No-Bake Cherry Cheesecake Balls
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Let me introduce you to my bite-sized version of cherry cheesecake. My no-bake cherry cheesecake balls are made with creamy condensed milk and cream cheese with sweet cherry pie filling and a crunchy graham cracker crumb coating.
I love cherry cheesecake around the holidays because my Grandmama used to always make a cherry cream cheese pie for me this time of year. She was actually allergic to the red cherries but still made it because she knew it was my favorite. Now that’s a good grandmama!
The problem I encountered then is still much the same as now. I can hardly be left alone with that pie because it is just too stinking good. So this year, I set out to create a bite-size version of my cherry cheesecake recipe that’s perfect for parties and get-togethers and gives you just the right amount of cherry cheesecake goodness in every bite. I could not be more thrilled with these no-bake cherry cheesecake balls! They are everything I hoped for and more, like .
All you need is cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk, vanilla, cherry pie filling, and those graham cracker crumbs. We simply mix the ingredients together, chill the batter, and then roll it into mini cheesecake balls. They truly are all that is good and wonderful about a cherry cheesecake rolled up into a bite-size ball of goodness. The taste of graham crust sprinkled throughout makes them even better than the original in many ways.
Ready to give them a go?
Recipe Ingredients
- Sweetened condensed milk
- Vanilla extract
- Graham cracker crumbs
- Cherry pie filling
- Cream cheese (here’s how to easily make homemade cream cheese)
How to Make No-Bake Cherry Cheesecake Balls
Place condensed milk, cream cheese, and vanilla in a mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer until smooth and well blended.
If your cream cheese was not room temp, this is going to take a little more time so you really really need to let that get to room temp.
Dump the entire box of graham crumbs on top of the .
Mix again until it is the consistency of cookie dough, scraping down sides if needed.
Like this.
Now, I’m not here to judge or anything but I will tell you that you’re crazy if you don’t get a pinch of this right now to taste!
Dump the entire contents of the cherry pie filling into the dough.
Mix that gently with an electric mixer until just blended and then stop.
We don’t want to overmix because we’ll make all of those little bits of cherries disappear into the dough.
Cover the with and place in the refrigerator for at least an hour or until well chilled.
Roll refrigerated into one-inch balls and roll those in the additional graham crumbs.
Once all the mini cheesecake bites are made, store them covered in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to serve.
These little bites are wonderful to take to a party or family get-together. They remain firm and are so easy to just pick up and pop in your mouth! When you make a batch, keep a few in a container in your fridge to grab a cheesecake bite when the holiday sweet tooth hits!
Storage
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 weeks or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Let them thaw overnight in the fridge before serving.
Recipe Notes
- If you want, you can also add a tablespoon of bottled lemon juice. I added it to one batch and forgot to add it to the other and both were very good. So if you have it on hand, go for it. If you don’t have it on hand, don’t go buy it just for this.
- On the cherry pie filling: I’m usually all about generic ingredients and saving money but when it comes to pie filling, the less you pay the fewer cherries you get these days. With that in mind, I recommend paying the extra fifty cents or so to get a “premium” cherry pie filling and avoiding the generics.
- In the directions, I suggest two boxes of graham crumbs. That is because you will have to skimp to have enough to coat them with. You’ll end up with a lot of extra crumbs but there are so many uses for them during the holidays… like making cherry no-bake cheesecake bites again after these have been inhaled!
- For added flavor and texture, fold in 1/2 cup of coconut flakes when you add the cherry pie filling.
- For something different, substitute the graham cracker crumb coating for melted chocolate instead to make chocolate cheesecake balls. YUM.
- For best results, let them chill for at least 4 hours before serving.
You may also like these recipes:
Cheesecake Toppings & An Easy Cheesecake Recipe
Christmas Tie Dyed Cheesecake Brownies
Ingredients
- 2 8-ounce packages cream cheese at room temp
- 1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
- 2 boxes graham cracker crumbs
- 1 21-ounce can cherry pie filling
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon bottled lemon juice optional
Instructions
- Place condensed milk, cream cheese, lemon juice (if using), and vanilla in a mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer until smooth and well blended.2 8-ounce packages cream cheese at room temp, 1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 tablespoon bottled lemon juice
- Dump the entire box of graham crumbs on top of the cream cheese mixture. Mix again until it is the consistency of cookie dough, scraping down sides if needed.2 boxes graham cracker crumbs
- Dump the entire contents of cherry pie filling into the dough and mix gently with an electric mixer until just blended. Don’t overmix because it will break up all of the cherries to the point that they disappear into the dough.1 21-ounce can cherry pie filling
- Cover with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator for at least an hour or until well chilled.
- Roll into one-inch balls and roll those in the additional graham cracker crumbs. Once all the cheesecake balls are made, store them covered in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to serve.
Nutrition
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Hi Christy,
Came across this recipe and was TOTALLY excited due to my passion for cherry cheesecake AND its EGGLESS which was a double AWESOME! I wasn’t clear also whether to add both or 1 box of graham crumbs and so I added both leaving about 3/4 cup from the 2nd box for rolling. My batch is chilling in the fridge now so crossing my fingers my extra box of graham crumbs has allowed it to be less sticky and firm. Wish me luck!
Let me know how it turns out Rosy!!
Hi Christy! These are amazing! Followed all your instructions & they came out great! So happy! And there was a little graham cracker crumbs left so i just put them in a little ziplock bag for later use like on a or whatever else comes up . I also just signed up to your blog, you have some really great recipes I cannot wait to try. Thank you so much❣️ Christy
Thank you for trying them and welcome to Southern Plate!! I am so glad to hear you liked them!!
Not sure if this is still an active forum to receive a reply but here it goes… I placed mix in fridge for an hour. The batter is still very soft and gooey. Should it be more firm before rolling??
I placed back in fridge hoping it will firm up more but wanted to make sure I didn’t do something wrong or missed an ingredient.
They’re still going to be semi soft and sticky. As long as they’ve been in there enough to get good and chilled I’d go ahead and roll 🙂
Hey Christy… tempted to use chocolate graham cracker crumbs… do you think that would work as well?
Do you put both boxes of the graham crackers in the mix or use one box,and then save the other box for rolling after you make them? I am confused and would love to try this and bring it to the senior center. They would love these and with 50 , I can share with all of them. Thankyou and I hope I get an answer.
Hey! I talk about that in get post. The extra box is for coating so you’ll have some left over from that. Only one box goes in.
The Cherry Cheesecake Bites sound wonderful. Just wondering how they would taste if you rolled them in pecans that have been pulsed in the food processor. These will be another hit with my friends on game night.
Just reading over some recipes. Whenever using cherry pie filling , i add almond extract. I add lemon to almost everything
BLESSINGS 2016 TO YOUR SUCCESS