No-Bake Caramel Apple Cheesecake
Caramel apple cheesecake is a quick and easy no-bake dessert to bring to a Thanksgiving potluck party or enjoy any time this fall when apples are fresh in season.
Every holiday hostess knows the value in taking advantage of shortcuts in the kitchen. Not every single thing needs to be made utterly from scratch to feel special.
This easy no-bake caramel apple cheesecake starts with a store bought cheesecake, whichever brand you love! Grab one of those cheap, giant ones from Costco if you need to feed a crowd.
But by offering this thoughtful topping combination, you're elevating a simple shortcut into a delicious dessert filled with intention.
The secret?? It's all in the presentation. Just be sure to dig out your pretty bowls or tie a festive ribbon around a mason jar!
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Why This is the Best Recipe
- 5-Minute Prep: When you're already busy during the holidays, this is the last-minute dessert you need to keep on hand.
- Kid-Friendly: The little ones will have fun mixing the toppings on their slice.
- Budget-Friendly: This impressive and delicious dessert is so easy on the grocery budget during the holiday season!
Ingredients
The shopping list of ingredients you need for this easy dessert is so simple:
- Cheesecake: Start with a frozen or refrigerated cheesecake. If you start with frozen, be sure to thaw it in your fridge overnight first. You could also grab a plain cheesecake from Costco.
- Fresh Apples: I think Granny Smith is the best choice but you can use any apple you love. Honeycrisp or Pink Ladies would be my second choices.
- Caramel Sauce: The best choice is to make a batch of my homemade salted caramel sauce. It's very easy to make and doesn't take much time. But, if you're in a rush you can absolutely buy a store bought caramel sauce.
- Lemon: This helps keep the apples fresh and pretty.
- OPTIONAL: You can also use spiced pecans to add a little more savory crunch to the toppings. My pumpkin spice pecans are a perfect option.
Fun Variation: If you're serving this as a Halloween party treat or want to make it more fun for the kids, you could also offer up a small buffet of prep bowls filled with seasonal candies that would be found on taffy apples like mini M&Ms, mini chocolate chips, and tiny chopped nuts.
Prep the Apple
Dice the fresh apples into small cubed pieces. There's no need to peel them first.
You want the apple chunks to be small so that it is easy to cut into the cheesecake with your fork and still have some apple in every bite.
Add them to a small mixing bowl and toss them with the juice from 1/2 a small lemon so they don't turn brown on your dessert table as the cheesecake rests.
Prep Ahead Tips
If you want to prep this dessert ahead of Thanksgiving or plan to bring it to a fall potluck party, I recommend that you do not try to assemble the full dessert until you are about to serve it.
You can pre-chop the apples and toss them in lemon juice up to 24 hours in advance as long as you store them in an airtight container in the fridge. I suggest a zip top food storage bag sealed with as much air squeeze out as possible.
You can also prep the caramel sauce and spiced pecans ahead. Store the pecans in an airtight container and the caramel sauce in the fridge.
When I served this for our guests, I placed each ingredient into a small, pretty container on the table so that everyone could mix and match the toppings as they preferred.
Serving Suggestions
My favorite way to eat this treat is to start with a slice of cheesecake, sprinkle on a couple spoonfuls of apples, and then drizzle the whole thing in a generous amount of caramel sauce.
I also played with a pecan pie cheesecake variation with just the spiced pecans and caramel sauce. It was also delicious!
I recommend making two table cards for your dessert buffet:
- Caramel Apple Cheesecake: Caramel & Apples
- Pecan Pie Cheesecake: Caramel & Pecans
This helps get the inspiration going for everyone at the party! Want to increase the options on your dessert table? You could add any one of these easy cheesecake toppings for even more variations in your mix-and-match offerings!
More Caramel Apple Desserts
If you love the caramel apple flavor combo, you won't want to miss these delicious recipes:
📖 Recipe
Easy Caramel Apple Cheesecake
Ingredients
- 1 prepared cheesecake thawed frozen or from refrigerator case
- 2 Granny Smith apples (or honeycrisp, Pink ladies, or other crispy sweet apples) chopped
- 1/2 lemon juiced
- 1/2 cup salted caramel sauce homemade or jarred
- 1/2 cup spiced pecans optional
Instructions
- If your cheesecake is frozen, thaw it in the fridge overnight before using.
- Wash and dice the apples into small 1/4 inch sized cubes. There's no need to peel them first, the peel gives them a pretty color. Add them to a small mixing bowl and toss in lemon juice to preserve their color and texture.
- Serve the prepped apples, caramel sauce, and spiced pecans (if using) in separate pretty bowls for the dessert table. Let guests mix and match the toppings as desired.
- Caramel Apple Cheesecake: Apples & Caramel(Alternative) Pecan Pie Cheesecake: Spiced Pecans & Caramel
Recipe Notes
Prep Ahead Tips:
You can prep the apple topping up to 24 hours in advance and store it in an airtight food storage bag with the air squeezed out in the fridge. Storing the toppings separately makes this dessert travel-friendly and easy to bring to a potluck.Save This Recipe to Your Recipe Box
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