Ambrosia Salad No Bake Cheesecake

5 from 1 votes

This simple ambrosia salad no bake cheesecake is mouthwatering and delicious. It's also the perfect pan dessert for a quick party or dinner.

Prep Time15

Refrigerating Time1

Course: Baked Goods

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 264kcal

one 3 ounce package orange Jell-O gelatin
1 cup boiling water
12 ounces cream cheese softened
1 cup granulated sugar
3-5 drops orange food coloring
4 cups whipped topping Cool Whip one liter container
2 cups white mini marshmallows
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
one 284 ml can mandarin orange segments drained, then placed on paper towel to dry more
2-3 tablespoons fresh orange zest for topping if desired

Dissolve the orange Jell-O completely into 1 cup of boiling water, then set aside to cool.
Line the bottom and sides of a 9x13 baking pan with parchment paper and set aside. ( I don't always line the pan; this comes out of the pan perfectly.)
Combine the crust ingredients in a medium-sized bowl. Press the crust mixture firmly into the bottom of the parchment-lined baking pan.
In a large mixing bowl, beat together the softened cream cheese and sugar until smooth and creamy.
Once the Jell-O mixture has completely cooled, slowly beat the Jell-O into the cream cheese mixture until combined. Beat in 3-4 drops of orange food coloring to enhance the color, if desired. I use icing gel colors for mine.
Beat in the whipped topping until it is well combined with the Jell-O mixture. Add the mini white marshmallows and the shredded coconut, then stir them in until evenly distributed throughout the filling.
Spoon the filling mixture over the graham cracker base, smoothing the top. Place the very well-drained orange segments on top, evenly spaced. If desired, sprinkle the fresh orange zest on top. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or up to 2 days before serving. (This leaves you two more days for refrigerating leftovers)
Slice into 20 squares to serve. This will keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 days in total, but will start to weep if kept too long.

You can use colored marshmallows in this for a more fruity flavor (and fun colors!)