no bake passionfruit cheesecake is incredibly easy to make.

A collage of 6 images showing how to make passionfruit cheesecake.

Detailed instructions in the recipe card below.

  1. Prepare your tin: Place baking paper over the base of of an 8 inch spring form tin, then add the outer ring and clip it into place. Now use scissors to trim off the overhang. Next, grease the sides with butter, then line with strips of baking paper.
  2. Make the biscuit base: Blitz the biscuits /cookies in a blender or food processor to crumbs (or you can use a rolling pin and bash them in a plastic ziplock bag). Mix them with melted butter and tip them into the tin. Press down all over with the bottom of a glass to create a flat base (photo 1).
  3. Make the cheesecake filling: Whip the cream to soft peaks in a medium bowl, using a handheld electric beater or balloon whisk and place in the fridge. Dissolve the gelatine in boiling water and set aside. Beat together the cream cheese and sugar (photo 2), then add the passionfruit pulp and gelatine (photo 3). Now, carefully fold in the whipped cream (photo 4). Tip the mixture into the tin (photo 2) and spread over the base giving it a level top.
  4. The jelly topping: Soften gelatine in some water in a saucepan, then heat over very low heat, stirring until it’s dissolved. Add the sugar and dissolve that in too. Now add the passionfruit pulp. Let it chill to at least room temperature before pouring onto the cheesecake layer (photo 6).

Now all that’s left to do is chill the cheesecake and wait for it to set – at least 6 hours or overnight.

This chilling time is the very thing that makes this a wonderful make-ahead dessert.

A slice of passionfruit cheesecake being lifted from the plate.

Tips and tricks

  • Make sure the cream cheese is properly softened: If it’s still cold, you’ll end up with lumps in your cheesecake. To get a perfectly smooth cheesecake, let it come to room temp first.
  • Make sure all the gelatine is dissolved: If you see any lumps of gelatine that aren’t dissolved they will remain firm lumps of gelatine in the cheesecake so make sure it’s all dissolved. If it’s not mixing in, you can heat it in the microwave for 10 seconds and give it another stir and it should dissolve fine.
  • Don’t boil the gelatine: When you have the gelatine and water in the saucepan, you don’t want to bring it to a boil. Heat it over very low heat so there is just enough heat for it to gradually dissolve.
  • Make sure the gelatine mix is runny before adding it. If it cools too much, it will start setting and you’ll end up with lumps in your cheesecake.

Variations

I love that this recipe can be altered to suit other flavours too. Use some strawberry sauce and top it with a strawberry jelly or top this one with my passionfruit curd.

How to store it

Store your passionfruit cheesecake in the fridge, in an airtight container for 3-4 days. No bake cheesecakes don’t tend to freeze well as the texture will change on thawing.

Passionfruit cheesecake FAQ’s

Do I have to use gelatine in cheesecake?

This one, yes you do. Not all cakes use gelatine though. For instance, this Tim Tam cheesecake uses chocolate or this easy baked cheesecake is set by baking with eggs.

Can I use other fruits?

You sure can. Try making it with lemon juice in place of the passionfruit (cut down to ⅓ cup) and use a homemade lemon curd on top. Want to get really creative? Try using this raspberry sauce (strain out the seeds) in place of all the passionfruit.

How do I get passionfruit pulp?

This recipe is quite versatile. You can use fresh passionfruit and scoop the pulp out yourself or use the type you get in jars or cans. You can also use frozen passionfruit pulp, thawed.

Can I use gelatine sheets?

It’s possible but, as I don’t use them, I could not tell you how much or which grade you’d need. You may need to do some research first to determine the right quantity.

Can I use agar?

As above, it is possible, however as I don’t use it, I can’t give you the correct ratios. Agar will also give a slightly different texture.

Can I make it smaller?

This recipe is really easy to halve. Make it smaller by halving everything and setting it in a loaf tin instead. Make sure to line the tin in a way that you can lift the cheesecake out once set.

Is this cheesecake gluten-free?

You can make this cheesecake gluten free by simply swapping the biscuits / cookies with a GF version.

A slice of passionfruit cheesecake with a spoonful taken out of it.

If you try this passionfruit cheesecake recipe, please take a moment to leave a rating and comment below. I love hearing from you and it helps other readers too! You can also take a photo and tag @sugarsaltmagic on Instagram.

More recipes you’ll love

A passionfruit cheesecake with slices cut from it on a white platter.

No Bake Passionfruit Cheesecake

Yield: 10 serves
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 3 minutes
Chilling time: 6 hours
Total Time: 28 minutes
4.8 from 61 ratings
No bake passionfruit cheesecake, with it’s soft, creamy filling, buttery cookie base and tart passionfruit jelly topping is the stuff of dreams. It’s so easy to make and you only need 7 ingredients.
Print Rate Pin

Video

Ingredients

FOR THE BASE

  • 200 g digestive biscuits (7oz) (notes 2)
  • 85 g unsalted butter, melted (3oz / ¾ stick)

FOR THE FILLING

FOR THE PASSIONFRUIT JELLY

  • ½ cup water (125ml)
  • 1 teaspoon powdered gelatine
  • ¼ cup caster (superfine) sugar (or granulated) (50g / 1.8oz)
  • ½ cup strained passionfruit pulp (seeds set aside) (125ml)

For best results, always weigh ingredients where a weight is provided

Equipment

Instructions
 

FOR THE CHEESECAKE

  • Grease then line the base and sides of an 8 inch spring form tin with baking paper.
  • Blitz the biscuits / cookies in a blender to crumbs. Add the melted butter and mix well. Tip the crumbs into the baking tin and use a glass to press down firmly all over the base.
  • Mix the 2 teaspoons of powdered gelatine into 1 ½ tablespoons boiling water until no lumps remain (notes 3 & 4).
  • In a medium bowl, beat the cream using a handheld electric beater or balloon whisk to soft peaks and place in the fridge.
  • Using a handheld electric beater, in a large bowl beat together the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Scrape down the sides and beat a touch more if you still see lumps.
  • Add the passionfruit pulp and gelatine mixture and beat well to combine.
  • Gently fold the cream, one third at a time, into the cream cheese mixture, taking care not to knock all the air out.
  • Pour it over the base and spread it out, levelling the top so that it's flat. Make sure it's pushed right up against the sides all the way round – this will stop the jelly from seeping down the sides when you add it.
  • Chill while you make the topping.

FOR THE PASSIONFRUIT JELLY

  • Place the water (½ cup) in a small saucepan and sprinkle the gelatine over the top. Let it soften for 2 minutes, then place it over very low heat, stirring constantly until the gelatine has dissolved (don't allow it to bubble).
  • Add the sugar and stir, again over low heat, until dissolved and you have a clear syrup.
  • Remove from the heat and stir in the passionfruit pulp and 2-3 teaspoons of the reserved seeds (or more to your taste).
  • Chill the jelly for 10 minutes or until at least room temperature. Place the cheesecake, still in the baking tin, on a plate (this will catch any liquid if it escapes down the sides). Carefully pour over the passionfruit jelly and return to the fridge to chill for 4-6 hours, or overnight.
  • To remove the cheesecake from the tin, use an offset spatula or knife to gently ease the paper from the sides of the pan, all the way round. Now release the spring clip and lift the outer ring off. Peel away the paper from the edges. Now, using the very edges of the paper under the cheesecake, lift all the way round to release it from the pan base. Now slide a large flat spatula or similar between the paper and cheesecake base and release it all the way across. Now simply slide the cheesecake off the paper onto your serving plate.

Notes

  1. For best results you should always weigh ingredients like flour and sugar. Kitchen scales like these are relatively cheap but if you can’t weigh the ingredients, use the spoon and level method (don’t scoop).
  2. Cookies / Biscuits: I use digestive biscuits (specifically Arnotts Granita) which is a whole meal cookie popular in Australia and UK. Graham crackers will work fine but other types of biscuits work too – as long as they’re crunchy. For a GF cheesecake, use GF cookies.
  3. If you find your gelatine not fully dissolving, press the larger lumps up against the sides of the bowl to spread and melt them or heat in the microwave for 10 seconds and give it another stir. If you don’t fully dissolve the gelatine, you’ll get small bits of firm gelatine in the cheesecake.
  4. Make sure the gelatine mix is runny before adding it. If it cools too much, it will start setting and you’ll end up with lumps in your cheesecake.
MORE CHEESECAKE RECIPES!
Calories: 435kcal
Author: Marie Roffey
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Australian, World
Have you tried this recipe?Don’t forget to leave a rating and comment below and let me know how it was! I love hearing from you. Nutrition information is approximate and derived from an online calculator. The brands you use may cause variations.