This No Bake Knafeh cheesecake is a fuss-free, show-stopping dessert that looks beautiful and tastes fantastic. Imagine a layer of slightly crisp and sweetened shredded phyllo topped off with a silky smooth cream cheese filling with orange blossom essence, all topped off with crushed pistachios and drizzled with simple syrup. It is worth trying!
What is Knafeh?
Knafeh is a sweet cheese Palestinian dessert derived from Nablus, Palestine. There are several versions of knafeh, but the most famous is knafeh naameh. Think of a cheesy pastry topped with shredded phyllo or a crumbled semolina pastry drizzled with syrup and garnished with pistachios–it’s heavenly.
Knafeh is one of the most popular Middle Eastern desserts. It is often enjoyed as a celebratory dessert passed out during graduations, weddings, and special occasions, such as Ramadan or Eid. This No bake Knafeh cheesecake has the persona of a traditional knafeh but is modernized and made easy with similar flavors, colors, and textures.
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What is a no bake knafeh cheesecake?
It is a dessert that encompasses all the flavors and layers of a traditional knafeh dessert without actual baking. However, the shredded ohyllo crust is lightly baked for safety reasons, and the topping is sautteed until crisp. Since raw Kataifi dough cannot be consumed. Many find baking intimidating, especially desserts, so no-bake desserts seem more beginner-friendly and less intimidating. Here, you will find a layer of whipped cream folded into whipped cream cheese with a hint of orange blossom to mimic the flavor of the cheese in an authentic knafeh.
The shredded phyllo or Kataifi dough used for knafeh khishneh (coarse) is also used here as the cheesecake’s crust. It is cut finely, tossed with cinnamon, knafeh dye, and simple syrup, and baked until just lightly crisp. The toppings are the common garnishes for a classic knafeh: a simple syrup drizzle and crushed pistachios.
You can also make these into no-bake knafeh cheesecake cups by crisping the Kataifi layer with some butter in a sautee pan and assembling the crust, then cream, and then toppings in a cup!
Other No-Bake Desserts You Must Try:
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I’m excited for you to try this delicious No Bake Knafeh Cheesecake recipe! If you try my recipes, please leave a star rating and/ or review in the comment section below. I love hearing from you. Feel free to leave any questions or comments below as well. You can share your remakes with me on Instagram!
No Bake Knafeh Cheesecake
Ingredients
Crust
- 2 1/2 cups Shredded phyllo also known as Kataifi
- 1 tsp Cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp Knafeh dye optional
- 1 Stick of unsalted melted butter 113 grams or 8 tbsp
- 1/4 cup Simple syrup
Filling
- 1 1/2 cups Heavy whipping cream
- 1/4 cup Powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp Vanilla flavoring
- 3 – 8 oz. Cream cheese, full fat the blocks room temp.
- 1/2 cup White sugar
- 1/4 tsp Orange Blossom Water
Topping
- 1 cup Shredded Phyllo known as Kataifi
- 2 tbsp Unsalted butter, melted
- 1 tsp Cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp knafeh dye optional
- 1/3 cup Pistachios, crushed
Instructions
- First, work on the crust. Place shredded phyllo into the processor and pulse for a few seconds until finely shredded. You can also chop the phyllo by hand. Do for both the topping and crust.
- Place 2 1/2 cups of that phyllo into a bowl and add the rest of the crust ingredients to it and mix well. If necessary, add more phyllo for your crust. Reserve the rest of the phyllo for the topping.
- Using a 8 or 9-inch springform pan, add the crust to the bottom of the pan. At first, us your hands to mold the crust mixture into the shape of the pan going up the sides a little bit too. Then use the back of a cup to press down firmly into the bottom and sides of the pan. Let it be even for better presentation. Place this a 350 F oven for 15-20 minutes until lightly browned. Then, let it cool on the side.
- Now, work on the filling. Make sure the bowl and whisk you will be using are chilled. Place them in the freezer for at least 10 min. Then add the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla to the bowl. Whisk on medium-high speed until you achieve a fluffy whipped cream. This can take about 5 minutes. Then set aside the whipped cream in a separate bowl.
- Using that same bowl and whisk, beat the cream cheese on medium speed with the white sugar until velvety smooth. Add in the orange blossom and give it a whip. Then, gentky fold in the whipped cream gently into the cream cheese mixture. This way it remains light and airy.
- Use a spatula to spread out the filling well and an offset spatula to have clean even smooth lines on top of the crust. Use a paper towel to go around the edge and clean up the edges. Cover with aluminum foil and place in the fridge overnight or at least 10 hours for a velvety smooth consistency that will keep its shape.
- Saute the rest of the phyllo in a pan with butter, cinnamon, and a knafeh dye if you prefer. Cook until lightly crisped.
- Once cheesecake is fully chilled, use a spatula or butter knife to go around the edges gently loosening it up. Then take it out gently from its springform pan. Top with the crisp phyllo and pistachios. Serve with simple syrup drizzle on top. You can find the syrup recipe with my knafeh naameh recipe.
So just to be clear, you mix the whipped cream and the cream cheese mixture together to form the filling correct? Or do you put the whipped cream on top of the cream cheese mixture?
Hey! You will fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture for the filling. I just updated it. thanks!
Hi 🙂 what do you mean by fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese?
Hello,
So, usually a rubber spatula, gently fold in the whipped cream into the cream cheese. Meaning dont over mix it; you want it to remain light and fluffy so work with it gently.
So the crust doesn’t require toasting?
No, it doesn’t require it but if you prefer you can toast it up a bit just like the topping before making the curst.
Hi should the topping be put on after the cheesecake has set for the 12 hours or can you put it on top to set with the cheesecake itself?
I can’t believe how easy and delicious this recipe was. I made it in individual dessert cups for my friends dinner party and it was a big hit! Can’t wait to make this again
Absolutely delicious!! i made this for a ramadan dessert and it was such a hit. Can’t wait to make it again!
Thanks, Dana!