No-Bake Lemon Cheesecake
August 12, 2024
Twin Cities food blogger greens & chocolate has dreamed up a fabulous, oven-free dessert, so it’s perfect for hot summer days. This cheesecake is sweet-tart and refreshing, and if you haven’t made a crust with Golden Oreos before, well, you’re in for a treat — literally.
Lemon is one of my favorite flavors to make desserts with. Sure, I’d never pass up brownies or chocolate chip cookies, but lemon is one of those flavors I often crave. Especially during the warmer months, I love making lemon desserts. It’s always a bonus if I don’t have to turn on the oven when making summer desserts, so *high five* for this No-Bake Lemon Cheesecake!
This lemon cheesecake is truly a special dessert. The crust is made with Golden Oreos, which perfectly complement the lemon flavor in the filling. If you’re wondering if you could make this with graham crackers instead, you surely can. However, I would use your own favorite graham cracker-crust recipe, as the ratio of crumbs to butter is different due to the filling from the Golden Oreos. Personally, I love using Oreos for cheesecake crusts, as I feel they stick together a little better than graham crackers.
The lemon cheesecake filling is also pure perfection. It isn’t overly lemony, which all of my taste testers enthusiastically approved of. It’s simply flavored by a combination of lemon juice and lemon zest. The filling is just about as creamy as it gets, with cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk and whipped cream. That’s it — four ingredients in the filling! So not only is this lemon dessert a delicious showstopper, it’s also crazy easy.
This No-Bake Lemon Cheesecake can be enjoyed chilled in the refrigerator or the freezer. We ate it both ways — first from the refrigerator, which was my husband’s preference. Then, in an effort to not eat our weight in lemon cheesecake, I put it in the freezer to make it last longer. I loved the cheesecake both ways!
A picnic, a birthday celebration, a BBQ or a Wednesday — there really is no wrong time to make this cheesecake. It’s a new family favorite and I’m sure your friends and family will love it, too.
SERVINGS
10-12
PREP TIME
20 min
CHILL TIME
4 hr
Ingredients
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114-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
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2tablespoons lemon zest
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1cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
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2Golden Oreos, crushed, for topping
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2cups heavy whipping cream
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16ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
Ingredients for crust
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32Golden Oreos
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6tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Directions
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1
Spray a 9-inch springform pan with cooking spray.
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2
Add the Oreos to a large food processor and pulse until they resemble fine crumbs. Add the melted butter and pulse until combined with the crumbs.
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3
Press the crust mixture into the bottom and up the sides of the springform pan. Set aside.
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4
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, add the heavy whipping cream. Beat on high until stiff peaks form. You will know it is done when you pull the whisk attachment out and the peaks of the whipped cream do not fall. Transfer the whipped cream to a different bowl.
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5
Add the cream cheese to the bowl of the stand mixer. Use the paddle attachment to beat for 1 to 2 minutes, until creamy and no lumps remain. Add the condensed milk, lemon zest and lemon juice, and beat until combined.
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6
Using a spatula, fold in the whipped cream until combined. Pour the cheesecake filling into the crust. Top with Oreo crumbs.
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7
Refrigerate for at least 4 hours. If you want a bit of a firmer texture,put it in the freezer for a couple of hours. Cut into slices and enjoy!