Oma's No-Bake Lemon Cheesecake Recipe

by: Gerhild Fulson  / Oma Gerhild shares easy, authentic German recipes you can trust, rooted in family tradition and featured in her cookbooks.

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Wonderfully delicious No-Bake Lemon Cheesecake made just like Oma! So refreshing and simple!

My lemon cheesecake recipe is one you'll make over and over. WHY? Because it's so good and so easy. German? Not at all.

But, it fits great after a big meal (whether German or not) ... when one wants something sweet, yet light. It's preparation is easy and quick.

No baking required. It does need to stand for a 4 to 5 hours in the fridge before serving.

That's what makes it so fantastic. Make it the day before ... no final rushing around when company's there. A perfect ending to a great meal ... that's why I like it so much.

It's a recipe I like doing with the granddaughters ... have had some great fun times doing so. They choose which flavors of jello to use and which fruits to garnish with. 

I played around with several quick dessert recipes and this luscious lemon cheesecake was the winner. It's really a combination of several recipes ... until it was just what I was looking for. 

Since then, I've used orange jello with orange juice, orange zest, and decorated with mandarin slices. This was a combination created by my granddaughter, Lydia, for one of our summer outdoor family picnics. Wunderbar!

The cake shown below was the crowning touch to a Canadian meal I planned when we had company that came from Germany.

Wonderfully delicious No-Bake Lemon Cheesecake makes the best dessert. Add this to your Canadian dinner menu!

I love no bake dessert recipes! I'm going to be experimenting with more ... especially once the summer heat wave hits. 

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Cool Whip versus Whipped Cream

Using freshly whipped cream is always better. However, where I live, heavy (whipping) cream is quite expensive and I only buy it when necessary.

Cool Whip, on the other hand, is often much cheaper and can be kept in the freezer for those emergencies that pop up. 

I don't often use Cool Whip, but I usually keep a tub in the freezer, just in case. Since we live out in the country, going to town is a day trip. Having items on hand, in the freezer or pantry, is always wise.

However, if you wish to use real heavy (whipping) cream in this recipe, check the hints given under the recipe for quantities.

Ready to make this no-bake cheesecake?

Print Recipe

Oma's No-Bake Lemon Cheesecake Recipe

My lemon cheesecake recipe is so good and so easy. German? Not at all. But, it fits great after a big meal when one wants something sweet, yet light. It's preparation is easy and quick.

No baking required. It does need to stand for a 4 to 5 hours in the fridge before serving though.

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time none

Total Time 20 minutes + wait time

Servings:

Makes 10 servings

Ingredients:

• 3-ounce package of lemon jello (gelatin)
• 1 cup boiling water
• 2 cups graham crumbs or chocolate cookie crumbs
• ⅓ cup melted butter
• 8-ounce package cream cheese (room temperature)
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 1 lemon
• 12-ounce tub Cool Whip (1 liter or 4 cups)
• strawberries to garnish

Instructions:

1. Into a small bowl, mix the jello powder and the boiling water. Stir until jello is dissolved. Set aside to cool.
2. Mix together the crumbs and the butter. Reserve about ¼ cup and press the remaining mixture into a 10-inch springform pan.
3. Using a mixer, whip the cream cheese and the sugar. Zest the lemon and add about 1 tablespoon zest to the cheese mixture. Add about 2 teaspoons of lemon juice to the mixture as well.
4. Check that the jello mixture has cooled to about lukewarm. If it is still hot, place the bowl into a cold water bath and stir until the jello has cooled, but NOT set.
5. Add the cooled jello to the cream cheese. Mix thoroughly. 
6. Fold in the Cool Whip and gently stir until all is mixed well.
7. Spoon over the crust and level top. Cover with plastic wrap and place in fridge for several hours. 
8. Serve, sprinkled with the reserved crumb mixture and garnished with sliced strawberries.

Notes/Hints:

• Want to use heavy (whipping) cream instead of Cool Whip? You'll need to use 2 cups of heavy (whipping) cream, whip it until it has soft peaks and has doubled in volume. Fold that into the cooled jello instead.

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Unless otherwise noted recipe, images and content © Just like Oma | www.quick-german-recipes.com

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From Oma's heart
to your table

Complete your set today - order now!

More about me >

Hi, I'm Oma Gerhild! As a food writer and cookbook author, I'm always looking to find ways to pass on my German heritage using local ingredients. Quick and easy. That's my goal. Wunderbar food. That's the result.