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!
❄️ 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.
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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.
Toni-lee Beckton says
Hello,
I love this recipie I made it today and it’s so delicious.
But my filling did not hold or set as well as yours in your picture and advice as to why this is?
Thank you
Toni
Charlotte Oates says
Two ideas spring to mind…
1) Your cream wasn’t whipped enough so was a little too soft
2) The brand of cream cheese can effect the set of the cheesecake. I always use full-fat Philadelphia.
Mandy says
A great cheesecake recipe! Came out lovely:)
Just a quick question, how long would a few remaining slices of the cheesecake last in the fridge not freezer?
Charlotte Oates says
They should be fine in the fridge for a few days.
Trish says
Did I miss what size tin you used for the amount of ingredients you used ? Thanks
Charlotte Oates says
You did! It’s an 18cm loose-bottomed round tin.
Debbie says
Absolutely delicious
Brenda says
I actually forgot to the sugar in and was just as delicious without it
Koi Wong says
Hi, can I check how much of each ingredient I would need for a springfoam pan thats is 22 X 7 cm?
Charlotte Oates says
Increase the ingredients by 50% and that should give you the right amount for a 22cm tin.
Pat Manners says
Just made this for our street VE Day celebration ,and it tastes deliciously .I had a small taste when finished.I will definitely be making it again.
Tina says
The topping has a beaut7flavour and texture. However, the bottom fell to pieces when I cut it. I have followed instructions to the letter but my feeling was that the base needed more butter. Could this be the reason it didn’t bind? I will be making this again so I would appreciate your advice. Many thanks.
Charlotte Oates says
I like my cheesecake base to be a little crumbly, but if you prefer it firmed then make sure your biscuits are finally ground and add a little more butter to bind it. You might also want to increase the quantity of both biscuits and butter to give a more solid foundation.
Fiona Fitzgibbon says
Very easy to make and tasted delish a big hit
MarconAttard says
Hello, I would love to try your cheesecake, but my springform pan is 10 inch, kindly let me know the right measures of the ingredients. Thank you
Charlotte Oates says
You’ll need to double the ingredients for a 10″ tin.
Suzannah Taylor says
Made this yesterday for my partner and he said it was the best he had ever had. Gonna do the lime cheesecake next. Quick and easy to do and was polished off straight away. Love it.
Preetha says
Hi , would it be possible to make this in a 9inch springform pan ? Would I have to make any adjustments to the recipe ?
Thanks !
Charlotte Oates says
Yes. You’ll need to increase the ingredients by 60% to ensure you have enough to fill the tin, so:
160g biscuits
65g butter
400g cream cheese
450ml double cream
160g caster sugar
Zest of 4 lemons
8 tsp lemon juice
Preetha says
This turned out wonderful!! Thanks for the recipe
YanYan says
Hi Charlotte, I would love to try this recipe. Is it possible for me to use heavy whipping cream as a substitute for the double cream?
Charlotte Oates says
That should be OK
Pauline says
I made this today and it is totally delicious … I piped some lemon curd swirly drizzles on top Really pleased to see it is freezable as there are only 2 of us so I was able to cut it into 6and eat 2, save 2, freeze 2
Jody fisher says
Very easy and straightforward to follow. Totally delicious.
Janice says
I made this cheesecake 2day it’s easy to make & delicious! I cut the remaining into portions and froze them for another day
Catherine says
Hi
Have you ever used an alternative to cream cheese in this recipe? I’m looking to make a slightly lower calorie version and was thinking of substituting Quark in for the Philadelphia, with Quark being a skimmed milk soft cheese its alot runnier (almost spoon-able) than a traditional soft cheese and I’m concerned that the lower fat content and more liquid nature of the Quark will mean that the cheesecake doesnt set?!
Thanks
Charlotte Oates says
I haven’t tried those specifically, but I do find that using lower fat cream cheeses can result in a cheesecake that doesn’t set so you may well have issues with your filling being too runny.
Claire says
Hi
Could you use blueberries on top to decorate? I’m so excited to make this, I made the mini egg one and it’s delicious. I’m so happy I came across your recipes. X
Charlotte Oates says
Of course. It would be delicious.
Tammy says
Could I use limes instead
Charlotte Oates says
Yes, although I find lime rinds can be a little tougher so be very careful not to include any of the white pith when you grate the zest to ensure that your cheesecake has a smooth texture.
Marie says
This recipe is amazing!!! It is the perfect combination of sweet and fruity and not at all too sweet so that you want to finish the whole cake in one go! I had to hide it from my family
Thank you for this great recipe!
lorraine small says
Indeed this is an extremely tasty and luxurious cheesecake. So lemony and light. I have also made the biscuit base with oatie biscuits like hobnobs to ring the changes.