This easy Key Lime Cheesecake is a simple, no bake dessert that is perfect for Spring! It’s sweet, tangy, creamy and so luscious! Made with fresh lime juice and zest.
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Spring is in the air, and we’re trading our bowls of soup for lighter, fresher eats and treats, including this no bake Key Lime Cheesecake!
No bake cheesecakes are one of my all time favorite desserts (don’t believe me? Check out my epic list of no bake cheesecake recipes over here), because they’re simple to prepare and not as heavy as a baked cheesecake (although you won’t see me turn down cheesecake of any kind!).
This Lemon Cheesecake is another favorite, and this Easy Cheesecake Recipe is a great option if you aren’t craving citrus!
Since I’ve been getting older (it’s inevitable, I guess), my tastes have changed.
I don’t know that I was prepared for it!
I used to have a major sweet tooth, and I still do, but I can’t handle my sugar in quite as concentrated forms as I once could.
You might find me pass up a rich chocolate dessert in favor of something fruity, or opt for a simple cookie instead of a large piece of cake with all the frosting.
So tangy citrus desserts?
This is my thang.
With Easter around the corner, light, fresh and fruity desserts are the perfect treat!
This one has just a few ingredients and no oven required 😉
How to make Key Lime Cheesecake:
- Start with the crust — I use a simple, no bake graham cracker crust. It’s not too sweet and stays together well thanks to a good amount of glue (i.e. butter).
- Mix up the filling: start with room temperature cream cheese, and beat it first by itself to prevent any lumps.
- Add the sugar, lime juice and zest and beat it until smooth.
- Beat the whipping cream (30-35% and cold) and until stiff peaks form — you want it as thick and as firm as possible.
- Fold the cream into the cheesecake filling, and then spread into the crust.
- Chill — this step is crucial! You need to chill at least 6 hours (I try to make it a day in advance if possible).
How to make this Key Lime Cheesecake ahead:
Refrigerator
This is a great dessert for making 1-2 days ahead. Simple cover and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 days before serving (any longer than this, and the crust may begin to become soggy).
Freezer
You can also freeze this recipe, but if you plan to freeze it I recommend eating it at partially frozen or thawing on a cooling rack.
As it thaws completely, the filling can release additional moisture which can make for a soggy crust. To combat this, unwrap your frozen cheesecake and place it on a cooling rack in the fridge to thaw completely.
If you use this method, it will have the perfect consistency!
More no bake cheesecake recipes:
- No Bake Chocolate Cheesecake
- No Bake White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake Recipe
- No Bake Peanut Butter Marshmallow Square Cheesecake
- Real Deal No Bake Lemon Cheesecake
Easy Key Lime Cheesecake
written by Ashley Fehr
Ingredients
Crust:
- 2 1/2 cups graham crumbs (350)
- 1/2 cup melted unsalted butter
Filling:
- 3 packages full fat cream cheese room temperature (24oz/750g)
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar (200 grams)
- 1/4 cup key lime or lime juice (2 limes)
- 1-2 tablespoon key lime or lime zest (2 regular limes) Depending on your tastes
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream cold, 30-35% fat ONLY
- sweetened whipped cream for garnish
Instructions
- Combine graham crumbs and butter and press firmly into the bottom of an 8″ or 9″ springform pan and about 1″ up the sides.
- In a large bowl, beat cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth.
- Add 1 ½ cups sugar, lime juice, lime zest and vanilla and beat until smooth.
- Whip the cream in a separate bowl with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture carefully so you do not deflate it. Taste and adjust the sweetness if necessary.
- Spread into prepared pan, cover and refrigerate for at least 5-6 hours or until firm. Slice and serve with sweetened whipped cream as desired.
Nutrition Information
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Whitney says
Can I use a different type of pan? I do not have a spring-foam pan and my son is begging for this for his birthday tomorrow. Please help!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Whitney! You probably could! ENJOY!
Ty says
Great recipe!
The Recipe Rebel says
Thanks Ty!
Evan says
Hi there! Just wondering how much of the cheesecake the nutrition information is for?
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Evan! 1/12 of the cheesecake. Enjoy!
Peg norgaard says
I want to try this but I have a dumb question…when I make my whipped cream using heavy WC, I always add a fair amount of sugar. Do I do the same thing when preparing the WC to add, or is the powdered sugar enough sweetener? Thank you.
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Peg! It’s enough for me, but I know we all have different taste. I’ve only tested it this way so can’t give any direction on how to add more sugar. Enjoy!
Sarah says
Omg sooooo soo good! My first time making cheesecake and it was delicious. So refreshing and super simple to make. This is going to become a new staple for dinner parties and other festivities. Thanks for a lovely recipe!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Sarah! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Alicia says
Hi,
Can I use half and half with a tablespoon of butter, for the heavy whipping cream part? I forgot to get it at the store 🤪. Also, can I use maple syrup as the sweetener? Thank you so much!!!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Alicia! I’ve only tested the recipe as is, so I can’t really say how it would turn out if you make substitutions. If you decide to experiment, I’d love to know how it goes!
Sandy says
I love this recipe. I’ve made it a few times. Ashley, I regards to the pictures above, is it an 8 inch or 9 inch pan? Which size do you typically use? Thanks.
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Sandy! You could use either but I like the 8 inch! Enjoy!
Ida p says
Can i use the small wilton cheescake pans for this ?
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Ida! I’m not familiar with them. Are they springform pans? If yes, then yes you should be able to use them. Enjoy!
Karen says
This is my favorite recipe for Lime Cheesecake, mainly because it does not call for sweetned condensed milk. This being said, we are a diabetic household so I have made some changes. to make it more diabetic friendly, less carbohydrates. I’ve used granulated sucralose instead of powdered sugar and only one cup. I’m sure the texture is somewhat different but not so much that it ruins the cheesecake. Also in a pinch, (no heavy cream in the house) I’ve used Cool Whip instead of heavy cream but then I also reduced the amount of added sweetener (or sugar) because Cool Whip does have sugar in it. No problems noticed but I do prefer using heavy cream! Other then this I followed the recipe. I’ve always been a lover of Lime flavored anything, so this cheesecake is a favorite!
The Recipe Rebel says
Glad it worked for you Karen!
Ben says
I want to make this on the weekend for my wife and mother-in law. Hoping to score a few point 😉
What is the cream mixture you used to decorate the top at the end of the video?
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Ben! It’s this recipe: https://www.thereciperebel.com/whipped-cream/ Hope you enjoyed it!
Lori says
Could I use cool whip instead of the heavy whipping cream?
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Lori, no I’m sorry they are not the same thing.
Brittany says
Could I make this in a regular pie plate?
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Brittany, you could try but I can’t guarantee who well it will come out of the pie plate. If you decide to experiment, let me know how it goes!
Alison says
Made this for Bank Hiliday Monday for BBQ and they all loved it and took a few pieces into work and the girls said it tasted like you would get at a Michelin restaurant !!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Alison! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Grace Boiter says
My favorite pie will be making 2 tomorrow
How does it freeze?
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Grace! It freezes well. I have a section the blog post “Freezer” that goes into depth on how to freeze it, etc. Hope you enjoy it!
momo says
made this for my mom’s bday tomorrow, but halfed the recipe for a mini springform pan. I’m currently waiting for it to firm up in the fridge, but from what I tasted, it is sooooo good ugh. and it didn’t take long at all! prolly my all time fav no bake cheesecake recipe now. thank you :3
The Recipe Rebel says
Hope you enjoy it!
Alison says
This is one of my favorite cheesecake recipes! Love everything about it and an absolute hit with everyone! Thank you for sharing this recipe!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Alison! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this review!
CodyCt says
Certainly easy to make, but not really a cheese cake as usually thought of. I reduced the number of graham crackers, not wanting to pile up on the periphery. For St . Patrick’s Day dinner with friends, I added a few drops of green food coloring. Also, not having enough limes, I added lemons, about half a cup of citrus juice rather than the 1/4 cup called for in recipe. Be sure to keep it chilled until serving. My mistake, leaving it out at room temoersture at friend’s house during drinks and dinner before serving. Not quite runny, but soft. Other thoughts–use food processor to get fine crumbs and stand mixer to cream cheese and sugar. Bottom line–good dessert, but not the real thing.
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi CodyCt, I’m sorry, I don’t understand, how is this not a cheesecake? As stated in the post, it’s a no bake cheesecake, so it won’t have the same properties of a baked cheesecake.
Marie Gerard says
How can you STAND dealing with all those ridiculous comments from people…asking for subs and telling you it’s not a “real” cheesecake. OY. God bless you. I would just delete them all. Humans are a pain
Nancy says
Cody t. You are so nit picky. Your one star and your comment that it was not the real thing! Totally unnecessary. You made ridiculous changes (green food coloring and lemon juice. Then you left it out for hours. You should not even have made this comment. It was soooo unnecessary. It is a five star dessert when made without crazy substitutions and ingredient omissions!
EJ says
Cody T is not wrong. It is not a classic cheesecake, but I don’t see anywhere where it claims to be. A no bake cheesecake is a version of a cheesecake like desert and I’m sure it’s delicious in its own way!
Sarah G says
This is the first cheesecake I’d ever made and I’m making it again tonight (per a family request)! Super easy, very flavorful, not too rich, and refreshing. Personal note: I live in Costa Rica where graham crackers are hard to find, so I substituted with butter crackers and it still turned out AMAZING.
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Sarah! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for your review!
Megan says
Making this tomorrow! So I had to Google what creams are 30% fat 🤓 since I’ve never thought about it. So can I use heavy whipping cream which is 36-38% fat? Or do you recommend the “light whipping cream” – I shop at Kroger if that helps 😅 any brand and type specifically? Thanks!
Ashley Fehr says
Oh no, that will work great! The heavier the better!
Lisa says
So far, I’m making the crust and the measurements are incorrect. I followed the 390 g. of graham cracker crumbs and that would be more along the lines of 5 cups – not 2-1/2. So, I had to add another 1/2 cup of butter to make the crust stay together. It tastes great so far, but that measurement is wrong.
Ashley Fehr says
Hi Lisa! I think your measurements must be off somewhat. I just went and measured and a fluffed cup of graham cracker crumbs is 140 grams, which works out to 350 grams for 2.5 cups. It’s possible my crumbs were a little more packed when I originally measured, but 390 grams still would never equal 5 cups.
Lisa says
I did have success even though I added the extra butter! Everyone loved this recipe – it’s a keeper. Thank you! (Ashley – Not sure why mine was SO dry but it worked out and thanks for the reply.)
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Lisa! I’m glad to hear that!