These easy, no-bake chai cheesecake bars have a perfectly spiced chai filling, a quick graham cracker crust and a little cinnamon caramel drizzle on top for a little extra something. The best part – it can be made in advance and requires no ovens or water baths!
Ingredients
Let’s discuss some of the highlight ingredients in this chai cheesecake recipe! I’m not going to touch on each ingredient in the list like sugar, but let’s review some biggies.
- Cream cheese. When baking, I always use a store-brand cream cheese because it’s less wet and prone to splitting than a fancy brand.
- Powdered gelatin. This might seem intimidating if you never used gelatin before, but it’s just a support system to help set the cheesecake. When making a baked cheesecake, eggs set the mixture, but we are using the gelatin as an egg substitute here! Look for a little box of gelatin in the baking aisle.
- Chai spice. You can DIY a chai spice blend at home, or use your favorite premade blend.
- Graham cracker crumbs. You can find crumbs at the store or make your own by smashing or blending cracker sheets.
- Sour cream. Deepens the tangy flavor just a bit. When I tested this recipe, the flavors fell flat with just the cream cheese.
- Heavy whipping cream. Use cold heavy whipping cream to create fluffy whipped cream. This will lighten the final texture.
Making Cheesecake Bars
There are three main components to making cheesecake bars. The crust, the filling and the drizzle on top. OK, the drizzle isn’t 100% required, but…isn’t though?
We are going to jump around just a little bit in the recipe steps below between the crust and filling, but there is a logic to it, I promise. It’s all in the name of being efficient because I have no interest in standing around to wait while something soaks.
The Crust
When making your crust, you should find that after you add the melted butter, the mixture will look just like wet sand. And if you press the mixture in your hand, it should hold together.
Press the crumbs tightly into your cake tin. If you leave the crumbs too loose, the final crust will be crumbly and not hold when slicing. Use the back of a measuring cup or smooth bottom of a glass to press across the surface. And don’t forget the corners!
Working with Gelatin
The cream cheese cheesecake filling is really rather simple. The only intimidating element is working with powdered gelatin if you never have before. But there is a first time for everything and I will walk you through how to use it!
Powdered gelatin is the most standard gelatin in the US. If you live outside of the US, you may be more familiar with sheet gelatin, which has the same final results but is not a 1:1 swap and needs a different method. So look for powdered gelatin for the method below.
Gelatin is very common when making Jello (it’s in the packages you use!) but I only use it in a few recipes like this lemon curd tart when I want a really nice final slice.
To start, powdered gelatin needs to “bloom” – which means it absorbs a liquid and starts to hydrate. You’ll notice the gelatin gets really clumpy and gloopy while it sits. Totally normal.
Once it’s hydrated, we want to melt it using very low heat so we can mix it in smoothly to the cheesecake mixture. Boiled milk takes on a new flavor so keep the heat really low to avoid sour milk flavor.
As it chills, the melted gelatin will set and give us a nicely sliceable cheesecake with no eggs required.
Making Caramel
There’s a few small pieces of advice I have when making caramel:
- Don’t stress. It’s just sugar. The stakes are really very low. If it comes out weird, let the pot soak in water and the evidence will be washed away.
- Prepare. Have all the ingredients needed handy. You don’t want to be looking around for your butter after the color is just right or it could get too dark and bitter on you.
- Use the right pan. Use a *light* colored pot with a heavy bottom. It will avoid burning the sugar and allows you to see the color of the sugar. You also want a larger pot because the mixture will bubble up quite a bit.
- Low heat plus time. No need to rush the process. Use a low heat and really keep an eye on the color of the sugar. Let it get to that rich caramel color before adding the butter to stop the cooking.
Chai Cheesecake Bars (No-Bake)
Equipment
- 8"x8" or 9"x9" tin
- 2 quart heavy-bottomed pot minimum size
Ingredients
Gelatin Base
- ¼ cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon powdered gelatin
Graham Cracker Crust
- 165 g graham cracker crumbs
- 22 g light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 99 g unsalted butter melted and cooled
Chai Cheesecake
- 452 g cream cheese very soft
- 100 g granulated sugar
- 56 g sour cream room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons chai-spice blend
- ¾ c heavy whipping cream cold
Caramel Drizzle
- 66 g granulated sugar
- 28 g unsalted butter
- ¼ cup heavy whipping cream
- ¾ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Gelatin base. Pour heavy cream into a small pot. Sprinkle gelatin evenly on top and gently stir together. Let stand for about 5 minutes while preparing crust.1/4 cup heavy whipping cream, 1 teaspoon powdered gelatin
- Graham cracker crust. Line a 8"x8" or 9"x9" cake tin with parchment paper in both directions – leave some overhang to remove cheesecake later.
- In a large bowl, stir together graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Pour in melted butter and stir using rubber spatula until mixture resembles wet sand. Transfer to prepared cake tin and press the crumbs tightly into an even layer. Use the back of a measuring cup or bottom of a glass to get a smooth finish. Set cake tin in fridge to set while making filling.165 g graham cracker crumbs, 22 g light brown sugar, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 99 g unsalted butter
- Chai Cheesecake. Return to heavy cream and gelatin mixture. The gelatin should have "bloomed" and gotten clumpy looking. Place the pot on the lowest heat setting on the stove and stir constantly until the gelatin dissolves completely. Avoid having the cream boil – if you see any bubbles forming on the edges, remove from the heat for a few seconds. It will take several minutes to fully liquify again. Set aside to cool.
- While gelatin mixture cools. Whip cream cheese and granulated sugar until lighter in color with stand-mixer fitted with paddle attachment or with a hand-mixer.452 g cream cheese, 100 g granulated sugar
- Add sour cream, vanilla, salt and chai-spice blend. Whip until combined. Add cooled gelatin mixture and whip again. Transfer cream cheese mixture into a large bowl.56 g sour cream, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon salt, 2 tablespoons chai-spice blend
- Place cold heavy whipping cream in now emptied mixing bowl, no need to clean. Whip with whisk attachment until stiff peaks form. Gently fold whipped cream into cream cheese mixture, trying not to deflate the whipped cream texture.3/4 c heavy whipping cream
- Pour cheesecake mixture over crust in cake tin. Cover and chill at least 5 hours or overnight. When ready to serve, use parchment edges to gently lift cheesecake from tin. Slice into 9 bars and serve with caramel drizzle below.
- Cinnamon Caramel Drizzle. To make caramel, place granulated sugar in a heavy-bottom pot, about 2-quarts in size (pot should be large enough to contain a large bubble up). Have remaining ingredients ready nearby.66 g granulated sugar
- Gently stir sugar constantly over low heat. Sugar will look clumpy and crystalized as it begins to melt, then turn clear and finally rich amber in color. This will take about 10 minutes.
- Once a caramel color is reached, add butter. Mixture will bubble and appear split. Continue stirring vigorously until a smooth caramel returns.28 g unsalted butter
- Remove from the heat and stir in heavy cream, cinnamon and salt. Continue stirring until a creamy caramel forms. Let cool for a minute before drizzling over cheesecake bars.1/4 cup heavy whipping cream, 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon salt
Notes
- I recommend using store-bought cream cheese for best results.
- If caramel hardens too much to drizzle, warm in microwave in 10 second bursts until desired consistency returns.
- Caramel can be stored in fridge for up to 2 weeks and reheated to drizzle.
- Store leftover cheesecake in airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Disclaimer: We test all recipes using the metric weights shown, we cannot guarantee outcomes when switching to US measurements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can use only cinnamon if you prefer. Or leave out the spice all together.
Biscoff cookie crumbs would also work well.
You can add a few drops more of the melted butter if your crust feels a little dry. You want a wet sand texture, but avoid adding too much and ending up with a greasy crust.
Without the gelatin, the cheesecake will be much softer and more difficult to slice into clean bars. The taste will be the same, though!
Absolutely, substitute your favorite caramel sauce if you don’t want to tackle a caramel today. But I promise it’s not nearly as intimidating as it sounds, so give it a try!
The caramel will naturally split when adding the fat in butter. Just keep stirring vigorously and it will come together in a luscious caramel again.
Yes, if you don’t mind slices instead of bars, use a springform pan for even easier removal.
Other No-Bake Desserts
Looking for some other easy to prep ahead desserts or desserts that don’t require an oven? You can try these mini pumpkin cheesecakes or this Biscoff icebox cake. If you want to get a bit fancier, try this classic tiramisu too!
