A light, luscious, no bake Lemon Cheesecake with a secret ingredient that makes it even healthier! Top with whipped cream and fresh berries for the perfect Spring or Easter dessert.
Hands up, lemon lovers!
So, I’m a big time Lemon Lover (Lemon Monkey Bread, Lemon Blueberry Doughnuts, Lemon Chicken — you name it). But it hasn’t always been this way.
And no, I’m not going to tell you the story of how I used to hate lemon every single time I make a lemon dessert. Maybe I’ll save that story for my lemon dessert next week 😉
Now, before you go and skip ahead to the recipe and get all mad about it, let me just tell you one thing: this recipe uses lemon JELLO.
And if that’s something you’re vehemently opposed to, that’s okay. You are probably not going to want to make this recipe. (But stay tuned for my next lemon dessert coming next week which is the real deal and totally, unbelievably delicious!)
I cook and bake the way my mom and my grandma cooked and baking when I was growing up. Most of the time, I cook and bake completely from scratch, from whole foods and real ingredients. And although my cupboards are full of cake mixes and emergency boxes of KD, I don’t use them very often at all. That being said, occasionally I do, when I’m in a hurry and sometimes when I’m not.
Because I don’t feel that the occasional box of Jello in a dessert is going to kill me or drastically change my quality of life. I take good care of my body, and I enjoy the foods I want to enjoy in moderation (and sometimes in reckless abandon).
That being said, if you maybe just don’t like the lemon Jello flavor, you could easily substitute any flavor you like! Raspberry or strawberry would be awesome with some fresh berries on top!
This recipe swaps out the traditional cream cheese for low fat cottage cheese, and though I am a stubborn Cottage Cheese Hater, I will actually use cottage cheese in recipes when it’s pureed and completely smooth (like these Light Chocolate Cheesecakes!). It makes for a creamy cheesecake high in protein and still gives you the tangy cream cheese flavor.
And unlike my Almost No Bake Mint Chocolate or Turtle Cheesecakes, this one is completely no bake, which means the crust isn’t baked to begin with! You can really go either way on any of the “no bake” cheesecakes though. Baking the crust for 10 minutes will help it stay together — so if you want to remove the cheesecake completely from the Springform pan, baking the crust for 10 minutes in a 350 degree oven is probably not a bad idea. But if you’d rather not turn on the oven? Don’t! The cheesecake as shown here was not baked at all.
Light No Bake Lemon Cheesecake
written by Ashley Fehr
Ingredients
- 1 package lemon Jello powder 4 serving size
- 1 cup boiling water
- 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
- 2 tablespoons butter melted
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 3 cups low fat cottage cheese
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- Whipped cream or whipped topping
- Fresh berries and lemon zest for garnish
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together lemon Jello powder and boiling water until smooth. Set aside to cool slightly.
- In another medium bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, butter and canola oil. Press firmly into the bottom of a 8 or 9″ Springform pan (a pie plate would work just as well!).
- Add cottage cheese and sugar to a blender and puree until completely smooth. Add the Jello mixture and puree until combined. Pour into prepared crust and refrigerate until completely set (at least 4 hours).
- Run a knife around the inside edge of the Springform pan to loosen the cheesecake. Remove the sides of the pan and garnish with whipped cream, fresh berries and lemon zest.
Nutrition Information
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Cyndi - My Kitchen Craze says
Your cakes are just gorgeous! This cake looks perfect for Easter! Love that it’s no bake too. It’ suppose to be in the 90’s at my parents house in CA, so this is perfect to make. Love the fruit topping too!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Cyndi! I can only dream about weather like that!
Kelly says
This cheesecake is GORGEOUS! I am such a sucker for lemons and I love that you lightened it up with cottage cheese – my favorite! And no bake makes it perfect for spring and summer! 🙂
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Kelly! I am a total sucker for lemons too!
Alice @ Hip Foodie Mom says
Ashley, I love lemon desserts! one of my faves! this cheesecake is gorgeous!!!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Alice! Me too!
Jess @ Flying on Jess Fuel says
Ooooh! How interesting to put cottage cheese in a cheesecake! I love lemon desserts– they are always so refreshing and not too heavy. I love that this is a light version, because that just means I can eat more. 😉 And I agree… while I don’t normally use thing like jello, I am ALL about taking shortcuts here and there… especially for treats like desserts. Looks delish!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Jess! I don’t normally use Jello much either, but it holds up so nicely as a no bake cheesecake, it works out well! And I’m all about the light desserts come spring time!
Dorothy Dunton says
Hi Ashley! I am a lemon lover! This is such a lovely Spring dessert! Like you, I usually make things from scratch but occasionally it makes sense to use shortcuts. Lemon jello (aka yellow jello) is not something I would eat as is, but in this form I would certainly dig right in! 🙂
Ashley Fehr says
Hi Dorothy! I can’t say I have ever eaten lemon Jello plain either! If I was going for Jello I’d definitely go for Raspberry or Strawberry instead, Haha 🙂 I love how it keeps the cheesecake together even though it’s no bake!
Medha @ Whisk & Shout says
Your photos are so lovely! This cheesecake looks super light and I love that it’s no bake 🙂
Rachel @ Bakerita says
Haha, I was never the biggest fan of lemon in desserts either! It’s only recently started growing on me. Regardless, this looks so perfect for spring, and I love that you topped it with all those berries and whipped cream!
Liz @ Floating Kitchen says
I love that we both basically wrote the same thing in our lemon posts this week – about learning to love lemon desserts. I’m totally hooked now, so that’s a very good thing. This cheesecake looks so fresh and perfect for Spring!
Gayle @ Pumpkin 'N Spice says
I am actually not the biggest lemon fan, but I do love it in cheesecakes! I think it’s because the lemon flavor isn’t so overpowering. Such a pretty dessert, Ashley! I’ve never used lemon jello in anything before, sounds like it gives this such a great flavor!
Erin @ MIss Scrambled Egg says
Ashley – This cheesecake looks heavenly. Everyone in my family is trying to eat really well and avoid sweets and alcohol. I think this would be the perfect surprise for them. It’s light and still has the wonderful creamy texture of full fat cheesecake.
Mary Schneider says
Ashley, I’m anxious to make this recipe. Could you tell me how much of the whipped cream you used? The whole container? half? Thanks.
Mary Schneider says
Oh, I just reread the recipe and I think I misunderstood. I thought you added the whipped cream to the cottage cheese mixture but now I see you just used it as a garnish. Duh. Thank you!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Mary! Hope you enjoy it!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Mary! Half should be enough! Enjoy!