No-Bake Lemon Cheesecake is one of my favourite desserts. Especially this recipe with a massive base and a thick layer of lemony cheesecake mix. The thicker, the better!

I realise that I start a lot of recipes by telling you that it’s one of my favourites.

I’m not lying. Most meals are my favourites. I love food. Except for celery, what on earth even is that?!

But, all that said, No-Bake Lemon Cheesecake is top-tier love. It’s sweet but tangy. Creamy, with a crunchy base. It’s such a fabulous flavour, and the texture. OMG.

I love it so much that over the years, I’ve adapted the recipe, as well as some of my other cheesecakes to make them bigger!

This basic lemon cheesecake started tiny. Now it’s deep and brilliant!

Side view of lemon cheesecake on glass cake stand.

For my big No-Bake Lemon Cheesecake I also go for a thicker base. I love the base. I use a simple mix of bashed-up biscuits and melted butter, and it works wonderfully.

Why I Love This Philadelphia Lemon Cheesecake

This Philadelphia lemon cheesecake no bake style is fabulous. I love it because:

It’s easy.
It’s super tangy. I love lemon desserts.
There’s a super thick digestive biscuit base/crust. I need a thick, crunchy base.
Lemon curd is always good, IMO!
It’s an old fashioned lemon cheesecake with no faff or fancy additions.
An easy lemon cheesecake recipe tastes much fancier than it is. Making it an ideal dessert for special occasions.

Top view of lemon cheesecake on cake stand, with slice cut out on plate to the side.

Ingredients for No-Bake Philadelphia Lemon Cheesecake

When I make my simple lemon cheesecake recipe, I use:

Digestive Biscuits

Butter or Margarine

Philadelphia Cream Cheese/Soft Cheese – It doesn’t have to be branded, but I recommend full fat cream cheese/soft cheese.

Icing Sugar

Fresh Lemon Juice and Zest

Double Cream

Lemon Curd

That’s it! I know some people prefer to use sweetened condensed milk in their recipe for easy lemon cheesecake, but I don’t.

See the recipe card at the bottom of this post to learn how to make lemon cheesecake.

What Kind of Soft Cheese is Best for Cheesecake?

Honestly, it’s down to personal preference.

Top view of lemon cheesecake, slice cut but not removed

More expensive soft cheese (we don’t really have hard blocks of cream cheese in England) tends to have a lower water content, so it can set firmer than cheaper store’s own soft cheese.

Philadelphia is a popular choice and is the closest that we get to an American Cream Cheese.

But don’t feel like you have to spend a fortune on branded cheese to make a cheesecake. It will work with cheaper options.

Is Mascarpone the Same as Cream Cheese?

side view of slice of cheesecake on plate, rest at the back of shot.

So, the difference, as I understand it, is in the fat content. Mascarpone, in essence, is an Italian Soft Cheese.

It’s made with full-fat milk and has a higher fat content than American Cream Cheese or our soft cheese/Philadelphia.

Mascarpone has a creamier flavour. You can absolutely use it in a cheesecake if you so wish, but it might be heavier and richer. I couldn’t eat a big slice!

You could also use Ricotta in your cheesecake, but again the flavour will be different. It could also be a little grainier and firmer than a cheesecake made with soft cheese/cream cheese.

side view of cheesecake, with one slice being pulled out.

I would say to use full-fat cheese, though. I find the flavour to be richer, and it sets firmer and holds shape better when sliced.

How Much Lemon Should I Put in Lemon Cheesecake?

Again, this is up to you and totally depends on how big your lemons are. I tend to add the juice and zest of one, mix it in and taste it.

I usually then add a second.

But the best way to get it right is to mix your soft cheese, sugar, and lemon and taste test, adding a little more lemon as you go.

Just remember, the more liquid you add, the longer it will take to set. 2 Average lemons are always about right for me.

Cream cheese, or soft cheese, has a bit of a tang to it already. Mascarpone is sweeter.

So, if you’ve previously made cheesecake with soft cheese, and have switched to mascarpone, expect to need more lemon to achieve the same tangy taste.

Can You Make Lemon Cheesecake with Lemon Extract?

You could make this basic lemon cheesecake recipe with lemon extract.

Just bear in mind lemon extract is a concentrated flavour. Personally, I would add tsp at a time, mix it in carefully and taste before adding any more.

Can You Make Lemon Cheesecake with Lemon Curd?

I love lemon curd. It’s amazing.

If you wanted to, you could stir a few tbsp of lemon curd into your cheesecake mix instead of lemon juice. Again, I’d recommend adding to taste.

Can You Use Caster Sugar Instead of Icing Sugar in Cheesecake?

In a baked cheesecake, I find that caster sugar works better than icing sugar. It’s thicker, so it bakes better.

In a no-bake cheesecake, however, the finer texture of icing sugar dissolves better, giving you a smoother cheesecake mix. You can swap for caster sugar, but the texture won’t be quite as smooth.

Getting the Right Butter-to-Biscuit Ratio for Cheesecake Base

The base is a super important part of any citrus cheesecake. So you want to get it right.

I use 400g Biscuits and 165g Butter or Margarine. If you want a deeper base, double this, or add an extra 50%.

Is a Digestive Biscuit the Same as a Graham Cracker?

No, not quite, I don’t think. Digestives are sweeter, but they are the closest thing to Graham Crackers in the UK and the two are often used interchangeably in sweet recipes.

Can You Make a Cheesecake Base with Rich Tea Biscuits?

Yes. Personally, I always make my basic no-bake cheesecakes with digestive, but I know a lot of people opt for rich tea.

How Do You Remove a No-Bake Cheesecake from the Tin?

I prefer to use a loose-bottomed tin when I make cheesecake. It makes it much easier to lift the cheesecake out without any sticking or mess.

Even then, I leave it to set completely before taking it out so that it’s firmer and easier to move. I also keep it on the base and use that as a plate.

If you want to move it, gently run a spatula under the cheesecake to loosen it up, and if you’ve got one, use a cake lifter to move it.

Can You Freeze No-Bake Cheesecake?

I believe you can freeze my No-Bake Lemon Cheesecake. It doesn’t last long enough here. It stays fresh in the fridge for a couple of days before the base starts to soften, but even then, it tastes great.

If you are freezing slices of no-bake cheesecake, cut the whole or what is left into portions and place them in a sealable tub, either individually wrapped or with baking paper between them so that they don’t stick together, or several tubs so that you can just take a slice out when you need to.

Decoration

You don’t have to decorate the top of your cheesecake at all. It’s perfect as it is. But here, I’ve used a piping bag just to swirl some lemon curd over the top and down the sides.

It looks good and adds a little more tang. I’m afraid I haven’t made my own lemon curd. It’s store-bought. But there’s a recipe here for homemade lemon curd if you’d rather.

3/4 shot of slice on plate, with rest in background.

You could also just drizzle the warm curd on messily with a spoon and even add a little lemon zest if you wanted to.

Why Hasn’t My Cheesecake Set?

A common problem people have when making cheesecake is that it doesn’t set firm enough. Leaving them trying to cut into a big sloppy mess.

Often, this is simply because it hasn’t been left to set for long enough. I know that you want to eat it right now, but it needs at least four hours in the fridge.

Overnight would be better if you can bear to wait. (I literally never can!)

It’s also possible that you have over-mixed your cheesecake, thus breaking the emulsion in the soft cheese.

Avoid this by mixing by hand and doing so very carefully. Using room-temperature soft cheese also means that you won’t need to mix as vigorously.

If you like this delicious quick lemon cheesecake recipe, you might also enjoy: