No Bake Lemon Cheesecake Cream Pie
I used were a bit larger (they hold about 1 1/2 cups of lemon mousse) so I was only able to make 3 servings. Plan accordingly if you are feeding a crowd! 🙂
How to Serve Lemon Cheesecake Cream Pie
Chilling is an important step in this recipe. It helps the lemon filling firm and creates the velvety texture essential in a no-bake cream pie. I recommend letting it chill for at least one hour, but you can let it go all the way up to 3 days. However, if you are letting it sit that long, I do not recommend adding the garnish until just before serving, as fresh lemon will not look as pretty after sitting out.
Lemon Cheesecake Cream Pie
PREP TIME10MINUTES MINS
CHILL TIME2HOURS HRS
TOTAL TIME2HOURS HRS 10MINUTES MINS
Seriously creamy Lemon Cheesecake is a great summer-time dessert and totally NO BAKE!
Ingredients
Shortbread Pie Crust
▢6 ounces finely crushed shortbread cookies, plus more for garnish▢2 tablespoons (28g) butter, melted
Lemon Cream Filling
▢24 ounces (680g) cream cheese, softened to room temperature▢1 1/3 cup (293g) confectioners sugar▢Juice of 1 lemon, about 1/4 cup▢1 teaspoon lemon extract, or more to taste (taste test as you go!)▢pinch kosher salt▢2 cups (476 g) whipped topping, plus more for garnish▢lemon slices, for garnish▢OPTIONAL: yellow food color for presentation (I did not add any)
Instructions
Shortbread Pie Crust
In a large bowl, combine the shortbread cookie crumbs with the melted butter. Pour into a prepared 8 in pie dish and firmly press to the edges to form a pie crust.
Lemon Cream Filling
In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until it is light and fluffy.
Add in the confectioners' sugar, lemon juice, lemon extract, and salt. Beat until everything is combined. (If you are adding food color, add it here.)
Gently fold in the whipped topping.
Pour filling mixture into prepared pie crust.
Refrigerate for 2 – 6 hours. Top with remaining whipped topping, remaining, shortbread crumbs, and lemon.
Notes
The lemon extract in this recipe really adds a depth of lemon flavor that is essential in a cream pie. If you don’t have immediate access to lemon extract you can substitute additional fresh lemon juice.
Here is a simple equivalency:
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice = 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
This recipe uses 1 teaspoon of lemon extract, so you will need 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice. If you opt for the fresh lemon juice, I do recommend adding about 1/2 tsp. of lemon zest to the shortbread crust to maximize the lemon flavor.
