Lemon Cheesecake – This no-bake cheesecake just screams Spring and Summer. It’s the perfect addition to your Easter or Mother’s Day menu or anytime you need a delicious no-bake dessert.
Leia, from Eat It & Say Yum, here! How are ya?!
Spring is nearly here, and the weather is starting to warm up.
Yay!
And these slightly warmer days have me dreaming of summer. I love eating outside and having barbecues with friends
No matter the occasion, I always look forward to bringing a dessert to share. This year, I can’t wait to bring this easy no bake lemon cheesecake to all the potlucks, barbecues and cook outs I can.
No-Bake Lemon Cheesecake
This cheesecake is two of my favorite things, tart citrusy lemon flavor and creamy sweet cheesecake, wrapped into one no bake dessert. This is a cheesecake that’s easy to make and perfect to share with friends and family. (As long as I can keep myself from eating it all!)
Jello Cheesecake
Have you ever had Jello Cheesecake? Using jello in the filling means the cheesecake sets in the fridge instead of in the oven!
Jello Cheesecake can also be made well in advance and kept in the fridge until ready to serve. And as far as homemade cheesecake goes, it hardly gets any easier.
A lemon jello filling gets beaten with cream cheese and sugar to create a delicious dessert with a perfect texture, all without heating up the house.
No-Bake Desserts
Besides the taste, the best thing about this particular lemon cheesecake recipe is that it is completely no-bake. During the summer, no-bake desserts are a lifesaver.
Some might avoid baking when the weather is warm. Not this girl. Not even a blazing hot sun can keep me from my beloved homemade desserts.
I turn to no bake dessert recipes to get me through without having to turn my oven on and heat up my whole house.
Lynne’s No-Bake Blueberry Pie on this site is a definite go to when I need a traditional pie recipe but can’t imagine firing up the oven. From No Bake Peanut Butter Pie to No Bake Nutella Snickers Pie to Dream Bars of all kinds, there’s no shortage of ways to satisfy your sweet tooth while the weather is hot.
No-Bake Cheesecake
I enjoy no bake desserts of all kinds but I think there’s something especially wonderful about no-bake cheesecakes. After pouring the filling into the crust and setting the whole thing in the fridge, you have a perfect cheesecake in just a few hours!
I like to prep this cheesecake the night before serving and let it set in the fridge overnight. There’s nothing quite like waking up to a ready-to-eat cheesecake, especially one that tastes as good as this!
You can even store it in the fridge for a couple of days until you’re ready to serve. When I know I’m going to have a busy day getting ready for a big meal or gathering, it’s nice to have dessert ready to go without any hassle.
I’ve shared my No-Bake Pumpkin Nutella Cheesecake with you before and No Bake Lemon Cheesecake is another favorite.
Lemon Cheesecake
The lemon flavor in this cheesecake is pretty heavenly. I love the combination of the cool creaminess of the cream cheese with the tart lemon. It really makes for the perfect chilled dessert.
(If you love the combo of citrus and cream be sure to try Orange Creamsicle Dream Bars next! They’re everything I love about a no bake cheesecake and orange creamsicles served in bar form.)
Abright and bold lemon dessert never fails to impress. Lemon Meringue Pie, Lemon Bars and Lemon Cake are all welcome sights on any dessert table.
Less rich than chocolate cheesecake but just as enjoyable and satisfying, I’ve rarely met a lemon dessert, especially a cheesecake, that I didn’t like. Naturally, I was excited to create a lemon jello cheesecake that was also a no-bake recipe to boot.
The final result did not disappoint!
This cheesecake is sweet, creamy and packed with lemon flavor all in the easiest ever no bake crust.
No Bake Cheesecake Crust
A classic graham cracker crust brings this lemon cheesecake recipe together. All it takes is mixing graham cracker crumbs with a little melted butter and letting it set in the freezer.
Can’t or don’t want to make a graham cracker crumb crust? Vanilla sandwich cookie crumb crust or vanilla wafer crumbs would work well as a substitute.
While I think the vanilla cookies would also taste good as a crust, I really encourage you to try the original crust if you can. The graham cracker crust is so easy and tastes great, there’s no need to make any changes.
Use these items to make your own No Bake Lemon Cheesecake – Lemon Jell-O, and this springform pan.
Lemon Cheesecake
Ingredients
- 6 ounce box of lemon gelatin
- juice from 1/2 a lemon
- 1 ½ cups boiling water
- 1 ½ cups cold water
- 1 cup sugar
- (2) 8- ounce pkgs cream cheese
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 8 ounces Cool Whip
- 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
- ½ cup butter melted
- extra whipped cream and lemon slices/ wedges optional for garnish
Instructions
- In a medium mixing bowl, mix the jello, and lemon juice with the hot water. Stir until dissolved, then add the cold water. Set the bowl in the fridge until the jello is completely cooled, but not set.
- In a separate mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese with the sugar and vanilla until smooth. Slowly add the chilled jello mix, while beating everything together. Once smooth, set in the fridge again, until the mixture begins to thicken- about 1 hour.
- Prepare the graham cracker crust by mixing the crumbs with the melted butter and then press it into a large springform pan, minimum of 10 inches. Set in freezer until ready for the crust.
- Fold the cool whip into the cream cheese and jello mixture with a rubber scraper. Gently mix until the mixture is smooth and the cool whip is evenly distributed.
- Pour the cheesecake mixture into the crust. Let it set in the fridge for at least 6 hours, overnight is best. Do not cover with plastic wrap until the cheesecake is set.
- Serve chilled, top each slice with the optional whipped cream and lemon wedge. Keep the cheesecake chilled.
Nutrition
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More to love from Eat It & Say Yum:
Lemon Chiffon Cake
Lemon Bars
Key Lime Cheesecake Truffles
If you like this No Bake Lemon Cheesecake, be sure to see what these other bloggers are sharing when it comes to no bake desserts:
Fudge Brownie No-Bake Cheesecake from A Dash of Sanity and Banana Foster No-Bake Cheesecake from Diethood are two decadent cheesecake recipes to wow your crowd.
No-Bake Caramel Turtle Cheesecake from Sprinkle Some Sugar, Birthday Cake Oreo No-Bake Cheesecake from The Novice Chef and this No-Bake Rolo Cheesecake Recipe from Spend with Pennies should be on your list as well.
You can never have too many cheesecake recipes, am I right?!
Ready to make your own No Bake Lemon Cheesecake yet? I can’t wait to hear how you like it.
I give you BIG baking hugs and muffins!!
Comments & Reviews
I love everything lemon – fresh lemon and lemon-flavored desserts. Lemon squares is currently my favorite but I cannot wait to try this recipe – I already know it will be my new favorite. It’s so gorgeous too!
Thank you! This definitely has great lemon flavor, so I’m sure you will love it!! ?
I made the no bake cheesecake recipe today and it came out so delicious and marvelous!
Thank you for sharing this with me.
Everyone raved about it. So easy to make.
Tamara, that’s awesome! Thanks so much for letting me know. I’m so glad everyone enjoyed it so.
No instructions for where lemon juice is added to mixture.
I just added that to the instructions! Thanks for catching it. 🙂 – Leia
Have you tried it with real shipping cream instead of cool whip!
Yes, whipped cream works, too! ?
Yes! Real whipping cream is a great substitute for the cool whip! ?
Iam from Germany and we have very similar recipe that uses cream instead of cool whip! We call this cake “Philadelphia -cake” after the brand of cream cheese
I usually always add a little sugar to a graham cracker crust. I read the recipe twice, and found it odd that it doesn’t call for any. Anyway, after making this recipe according to the directions, I will next time add a quarter cup of sugar to the crust mix. The filling was light and flavorful, however not really the consistency of a cheesecake. It reminds me of a jello parfait. Would be a fantastic addition to a summer party.
I do add sugar to my graham cracker crusts sometimes. Feel free to do that if you like it that way! ? And yes, this is a great dessert for summer!
Hi! Great old recipe. I add a little cinnamon to graham cracker crumbs, too, with sugar. Yum.
Leia – I love this recipe! And that cake at the bottom, I need that in my life! xo San
Thanks so much, Sandra! ? And that cake is SO GOOD! You definitely want that. ?
Hello, this is Monika from Germany.
I’d like to ask what yello lemon mix and cool whip is as I don’t know what I should buy in a German supermarket. Could you help, please?
Monika, my daughter has lived in Germany for 18 years, and she has had to adapt her American recipes with what she can buy in Germany. She uses whipping [sahn schlag?] with a stabilizer to keep the whipping cream thick and hold its shape. Jello? I’ve never heard her say she has used jello for anything, but some large department stores with a large grocery may carry the Jello.
Monika, some of the large department stores carry imported American foods. I think it’s supposed to be schlag sahn for whipping cream. LOL! I tried!
Hi Monika,
this is my idea for substituting Cool Whip and Lemon Jello
Cool Whip is like Schlagsahne (maybe it would be best to put in some “Sahnesteif” to give it a secure stiffness)
And Lemon Jello.. I could imagine trying it with “Gelantine”+ fresh lemon juice or a Lemon flavored “Wackelpudding” zum selbst anrühren, Instant oder kochen.
I havent made this recipe, but this is how I would try it.
Good Luck/Viel Glück
Let me know what worked for you
Yve
hi this looks so yum could u give me a aussie alternative for the graham crackers and cool whip and is the lemon jello just lemon jelly hanks sue
Hi Sue,
Lemon Jello is not the same as jelly. It’s a powdered mix with gelatin in it that you mix with water and it sets up firm. I’m not sure what substitutes might be available where you. If I think of something I’ll let you know. ? And for the graham crackers you could use vanilla wafer cookies, shortbread cookies, any slightly sweet cracker/ cookie should work.
Hi Sue, I’m an Aussie and I used lemon jelly (aeroplane jelly brand) and it worked perfectly. I think ‘jelly’ in America is what we call ‘jam’. I used a can of whipped cream instead of cool whip and as we can’t get graham crackers I just used a plain sweet biscuit (I forget what they’re called). It was pretty nice!
Jello is a gelatine dessert and is flavoured, in this case lemon. It’s not a jam or jelly.
I too would like to know a substitute for Jello (which is a brand name). Maybe I will try a lemon jelly which I can get in the jam section of the supermarket here in Holland.
Who knows Alison, it may just be the trick for us outside of North America!
Hi Marylin and Alison! I”m sorry Jello brand gelatin isn’t available where you live! I found this that site that might be of some help in substituting for the Lemon Jello. http://www.grillachef.com/2011/03/replace-jell-o-pack-in-recipe.html
I’m not familiar with what ingredients you have available to you, but I hope that helps!
it’s hard to find lemon jello. can i substitute it with banana jello and add mashed bananas to the mixture, or it’s too crazy!! advice me on this 🙂
Any flavor of jello should work, as long as it’s the same size box as the recipe calls for. And bananas in the recipe should be fine, too. ? Let me know how it turns out!
I’m going to try this with strawberry jello instead of lemon and add fresh strawberries and cream on top. Hope it turns out ok, going to try it for Easter.
That sounds delicious, Barb! Enjoy!
On the no bake lemon cheesecake, couldn’t find 6oz box of lemon jello mix, do you mean pudding mix?
No, I definitely use Jello. It the bigger of the two sizes that Jello comes in. ?
So then to clarify, I have a 85g box of jello, so I’d need to use 2 of those to make it work in this recipe?
I should have read the comments before I made this. The ingredients don’t specify whether to use lemon jello gelatin or the lemon jello pudding/pie mix. I chose the latter and it definitely is more of a pudding texture than cheesecake. Still super yummy, just not what I was expecting. Maybe the ingredients could be more specific, please?
Holly, it would be lemon Jell-O gelatin. Sorry for the confusion.
Sorry that wasn’t clear, Holli! I fixed it in the recipe. 🙂
This recipe is amazing – the best cheesecake I’ve ever had. I had this for Easter and everybody loved it. It’s so light and refreshing, a little tangy, but not too much.
I only found lemon Jello in 3oz boxes, so I used two boxes and I made my cheesecake with whipping cream instead of cool whip. The 16 oz heavy whipping cream worked perfectly. I added a little powdered sugar to the whipping cream for sweetness and powdered sugar also helps to stabilize a homemade whipped cream.
This is the cheesecake I make from now on!
Pat, I’m so glad to hear this! Thanks for letting me know of your success!!
I just love chess cake but I don’t know how to make it, why don’t u send me the recipe and what is cream chess I am lalitha from India
Lalitha, you can print the recipe out and I found this link so that you can make your own cream cheese at home since I’m not sure if they have it in India. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igzwPi3P9ZU
Making this now for our family reuion tomorrow! Made a rice crispy crust for it! Cannot wait to try it!!! Thanks for this recipe!
What a great idea with the crust, Michelle! I hope the family enjoyed it!
can I just buy lemon juice instead of squeezing a lemon and how much juice would I need ?
Yes, you could use store bought lemon juice instead of fresh squeezed. I would guess about 1/4 of a cup of juice. 🙂
I love lemony desserts too! Another great one is Key Lime Pie. I’d like to try a recipe for a no-bake Key Lime Pie for sure in this heat we’re having!
Key Lime Pie does sound delicious right now! And a no-bake recipe would be great in the summer!
Could I use a deep dish pie pan instead of the spring pan? Thanks
Yes! You would just serve the cheesecake right from the pan, instead of removing it- like when using a springform pan. Good luck!
hi I am from south Africa what is hello is it jelly
Hi, I’m from Moldova (Europe) we are not used here with ounches and cups, can you please help me to convert them in grams and ml. I tried myself but the proportions turned to be very anrealistic 🙂
Hi Annie! I’ll do my best to help you out. A 6 oz box of Lemon gelatin says it is 85 grams. 1 1/2 cups of water is about 340 grams. 1 cup of sugar is 224 grams. 2, 8 oz containers of cream cheese is 452 grams. An 8 oz container of cool whip is 226 grams. For the graham crackers, I don’t know the weight, but I would say about 16 of the crackers (crushed) would be fine. 1/2 cup of butter is 115 grams. I hope those help! 🙂
Is the recipe 1 and 1/2 cups water or just 1/2 cup each of hot and cold. I used 1 and 1/2 each and after chilling all night it is looking too soft.
Sandy, the recipe does call for 1 1/2 cups of boiling water AND 1 1/2 cups of cold water. I don’t know why yours would look too soft… Are you sure you used the right size box of lemon gelatin? That would definitely make the dessert not set up correctly. Just an idea. I’m sure it will still taste good! 😉
Hi can i change the jello with something else? Bcos i think jello in the box is not available in my country, thanks
Hi Vivi,
For a replacement for the lemon jello you can try this link, I haven’t personally tried these substitutes, but they might work. I’m sorry you don’t have Jello available where you live! Good luck!
http://www.grillachef.com/2011/03/replace-jell-o-pack-in-recipe.html
Are some of these measurements fluid and some are weight? I’m in Canada, and I was able to convert all but the Cool Whip.
This was fun and easy to make and it was delicious. I don’t own a spring form pan so I bought a large extra serving Graham crust. If doing this, the filling amount can be cut in half, I had a lot of extra (yum!).
Very nice this Lemon cheese cake recipe!! Cake is looking so scrumptious . Thanks for saring this nice cake ideas.
https://www.cakengifts.in/cake-delivery-in-delhi
It’s a powdered mix with gelatin in it that you mix with water and it sets up firm. I’m not sure what substitutes might be available where you. If I think of something I’ll let you know and thank you very much for sharing such a beautiful post.
Can you use a ready made pie crust?
graham cracker crust I mean lol
I don’t see why you couldn’t, Tracy. And yes, a graham cracker crust would work as well!
Can this recipe be frozen?
Nice recipe thanks for sharing
I love This Recipe!! Very Nice Blog
What happens if it sits out for hours at a party?
Allison, my suggestion would be to refrigerate any unused portion after serving. There are many variable in temperature if it were to sit out during a party, especially if it’s outside. Just to be on the safe side, as with any dessert that requires refrigeration, I wouldn’t recommend it.
What a drag that it’s not vegetarian! Is there anything else that can be substituted for the gelatin?
Linda, I’m not sure as I am not the original creator of the recipe. I would do a Google search for no bake lemon cheesecake without gelatin.
Your’s looks amazing. …….. unfortunately mine didn’t come out as good looking, it tastes great though.
I went through the comments and didn’t see my question, so hopefully I’m not repeating. Can you substitute the 1/3 fat or Neufchâtel cheese for the cream cheese? Will it still set up?
Ursula, I don’t think there should be a problem if you use Neufchãtel cheese. I haven’t used it in this one, but I’ve used it in other recipes as a cream cheese substitute and haven’t had any issues with it not setting.
Was very good and easy to make