No Bake Lemon Cheesecake Squares | Renee's Kitchen Adventures

Tuesday, August 4, 2015

No Bake Lemon Cheesecake Squares

No Bake Lemon Cheesecake Squares is a great dessert for this time of year!  The tart lemon no-bake cheesecake filling sitting atop a traditional graham cracker crust will have your mouth singing and  will keep your kitchen cool!

No Bake Lemon Cheesecake Squares | by Renee's Kitchen Adventures - NO BAKE easy dessert recipe that you NEED to make now!


There is just something about no-bake desserts this time of year that really gets me excited! This no bake cheesecake is no exception! The fact that I can make these lemon cream cheese bars without ever turning on my oven is such a plus when the temperatures soar.

Although you may find similar no bake cheesecake recipes that call for baking the crust. There is no need to pre-bake the crust in this dessert recipe. The unbaked crust will be less crispy and a little looser than it would be if you choose to bake the crust for 10 minutes in a 350 degree oven, but as long as the squares stay chilled, it will hold together.  Make sure you press down firmly when forming the crust though!  I have to admit, I do prefer to bake the crust for a bit so it's a little crispier, but it's your choice whether you do or not.  

I buy my graham cracker crumbs already packaged, because I can never seem to keep the crackers themselves fresh once they are opened.  You can make your own graham cracker crumbs by crushing whole crackers either in the food processor or by hand.  Three full cracker sheets yields approximately 1/2 cup of crumbs. 

No Bake Lemon Cheesecake Squares | by Renee's Kitchen Adventures - NO BAKE easy dessert recipe that you NEED to make now!

Let's talk lemon cream cheese bars for a minute.

As far as I am concerned, there really is no better flavor for cheesecake than lemon.  Lemon and cream cheese are natural partners in the world of flavor combos. Of course, you can get creative and use any flavor Jello® for the filling that you like, but I'm loving on this lemon flavor right now! 

No Bake Lemon Cheesecake Squares | by Renee's Kitchen Adventures - NO BAKE easy dessert recipe that you NEED to make now!

This no-bake cheesecake is not dense like a baked cheesecake, but more fluffy in texture, thanks to the Jello®.  My family adored this delicious dessert and I think yours will too!  They are prefect with a little dollop of whipped topping and a wedge of lemon, making them as beautiful as they are delicious! 

No Bake Lemon Cheesecake Squares | by Renee's Kitchen Adventures - NO BAKE easy dessert recipe that you NEED to make now!

No Bake Lemon Cheesecake Squares

Renee P.
No Bake Lemon Cheesecake Squares
Easy no-bake "cheesecake" squares flavored with tart lemon.

Ingredients

  • Crust:
  • 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (I buy them packaged as crumbs ) 
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 6 TBS. unsalted butter, melted
  • pinch of salt
  • Filling:
  • 2 - .30 oz. packages of sugar free lemon Jello®
  • 1 cup boiling water
  • 3- 8 oz. packages of reduced fat cream cheese, softened
  • 1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 cups heavy whipping cream
  • Whipped topping and lemon wedges, for garnish, if desired

Instructions

  1. Line a 13" x 9" baking pan with foil, allowing foil to hang over 2 sides (for easy removal). Spray lightly with cooking spray. Set aside.
  2. In large bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, granulated sugar, melted butter and pinch of salt.
  3. Pour graham mixture into prepared pan and press down FIRMLY to form crust. You can bake this at 350 degrees F for 10 min. to help it stay crisp or you can simply pop it into the fridge making it completely no-bake. The fridge crust will be a little softer and looser. I like to bake it for 10 minutes then let it cool completely before adding the filling.
  4. In small bowl or two cup glass measure, combine the jello® and the water and stir until gelatin is completely dissolved. Allow to cool to room temperature before proceeding.
  5. In large bowl, with an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and powdered sugar until creamy.
  6. Pour in the Jello® mixture and the whipping cream and beat until completely combined. Mixture will seem very runny at first, but keep beating until it comes together and begins to thicken.
  7. Pour cheesecake mixture over prepared crust and refrigerate for at least 4 hours to set up.
  8. Remove cheesecake from pan with overhanging foil, and cut into squares. Garnish as desired. Store in refrigerator. 
Yield: 16 servings
Prep Time: 00 hrs. 20 mins.
Cook time: 00 hrs. 10 mins.
Total time: 30 mins.
Tags: cheesecake, bars, dessert, no-bake, lemon, cream cheese, treat

NOTE:  This recipe can be halved and made in a 8" square pan with good results!  If you halve the recipe, for the crust, use 1 cup graham cracker crumbs,  2 TBS granulated sugar, and 1/4 cup melted butter.  Halving the recipe will yield 9 servings.

Adapted from Deliciously Sprinkled 

No Bake Lemon Cheesecake Squares | by Renee's Kitchen Adventures - NO BAKE easy dessert recipe that you NEED to make now!  Lemon jello and cream cheese set up into a light and fluffy lemon dessert you don't even need to turn  your oven on to make! #lemon #dessert #lemondessert #nobakedessert

___________________

You might have noticed I've been posting a lot of quick and easy recipes these days.  Can I just tell you?  My life has been SUPER CRAZY this summer!  I mean summer is usually very busy around here anyway, but this year has been exceptionally busy!  My daughter has made yet another move, this time to Southwest Florida, so I've helped with that.  My youngest graduated from High School and my middle son is on track to graduate college this December. We've vacationed, thrown a grad party and I've moved my middle son out of his current apartment at school and will help him move into his new one in a few weeks.   I have also been busy shopping for my youngest son for college and will help him move in to his dorm this month!  It's a crazy, busy time for me, so if you notice that posts are a little sparse, that is why.  I do want to thank everyone who drops by the blog for a recipe or two though!  All of you readers are the BEST!!  

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31 comments:

  1. I love lemon cheesecake also, this looks and sounds so refreshing!

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  2. This sounds like heaven! :) And definitely a bonus being no bake.

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  3. No-bake desserts are the best during the summer months, especially when you are as busy as you've been! I bet this just melts in your mouth! Adding Jello for the lemon flavor is brilliant!

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  4. This is my kind of recipe. It looks so delicious! I love that you made it a lemon cheesecake!

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  5. Small boxes of jello or large?

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  6. I love lemons and can't wait to try this. Pinned for later.

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  7. Tried this recipe. OMG! Soooo good. Will be a definite favorite at our house.

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  8. This cheesecake is wonderful!

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  9. I can’t find lemon sugar free jello can you use reg. lemon jello?

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  10. how long can these be refrigerated before serving?

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  11. I would say at least several days. Keep them covered.

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  12. This is a refreshing dessert , that I cant wait to try this for a family reunion this summer . I've made this for a dinner party this spring & everyone like it . I've got request for this recipe . I'll post it so my clients can get it . Thank for another great recipe Renee !!! Peace-Out Linda

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  13. Renee, I want to make these for my daughters lemon themed first birthday party which is outside at a park so these melt easily..? Will they be ok left out displayed on a table outside..?

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    1. Thanks for your question. These do need to be refrigerated. I don't think they would hold up well outside for very long is the temperature is above room temp.

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  14. How do you sub regular (not sugar free) jello since the package weights are so different?

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    1. It will work with both SF and Regular jello even though the weights are different. The weight in regular jello comes from sugar which will liquify. Thanks so much for your question.

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  15. For 18 YEARS I have been searching for my late mother's recipe for cherry cheesecake (NO BAKE) that she used to make in the summer. Haven't found it anywhere. But I found it here!!!! Words cannot tell you how grateful and happy I am!!!! I knew she used lemon jello but nobody seemed to have anything even halfways close to your terrific recipe! Thank you from the bottom of my heart!!!!!

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    1. Oh this makes me so happy!! Thank you for dropping by and sharing this with me!

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  16. I tried this with lime jello (couldn't find sugar free lemon), and it was delicious. So far the best no bake dessert I've tried!

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    1. Hi Bober! I'm so happy you enjoyed this recipe! I'm sure it was just as wonderful with lime jello as it is with lemon!

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  17. Do you have to use regular Jell-O or could you use the pudding Jell-O also?

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    1. Hi Gabby! You need to use regular jello that makes jello, not pudding.

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  18. Could I use cooking cream (milk cream) instead of heavy whipping cream?

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    1. Hi! I have not experimented with cooking cream so I can't give you a reliable answer to this question. I guess my best advice would be to give it a try and let us know if it works or not.

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  19. Can regular, not reduced fat, cream cheese be used instead? Do I need to tweak any other ingredient if I use full fat cream cheese?

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    1. Hi Cece! Thanks for your question. You can substitute full fat cream cheese ounce for ounce without needing any adjustments to the rest of the recipe. Hope this helps!

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  20. If I use full fat cream cheese would I have to tweak any other ingredient? Will the bars still have the same consistency? Can I also add fresh squeezed lemon juice and how much?

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    1. Hi Cece! Thanks for your question. It should have a slightly more creamy consistency, but that's not a bad thing! haha You might need to play around with it as far as adding fresh squeezed lemon juice so as not to add too much that it won't set up. But I would think a TBS or two would work, although I have not tested this myself. Hope this helps!

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