No Bake Fresh Peaches Cream Dessert

Paul declared this his new favorite dessert of summer. Which is shocking because for well over a decade it has been this fresh raspberry dessert that has claimed the top spot for him and he’s not even a fruit-dessert kinda guy. This simple peaches and cream dessert is so tasty and light and fresh and it absolutely wins for tasting light straight summer sunshine. You don’t even mess around with sweetening the peaches or baking the crust here. Everybody wanted a second slice and it’s one of those recipes where you just need to be prepared to share the recipe because you will definitely be getting requests if you take it to a family reunion or summer potluck.

What You’ll Need

There are three components to this dessert, but it’s just crust, filling, and peaches. You can make it up to 1 day ahead, but I don’t recommend more than that because it’s best eaten fresh.

Peaches – You need 5 to 6 ripe, sweet peaches. If they are on the hard side or don’t have the best flavor, I wouldn’t even bother. Yes, you can absolutely use canned peaches that have been drained as well, but nothing is really quite as delicious as a fresh peach, is it? Graham Crackers – I love graham cracker crusts with honey grahams. But you could also use Nilla Wafers instead, if you prefer. Salted Butter – This helps bind the crust and gives a buttery, rich taste. Cream Cheese – You only need one 8-ounce package but make it full-fat for the best results. Heavy Cream – You need good heavy whipping cream. If you really want you could use a tub of thawed Cool Whip instead, but the real stuff is so much better. Sugar – A little granulated sugar goes into the crust to sweeten things up just a smidge and the powdered sugar goes into the creamy filling. Extracts – I use vanilla extract plus a tiny bit of almond extract. The amount is small and you could omit it entirely if you prefer or you don’t have almond extract in your pantry, but the subtle almond flavor pairs perfectly with the fresh sliced peaches.

Let’s Make a Layered Summer Peach Dessert!

Variations & Substitutions

Another fruit: You can make this same dessert using another fruit like sliced strawberries, raspberries, or blueberries. You could even use apple or cherry pie filling, if you like. Another cookie or cracker: The crust can also be made with Golden Oreos or Nilla Wafers if you want to change up the flavor profile. Both go well with the peaches and cream flavor of this dessert.

Recipe Tips & Tricks

I crush my graham crackers into crumbs in the food processor (affiliate link), then add the sugar and melted butter and pulse to evenly moisten everything. It makes the process easier and uses one less bowl. Make sure you are using heavy cream, not just a lower fat whipping cream. The fat percentage should be at least 36% to 40% so that it will whip up and thicken when added to the cream cheese. Be sure to soften the cream cheese first so you don’t end up with lumps of unmixed cream cheese in the filling. I don’t really recommend using frozen peaches for this dessert, but you could certainly use canned or bottled peaches. Just drain them well first or the additional liquid can make the crust soggy. This recipe keeps for about 1 day in the fridge but not much more than that. I definitely don’t recommend freezing and thawing.