Rainbow Cheesecake

Rainbow Cheesecake is a dessert that proves you can have a delicious and beautiful treat without a ton of effort. Both the crust and filling are simple and require minimal ingredients. Try making this for a holiday—it would be fantastic as a St Patrick’s Day cheesecake!

The cheesecake filling is perfectly balanced with tanginess and sweetness, creating a rich and creamy dessert. The graham cracker crust adds a subtle crunchy texture that ties it all together. Adding food coloring takes the presentation up a notch, showing it’s not just any ordinary cheesecake!

If you like rainbow dessert recipes, you will love my Rainbow Cake, Funfetti Ice Cream Cake, Easter Cheesecake or hese bright colored Rainbow Cupcakes.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• It’s great for any occasion: I love serving this on St. Patrick’s Day to match the rainbow theme, but it’s just as fun any time of year. You don’t need a special reason to enjoy this colorful cheesecake.
• You can switch up the flavors: It’s a great base recipe. Feel free to get creative with the flavors and make a brand-new dessert that suits your preferences and impresses whoever you share it with.
• It’s a no-bake recipe: Keep the oven off with this cheesecake recipe! It’s 100% no-bake. I love making this when it’s too hot to cook, but you still want a delicious dessert.

Ingredients

This is a simple homemade no-bake cheesecake that utilizes easy ingredients to create an impressive and delicious dessert. All of the items listed below can be found at almost any grocery store year round..

For the crust

• Graham crackers: Crushed graham crackers make the best crust for no-bake desserts. You can use a food processor or place them in a Ziploc bag and crush them with a rolling pin. They stick together best when they are pulverized into fine crumbs.
• Butter: I use unsalted melted butter to help the crust stick together. I don’t want it to have a salty flavor, so I prefer unsalted for this.

For the filling

• Cream cheese: Ensure that the cream cheese has had plenty of time to soften before you make the cheesecake filling. If it’s too cold, it will not incorporate well and create lumps. I prefer full-fat cream cheese for the richest and creamiest texture and flavor.
• Powdered sugar: As always, powdered sugar is the perfect sweetener for any no-bake recipe. It mixes perfectly without an unpleasant texture.
• Vanilla extract: I add pure vanilla extract for the most authentic flavor possible that you can’t get from imitation. I recommend clear vanilla for this recipe to ensure the colors are as vibrant as possible.
• Whipping cream: This will be beaten into the cream cheese mixture to ensure a light and fluffy cheesecake filling. Use chilled heavy cream for the best results. 
• Food coloring: Red, yellow, and blue are perfect if you can’t find the other colors of the rainbow because you can make them!
• Garnishes: I finish the rainbow cheesecake with dollops of whipped cream and sprinkles to give it a showstopping presentation. Feel free to use a piping bag for the whipped cream to add fun designs.

See the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts, nutritional information, and detailed instructions.

Variations

• Birthday cake: Try using cake batter extract instead of vanilla to give this rainbow dessert tasty and prominent birthday cake vibes.
• Citrus: Add some zest or juice to each color to give this cheesecake a citrus zing. Use lemon for yellow, lime for green, and orange for orange—it will give you a fabulous punch of flavor.
• Strawberry marshmallow: A combination of strawberry and marshmallow extract would give this a sweet and fruity flavor profile 
• Dairy-free: Make this a dairy-free rainbow dessert by using vegan cream cheese, coconut cream, and plant-based butter!

How to Make Rainbow Cheesecake

Here are the directions to help you prepare the crust and each colorful layer of this rainbow cheesecake. I recommend lining your springform pan with parchment paper to make it easier to remove the cake and cut clean slices.

Step 1: Make the crust. Combine the graham cracker crumbs and melted butter and mix them until the consistency is like wet sand. Press the mixture into the bottom of the springform pan firmly and evenly. Pop it into the fridge while you work on the filling.

Step 2: Prepare the cheesecake filling. Combine the cream cheese and powdered sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat the cream cheese. Add the heavy cream and vanilla extract, and beat until the mixture is perfectly light and fluffy.

Step 3: Divide and color it. Scoop about ½ cup of the cheesecake mixture into a separate bowl and repeat for 5 more bowls. Grab the red food coloring, start with ½ teaspoon, and mix it thoroughly into one of the bowls.

Step 4: Start with the red layer. Get the crust out of the refrigerator and pour the red cheesecake into the bottom. Spread it evenly and then place it in the freezer for 10-15 minutes.

Step 5: Add orange, yellow, and green. While it’s in the freezer, work on adding the next colors into the bowls. Once the red layer is firm, start with orange and repeat the spreading and freezing process with yellow and green as well.

Step 6: Add blue and purple. When they’re done, do the same thing with blue and finish with purple. At this point, you should have a layer for each color of the rainbow in order.

Step 7: Chill, garnish, and serve. Place the cheesecake in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight if possible. When it’s had time to chill, you can add garnishes like dollops of whipped cream. Slice and enjoy!

If you love layered cheesecake recipes like this, you may also enjoy this Orange Creamsicle Cheesecake.

Storage Directions 

• Make Ahead: Since this dessert needs plenty of time to chill so it properly sets, it’s perfect to make the night before. I love doing this if we have company coming over to enjoy cheesecake with us!
• Storing: Store this rainbow cheesecake in the refrigerator tightly covered for up to 4 days. You can also place individual slices into airtight containers.To freeze, cover the cake tightly with plastic wrap and then a layer of foil, and store in the freezer for up to 2 months.

Serving Suggestions

• If you serve this dessert on St Patrick’s Day, you can enjoy a traditional meal like corned beef brisket for dinner.
• Keep the theme going and make green cookies and lemon Cool Whip cookies as part of a colorful dessert spread.
• Enjoy a hot cup of McDonald’s peppermint mocha or use these homemade hot chocolate bombs to make a yummy hot chocolate.

More Delicious No-Bake Cheesecake Recipes

If you try this recipe and love it please leave a star rating in the recipe card below or even better, drop a review in the comment section, I always appreciate your feedback. Be sure to follow along with me on Facebook, Pinterest, and YouTube for more easy recipes!

Rainbow Cheesecake

Karin and Ken

This Rainbow Cheesecake consists of a simple homemade crust and a tangy cheesecake filling with bright, colorful layers. Prep is so quick and easy!

5 from 5 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 45 minutes mins

Chill Time 5 hours hrs

Total Time 5 hours hrs 45 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 12

Calories 434 kcal

Equipment

• 1 9 inch springform pan
• 1 medium mixing bowl
• 6 small mixing bowls or just use 1 and wash between colours

Ingredients

  

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Crust

• 2 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs 270g, 9.5oz
• ½ cup unsalted butter, melted 4oz, 113g

Filling

• 3 bricks (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened 24oz, 750g
• 1 ½ cups powdered sugar 6.3oz, 179g
• 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
• ½ cup heavy whipping cream (35%) 4fl.oz, 118ml
• ½ teaspoon red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet food coloring

Decorations

• whipped cream
• sprinkles

Get Recipe Ingredients

Instructions

 

• Line a 9-inch springform pan with a piece of parchment paper. Trim off any excess parchment.
• In a medium mixing bowl, stir the graham cracker crumbs with the melted butter. Stir together until it feels like wet sand and can easily stick together when pressed between two fingers.
• Use your fingertips to press the mixture into the bottom of your prepared springform pan. Set in the fridge to chill while you make the filling.
• In the bowl to your stand mixer, beat the cream cheese and powdered sugar together until it is smooth and creamy, around 2 minutes.
• Add the heavy cream and vanilla extract and continue beating until the mixture is fluffy, about 4 minutes.
• Divide the batter evenly amongst 6 bowls. You’ll have about ½ cup of batter for each bowl. Starting with the first bowl, add ½ teaspoon of red food coloring to the bowl and stir to mix the color through.
• Smooth the red layer over the graham cracker crust and use the back of a spoon to smooth it out.
• Pop the cake into the freezer for 10-15 minutes to firm up. While it is in the freezer, grab another bowl of cheesecake batter and add the orange food coloring to it. Stir to combine.
• Remove the cheesecake from the freezer and spoon the orange layer over the red one and spread it out evenly. Place in the freezer for 10 minutes. Repeat this process with the remaining 4 bowls and the yellow, green, blue and purple, in that order.
• Once the purple layer has gone on the top, place in the fridge to chill for 4 hours or up to overnight.
• Once chilled, top with dollops of whipped cream, slice and serve.

Notes

• Ensure that the graham cracker crust is tightly packed in the pan and properly chilled. Otherwise, there’s a much higher risk of it crumbling when you take the cheesecake out of the pan and slice it.
• Store your rainbow cheesecake tightly covered with plastic wrap in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
• I recommend using gel food coloring over liquid coloring for more vibrant colors and to preserve the consistency of the cheesecake filling.

Nutrition

Calories: 434kcalCarbohydrates: 32gProtein: 5gFat: 33gSaturated Fat: 19gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 89mgSodium: 297mgPotassium: 119mgFiber: 1gSugar: 21gVitamin A: 1144IUVitamin C: 0.1mgCalcium: 78mgIron: 1mg

Keyword rainbow cheesecake, St Patrick's Day dessert

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