Easy Pineapple Cheesecake Recipe

This easy pineapple cheesecake recipe is fast to put together and delicious! You’ll love how tasty this tropical pineapple cheesecake recipe is.

I feel it’s time I came clean about something. Something already obvious, but previously unstated. It’s time I stated it loud and clear.

There is a big push out there in the food world for more foods that are fresh, homemade, organic, etc. Don’t get me wrong, I love fresh, organic, homemade foods, but there are plenty of people who either can’t afford it, don’t have access to it, or just plain don’t want to eat that way.

There is a trend toward food that are gourmet, with exotic produce and fascinating flavor combinations. Once again, I adore eating this way, but do I want to cook this way? Not so much. I suspect there are plenty of you who agree with me.

The reality is that there are a lot of working moms out there. Busy moms who are doing all they can to hold it together, and who desperately want to care for their families with fun desserts, homemade cookies for lunch boxes, and weekend snacks. This blog is literally created for those people. The people who want cookies and want them quick and easy. The people who don’t have the patience to make something complicated that requires 25 ingredients and 12 specialty tools they don’t own. The people who don’t have time to bake a cheesecake for 2 hours.

I got your back, busy moms. We’re in this together.

This easy pineapple cheesecake is just one example of what I’m talking about. I bought a prepared graham cracker crust. Can I make my own crust? Sure. Do I want to? Not remotely. Store bought crusts are cheap, tend to be good quality, and will save you at least 20 minutes. Probably more, if you’re like me.

I used frozen whipped topping (a.k.a. Cool Whip) too. Do I prefer to eat real whipped cream? Yes I do. I really really really do. But a carton of the frozen stuff will save me a good 10 minutes of whipping.

I added some lemon jello mix. I was hoping the gelatin would give this pineapple cheesecake recipe at little substance, and help it hold it’s shape.  Also, the added flavor complements the pineapple, and gives color without my having to add food coloring.

The pineapple too, was designed to make this recipe an easy one. Fresh pineapple is delicious and I love it. It’s also a royal pain in the neck to slice, and you certainly cannot purchase just half of a fresh pineapple, and fresh pineapple just doesn’t keep.  I used the canned stuff. You can get it in bulk during the case lot sales at the grocery store, keep it on your shelf, and that way you can still eat well during the weeks that are a little lean.

I should have timed myself making this easy cheesecake. I didn’t, partly because I was stopping to take photos of the process, but mostly because I flat out forgot about it.

Welcome to my life.

Here was my process: The night before, I took the whipped topping out of the freezer and put it in the fridge. I took the cream cheese out of the fridge and put it on the counter. The next morning, I got out the hand beaters and a large bowl, dropped the pineapple in a sieve to drain it, and started mixing. (And truthfully? I only used the sieve to make it look super cute in photos. I usually drain fruit by opening the lid, then pressing the lid into the can really hard, while letting juice pour out into the sink.) I plopped the whole mixture in the crust, covered it with the plastic cover that comes with the crust, and put in the fridge.

Clean up included 1 bowl, 1 large spoon, beaters, and measuring cup. And a sieve and small bowl, if you’re into that sort of thing.

Easy. Peasy.

I let mine chill for a couple hours. Could you eat it right away if you were in a hurry?  Yeah, you could.

Could you make individual servings to help them chill faster? Absolutely. Skip the prepared crust, and drop some graham cracker crumbs in the bottom of each of 6 serving dishes, then add a big old spoonful of the cheesecake to each dish.  For this, I would buy extra whipped topping, so that you can also top each one with a spoonful of it. You can even garnish with extra crumbs, if you want. Or a cherry. Or my favorite garnish… nothing.

I’m so boring.

But guess what?  With just 6 ingredients, and less than 10 minutes, you have a dessert that you can give your family after dinner. It might buy you 5 more minutes of face time with your kids. It might be a way to turn a boring night into something a little more special or fun. It might be a good bribe to get the dishes done. It might even be a midnight treat for after the kids are in bed.

There are a thousand ways for easy food to suit your life. I would much rather spend my time talking with my family rather than cooking for them, so unless your family is in the kitchen cooking with you, don’t feel bad about making that time as quick and efficient as possible.

So yes, I’m going to use cake mixes. And pudding mixes. And Cool Whip. I’m going to choose a no-bake cheesecake over a baked one. I’m going to choose a drop cookie over a cut-out. And I’m going to share all of them with you.

If you’re agreeing with me, you’re in the right place.  There are lots of great easy dessert recipes here already. My recipe index sections are at the top of the page if you want to start sifting through them now. If you want to get more easy dessert and snack recipes like this in your inbox, you can sign up for this email list, and each and every new recipe will show up in your inbox as they are published.  If that’s too much for you, this email list is where I share a very short list of 2-3 good recipes, from me and other awesome sources, every Monday.  I mean, most Mondays. The Mondays I don’t forget.  Because that happens.

Leave me a comment below with your thoughts, and then go eat some cheesecake!

Print Recipe

Easy No-Bake Cheesecake

An easy no-bake cheesecake with pineapple in a graham cracker crust.

Servings: 6 slices

Author: Jen @ Jen's Favorite Cookies

Ingredients

• 8 ounces cream cheese *(see notes)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 8 ounces frozen whipped topping, thawed
• 1 small (3-ounce) box lemon flavored gelatin mix (unprepared)
• 2 cans (8 ounces each) crushed pineapple, well drained
• 1 prepared 9-inch graham cracker crust

Instructions

• In a mixing bowl, whip cream cheese, sugar, and whipped topping until creamy and smooth.
• Add in dry jello and mix well. Add in drained pineapple and mix well.
• Pour mixture into graham cracker crust. Chill for 2 hours or more before serving. Cut into 6 slices.

Notes

*Only use regular full-fat cream cheese in a brick. Low fat, fat free, or whipped cream cheese products have a higher water content which may have a drastic effect on this recipe.