So how’d everybody do for Thanksgiving? Are you still in a food coma? I can honestly say that I am, but we are working through a lot of leftovers, so that surely has something to do with it.
All we did on Thanksgiving was eat 3x our body weight and watch 3 football games in a row, but we were exhausted the next day. What is it about eating yourself silly and being immobilized on a couch for hours that is so tiring?? Thanksgiving at my in-laws is fantastically casual and relaxing though – the food is delicious, and they aren’t fancy or formal about dinner. Just the way I like it!
We were so lazy on Friday due to food hangovers. We barely moved all day (again), and struggled to meet our family for a 7:15pm movie.
This is why Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday though. It’s all about food and relaxing. There’s something about this holiday specifically that makes me feel completely care-free, and I don’t think at all about being productive or a to-do list, or all the things I should be doing. It’s a rare day, the entire weekend actually, that both my S.O. and I feel like our minds are unburdened and we can do absolutely nothing without needing excuses.
How often does a person get to totally unwind? We took full advantage.
However, I saw a post yesterday that there are only 26 days left til Christmas and I couldn’t believe my eyes. Doesn’t seem possible! But it means that it’s time for an onslaught of eggnog and cranberry recipes, and I have about 25 Christmas recipes in the queue, and barely enough days, so let’s get to it.
I am IN LOVE with this pie. I wanted to combine eggnog and gingersnaps in a recipe, and after 3 failed attempts at eggnog buttercream to make ginger cookie whoopie pies, I decided to change tack. I’ll come back to that idea later, but we needed a breather.
I started with a crust of crushed gingersnaps, sugar, and melted butter. Easy, and no-bake. The filling is a hodge podge of standard no-bake cheesecake recipes, cream pie recipes, and pudding pie recipes. I took all the things I love about those types of recipes and put them all into one. Plus booze. After taste-testing the Evan Williams Eggnog at the liquor store, I was sold, but you can substitute more regular eggnog if the booze isn’t your thing!
With cream cheese, whipped topping, vanilla pudding, and LOTS of eggnog (both boozy and regular!), the filling is light and fluffy, but make no mistake: it’s rich. I don’t think there’s an eggnog dessert out there that isn’t.
This pie couldn’t be simpler. You don’t need an oven, and everything mostly just gets whipped together and poured into the (also simple) crust. Spicy gingersnaps and creamy eggnog complement each other perfectly, and it’s fun to incorporate several seasonal favorites into one dessert!
No Bake Eggnog Cheesecake with Gingersnap Crust
Ingredients
- 1 - 12 oz. package gingersnaps finely crushed
- 2 tbsp. sugar
- 6 tbsp. butter melted
- 1 - 8 oz. package reduced-fat cream cheese softened
- 1 - 8 oz. container whipped topping thawed
- 2 - 3.4 oz. boxes instant vanilla pudding
- 1 1/2 c. eggnog
- 1 c. Evan Williams eggnog booze!
- 1/2 c. powdered sugar
Instructions
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In a large bowl, combine gingersnap crumbs, sugar, and butter.
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Press into the bottom of a lightly greased pie plate.
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Refrigerate crust for at least 10 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the filling.
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In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until creamy.
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Add the whipped topping, and beat until blended.
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In a medium bowl, combine pudding mixes, eggnog, and Evan Williams eggnog with a whisk. Stir until it begins to thicken, about 30 seconds.
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Add the eggnog mixture to the mixing bowl, along with the powdered sugar, and beat until smooth.
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Pour filling into the pie crust.
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Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before cutting and serving. Enjoy!
Blair @ The Seasoned Mom says
November 29, 2015 at 7:27 pmYour Thanksgiving sounds PERFECT! With three kids, mine wasn’t nearly as relaxing, but it was definitely nice to have a break from any blog or work-related stuff!
And this pie?! HEAVEN. I am So, So, excited for all of your Christmas goodies!
Sarah says
November 30, 2015 at 9:08 amIt is really nice to completely relax!! When I go home to Pennsylvania earlier in the month for an ‘early’ Thanksgiving though, it’s definitely more chaotic, if that makes you feel better. Haha! I hope yours was wonderful!
Medha @ Whisk & Shout says
November 29, 2015 at 10:33 pmI’m so excited for Christmas! This cheesecake looks fabulous 🙂
Sarah says
November 30, 2015 at 9:08 amI’m so excited too! Thank you, Medha!
Barbara Grossett says
November 30, 2015 at 7:56 amThis sounds so delicious. I can’t wait to try it! I love the way you used the ginger snaps the decorate the edge.
Sarah says
November 30, 2015 at 9:09 amIt IS delicious! I love it!
Manali @ CookWithManali says
December 1, 2015 at 7:53 amthis cheesecake sounds delicious Sarah! I can never resist a cheesecake, pass me a slice please! Glad to hear you had a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Sarah says
December 1, 2015 at 9:58 amMe either! I love cheesecake too!
Lydia says
December 3, 2015 at 3:17 pmHi, I was wondering if I could put 2 1/2cups of eggnog without alcohol instead of just 1 1/2 cups eggnog and 1 cup alcohol? I have a child and would like to make this without alcohol. Thanks
Sarah says
December 3, 2015 at 8:31 pmHi there! Yes, absolutely! I wrote about that in the post itself, but I didn’t add that to the recipe notes. I’ll update that! You can absolutely use 2 1/2 c. regular eggnog instead of any with alcohol! 🙂 Let me know how you like it!
Sammi @ Grounded & Surrounded says
December 9, 2015 at 2:12 pmOh my word…gingersnaps + cheesecake+ eggnog? Am I heaven? Seriously, this looks AMAZING! Great recipe 🙂
Sarah says
December 9, 2015 at 7:25 pmThank you so much!!
Ashley says
December 14, 2015 at 7:31 pmHi! Thanks for linking up to last week’s Tasty Tuesday! I’ve pinned your recipe to Creative K Kids’ Tasty Tuesday Pinterest board. I hope that you’ll join us again this week!
Quinn Caudill says
December 15, 2015 at 10:02 amThat is why Thanksgiving is probably my favorite holiday. This easy pie looks delicious Sarah! Thanks for sharing with us at #Throwback Thursday. Pinned. Hope to see you again this week. Quinn
Theresa @DearCreatives says
December 18, 2015 at 12:49 amI have to try this for Christmas! Pinned & shared. Thanks for sharing your lovely recipe at the Inspiration Spotlight party. Happy holiday season!
Bettyanne says
December 20, 2016 at 9:32 pmJust wondering if this can be frozen? I like to make as much as possible ahead of time so that I can relax a bit too!
Sarah says
December 20, 2016 at 11:23 pmHi Bettyanne! I honestly cannot say for sure – I have not tried that. Cream cheese, cool whip, those things would freeze fine, but since it has a lot of eggnog, I’m worried about how it would freeze. I think liquid dairy products don’t tend to defrost very well. I would probably advise not to, unfortunately. If you do, let me know how it turns out! Happiest holidays to you!! 🙂
Jo says
December 23, 2016 at 6:37 pmMy vanilla pudding boxes come in103 gramm version…do I still use 2 boxes of it and keep the above amount of liquids ?
I gather that 2×3 oz would be about 136 gramms….So I wonder if I should just use about that amount of instand pudding powder ????
Thanks for the help and merry christmas ☺
oh wanna make this tomorrow morning, how long will it stay good in fridge for ?
Sarah says
December 23, 2016 at 7:20 pmHi Jo! Your boxes are 103 gram? I am making this pie tomorrow too, and my boxes are 3.4 oz, or 96 grams. It’s instant pudding – I know that makes a difference. I think if you use about 200g of instant pudding mix, it *should* be right! Does that help? It will stay in the fridge well for at least 3-4 days. Crust may start to get a little soggy after a few days with the pudding pie on top, but it will totally keep for a few days! Merry Christmas!
Natalie says
March 5, 2017 at 6:04 pmHow did I miss this at Christmas??? I will DEFINITELY make this this Christmas. Yum! Remind me.
Kerry King says
December 5, 2017 at 6:59 pmHi Sarah,
How do I make your eggnog as the one I make does not have alcohol in it and what do I use instead of frozen whipped topping here in Australia as I cannot find it
Sarah says
December 5, 2017 at 7:12 pmHi! You can use any store-bought eggnog, you don’t have to use a boozy one! So instead of 1 cup Evan Williams, just do a cup of eggnog. Altogether, it will be 2 1/2 cups eggnog. Does that make sense?
Gosh, I wish I knew better about what you would have in Australia that would be similar. But whipped topping is like Cool Whip. Or if you beat heavy whipping cream with a little bit of sugar, it turns into a fluffy topping. Does that help?? Like this: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/whipped-cream-recipe-1957526
Amanda says
December 19, 2017 at 11:25 amI have 2 large family gatherings and would like to share with both sides of the family! Do you think this would work out doing individual size cakes in a muffin tin? Would I need to do anything different do you think?
Sarah says
December 19, 2017 at 1:27 pmHi Amanda! I do think that would work, and no, I don’t think you’d need to do anything different! I think it’s a great idea. I don’t know how many it will make though… if you try doing this, let me know! I’m interested to see how many mini cheesecakes it would make! I hope you like the recipe. 🙂
N says
December 23, 2018 at 11:15 pmHi, what size pie dish would you recommend?
Sarah says
December 24, 2018 at 4:09 pmHey there! I’m sorry I didn’t seed this a few hours sooner – most of my pie plates are 9-inch and are actually deep dish, but you can pile it high in a standard pie plate too! Happy Holidays!!
Wanda says
December 31, 2018 at 8:03 amThis was delicious!!! Used only regular eggnog…no alcohol..but added a little rum extract. Wow soooo good
Sarah says
December 31, 2018 at 6:29 pmYay! I’m so glad you liked it! Did you have any feedback or other tips to share? Great idea about using rum extract instead of boozy eggnog! Thanks for letting me know you liked it! 🙂
Chelsea says
December 15, 2020 at 4:36 pmThis might seem like a silly question, but I was just wondering how cheesecake like tasting this is? I was hoping that it has a strong eggnog flavor over the cream cheese. I have made other no bake cheese cakes before that only had a very mild taste of the cream cheese . I was thinking of making this for Christmas!
Thank you,
Sarah says
December 15, 2020 at 9:03 pmOh, interesting question. I would put this in the category of mild cheesecake flavor. It’s not overpowering. But if you really want it to be focused on eggnog, another idea might be to use this Coconut Cream Pie recipe –> https://thegoldlininggirl.com/2018/06/no-bake-coconut-cream-pie/. It would be really easy to make this an Eggnog Cream Pie — use vanilla pudding instead of coconut pudding, in place of cold milk, use cold eggnog, add 1/4 tsp. nutmeg, and add a tablespoonful or two of dark rum. That’d be another way to go about this. That recipe doesn’t call for cream cheese at all. I think you’ll be okay with the Eggnog Cheesecake though…..! I hope that helps!