No-Bake Lemon Cheesecake

Need an easy, elegant dessert? Try our no-fail No-Bake Lemon Cheesecake made with Greek yogurt

Simplicity is the new sophistication

That’s the saying on my favorite coffee mug. The one with the glued-on handle and chip on the rim. The one I grab before any other even if it’s at the back of the cupboard. But this post isn’t about coffee or haphazard mug collection, it’s about simplicity.

Years ago (pre-egg allergy) I would have never dreamed of making a no-bake cheesecake because I loved the challenge and the tedium of making a real New York-style cheesecake. The crust, the water bath – the whole nine yards. But things have changed. I no longer have time to make elaborate desserts on the regular so enter the no-bake cheesecake. Every bit as lovely and special but without the work, the eggs and all that sugar.

So let’s talk about this no-bake lemon cheesecake, shall we?

Like most of my recipes, I wanted something with a short ingredient list, a quick prep time and quality ingredients. The cheesecake also had to set up without the use of thickeners and be freezer-friendly in case I wanted to freeze a few slices to have on hand for a last minute dessert emergency (that’s a thing, right?!)

Well, I nailed it thanks to the thickest and creamiest Greek yogurt I’ve even laid tastebuds on! I’ve been using Kalona Supernatural butter, sour cream (<– the BEST!) and heavy cream for a few years because it’s organic, made with grass-fed milk and my purchase supports a community of local family farmers in Kalona, IA. And then I tried their Greek yogurt and was smitten. It’s so thick and so creamy and perfectly tangy – and just the texture I was looking for to make this no-bake lemon cheesecake stand on it’s own without gelatin or agar.

Look at how thick that is! I used the Vanilla & Lavender flavor because vanilla. And lavender. But you can also use plain and add a touch of honey to sweeten the filling. I loved how the sublime flavor of the lavender complimented the lemon. One lick of the spoon and I pretty much pirouetted right there in the kitchen (if you can picture that going down…).

Why support small family farms?

Sadly, small family farms are being gobbled up by large corporate farms which means values such as humane animal husbandry, sustainable farming practices, jobs, family legacies and more are also disappearing. I realize that not everyone can buy everything locally produced or sourced. We’re often bound by budget, geography, climate, lack of distribution and more. Myself included.

So when I find a company who produces an incredibly high-quality product at a fair price and who’s values are similar to my own, then I’m all over it. For me, Kalona Supernatural is one such company offering organic dairy products from cows pastured on grass – not grains. The milk used in their yogurt, butter, sour cream and cottage cheese, in addition to the fluid milk for drinking, is low-temperature pasteurized and never homogenized so it has a thick layer of cream on top that you can see. Mmmmmm….now that’s how milk should be!

You can learn more about Kalona Supernatural and Amish and Mennonite family farmers that make it possible by clicking here.

This No-Bake Lemon Cheesecake is so good you won’t want to mess with fussy baked cheesecakes again!

Okay, maybe you will. When you have time and you want to go all out. But for everyday special occasions and those who want to keep it simple, this recipe will soon become your new go-to.

Recipe

No-Bake Lemon Cheesecake

A light and tangy cheesecake without all the fuss! Serve it with fresh berries and extra lemon zest for a simple yet elegant dessert.

Prep: 30 minsTotal: 30 mins

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Servings: 10 1x

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Ingredients

Crust:

• 1 cup raw almonds
• 1 cup raw pecan halves
• 6 medjool dates, pitted
• 2 Tbsp. Kalona Supernatural Unsalted Butter
• ¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
• ⅛ tsp. sea salt

Filling:

• 2 8-ounce packages organic cream cheese, softened
• 1 ¼ cup (10 oz.) Kalona Supernatural Plain Greek Yogurt (or Vanilla Lavender Greek Yogurt)
• Zest + juice of 1 lemon
• ¼ cup honey (decrease to 1–2 Tbsp. if using Vanilla Lavender yogurt)
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• ¼ tsp. lemon extract or a few drops of lemon essential oil (optional)

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Instructions

1. Place almonds, pecans, dates, butter, cinnamon and salt into the bowl of a food processor. Process until crumbly and mixture resembles coarse sand.
2. Line the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan with a circle of parchment paper (or lightly grease a 9-inch pie plate with butter, if preferred).
3. Press nut mixture into an even layer in the bottom of the pan using your fingers. Place pan in the fridge to chill while you make the filling.
4. Wipe food processor bowl clean then add filling ingredients. Process until mixture is smooth. Pour over crust and return to fridge for 6 hours or up to overnight.
5. For a firmer cheesecake, place in freezer for 1 hour prior to serving.
6. Garnish with fresh berries and lemon zest, if desired, prior to serving

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Notes

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Nutrition Information

• Serving Size: 1/10th of cake
• Calories: 442
• Fat: 19g
• Sodium: 183mg
• Carbohydrate: 24g
• (Fiber: 4g
• Sugar: 19g)
• Protein: 19g

Dietary

Egg-FreeGluten-freeGrain-FreeVegetarian

© The Real Food Dietitians

Recipe By: The Real Food Dietitians

Note: We’ve only tested this recipe with the listed ingredients and measurements, unless otherwise noted. If you would like to try a substitution, we would love to have you share what you used and how it turned out in the comments below. Thanks!

This post was made possible by our friends at Kalona Supernatural. Though we received compensation for this post, the opinions expressed here are  – as always -100% our own. Thank you for supporting the great companies we work with thereby allowing us to continue creating great recipes and content for you.

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