Last updated on July 8th, 2026.
My Israeli cheesecake is not your classic cheesecake, it’s a light, creamy no-bake cheesecake layered on top of a tender, buttery shortbread dough. A generous shower of cookie crumbs on tops gives it its signature look while hinting at the best part: the irresistible contracts between silky cream, tender crust and a delicate crunch in every bite.
Israeli crumb cheesecake, better known as Ogat Gvina Perurim (עוגת גבינה), is what happens when a cheesecake decides to be light, elegant, and not put you into a food coma. Unlike its dense NY Style American cheesecake cousin, it is airy and delicate, with a buttery shortbread base and a generous shower of crumbs on top. The contrast between the silky, cloud-like filling and the crisp, buttery cookie layers is exactly why this cake is unforgettable, and why one slice is never enough.
This cake truly shines during the Jewish holiday of Shavuot, even when next to an impressive selection of Cheesecakes. So you can imagine the excitement in people’s eyes when served year round.
The Ingredients I Chose And Why
It took some time, (and plenty of testing) to adapt the classic recipe I inherited from my mom to ingredients outside of Israel, but I finally got it right.
- The shortbread dough. A classic shortbread dough baked with the addition of an egg yolk, giving it a tender texture so it is easy to slice and break with a fork.
- Cream cheese and Plain Greek yogurt, full-fat at room temperature. Traditionally, this cake calls for a soft Israeli cheese known as gvina levana, white cheese; here in the United States, you may find it in a kosher market. For this recipe, I replaced it with plain Greek yogurt, but you can also use full-fat sour cream.
- Powdered sugar and vanilla instant pudding. Most versions of this cake call for regular sugar and a full package of instant pudding to set the cake since this is a no-bake cheesecake. When I tested this recipe, I found that the instant pudding mix gives the cake an artificial flavor. To avoid this, I replaced the sugar with powdered sugar, which contains cornstarch. The cornstarch is a great stabilizer for the cream. In addition, I reduced the amount of pudding by more than half.
How to Make No-Bake Israeli Cheesecake
Below are step-by-step images for a visual cues including all my tips, tricks and recommendations for the best results.
- This cake has two parts (three if you include the assembling part): the dough (which we will use to make the crumbs topping) and the filling. The dough can be made up to three days ahead of time, and because the filling is perishable, it is best to make it not longer than the night before serving it.
- Plan ahead because the crust should be baked and chilled before the cake is assembled.
Prepare the Cheesecake Filling
- While the cream cheese, and greek yogurt should be at room temperature, so they will whip without any lumps, the whipped cream needs to be as cold as possible.
- Once you added the cream and sugar mixture, avoid over whipping it. The filling will set even more during the chill time.
Assemble
Storage and Yields
- Storage: Store the cheesecake in the refrigerator, covered with plastic wrap or a lid, for up to 5 days.
- Freezing: You can freeze the cheesecake for up to 2 months. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and aluminum foil before freezing. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before serving.
- Yields: This recipe yields one 8-inch or 9-inch cheesecake, serving approximately 8-10 slices, depending on how generously you slice.
No-Bake Israeli Crumb Cheesecake
Ingredients
For the crust and crumbs
- 1/2 Cup (113g) Unsalted butter at room temperature.
- 1/4 Cup (50g) Sugar
- 1 Large Egg yolk at room temperarure
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 Cup (150g) All-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon Baking powder
For the cheese filling
- 1 Cup (225g) Cream cheese at room temperature
- 1 Cup (240g) Plain Greek yogurt at room temperature
- 2 Cups (480g) Heavy cream, very cold
- 1 Tablespoon Vanilla bean paste
- 2/3 Cup (80g) Powdered sugar
- 1/4 Cup (40g) Vanilla instant pudding
Instructions
Making the crust
- Preheat oven to 350F (180C).
- Beat the butter (113g) and sugar (50g) using the paddle attachment or electric mixer until light and fluffy.
- Mix in the egg yolk and vanilla extract (1 teaspoon).
- Add the baking powder (1/4 teaspoon) to the flour (150g) then gradually mix it into the butter mixture.
- Mix until you have a smooth dough.
- Divide the dough into 2/3 and 1/3 parts. Spread the large part over the bottom of your pan, and use a fork to prick the top. Flatten the smaller part into 1/4 inch disk.
- Bake for 15-18 minutes, until the crust is lightly golden.
Make the filling
- Whip the cream cheese (225g) and Geek yogurt (240g) until fully incorporated.
- Pour in the heavy cream (480ml) and vanilla bean (1 Tablespoon), then sift over the powdered sugar (80g) and instant pudding (40g).
- Whip the mixture until it rices stiff peaks, and you have a smooth mixture.
Assembling
- Once the dough has cooled, top it with the cream filling and use an offset spatula to smooth it.
- Using your fingers or a fork, break the shortbread disk into crumbs.
- Sprinkle it over the top of the cake and refrigerate for 6-8 hours before serving.
This the sounds so good. Perfect for a summer dessert.
Thank you Carol it’s truly delicious.
Oh God! I’ve spent way too many shekels on buying these cheesecake without even thinking that I could make one myself! So happy this recipe popped up, will definitely cook it soon. Thanks!
That is so great, and funny because I never bough this cake, always enjoyed it homemade.
I have a go-to Israeli cheesecake recipe, but it is a “bake” recipe so no instsnd pudding. Was wondering, do you think I could make this recipe with a packet of unflavored gelatin instead if instant pudding? Or will that give it a weird texture?
Hi! You can, and like you asked it may changed the texture depending how much gelatin you add.I think 1- 1 1/2 teaspoons should be enough but the instant pudding does add the unique flavor.