No-Bake Lemon Dream Cheesecake

Summer may be coming to a close, but I think there’s still time left for a few more BBQs…and no-bake desserts to go with them! And I think we need something light and lemony that lends itself to some fresh fruit topping while fruit is still in season. This No-Bake Lemon Dream Cheesecake is just the thing.

The Joy of No-Bake Desserts

Clearly, I love baking, or I wouldn’t have this blog. But sometimes even I don’t want to turn the oven on (hello humid Minnesota summers! 🥵). That’s when having a few no-bake dessert recipes on hand comes in handy.

I’ve been focused on no-bake desserts all summer, not only because of the heat and humidity, but also because the oven in my new house isn’t the greatest. I just ordered myself a new oven though, so once that arrives I can finally dig into some major baking at my new place! I. can’t. wait!!

But in the meantime, it’s no-bake desserts or bust.

And this is a GOOD one. I included “dream” in the name of it for a reason — it’s so good that even when the fall chill sets in and you’re tempted to turn the oven on, you’ll still want to eat this.

I mean, just look at her. 😍

How To Make No-Bake Lemon Dream Cheesecake

This cheesecake is so simple. There are really only three steps to it: make the crust, mix up the filling, and let it chill. But here’s a little more detail:

1. Mix together the crust ingredients, press it into a springform pan (preferably lined with parchment paper), and chill it until the filling is ready.
2. Mix together all filling ingredients except the whipping cream; then, whip the cream separately. Finally, fold the two together and pour the filling into the prepared crust.
3. Let it chill for at least 8 hours, or overnight. This will make sure it firms up nicely (don’t worry, it’ll still be so light & fluffy!) Then, slice and serve!

Easy peasy lemon squeezy. (Pretty sure that phrase was made for this dessert.)

Tips For Making Your Best No-Bake Lemon Dream Cheesecake

While this is a simple, easy dessert to make, there are a few things that will help your cheesecake turn out, as Goldilocks said (paraphrased), “juuuust right.”

• Use fresh-squeezed lemon juice. The stuff in the bottle is fine, but you’ll notice the difference with fresh-squeezed. Depending on how juicy your lemons are, you’ll probably need 1-2 lemons to get 1/3c juice. I use a juicer like this one.
• Give your limes a scrub before zesting. My favorite way to zest citrus for baking is with a Microplane zester — I use (and love) this one.
• Use full-fat cream cheese. Low-fat or non-fat cream cheese won’t set as well (you need the fat!). (Plus, the full-fat stuff just tastes better.)
• Don’t over-whip the cream. But if you do, don’t stress, it’ll still work. Even if it’s a little on the stiff side, just keep folding it into the rest of the filling until every bit of whipped cream is mixed in and there are no chunks. (Unless, of course, you whip the cream until it turns to butter…in which case spread it on some toast and try again.)
• Fold gently. Use some patience here. You want everything to be well-mixed, but you don’t want to lose all that air you just whipped into your cream.
• Choose your own cookie adventure. I used graham crackers for the crust, but Nilla wafers, butter cookies, or shortbread would be amazing too!
• Top with your favorite fruit and/or herbs. I opted for blueberries, because they go great with lemon, as well as a little basil, because I happen to have a lot of it. But use your favorite! I’m thinking fresh juicy peaches and a little thyme could be amazing too.

More No-Bake Recipes

If you’re looking for more easy recipes for your next gathering (or if your oven is on the fritz like mine) give these other no-bake winners a try:

• Chocolate Peanut Butter No-Bake Cookies
• Salted Brown Butter Rice Krispie Bars
• No-Bake Key Lime Cheesecake
• Rocky Road Rice Krispie Bars (Small Batch)
• Strawberries and Cream Rice Krispie Bars (Small Batch)

Ok friends, time to get no-baking! Enjoy, and let me know what you think in the comments below!

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