Cheesecake meets cherry pie in my mouthwatering Cherry Icebox Pie recipe! This no-bake beauty is a Southern staple because it’s simple, indulgent, and perfect for any get-together. Best of all, you can make it ahead of time and freeze it until you need it! This one's for you, cherry lovers!
Table of Contents
- 🗝️ Key takeaways: why this recipe is your new favorite
- 🧾 Gather your ingredients: what you'll need
- 📖 Make it your own: yummy variations
- 🔪 Step-by-step guide: instructions for success
- 💭 Insider tips: things to know
- 🥫 Leftover love: how to store cherry icebox pie
- 👩🍳 Let's answer those questions: FAQs
- 📚 More Southern comfort: related recipes you'll love
- 🍽️ No waste: creative ways to repurpose cherry icebox pie
- 📞 Wrapping it up: the last word
- 📖 Recipe
- 💬 Comments
Save this recipe by clicking on the ❤️ heart on the right-hand side of the screen or in the recipe card.
🗝️ Key takeaways: why this recipe is your new favorite
- This is a delicious, oh-so-creamy dessert that only requires six simple ingredients and just a few minutes of prep!
- Pink cherry icebox pie is a perfect treat for your special someone on Valentine’s Day or a cool, refreshing dessert at any potluck.
- Room-temperature, whole-fat cream cheese is key to making a silky smooth cherry icebox pie.
The buttery graham cracker crust, sweetened cream cheese, and gooey cherry pie filling make each bite of this easy dessert irresistible.
Not only will it make your taste buds sing, but it’s also a ridiculously easy no-bake recipe, so even the kids can get involved in the kitchen.
🧾 Gather your ingredients: what you'll need
This is an overview of the ingredients. You'll find the full measurements and instructions in the green recipe card (printable) at the bottom of the page.
📖 Make it your own: yummy variations
- Mix it up with a different fruit pie filling—blueberry, strawberry, or peach all work great.
- Make your own Cool Whip from scratch with a handful of simple ingredients. The secret to stabilizing the whipped cream mixture is instant pudding mix!
- Add a teaspoon of vanilla or a half teaspoon of almond extract to amp up the flavor of your cherry icebox pie.
- Add a splash of bourbon, amaretto, or coconut rum to the cream cheese mixture for a grown-up kick at adults-only parties.
🔪 Step-by-step guide: instructions for success
This is an overview of the instructions. Full instructions are in the green recipe card at the bottom of the page. Click on the image to see it full size.
Mix together cream cheese, condensed milk, and lemon juice.
Fold the cherry pie filling into the cream cheese mixture.
Fold in the Cool Whip in two batches until smooth.
Spread the filling into the graham cracker crust and chill.
💭 Insider tips: things to know
- Stick with regular whole-fat cream cheese. The reduced-fat kind tastes sad and is not nearly as creamy.
- Gently fold the Cool Whip into the cherry cream cheese mixture so it stays light and fluffy, and you don’t deflate all the air.
- Don’t rush or skip the chilling step! The filling needs to be fully set before serving.
Marye's Tip o' the day
Use room-temperature cream cheese—let it sit on the counter for an hour before starting. Otherwise, you’ll really struggle to blend it with the sweetened condensed milk and lemon juice.
🥫 Leftover love: how to store cherry icebox pie
Icebox pies need to stay chilled. "Icebox" is in the name, after all.
Store your cherry icebox pie leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge. The longer the pie sits, the softer the graham cracker crust gets. From the fridge, enjoy within three days.
Otherwise, wrap it in plastic wrap, then aluminum foil, and keep it in the freezer for up to three months—but it's best enjoyed within one. I recommend waiting to decorate your pie until just before serving so the dollops of Cool Whip don't get crushed.
Serve it frozen or thawed, whichever you prefer!
🤫 Marye's secret for zhuzhing it up
Pipe some pretty dollops of Cool Whip along the edge of your pie with a star tip, and top some with fresh or maraschino cherries. You can also sprinkle chopped pecans, sliced almonds, or chocolate shavings on top.
zhuzh: verb. To make something more interesting or attractive
👩🍳 Let's answer those questions: FAQs
Have other questions? Ask me in the comments!
You can generally swap one pie filling for another—the main thing that'll change is the flavor! Try swapping cherry with blueberry, strawberry, or peach pie filling for some variety.
Pouring the cherry pie filling on top is more traditional (like in this blueberry cream cheese pie), so it’s definitely an option. However, I prefer the cherry flavor infused into the cream cheese mixture with surprise cherries in every bite!
Sure! Remove the pits and cook them with sugar and a splash of lemon juice until softened and syrupy.
The possibilities are endless! Add a couple tablespoons of cocoa powder to the cream cheese filling and top with shaved chocolate and cherries for a black forest cake twist.
Fold in some finely chopped and toasted pecans or almonds, or add a half teaspoon of almond extract. Toasted, shredded coconut in the filling or sprinkled on top would also be delicious!
You could even add a splash of bourbon or amaretto for a special boozy flavor.
It’s so easy! Check out my recipe for an easy crumb crust.
⏲️ Marye's time saving hacks -
Need to chill your pie faster? Pop it in the freezer for a couple of hours instead of the fridge overnight.
📚 More Southern comfort: related recipes you'll love
🍽️ No waste: creative ways to repurpose cherry icebox pie
Leftovers aren't likely with a dessert this delicious, but there are plenty of ways to repurpose 'em if you do have a bit extra:
- Layer leftover pie with crumbled crust and whipped cream in a mason jar for a portable parfait treat.
- Scoop the pie into small silicone molds and freeze for bite-sized snacks.
- Warm it up just a bit and serve over vanilla ice cream drizzled with chocolate sauce for a decadent sundae.
- Spread the cream cheese filling and cherry topping on a toasted slice of sourdough or a bagel—hey, it’s just like jam and cream cheese!
📞 Wrapping it up: the last word
While I think this is especially pretty for Valentine's Day it's one of my favorites for summer parties and potlucks because it freezes so well!
If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need.
If you love this recipe please comment below and give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖 Recipe
Cherry Icebox Pie
Print Pin Recipe Rate RecipeIngredients
- 14 ounce sweetened condensed milk
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- ⅓ cup lemon juice
- 21 ounces cherry pie filling
- 8 ounces Cool Whip, thawed
- graham cracker crust
- Cool Whip for garnish
Instructions
- Beat the condensed milk, cream cheese, and lemon juice on low until smooth.
- Fold in the pie filling until well blended.
- Gently fold in half the Cool Whip until there are very few streaks of white.
- Fold in the remaining Cool Whip until completely blended in. Spoon into the crust.
- Chill overnight.
- Top with dollops of Cool Whip and maraschino cherries before serving.
Notes
-
- Use room-temperature cream cheese.
- Stick with regular whole-fat cream cheese. The reduced-fat kind tastes sad and is not nearly as creamy. Your pie may not set up properly.
-
- Gently fold the Cool Whip into the cherry cream cheese mixture so it stays light and fluffy, and you don’t deflate all the air.
-
- Don’t rush or skip the chilling step! The filling needs to be fully set before serving.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
This recipe has been tested several times. If you choose to use other ingredients, or change the technique in some way, the results may not be the same.
Karen Velez says
Is there a way to use an artificial sweetener or another alternate instead of the sweetened condensed milk? I can find sugar free cherry pie filling here. My husband is a diabetic.
Marye says
Amazon to the rescue - They have sugar free sweetened condensed milk https://amzn.to/41ktn6a and sugar free cherry pie filling. https://amzn.to/3Qr3UBA Saying that, I've never used either so I don't know for sure that the filling would be the same texture.