Easy No-Bake Lemon Cheesecake

A creamy lemon cheesecake with a buttery digestive biscuit or graham-cracker crust and a light whipped cream filling. This refrigerator dessert requires no oven and is best chilled overnight.

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Prep Time 25

Total Time 6

Servings: 8 servings

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

Crust

300 g Digestive biscuits, finely crushed
150 g Unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon Granulated sugar, optional

Filling

600 g Full-fat brick-style cream cheese, softened
100 g Powdered or icing sugar
2 lemons Finely grated zest
60 ml Fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
280 ml Heavy or double cream, cold

Optional Topping

as needed Thin lemon slices or curls
as needed Whipped cream
as needed Extra lemon zest or crushed biscuit crumbs

Method

Step-by-Step

Line the base of a 9-inch/23-cm springform pan with parchment. Crush the digestive biscuits into fine crumbs, then stir them with the melted butter and optional sugar.
Press the crumb mixture firmly and evenly into the base of the pan. Refrigerate the crust while preparing the filling.
Beat the softened cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth and free of lumps. Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla, scraping down the bowl as needed.
Whip the cold heavy cream in a separate bowl to soft or medium peaks. Fold it gently into the cream-cheese mixture without vigorous mixing.
Spoon the filling over the chilled crust and smooth the top. Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight, until firm.
Remove the cheesecake from the springform pan, decorate with lemon curls, whipped cream, extra zest, or biscuit crumbs, and serve cold.

Notes

Use full-fat brick-style cream cheese rather than spreadable tub cream cheese. For clean slices, chill overnight and briefly warm a knife under hot water before cutting. Keep refrigerated and do not leave at room temperature for more than about 2 hours.