No Bake Lemon Cheesecake

This post may contain affiliate sales links. Please read my disclosure policy.

This no bake lemon cheesecake is the perfect summer dessert. A smooth, creamy cheesecake filling loaded with real lemon flavor sits atop a sweet vanilla wafer crust. It’s super easy to make and you don’t even have to turn on the oven!

Why You’ll Love This No Bake Lemon Cheesecake Recipe

Lemon is one of my favorite flavors for this time of year and when it comes to cheesecake, lemon is a must-have. This lemon cheesecake has so many selling points but here are a few of the biggest.

• No baking required. I love that you don’t even have to turn on your oven for this recipe. It takes so much of the time and effort out of the process and keeps your kitchen nice and cool as the days get warmer.
• Fresh lemon flavor. I used a hefty amount of fresh lemon juice (and lemon zest to go along with it) in order to get the perfect, natural lemon flavor. Every bite tastes like a bright ray of sunshine.
• Creamy and refreshing. The filling for this cheesecake is creamy, light and refreshing. It’s a cheesecake, so it’s rich by nature, but the tart, bright flavor of the lemon break that richness up and make it the perfect light dessert for warmer months.

What Makes This Recipe Work?

Adding lemon flavor to a no-bake cheesecake can be a little tricky, because adding lemon juice can thin out the filling. Sure, you could use things like lemon jello or lemon extract, but I wanted real-deal fresh lemon flavor straight from the lemon. To achieve that flavor and still have the perfect cheesecake consistency, I used two things: gelatin and the powder of acid combined with cream.

• Gelatin – I tried to avoid the gelatin, because I know it can seem intimidating to use if you haven’t used it before and it adds a couple more steps. But the cheesecake just didn’t firm up as much as I like without it. That said, I really don’t care for cheesecakes that have too much gelatin in them. You really taste it and you not only sacrifice flavor, but also texture. So I used as little as possible.
• Acid and Cream Mixture – That’s where the acid and cream come in and help thicken the filling a bit without needed too much gelatin. How does that work? Well, in this cheesecake the “cream” is sweetened condensed milk. When combined, the acid in lemon juice basically “spoils” the milk and therefore thickens it. This cheesecake uses just enough sweetened condensed milk to help things thicken, but not so much that the cheesecake tastes heavily of sweetened condensed milk.

How to Use Gelatin

Gelatin isn’t hard to use, but you do need to follow a couple steps. The first is to allow the powdered gelatin to “bloom”, or activate. Gelatin needs a cool liquid for this step. So, sprinkle the powder over the lemon juice and let it sit for about 5 minutes. The gelatin will activate and the lemon juice will thicken like gelatin. Microwave it for 10-20 seconds to melt it and then you can add it to your cheesecake filling (or other desserts!). 

Ingredients and Substitutions

Here’s what you’ll need to make this no bake lemon cheesecake recipe. It’s a fairly simple list, so you should be able to find it all at your local grocery store. Be sure to scroll to the recipe card below for precise measurements.

• Vanilla wafer crumbs – I love the sweetness of the cookies, but you could use graham crackers here instead.
• Fresh squeezed lemon juice – Fresh really is best here. Lemon juice that comes from a bottle just doesn’t have the same brightness to it.
• Unflavored gelatin – I used a lot of lemon juice in this recipe, which thins the filling out. The gelatin helps things thicken back up. I used powdered gelatin.
• Sweetened condensed milk – Be sure not to grab evaporated milk. They aren’t the same.
• Cream cheese – The cream cheese should be at room temperature. If it is too cold, it won’t mix smoothly and easily with the other ingredients and you’ll end up with a lumpy filling. Also be sure to use brick-style full-fat cream cheese. The kind in the tub is thinner, as is reduced fat. Since we want the filling to thicken properly, those won’t work.
• Sour cream – The sour cream adds creaminess and flavor to the filling that makes it more closely resemble a baked cheesecake.
• Lemon zest – For a little extra real lemon flavor. Use fresh lemon zest, not jarred.
• Heavy whipping cream – The heavy cream must be cold. If it is too warm, it won’t whip up and hold volume properly and you’ll end up with a flat cheesecake.
• Powdered sugar – The powdered sugar keeps the whipped cream stable. It won’t ever wilt. Don’t leave it out.

How to Make No Bake Lemon Cheesecake

Ready to hop in the kitchen? Here’s a quick overview of how to make this light, bright no bake cheesecake. Looking for more detailed instructions? Scroll to the recipe card below.

• Make the crust. Mix together the ingredients for the crust until well combined and press the mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Chill in the fridge.

• Bloom the gelatin. Add the lemon juice to a mixing bowl and sprinkle with powdered gelatin. Let stand for 4-5 minutes. Pop the mixture in the microwave for 10-20 seconds.
• Add the sweetened condensed milk. Stir the sweetened condensed milk into the lemon juice mixture and set aside.

• Beat. Beat together the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Mix in the sour cream and lemon zest followed by the cooled lemon juice mixture.

• Add volume. Whip the heavy whipping cream and powdered sugar on high speed until stiff peaks form. Fold the whipped cream into the rest of the filling.
• Chill. Spread the filling into the crust and chill in the fridge for at least 5-6 hours.
• Prepare to decorate. Free the set cheesecake from the springform pan and place it on a serving platter.
• Make the whipped cream. Whip the whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla on high speed until stiff peaks form.

• Decorate. Pipe swirls of whipped cream around the edge of the cheesecake and top however you see fit. I used lemon slices, raspberries, and mint leaves.
• Chill. Refrigerate the cheesecake until ready to serve.

Tips for Success

• Use a springform pan. While you can use a standard pan lined with plastic wrap, a springform pan makes things a million times easier when it comes time to remove the cheesecake from the pan.
• Room temperature cream cheese. Start with room-temperature cream cheese. If it is too cold, it will have a difficult time smoothing out and you run the risk of a lumpy filling.
• Bloom the gelatin. It might be tempting to mix all of the ingredients for the filling together and call it a day but, if you don’t bloom the gelatin first, your filling won’t thicken. Refer to the section above titled “How To Use Gelatin” to learn how it’s done.
• Cold heavy cream. The heavy cream (for the filling and the whipped cream topping) needs to be cold. If it is too warm, it won’t whip up and hold volume properly. If it doesn’t whip up properly, your filling and your whipped cream topping will fall flat.
• Fold gently. When folding the whipped cream into the filling, do so gently so as not to knock the volume out of the whipped cream and, thus, the filling.
• Don’t skimp on chill time. After filling the crust, you really need to chill the cheesecake for at least 5 hours (probably longer) until it has fully set. Otherwise, when you remove it from the springform pan, it will fall apart.

Serving Suggestions

I love serving this no bake cheesecake with some fresh fruit. But if you’re feeling extra fruity, go ahead and drizzle my Strawberry Sauce, Raspberry Sauce or Blueberry Sauce over the top of your slice. This Lemon Curd would be a fun addition to the top of the cheesecake, as well.

How To Store No Bake Cheesecake

• Refrigerator. Seal the fully set, chilled cheesecake in an airtight cake carrier or wrap it in a double layer of plastic wrap (use toothpicks to prop the plastic away from the whipped cream topping). You can also arrange slices in a single layer in an airtight container. Store the leftover cheesecake in the fridge for up to 5 days.
• Freezer. Pop the cheesecake in the freezer for a couple of hours to firm up before wrapping the whole thing in a double layer of plastic wrap. Otherwise, arrange individual slices in a single layer in an airtight container. This cheesecake will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. Allow it to thaw in the fridge before diving back in.

More Lemon Desserts

• Lemon Cheesecake
• Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake
• Lemon Meringue Cheesecake
• Lemon Curd
• Lemon Cake with Lemon Bavarian Cream
• Lemon Raspberry Cupcakes
• Lemon Mascarpone Cream Pie

Watch How To Make It

Read Transcript

Print