No Bake Lemon Bar Cheesecake

This lemon bar cheesecake has a buttery, pecan shortbread crust and crumble topping, with creamy no bake lemon cheesecake filling and swirls of tangy lemon curd. With the pecan crust and crumb topping, this easy lemon cheesecake recipe has all the flavor of lemon bars or a classic lemon lush dessert!

You might also love these high altitude recipes for lemon pudding poke cake, lemon pistachio tea cake, and iced lemon curd linzer cookies.

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Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Quick and Easy. As far as cheesecakes go, a no bake cheesecake is a much faster dessert to make than a baked cheesecake. There’s no water bath and no long bake time. And after assembling your cheesecake, it only needs a short time to chill before it can be sliced and served. The “no bake” aspect refers to the lemon cheesecake filling, however, note that the press-in-the-pan shortbread crust does need to be baked.

High Altitude Tested. I develop all the recipes on my site for Denver’s altitude of 5,280 feet. If you’re at a lower or higher elevation, please see my FAQs for guidance on adjusting recipes for your altitude. Today’s no bake lemon cheesecake recipe will work at any altitude, though.

See the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.

Ingredients

Crust and Crumble Topping

• Pecans. The pecans add a nutty, rich flavor to the crust that’s just so good. Instead of pecans, you could also try almonds, walnuts, or even pistachios.
• Flour. You’ll need plain all purpose flour to give the crust structure.
• Granulated Sugar. Adds sweetness.
• Salt. Balances sweetness and enhances flavors.
• Butter. Binds the crust together and adds moisture and flavor.

Filling

• Cream Cheese. You’ll need block style cream cheese, preferably full fat. Only let it soften on your kitchen counter for about 30 minutes, so it’s still cool when you make the filling.
• Powdered Sugar. Adds sweetness, while the fine texture dissolves easily into the filling.
• Fresh Lemon Zest. You’ll be using freshly grated lemon zest, however, you won’t need the juice from the lemon for this recipe.
• Vanilla Extract. Flavor.
• Heavy Whipping Cream. The high fat content whips into soft, fluffy peaks that hold their shape, which is necessary for the texture of a no bake cheesecake.
• Lemon Curd. You can use either homemade lemon curd or store bought lemon curd.

Instructions

Crust

• Preheat the oven to 350 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven. Line the base of an 8 or 9 inch springform pan with a removable bottom with parchment paper. Lightly spray the sides of the pan with non-stick baking spray.
• In your food processor, pulse the pecans, flour, sugar and salt until the pecans are finely ground. With the processor running, drop tablespoon sized pieces of the cold butter down the chute, pulsing until the mixture is moist and crumbly. If you squeeze a handful of crumbs in your hand, it should stay together.
• Press 3/4 cup of the crumb mixture into the bottom of a small baking dish. Dump the remainder of the crumb mixture into your prepared springform pan. Press the crumbs into an even layer against the bottom and 2 inches up the side of the springform pan.
• Bake the crust (and the small baking dish with the extra crumb mixture) for about 20 minutes, until pale golden brown. If it puffs up a little, just use a spoon to gently press it back down while it’s hot from the oven.
• Cool the crust completely, before adding the filling. Use your fingers to crumble the reserved 3/4 cup of baked crumb mixture, to use for the crumb topping.

Filling

• In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese, powdered sugar and lemon zest for 1-2 minutes, until smooth.
• Scrape down the bowl, and add the vanilla. Stream in the cream. Beat on medium speed for several more minutes, until thick and fluffy enough to hold its shape.

• Spread the cheesecake filling into the cooled crust, spread the lemon curd on top, then sprinkle with the crumb topping.
• Refrigerate the cheesecake for 30 minutes before serving. Run a sharp knife around the side of the crust to loosen it from the pan, then remove the sides of the pan. Slide the cheesecake off the base (and off the parchment paper) and onto a serving plate.

Be sure to read all of my BAKING FAQs where I discuss ingredients, substitutions and common baking questions, so that you can be successful in your own baking!

Frequently Asked Questions

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