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Why You’ll Love My Recipe

Fluffy, creamy, and packed with all of the flavours of a classic ambrosia salad, this cheesecake is a perfect dessert to brighten up your day. And you don’t even have to do any baking!

Try this cheesecake or the next time you need an easy, no bake option. Try an Original Ambrosia Salad (Nana’s 5 Cup Salad) or some Ambrosia Salad Squares to get this delicious flavour combination in a different form.

A woman in a festive kitchen holds a casserole topped with sliced mandarins. The kitchen is decorated with Christmas-themed ornaments, including Santa figurines and a small Christmas tree. The woman is smiling and wearing a holiday apron.

Karlynn’s Recipe Notes

Skill Level: This is a very easy recipe to make.
Total Time: Assembling this no bake cheesecake will take you 10 or 15 minutes, but then it does need to chill overnight, so start nice and early.
Variations: Why not add a drop or two of coconut extract? Or use a coconut milk-based whipped topping? Add some well-drained pineapple tidbits with the orange segments. Try add some chopped nuts or toasted coconut. Candied pecans or walnuts sprinkled on top would add a delicious crunch and some extra colour.
Tools Needed: For this recipe, you’ll need a large bowl, a medium bowl, a 9×13 baking pan, some parchment paper, a whisk, a hand mixer, a spoon or spatula, and some plastic wrap.

A square slice of creamy, orange dessert with a crumbly crust, topped with mandarin orange segments, sits on a light green plate with silverware beside it. A pan of the dessert is partly visible in the background.

What You’ll Need For Ingredients

Graham Crust: For this simple crust, all you need is some graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, and sugar. You can buy crumbs or crush a sleeve of graham crackers.

Orange Jell-O: The gelatin in the Jell-O will help hold the cheesecake together and keep things fluffy and soft. The orange colouring will give the cheesecake a faint hint of colour (if you want more vibrancy, use a drop or two of food colouring).

Marshmallows: Mini white marshmallows are great for this recipe, but you could also try mini coloured marshmallows or even cut up full-sized marshmallows. Maybe even see if you can find some coconut-flavoured marshmallows to mix in.

A tabletop with bowls of mini marshmallows, whipped topping, shredded coconut, granulated sugar, cream cheese, canned fruit, a box of orange Jell-O, a tube of food coloring, and a mandarin orange.

How To Make Ambrosia Salad No Bake Cheesecake

This is a brief overview of the recipe. The full list of ingredients and step-by-step instructions are in the recipe card below.

Dissolve the Jell-O in boiling water and set aside to cool.
Line 9×13 pan with parchment paper. Combine crust ingredients in a medium bowl and press into the bottom of the baking pan.
In a large bowl, beat together the cream cheese and sugar. Slowly beat in the cooled Jell-O. Add food colouring if desired. Beat in the whipped topping.
Stir in the mini marshmallows and shredded coconut. Spoon over the graham crust. Arrange drained orange segments on top.
Cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight, or up to 2 days before serving.

A glass baking dish of creamy dessert topped with mandarin orange slices sits on a festive tray. Two servings are plated on green dishes with vintage silver forks beside them. Ornaments decorate the background.

Karlynn’s Tips and Tricks for Making Ambrosia Salad No Bake Cheesecake

Make it Vibrant: To add a more intense orange colour to this cheesecake, add a few drops of orange food colouring (liquid or gel). Add some fresh orange zest to the top of the cake for a burst of flavour. You can also use coloured mini marshmallows instead of white ones, if you’d like the fruity flavours. Coloured sprinkles or colourful shredded coconut would also add a fun element.

Drainage: Make sure to drain those orange segments extra well! This cheesecake already has a limited fridge life and if your oranges aren’t drained well enough it will get watery even sooner. So, drain them in a strainer and pat them dry with paper towel if you can. If you decide you’d like to add some pineapple in there too, follow the same process.

A glass baking dish filled with a creamy dessert topped with evenly spaced mandarin orange segments and orange zest, placed on a red cloth on a white surface.

Storage Instructions

Cover the cheesecake in plastic wrap and keep it in the fridge for up to 4 days. After 4 days, it will start to weep and get watery.

More Delicious No Bake Recipes

Looking for more delicious desserts that you can make without turning on your oven?

Try this No Bake Key Lime Pie or Classic No-Bake Peanut Butter Pie.

For something bite-sized, make some No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies.

You can find even more no bake recipes here: 10 Easy No-Bake Desserts to Keep Cool This Summer

There you go, everyone. All the flavours of fluffy ambrosia salad but in cheesecake form. Try it out and let me know what you think.

Happy (No) Baking!

Karlynn