Here is a deliciously simple No-Bake Mango Cheesecake recipe with detailed step-wise pictures. This individual serve Mango Cheesecake has no gelatin and is made with Agar Agar.
Every year I look forward to summer precisely for one reason (although the sticky heat is intolerable) and that’s because of the range of mangoes we get to taste. I look forward to sampling new varieties of mangoes, enjoying our favorite varieties and also try a few mango based recipes. This year though, we have had covid-19 and lockdown making it impossible to source mangoes well into the month of May. So as soon as I got a batch delivered, my mind started racing ahead with all the desserts I could try. A no-bake mango cheesecake was not on my mind but the husband who couldn’t remember what it was called but could remember that I made it ages ago suggested I should make it again. And I obliged, only because it is the most delicious thing, really. Don't be terrorized by the long list of ingredients or steps, the recipe is super easy.
So when I first made my Eggless Mango Cheesecake, I used gelatin to set it and in fact, I had used gelatin many years before that too without knowing that it is not vegetarian. I don’t have an issue per se, as long as it doesn’t weird but ever since I learnt about how gelatin is made, I have switched to Agar Agar. Agar Agar is a miracle vegan counterpart to Gelatin and it sets perfectly at room temperature too. I have previously made Homemade Jelly and really loved how it worked. With this recipe that I have already tried & tested (many times in all these years), I wanted to make it as No-Bake Mango Cheesecake with Agar Agar. Luckily I had a packet lying around in my pantry for when I wanted to make milk pudding (that’s story for some other day) and it came in super handy to make this delicious dessert.
Lets breakdown this No-Bake Mango Cheesecake for simplicity – The bottom layer is made of digestive biscuits and melted butter. The next layer is obviously mango flavored cream cheese and fresh cream. The final layer is just mango puree. The middle and last layers are set using Agar Agar. As it happens, Cream Cheese is still on the higher end of my food budget (even after all these years) and I always make it at home. This time I also used homemade fresh cream, which is nothing but the layer of cream on top of boiled milk, preserved over a few days. So this mango cheesecake is truly homemade from scratch, except for the biscuits.
Let us talk about some basics on making the perfect homemade no-bake cheesecake with agar agar.
How to work with Agar Agar
If you have never used Agar Agar, I would suggest you start with powered agar agar which is very easy to handle compared to the dried strands. I didn’t have the powder, so I will talk about how to use the strands. First and foremost, cut the agar agar strands into small pieces and wash them in running water. On heating it with water, it becomes soft. On low heat, continuously stirring it dissolves completely. So here is the tricky part. If you remove it from heat, it sets in room temperature. You have very limited time to incorporate your cream cheese or mango puree. And for better setting, the mixture has to be boiling hot. I just added mango puree and mix it all well before adding it to cream cheese mixture. When it is set, this no-bake mango cheesecake with agar agar has a silky texture and there is no after-taste.
How to make Homemade Cream Cheese
Years ago, when I first made the no-bake mango cheesecake I made my homemade cream cheese. I followed the same recipe again, but decided to include as many step-wise pictures as possible. All you need is full fat milk and some lemon juice. If you know where I am headed, yes you are right. We will make homemade cottage cheese or paneer. It is then blended with a couple of tablespoon of milk until really smooth. You could also use yogurt but I am not a fan of the slight sour after-taste and honestly, it doesn’t make a lot of difference to make milk. That’s all. It works perfectly for this version of cheesecake.
How to make No-Bake Mango Cheese Cake with Agar Agar
📖 Recipe
No-Bake Mango Cheese Cake with Agar Agar
Equipment
- Sauce Pan
- Blender
- Serving Glasses
MEASUREMENT
1 cup = 250ml, 1 tablespoon = 15ml, 1 teaspoon = 5ml
Ingredients
To make Mango Puree (⅔ to ¾ cup) –
- 1 Large Mango I used Banganapalli
- 2-3 teaspoon Suagr adjust as needed
To make Homemade Cream Cheese (makes ½ cup) -
- 1 Litre Full Fat Milk
- 2 tablespoon Lemon Juice
- 2 tablespoon Milk/Yogurt
- To make Base Biscuit Layer –
- 8-10 Digestive Biscuits
- 2-3 tablespoon Melted Butter
To make Mango Cream Cheese Layer –
- ½ cup Homemade Cream Cheese
- ¼ cup Fresh Cream
- 7.5 grams Agar Agar Strands 3 Long Strands cut into small pieces or 1.5 teaspoon Agar Agar Powder
- ½ cup Water
- ⅓ cup Mango Puree
- 4 tablespoon Powdered Sugar
To make Mango Layer –
- ⅓ cup Mango Puree
- 2.5 grams Agar Agar Strands 1 Long Strand cut into small pieces or ½ teaspoon Agar Agar Powder
- ¼ cup Water
Instructions
To make Homemade Cream Cheese –
- Bring full fat milk to boil. Reduce the heat.
- Add lemon juice and stir it until the milk curds separate from the whey.
- Add this mixture to a muslin/cheese cloth and tie it together.
- Hang it at a height for 1-2 hours until all the whey is separated. The cottage cheese should not have any whey.
- Add it to the blender along with 2 tablespoon of milk.
- Blend it until smooth. Homemade Cream Cheese is ready.
To make Mango Puree –
- Add mango pulp and sugar as needed to the blender and make a smooth puree.
To make Base Biscuit Layer –
- Blend the digestive biscuits in a blender until they are powdered.
- Add it to melted butter and mix well. The mixture should look sandy.
- Place a tablespoon or 2 as the first layer in your serving glasses.
- Press the biscuit mixture with the back of the spoon until it is set.
- Cover the serving glasses with aluminum foil and place them in fridge until rest of the layers are ready.
To make Mango Cream Cheese Layer –
- To the prepared cream cheese, add powdered sugar and blend until smooth.
- Now add fresh cream and blend it again until smooth. Remove it onto a bowl and set aside.
- Get started with the agar agar by chopping the strands into small pieces. Wash them in running water and then add ½ cup of fresh water.
- Heat the agar agar on low flame and stir continuously.
- In about 5 mins, the agar agar begins to dissolve completely.
- Let it come to a boil, with lots of bubbles at the bottom of the pan.
- Quickly add measured out mango puree and whisk it well.
- Remove it from heat and add it to the cream cheese mixture. You can run the mango agar agar mixture through a sieve to remove any lumps.
- Mix it well until the mango is well incorporated.
- Take out the serving glasses from fridge and spoon the mango cream cheese mixture into the serving glasses equally, filling about half to ¾th. Cover them with aluminum foil again and place them in fridge for 20-30 mins.
To make the top Mango Layer –
- As the mango cream cheese layer is almost set (soft but firm & not sticky to touch), work on the top layer.
- Wash the agar agar pieces in water and add them to ¼ cup of fresh water.
- Stir continuously and cook until the agar agar is dissolved, and the mixture comes to a rolling boil.
- Quickly add the remaining mango puree and whisk well. Remove it from heat.
- Take out the serving glasses from fridge and spoon the mango agar agar puree into the serving glasses equally. Cover them with aluminum foil again and place them in fridge for 20-30 mins.
- Once the top layer is set, no-bake mango cheesecake can be served. This stays good in the fridge for 2-3 days. Cover/Wrap it tightly and consume within a few days. Best served chilled with mango pieces and mint leaves decorated on top.
Nutrition
Detailed step-wise picture recipe of making No-Bake Mango Cheese Cake with Agar Agar
To make Homemade Cream Cheese
Bring full fat milk to boil. Reduce the heat.
Add lemon juice and stir it until the milk curds separate from the whey.
Pour this mixture in to a muslin/cheese cloth and tie it together.
Hang it at a height for 1-2 hours until all the whey is separated. The cottage cheese should not have any whey.
Add it to the blender along with 2 tablespoon of milk.
Blend it until smooth. Homemade Cream Cheese is ready.
To make Mango Puree –
Add mango pulp and sugar as needed to the blender and make a smooth puree.
To make Base Biscuit Layer –
Blend the digestive biscuits in a blender until they are powdered.
Add it to melted butter and mix well. The mixture should look sandy.
Place a tablespoon or 2 as the first layer in your serving glasses.
Press the biscuit mixture with the back of the spoon until it is set.
Cover the serving glasses with aluminum foil and place them in fridge until rest of the layers are ready.
To make Mango Cream Cheese Layer –
To the prepared cream cheese, add powdered sugar and blend until smooth.
Now add fresh cream and blend it again until smooth. Remove it onto a bowl and set aside.
Get started with the agar agar by chopping the strands into small pieces. Wash them in running water and then add ½ cup of fresh water.
Heat the agar agar on low flame and stir continuously.
In about 5 mins, the agar agar begins to dissolve completely.
Let it come to a boil, with lots of bubbles at the bottom of the pan.
Quickly add measured out mango puree and whisk it well.
Remove it from heat and add it to the cream cheese mixture. You can run the mango agar agar mixture through a sieve to remove any lumps.
Mix it well until the mango is well incorporated.
Take out the serving glasses from fridge and spoon the mango cream cheese mixture into the serving glasses equally, filling about half to ¾th. Cover them with aluminum foil again and place them in fridge for 20-30 mins.
To make the top Mango Layer –
As the mango cream cheese layer is almost set (soft but firm & not sticky to touch), work on the top layer.
Wash the agar agar pieces in water and add them to ¼ cup of fresh water.
Stir continuously and cook until the agar agar is dissolved, and the mixture comes to a rolling boil.
Quickly add the remaining mango puree and whisk well. Remove it from heat.
Take out the serving glasses from fridge and spoon the mango agar agar puree into the serving glasses equally. Cover them with aluminum foil again and place them in fridge for 20-30 mins.
Once the top layer is set, no-bake mango cheesecake can be served. This stays good in the fridge for 2-3 days. Cover/Wrap it tightly and consume within a few days. Best served chilled with mango pieces and mint leaves decorated on top.
Recipe Notes
- Adjust sugar quantities depending on the sweetness of the mangoes and your sweet preferences.
- You can use the same recipe to make No-Bake Strawberry Cheesecake too.
- Agar agar sets in the room temperature and setting it in fridge quickens the process. Work quickly with the mixture once it is removed from heat.
- Adjust the quantities in each layer per your preference, there is no right and wrong with the layer measurements.
- The same recipe can be made in a 7” springfoam pan.
I would be delighted to know if you have tried this recipe, don’t forget to share your feedback and comments below. If you have any questions, you can e-mail me! I am also available on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and Twitter 🙂
pallvi sharma
Hi I tried this recipe with blueberry,however my cream cheese mix was initially fine but after setting it turned out a bit grainy, not the smooth texture it was before settling
Ramya
Hi Pallvi, I'm not sure why the texture changed after setting. It could be bcos the agar-agar was not mixed in properly.