These Orange Creamsicle Dream Bars are the perfect no-bake dessert for summer! Your whole family will love the crunchy crust, sweet cheesecake layer, and refreshing orange cream topping. One taste of this sweet summer dessert, and you’ll go right back to the days of buying an Orange Creamsicle off the ice cream truck.

The Orange Creamsicle was and still is one of my favorite ice cream treats to eat on a hot day. There’s just something about that orange flavor with the vanilla ice cream in the middle that makes me all happy when I take a bite. So, seeing as how those ice cream bars are so popular, I thought it made perfect sense to make that sweet treat into a Dream Bar recipe.

New to Dream Bars?

Dream Bars are some of the most popular recipes on my site (and some of my favorite recipes too!) Each one starts with a cookie or cake-like crust, followed by a sweetened cream cheese or cheesecake layer, a pudding or gelatin layer, and a whipped topping with candy, fruit, or cookies to finish it off! There are so many variations; dream bars will become your favorite treat to make!

Ingredients for Orange Creamsicle Dream Bars

Let’s go over the ingredients for each layer:

Crust layer

• 1 1/3 cups of Nilla Wafer Cookie crumbs
• 5 tablespoons melted butter

Orange Cream Layer

• 3-ounce package of orange JELL-O
• ¾ cup boiling water
• ¾ cup cold water
• 8 ounces of cream cheese, room temperature
• ¼ cup of powdered sugar
• 2 teaspoons of orange extract
• 8 drops of orange Wilton gel food coloring (optional)
  I’ve found that the gel food coloring works the best and gives it a brighter orange
• 2 cups of Cool Whip

Cheesecake Layer

• 8 ounces of cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup of Cool Whip

You can use the remaining Cool Whip as a garnish on top of each finished slice with some orange zest, orange slices and whole Nilla wafers.

How to make Orange Creamsicle Dream Bars

These orange creamsicle cheesecake bars have several layers, so we’ll break down the steps for each one.

Line your 8 X 8-inch baking pan with parchment. This way, you can easily remove the entire tray of bars, peel down the slides, slice them, and neatly serve them. Also, it makes for minimal cleanup.

Make the Crust

Note: I really like using Nilla Wafers for the crust. For another option, make a graham cracker crust with 1 1/3 cups graham cracker crumbs. Or, try 1 1/3 cups of crushed sugar cones. The first time I made these I used crushed sugar cones and preferred a cookie crust going forward.

I used Golden Oreos for the crust but found the dessert was too sweet. I’ll opt for Nilla Wafers or a shortbread cookie like a Lorna Doone every time.

Making the crust and putting it into the freezer to set is the first thing I do. That way, it can have a chance to harden during the hour the cream mixture is in the fridge chilling as well.

Melt the butter and crush the Nilla wafers in a food processor until they resemble fine crumbs. Combine in a small bowl with a rubber spatula. Transfer the crumb mixture to the prepared pan and spread evenly in the bottom of the pan, pressing down firmly to create an even crust.

Place the pan into the freezer for at least 30 minutes while preparing the rest of the recipe.

Make the Orange Gelatin

When mixing the orange gelatin, ONLY use the amount of water stated in THIS recipe, NOT as is called for on the box. We want the mixture to be a bit more stable than usual. 

Mix the gelatin with ¾ cup boiling water and stir until dissolved. Add the ¾ cup cold water and stir. Chill the gelatin until it is cold, about 10 minutes. You do not want it to set. If it does set, it won’t blend as smoothly with the cream and you’ll have orange chunks of gelatin throughout the dessert. It will still be delicious, it just won’t resemble the pictures.

Orange Creamsicle Layer

Combine 8 ounces of cream cheese in a large bowl with sugar, orange extract, and orange food coloring. Slowly add the chilled gelatin mix while stirring. Continue to stir until it is completely smooth, then place the orange cream mixture into the fridge to chill and thicken for about an hour.

If you leave it in the refrigerator longer than this, the gelatin will harden and form. This is a matter of personal taste, and I actually don’t mind it either way. It just changes the appearance and texture slightly. 

Cheesecake Layer

In a mixing bowl, beat together 8 ounces of cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar, and vanilla together on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Fold in the Cool Whip with a rubber spatula. 
If you prefer not to use Cool Whip, make my Stabilized Whipped Cream. It makes the perfect amount of whipped cream you’ll need for each of my Dream Bar recipes and tastes much better, too!

Assemble the Orange Creamsicle Dream Bars

Place dollops of cream cheese mixture onto the frozen crust then spread them with an offset spatula to form an even layer.

With a rubber spatula, fold the remaining 2 cups of Cool Whip into the chilled Orange Cream mixture and combine until evenly distributed and smooth. 

Gently spoon the Orange Creamsicle top layer onto the cheesecake layer and spread evenly with an offset spatula.

Once finished, refrigerate the Dream Bar recipe for at least 6 hours or overnight. I like the overnight option because it’s a dessert you can make the day before serving it. It slices better for a pretty presentation, too!

How do I cut these Creamsicle Bars?

After making many Dream Bar recipes, I prefer to use the parchment paper to line the pan so that I can remove them when I’m ready to cut them into individual bars.
When slicing, I use a large knife that I run under hot water and dry with a clean towel in between each slice. Using the hot knife helps to make even slices and almost ensures that the layers will remain intact, making a prettier presentation for family and friends.

How to store leftover Orange Dream Bars

These dream bars should be covered and stored in the refrigerator. They will be good for about 3-4 days. You can also store individual servings in an airtight container in the fridge.

More No-Bake Desserts

If you like this Orange Creamsicle Dream Bar recipe and want more no-bake cheesecake and other easy dessert recipes for your summer fun, try one of these:

• Strawberry Cheesecake Dream Bars– another popular dream bar that combines flavors at the top of my list of favorites!
• No Bake Lemon Cheesecake– This lemon dessert is the perfect summer treat and is so easy to make!
• No Bake Nutella Snickers Pie– Get your chocolate kick without heating up the oven!
• Red and Blue Raspberry Dream Bars – make them individually or when served side by side they’re perfect for a gender reveal party!

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One bite of these no bake Orange Creamsicle Dream Bars and you’ll be transported back to childhood and eating the frozen treats off the ice cream truck.

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