Easy No-Bake Lemon Cheesecake – A delicious lemon cheesecake with a crunchy biscuit base that’s absolutely packed full of flavour from the fresh lemon zest and juice. It’s unbelievably moreish!
Introducing one of the most moreish desserts I’ve ever made – No-Bake Lemon Cheesecake.
This lemon cheesecake is a dessert I hadn’t really expected to share on here. The simple reason is that until recently, I didn’t think I was particularly fussed on either cheesecakes or lemon desserts (so I really wouldn’t go for something that combined the two).
This stems back to the fact that I wasn’t keen on them as a child, and like a stubborn child I flatly refused to give them another go until recently. You may have guessed by the regular stream of both lemon desserts and cheesecakes appearing on here in recent months, I’ve completely changed my mind.
I realised that as my tastes had changed when it came to so many other foods, they had probably done so with both lemons and cheesecakes too, and I’m so glad I decided to give them another go. I have to say that this lemon cheesecake is one of the most moreish desserts I’ve ever eaten. It’s quite light, while still being packed full of flavour, so I could keep eating it for ages. In the end, I had to pop the rest of the leftover cheesecake into the freezer to stop me polishing it all off!
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Easy Lemon Cheesecake (No Bake)
INGREDIENTS
- 100 g digestive biscuits
- 40 g butter
- 250 g cream cheese - I use Philadelphia
- 280 ml double cream - 300g - I prefer to weigh my cream as then I can pour it straight into the bowl I'll be whipping it in
- 100 g caster sugar
- Zest of 2½ lemons
- 5 tsp lemon juice - This is the juice of just under 2 lemons
To decorate
- 75 ml double cream - 80g
- 4 slices of lemon (halved)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Line the base of an 18cm round loose bottomed tin with greaseproof paper or a reusable baking liner.
- Melt the butter (40g).Crush the digestive biscuits (100g). Mix together the crushed biscuits and melted butter. Put the biscuit mix into the prepared tin and use the back of a spoon to push it flat. Put the tin into the fridge to chill while you make the topping.
- Finely grate the zest of 2½ lemons. Squeeze out the juice until you have enough for 5 tsp and set aside.
- Whip the double cream (280ml/300g) until it forms a soft peak. Add the cream cheese (250g), caster sugar (100g), lemon zest and lemon juice.Whisk together until combined and thick.
- Remove the tin from the fridge and add the lemon mixture. Add a little at a time and push the mixture down with the back of a spoon, so there are no gaps. Once you've added all of your lemon mixture, smooth the top with a palette knife. Put your cheesecake into the fridge for at least 2 hours to set fully.
- When you're ready to serve, carefully remove the cheesecake from the tin. You may find the edges become a little smudged as you do this. If this happens, simply run a small palette knife around the edge of the cheesecake to smooth it out again.
Decorate your cheesecake
- Whip the double cream (75ml/80g) until it forms stiff peaks. Put it into a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle (I use a JEM1B) and pipe 8 small swirls of cream around the edge of the cheesecake. Top each swirl with a half slice of lemon.
- Serve.
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION
Any nutritional information provided is the estimated nutritional information per serving. Please refer to my guide to Charlotte’s Lively Kitchen nutritional information if you would like to learn more about how this is calculated.
❄️ SUITABLE FOR FREEZING
This cheesecake freezes brilliantly. However, I would recommend adding both the fresh cream and lemon slices to the top just before serving as the cream will go grainy if it’s frozen and then defrosted.
To freeze the cheesecake, either:
- Keep it in the tin (if the tin is freezer-safe) – cover the top with clingfilm to protect it.
- Store it in an airtight container
- Wrap it in clingfilm – pop it into the freezer for a couple of hours on a freezer-safe plate (either uncovered or loosely covered with clingfilm. Once it is firm, you can remove it from the plate and wrap it with clingfilm. It’ll hold its shape well despite not being in a container (as long as you don’t pack it in too tightly!). When you remove it from the freezer, take off the clingfilm immediately (otherwise it will stick to the cheesecake mixture). If you find there are some clingfilm marks on the surface of your cheesecake, simply run a palette knife around the edge to smooth it.
For all of these options, make sure you put the cheesecake onto your serving dish when you take it out of the freezer as it’s much harder to move once it has defrosted.
FREE FROM/SUITABLE FOR
The ingredients I used to make this recipe are all free from the following allergens. However, please check any labels carefully for allergens you need to avoid as brands can vary, and product recipes can change over time.
- Suitable for Vegetarians
- Egg-Free
- Tree Nut-Free
- Peanut-Free
- Sesame-Free
- Soya-Free
- Sulphur Dioxide & Sulphite-Free
- Lupin-Free
This lemon cheesecake can be made gluten-free by switching the digestive biscuits for a gluten-free alternative.
Chris Carter says
Hi Charlotte. I will be using this in Easter eggs for my Grandkids. Can mascapone be used instead of philly?
Charlotte Oates says
I haven’t tested it, but I would expect it to work.
Jayne says
Love making this cheesecake, perfect everytime family love it,brilliant recipe, easy to follow,
Jo says
Hi Charlotte
Will this work using Elmlea double cream? I’m in Portugal where you can’t get dairy double cream. My lemon tree is loaded with lemons so looking for some lemony recipes! Will it still freeze ok as well?
Charlotte Oates says
I haven’t tested this recipe with Elmlea but it does usually react in the same way as fresh double cream so you shouldn’t have any problems.
Rimma Goodfellow says
Hi Charlotte,
we love this cheesecake and I have made it twice. However, I want to know how I am supposed to “whisk” the Philadelphia cream cheese into the whipping cream. I have to microwave it until it is softer as the blocks cannot be whisked. Is this what you do? I then end up with a runny cake as the warmth melts the whipped cream. Suggestions?
Thank you!
Rimma
Charlotte Oates says
Cream cheese is a little different in the UK to the US where I think you are. The cream cheese that I’ve used in this recipe is the kind you buy in a tub rather than a block. It is softer and should be easy to whip.
Eleanor Ferguson says
I’m assuming your 5 tsps are tablespoons! I used about 80g sugar and added gelatine. Delicious.
Charlotte Oates says
The recipe is correct – 5tsp of lemon juice or 1tbsp + 2tsp – a total of 25ml.
Becca says
Can’t wait to try this recipe! Can I use icing sugar instead of caster sugar or is caster necessary here? Thanks in advance
Charlotte Oates says
You’re fine to substitute icing sugar for caster sugar.
min says
Charlotte, this is the best lemon cheesecake ever! I’ve made it twice and they turn out spectacular!
I live in Asia so I’m limited to whipping cream and had to add a tablespoon of gelatin so it doesn’t collapse.
Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe!
Vicky says
I have made this cheesecake numerous times. It is so easy and always very well received , it’s delicious. My problem is the grease proof paper , ie how/when do I remove it. If I leave it under the cheesecake it goes soggy and makes cutting the cheesecake difficult.
Charlotte Oates says
I’ve not had this problem, although I usually use reusable baking liners which are thicker than greaseproof paper. I would recommend removing the greaseproof as soon as the cheesecake has set.
Margaret Neil says
Best Cheese cake I have ever done
Carry says
Well done, Charlotte! Truly the very best cheesecake ever made and tasted – even my hardened-no-pudding-thank-you children have polished the thermomix bowl of leftover mix!
Francesca says
Hi,
I love your cheese cakes, however have now move to cyprus.
We do not have double cream out here.
Is there anything could you advise using instead? We cant get the Heavy cream here that you can get in a lot of Europe. Its mainly light cream, and whipping cream. Would either of those work the same?
Many thanks
Charlotte Oates says
Do you know the fat% of the whipping cream you have?
Claire Petett says
This cheesecake recipe is easy to follow, and the end results totally delicious!!
Regina McCabe says
I’m so pleased that I found this fantastic recipe for the best cheese cake ever . I made one to give a friend for her dinner party , well the response was overwhelming so I’m still making the cheese cake for any social gatherings . And everyone has Charlotte’s website. X Regards Regina
Karen Davies says
Would it be okay to make this the day before and keep it in the fridge?
Charlotte Oates says
I find it tastes even better if you leave it overnight.