No Bake Key Lime Cheesecake
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Posted: 03/13/23
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Light, fluffy No Bake Key Lime Cheesecake has a tart lime flavor and is so easy to make. It’s the perfect dessert especially during the spring. It would also be great for an easy Easter dessert.
Is your mouth watering just looking at that picture? Because mine is! This deliciously easy key lime cheesecake will be your new go-to recipe during the summer! It’s creamy and sweet, with just the right tang of lime.
It’s a great dessert to take you from spring into summer! Perfect for Easter, pool parties, and everything in between.
Why You’ll Love No Bake Key Lime Cheesecake
- This easy key lime cheesecake is perfect to make ahead of time and let set overnight, or during the day, until you plan to serve it.
- No bake cheesecakes are a great dessert to make if you need to conserve oven space for a large party when you plan to make a lot of food!
- Even if you’re a novice in the kitchen, this no bake cheesecake recipe is easy to follow and easy to make!
Ingredients for No Bake Key Lime Cheesecake
- Vanilla wafers – I like making the crust for this easy no bake cheesecake from vanilla wafers, but you can substitute a box of graham crackers and make a graham cracker crust if you prefer.
- Dark brown sugar – Dark brown sugar tastes best in this recipe, but you can also use light brown sugar.
- Salted butter – If you choose to use unsalted butter instead, be sure to add a few pinches of salt to help balance the sweetness of the cheesecake.
- Cream cheese – Be sure to use full-fat cream cheese and not fat free or lite cream cheese.
- Key Lime zest – Key limes can be difficult to find sometimes. So, if you are unable to find them you can use regular limes. Zest your limes and set them aside to use the lime juice in the recipe.
- Sour cream – This makes this easy key lime cheesecake extra creamy. If you don’t have sour cream or prefer not to use it, you can use plain greek yogurt in it’s place.
- Key Lime juice – For best results, use fresh squeezed key lime juice. If you can’t find key limes, regular limes will be ok!
- Whipped topping – I recommend making homemade whipped cream. It’s just so much more tasty!
How to make Key Lime Pie Cheesecake
In a food processor, combine the vanilla wafers and some dark brown sugar and pulse until everything is well crumbled.
Pour the melted butter into the food process and pulse until the mixture is combined and has a sand-like texture.
Pour the mixture into the bottom of a 9 inch springform pan and press it into the the bottom, making sure it goes halfway up the sides.
Cover the pan with plastic wrap and place it in the freezer. Then, move onto creating the key lime cheesecake filling.
In a large mixing bowl, use a stand mixer or hand mixer to beat together the cream cheese, remaining brown sugar, and key lime zest. Beat on medium to high until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
Beat in the sour cream and key lime juice on low to medium speed until combined. Once combined, gently fold in the whipped cream with a silicone spatula or spoon.
Remove the crust from the freezer and take off the plastic wrap. Scoop the cheesecake filling into the crust and gently spread it out until it is evenly filled.
Place the key lime pie cheesecake into the refrigerator overnight to set, or at least a minimum of 6 hours.
When you are ready to serve, remove the no bake cheesecake from the springform pan, pipe the remaining whipped cream in dollops around the edge, slice, and serve! Garnish with extra lime zest or slices if you would like.
What to serve with Key Lime Pie Cheesecake
This cheesecake would be a fabulous dessert to serve after a summer meal of shrimp scampi and homemade breadsticks. It’s a great dessert to serve at Easter brunch too!
How to Store Leftovers of No Bake Key Lime Cheesecake
This easy no bake cheesecake needs to stay chilled in either the fridge or freezer! Though it’s so amazing, you may not have many leftovers. If you do, here’s how I suggest you store them.
FRIDGE: Lightly cover your cheesecake with plastic wrap and store it in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. After that, the texture will begin to change.
FREEZER: To freeze your cheesecake, wrap it well and store in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Key lime juice is acidic, so the longer the cheesecake sits in the fridge, the stronger the lime will taste and the cheese may curdle a bit. It will still be safe to eat, but that’s why you’ll want to consume it in 2-3 days when stored in the fridge!
I need this cheesecake to set quickly. What can I do?
To get your no bake cheesecake to set more quickly, place it in the freezer for up to 4 hours. Don’t leave it any longer than that though so that you can still cut into it! Be aware that the top and edges will set much more quickly that the center when frozen. So, for best results, make your cheesecake in plenty of time to set in the fridge for 6 hours.
Do I have to use fresh limes in key lime pie cheesecake?
If you don’t want to use fresh limes, you can substitute lime juice for concentrate. However, concentrate is more acidic, so your final result may have a little more bite to it than it would with fresh limes.
Pro Tips for the Best No Bake Key Lime Cheesecake
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Work with room temperature ingredients! They mix together so much easier. Set your cream cheese out for about an hour and set out the sour cream and whipped cream to come to room temperature before mixing them into the cheesecake mixture.
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Make sure you beat together the cream cheese until there is no gritty texture. If you don’t beat it long enough, your cheesecake may turn out gritty.
- Don’t use any low-fat ingredients! I know, I know, that’s a lot of calories. But low-fat ingredients will make this cheesecake taste a little off and it may not set as well either.
I love a creamy cheesecake, and this recipe is one of my favorites. I can’t wait for you to try it out! And if you need some spring time dessert ideas, check out my recipe for an adorable rainbow layer cake!
More Cheesecake Recipes You’ll Love
- If you didn’t know that you could make cheesecake in the Instant Pot, now you do! Just follow this super easy Instant Pot Cheesecake recipe.
- Try delicious cheesecake in ice cream form with this No Churn Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream.
- I love making Mini Pecan Pie Cheesecakes around Thanksgiving!
- These Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Crescent Rolls are a tasty breakfast treat and dessert.
Did you make this? If you snap a photo, please be sure tag me on Instagram at @julieseatsandtreats or #julieseatsandtreats so I can see your yummy treat!
No Bake Key Lime Cheesecake
Light, fluffy Key Lime Cheesecake is an easy no-bake dessert. It starts with a graham cracker crust, key lime cheesecake and is topped with whipped topping and fresh lime slices.
Ingredients
- 11 ounces vanilla wafers 1 box
- 1 cup dark brown sugar packed and divided
- ½ cup salted butter, melted 1 stick
- 16 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1 ½ Tablespoons key lime zest
- ¾ cup sour cream
- ⅓ cup key lime juice
- 16 ounces whipped topping 1 tub, divided
- Fresh key limes optional garnish
Instructions
- Combine vanilla wafers and ¼ cup dark brown sugar in a food processor and pulse until crumbled.
- Pour in the melted butter into the crumbled graham crackers and pulse until combined.
- Spread the graham cracker mixture into the bottom of a 9 inch springform pan and press into a crust across the bottom and halfway up the side.
- Cover the springform pan with plastic wrap and place in the freezer while you make the cheesecake filling.
- Using a stand or hand mixer and a large mixing bowl, beat together the cream cheese, remaining ¾ cup dark brown sugar and key lime zest on medium to high speed until smooth and creamy, about 5-7 minutes. Be sure to beat until all ingredients are smooth and creamy, you don’t want the sugar to be gritty in the mixture.
- Beat in the sour cream and key lime juice on low to medium speed until combined, about 2-3 minutes.
- Once combined and smooth, gently fold in 4 cups of the whipped topping.
- Remove the crust from the freezer and take off the plastic wrap.
- Scoop the cheesecake filling into the crust and gently spread it evenly on the crust then recover well with plastic wrap.
- Refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight.
- When ready to serve, remove the ring from the pan, pipe the remaining whipped topping in dollops around the edge and garnish with fresh lime zest and slices, optional.
Tips
FRIDGE: Lightly cover your cheesecake with plastic wrap and store it in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. After that, the texture will begin to change.
FREEZER: To freeze your cheesecake, wrap it well and store in the freezer for up to 2 months.
- Work with room temperature ingredients! They mix together so much easier. Set your cream cheese out for about an hour and set out the sour cream and whipped cream to come to room temperature before mixing them into the cheesecake mixture.
- Make sure you beat together the cream cheese until there is no gritty texture. If you don’t beat it long enough, your cheesecake may turn out gritty.
- Don’t use any low-fat ingredients! I know, I know, that’s a lot of calories. But low-fat ingredients will make this cheesecake taste a little off and it may not set as well either.
Nutrition Information
Serving: 1slice, Calories: 757kcal (38%), Carbohydrates: 74g (25%), Protein: 7g (14%), Fat: 49g (75%), Saturated Fat: 30g (188%), Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g, Monounsaturated Fat: 11g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 102mg (34%), Sodium: 481mg (21%), Potassium: 245mg (7%), Fiber: 1g (4%), Sugar: 55g (61%), Vitamin A: 1298IU (26%), Vitamin C: 4mg (5%), Calcium: 145mg (15%), Iron: 0.3mg (2%)
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