Easy No-Bake Cherry Delight
This no-bake Cherry Delight Dessert consists of a buttery Graham cracker crust, cream cheese filling, and tart cherry pie topping. It’s a great make-ahead summertime treat!
Servings: 9 servings
Calories: 374kcal
Equipment
- Square pan 9X9 inch may use 9-inch pie pan
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 1¼ cups graham cracker crumbs about 10 full graham cracker sheets
- ⅓ cup butter melted
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
For the filling:
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 8 ounces Cool Whip, thawed 1 container
- ¾ cup confectioners' sugar
- 2 Tablespoons lemon juice fresh
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 21 ounce can cherry pie filling
Instructions
Crust:
- Add the butter to a medium bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds or until melted. Add the graham cracker crumbs and sugar and mix well to combine. Pat the crumb mixture firmly into the bottom of a sprayed 9 x 9 baking dish. Set aside.
For the filling:
- In a large bowl, using a stand or hand-mixer, whip the softened cream cheese until light and fluffy.
- Add the confectioners' sugar, vanilla, and lemon juice and mix well.
- Stir in the Cool Whip until combined and smooth but don't overmix.
- Spread the cream cheese mixture evenly over the graham cracker crust using a spoon or offset spatula.
- Spoon the cherry pie filling evenly over the cream mixture.
- Refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hour. I like to leave mine in overnight.
- Store in refrigerator or freeze.
Notes
- It’s important to allow the cream cheese to soften before whipping it so it becomes light and fluffy. Leaving the block of cream cheese out at room temperature for about 30 minutes should do the trick but resist heating the cream in the microwave or placing it in hot water - this will only prevent it from whipping well.
- Make sure that the frozen whipped topping is also softened at room temperature before mixing it into the cream cheese mixture.
- You can buy Graham cracker crumbs from the baking aisle of your local store or crush them yourself using about 2 sleeves of Graham cracker sheets. Crush the crackers in a sturdy Zip loc bag using a rolling pin, or create the crumb mixture in a food processor.
- This recipe is entirely a no-bake dessert, but you could bake the crust before assembling the rest of the dessert, resulting in a sturdier crust. The crust will only need to be baked for 7-10 minutes at 375F. Allow the crust to cool completely before adding the cream cheese filling.
- This dessert can be made ahead of time. I suggest refrigerating the dessert for up to 2 days in advance, leaving the cherry pie topping off until just before serving. You can also make and store the crust 2 days in advance.
Nutrition
Calories: 374kcal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 48mg | Sodium: 240mg | Potassium: 157mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 23g | Vitamin A: 728IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 71mg | Iron: 1mg