Remove cream cheese from the fridge at least two hours before you plan to make your cheesecake.

Prepare your graham cracker crust if you’re not using a store-bought one.

Once your cream cheese is at room temperature, use a hand mixer to beat together the sour cream, cream cheese, vanilla extract, and sugar in a mixing bowl. Beat to a smooth consistency. If you are adding lemon juice to your cheesecake, add the lemon juice to the cream cheese mixture during this step.

Fold the Cool Whip into your cheesecake mixture gently.

Pour your prepared cheesecake filling into your graham cracker crust. Spoon cheesecake filling gently into your crust.

Smooth out the top of the filling with a spatula or the back of a spoon.

Cover your no-bake cheesecake with plastic wrap.

Refrigerate your cheesecake for at least four hours before serving.

Right before you serve your cheesecake, add your favorite toppings