This No-Bake Lime Cheesecake is the perfect dessert for summer when you want something delicious without turning on the oven. Made with unflavored gelatin, it sets just like a traditional cheesecake but without the need for baking. The result is a creamy, tangy treat with a refreshing lime flavor—ideal for BBQs, picnics, or any occasion when you want a simple, crowd-pleasing dessert that’s as easy to make as it is to enjoy.
While I am making this with a pate sucree (sweet pie dough) crust, you can also buy a premade graham cracker crust to simplify and speed up the process.
More no-bake recipes- Berry icebox recipe, lemon icebox cake, banana icebox cake, no-bake lemon cheesecake, patriotic trifle.
Ingredients
- All-purpose flour- for the pate sucree
- Butter- For the pastry crust.
- Salt- you will only use a little in the crust, but don’t skip this.
- Egg yolk- again for crust.
- Unflavored gelatin- If you have never used this before, don’t be intimidated. It is so simple to use.
- Cream cheese- Be sure to soften it before mixing.
- Granulated sugar- to sweeten the dough and filling.
- Vanilla
- Limes- We will use both the lime zest and juice for the filling.
How to Make
Pate Sucree:
If you are making the pate brisee for a crust, follow these steps. If not, skip to the filling instructions. Combine the flour and salt in a bowl and mix. Cut the chilled butter into ½-inch pieces. Add this to the flour and cut in until the butter is in pea-sized pieces. Next, pour in the ice water. Mix until it is incorporated, then knead a couple times until it comes together. You do not want to overmix.
Form into a disk and chill for at least 1 hour. When it is chilled roll it out on a lightly floured surface. Gently press into your tart pan and place in the fridge for 30 minutes and preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Put a piece of parchment carefully in the tart shell to hold your pie weights or beans. Add the weights in and move the tart shell to the oven. Bake for 10 minutes with the weights in. Then carefully remove the parchment and weights and return the shell to the oven. Bake for another 7-10 minutes until the tart shell is a light golden brown on the edges.
Remove the shell from the oven and set on a cooling rack to cool.
No-bake filling:
Once the shell is cooled, it is time to start the filling. Bloom the gelatin (curious about what this means? Read the gelatin section below) by sprinkling it over the water in a small container. Mix and set it aside for 5 minutes. When the 5 minutes are up, I like to microwave it for 3-4 SECONDS to loosen it up a bit.
Add the cream cheese, sugar, lime zest, lime juice, and vanilla. Mix until it is smooth with a hand mixer or by hand. Next, continue mixing while slowly pouring in the gelatin/water mixture. Once it is all in, mix well to ensure everything is incorporated.
Pour immediately into the pan. Let this chill and set for at least 1 hour before serving. Garnish with lime slices and more lime zest. The tart will hold in the fridge for up to 3 days.
What is pate sucree?
Pâte sucrée is a French sweet shortcrust pastry dough used for tarts and other desserts. It has a tender, crumbly texture due to its higher sugar content and the addition of egg, which enriches the dough and helps bind it together. Unlike pâte brisée, which is more neutral in flavor and flaky, pâte sucrée is slightly crisp and cookie-like, making it ideal for desserts like fruit tarts and cream-filled pastries. The sugar in the dough also helps inhibit gluten development, resulting in a more delicate texture. To prevent shrinking during baking, pâte sucrée is often chilled before being rolled out and blind-baked for a sturdy, buttery crust.
What does it mean to bloom gelatin?
Blooming unflavored gelatin is the process of hydrating the granules so they dissolve smoothly when heated. It begins by sprinkling the gelatin over a cold liquid, allowing it to sit for about 5 to 10 minutes. During this time, the granules absorb the liquid and swell as they hydrate. As the gelatin soaks, its tightly coiled proteins begin to unwind, loosening from their dry, compact state. Once bloomed, the gelatin is gently heated, allowing it to dissolve completely into the liquid and form a smooth, uniform mixture. As the mixture cools, the proteins realign into a network that traps liquid, creating a firm, stable gel. Blooming ensures even dispersion and prevents clumping, resulting in a consistent and smooth texture in the final dish.
No-Bake Lime Cheesecake Recipe
Ingredients
Pate Sucree
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ½ cup chilled butter, cut in 1 inch cubes
- 1 egg yolks
- ¼-1/3 cup ice water
Cheesecake Filling
- ½ cup water
- 1 envelope unglavored gelatin
- 2 8 oz Packages Cream Cheese
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup fresh lime juice
- 2 tablespoons lime zest plus extra for topping
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ¼ cup thinly sliced limes for topping
Instructions
- Pate Sucree: If you are making the pate brisee for a crust, follow these steps. If not, skip to the filling instructions. Combine the flour and salt in a bowl and mix. Cut the chilled butter into ½-inch pieces. Add this to the flour and cut in until the butter is in pea-sized pieces. Next, pour in the ice water. Mix until it is incorporated, then knead a couple times until it comes together. You do not want to overmix.
- Form into a disk and chill for at least 1 hour. When it is chilled roll it out on a lightly floured surface. Gently press into your tart pan and place in the fridge for 30 minutes and preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Put a piece of parchment carefully in the tart shell to hold your pie weights or beans. Add the weights in and move the tart shell to the oven. Bake for 10 minutes with the weights in. Then carefully remove the parchment and weights and return the shell to the oven. Bake for another 7-10 minutes until the tart shell is a light golden brown on the edges.
- Remove the shell from the oven and set on a cooling rack to cool.
- No-bake filling: Once the shell is cooled, it is time to start the filling. Bloom the gelatin by sprinkling it over the water in a small container. Mix and set it aside for 5 minutes. When the 5 minutes are up, I like to microwave it for 3-4 SECONDS to loosen it up a bit.
- Add the cream cheese, sugar, lime zest, lime juice, and vanilla. Mix until it is smooth with a hand mixer or by hand. Next, continue mixing while slowly pouring in the gelatin/water mixture. Once it is all in, mix well to ensure everything is incorporated.
- Pour immediately into the pan. Let this chill and set for at least 1 hour before serving. Garnish with lime slices and more lime zest. The tart will hold in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Notes
- This recipe uses a process called “blind baking” which simply means pre-cooking your crust before adding a filling. Once the dough’s in the tart pan, you’ll want to cover it with parchment paper, then fill the top with something to keep the crust from shrinking during baking. I have pie weights, but you can also use dried beans. You won’t be able to cook the beans after, but you can use them over and over for blind baking.
- The gelatin comes in a powdered form, so we need to “bloom” or soften it before using it. I used to do this with really hot water, but now I use lukewarm water and just heat it if needed. If it is too clumpy, heat. If it softens smoothly, you’re good to go!
- I use a Microplane for zesting the limes. If you don’t have one, though, you can peel off thin layers of the lime (just the green part), then chop it very fine.
Did you make this recipe? Let me know!