Easy Homemade Jello No Bake Cheesecake

Name: Easy Homemade Jello No Bake Cheesecake
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 140 min
Ingredients: 3 ounce lemon Jello mix; 1 cup boiling water; 3 tablespoons lemon juice; 8 ounces cream cheese; 1 cup sugar; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 12 ounces heavy whipping cream (cold*); 1 graham cracker crust

Easy recipe for homemade Jello no bake cheesecake. Creamy lemon-y dessert made with Jello mix, cream cheese, and whipped cream.

We love a good cheesecake, and lemon Jello no bake cheesecake used to be one of our favorite desserts.

So color me happy when I found a recipe card for “Strawberry Miracle Cheesecake” in my grandma's recipe box. Only I'm not sure why it's got strawberry in the title because it's more of a lemon-y dessert, and you can put strawberries on top if you want.

slice of Jello no bake cheesecake topped with whipped cream on ivory plate with fork

The first time I made this recipe, I was really afraid the lemon flavor might be overpowering, but it really isn't. The creaminess far outweighs the lemon-y flavor.

This no bake lemon cheesecake is a Jello-based recipe with a delicious graham cracker crust. While you can make the crust homemade, I just picked up a crust already made at the store.

Being that this is a no bake dessert, it's also an eggless lemon cheesecake. So no need for eggs.

If you love cheesecake as much as we do, you'll love my favorite white chocolate raspberry cheesecake; or switch berries and make a delicious strawberry swirl cheesecake. Either way you can't go wrong.

WHERE CAN I FIND THE ACTUAL RECIPE CARD?

If you’d rather skip all of my cheesecake tips, important info for this recipe, and similar recipe ideas – and get straight to the Jello no bake cheesecake recipe – just scroll down to the bottom, where you’ll find a printable recipe card.

LET'S TALK ABOUT INGREDIENTS:

lemon Jello no bake cheesecake ingredients on white marble countertop

Lemon Jello Mix: You just need the smaller size Jello box, the 3 ounce box.

Cream Cheese: I recommend using full fat cream cheese, so you get all the creamy benefits of full fat.

Heavy Whipping Cream: Now the original recipe calls for Milnot, or evaporated milk. But it's required to chill it beforehand, and I always forget. So if you're like me and you forget, heavy whipping cream works just as well, maybe even better.

Graham Cracker Crust: Again, you can either make it homemade, or you can just pick up a crust at the store. You may have enough batter for 2 cheesecakes, depending on the size of your crust. Most of the store bought crusts are quite small.

Keep in mind, all of the ingredients and ingredient amounts you’ll need are in the printable recipe card below.

KITCHEN TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT YOU'LL NEED:

Liquid Measuring Cup: A larger liquid measuring cup makes it easy to mix up the Jello and pour it into your ingredients.

Stand Mixer or Hand Mixer with Extra Mixing Bowl

Pie Plate – If you're making your own crust. Otherwise, just use the pie plate that comes with your store-bought crust.

HOW TO MAKE JELLO CHEESECAKE FROM SCRATCH

This is such an easy no bake lemon cheesecake. It really only takes minutes to mix up; but it does require a little chill time.

Gather your ingredients and get to mixing…

First dissolve the lemon Jello mix in boiling water.
Then add the lemon juice to the jello mixture, stir it up well, and set aside.

making lemon jello and adding lemon juice to it in Pyrex measuring cup

Whip the cream cheese and sugar together.
Add vanilla to the cream cheese mixture, mixing well.
Now take the Jello mixture and mix it into the cream cheese mixture 'til smooth.

steps for making easy no bake lemon cheesecake, including mixing cream cheese and sugar, adding vanilla extract, and mixing lemon Jello mixture into cream cheese mixture

In a separate mixing bowl, whip the heavy whipping cream 'til it forms stiff peaks.
Then mix the heavy whipping cream into your cheesecake mixture, making it smooth and creamy.
Pour the cheesecake batter into the prepared graham cracker crust, cover, and chill for at least 1 to 2 hours

steps for making a no bake lemon cheesecake, including whipping heavy whipping cream in metal bowl 'til it has stiff peaks, mixing whipped cream into Jello cheesecake mixture 'til smooth and creamy, and pouring cheese cake batter into graham cracker crust in foil pie plate

Your cheesecake should become firm enough to slice and serve with strawberries or other fruit topping, along with whipped cream.

FAQ:

Why is my no bake cheesecake not firm?

One of the most important steps in this recipe is whipping the cold (make sure it's absolutely cold) heavy whipping cream 'til it forms stiff peaks. If those peaks aren't stiff enough, your cheesecake may come out more runny than firm. Chill time is also important. You may need to give it more than 1-2 hours to set up properly.

How should I store lemon Jello no bake cheesecake?

Be sure to cover it and store it in the refrigerator. It should keep for 4-5 days.

Can I freeze a no bake cheesecake?

You definitely can. Just be sure to cover and wrap it well with both plastic wrap and aluminum foil to prevent freezer burn. It should keep in the freezer for 3 months.

slice of Jello cheesecake topped with whipped cream on ivory plate with forked bite

VARIATIONS YOU CAN TRY WITH JELLO CHEESECAKE

Oh the flavors you can make with a Jello cheesecake…

Use strawberry Jello for a strawberry no bake cheesecake, similar to strawberry Cool Whip pie.
Make a creamsicle cheesecake with orange Jello and a little bit of orange zest.
Or how about a key lime cheesecake with lime jello?

I'm telling you, the possibilities are endless.

MORE VERY YUMMY LEMON DESSERTS:

GET THE PRINTABLE RECIPE

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