Get ready for our famous sugar-free no-bake lemon cheesecake, one of the top low-carb dessert recipes for this entire website.
If you love no-bake cheesecakes, this is a keeper at only 3g net carbs!
Why are no-bake cheesecakes so popular?
Everyone loves no bake cheesecakes because they are quick, easy and you don’t need a hot kitchen on a summer’s day. When it’s holiday season or barbecue season, a cheesecake is the perfect healthy sugar free dessert. But when it’s summer, a no bake recipe is amazing rather than a regular baked cheesecake.
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Which low-carb flour should you use?
This easy homemade recipe uses almond flour and desiccated/shredded coconut. But don’t worry, if you don’t like these, I have handy substitutions for you.
Using almond flour or almond meal (ground almonds) and melted butter is the easiest cheesecake crust you can find. Simply mix them together and press into your dessert dish that has been lined with baking parchment.
Place the crust in the fridge and it will set in 1-2 hours. But luckily you can pour your cheesecake filling on top before the crust has set.
Many readers don’t like the subtle flavour of desiccated/shredded coconut so you can simply substitute 1:1 additional almond flour instead.
Which sweeteners to use?
The very first no-bake cheesecakes I made were my no-bake berry cheesecake and lime cheesecake.
These are great recipes for beginners and who want something FAST because you simply add cream cheese to store-bought sugar-free jelly/jello packets.
The ease, simplicity, and convenience especially help those who are new to baking and new to low-carb recipes.
However, I was never happy with the artificial sweeteners in the store-bought sugar-free jelly/jello packets.
So I decided to develop this no-bake cheesecake using gelatin and my favourite no sugar sweetener, to replace the sugar-free jelly/jello packets.
This sugar free cheesecake may take a few extra minutes using gelatine and sweetener. But the end result is well worth the effort!
TOP TIP: As with ALL recipes here, ALWAYS taste your batter BEFORE cooking to ensure you have added enough sweetener to suit YOUR tastebuds. Read the Ultimate Guide To Low-Carb Sweeteners.
What equipment do you need?
All you need to make a smooth cheesecake is a stick blender, electric whisk or a food processor. If you don’t have any of these kitchen gadgets, you can mix the cheesecake filling by hand. However, it may take a little longer and you may end up with lumpy cheesecake.
How to serve your lemon cheesecake
I have to say that this sugar-free no-bake lemon cheesecake is my favourite cheesecake I have ever developed.
It is so adaptable and can be served as one large family cheesecake, or it can be poured into individual ramekin dishes for instant portion control.
I generally serve it with whipped cream and thin slices of lemon.
You might even want to sprinkle some fine lemon zest over the top to give it a sparkle.
How to balance the tart and sweet flavours
Make sure you taste the mixture BEFORE pouring the cheesecake into the serving dish.
Balancing flavour is such a personal measurement, so start with the recipe and tweak it as needed.
Adjust the amount of sweetener according to YOUR tastes and depending on how sour your lemons are. Taking this extra step will help you avoid a final dessert that you’re just not in love with.
More Low-Carb Dessert Recipes & Low-Carb Cake Recipes …
How long can cheesecake be stored in the fridge?
Ideally, you want to eat it within 4-5 days. Make sure to keep it covered tightly with plastic wrap or in an airtight container to maintain the moisture.
This will also help prevent it from absorbing other odors in your fridge.
For a longer storage time, you can freeze your cheesecake. Make sure it is fully set before you freeze or the setting process won’t work as it should.
Freezing will allow you to keep your leftover cheesecake for 2-3 months.
More keto lemon desserts
- Lemon meringue pie (single serve)
- Low-carb lemon meringue pie (family sized pie)
- Sugar-free lemon bars
- Lemon cupcakes (with keto cream cheese frosting)
- Lemon coconut cake
No-Bake Keto Lemon Cheesecake Recipe
Equipment
- Stick Blender
- Mixing Bowls
- Measuring cups and spoons
Ingredients
Cheesecake Base
- 2 tsp granulated sweetener of choice or more, to your taste
- 150 g almond meal/flour
- 55 g butter melted
- 50 g desiccated/shredded coconut unsweetened
Lemon Cheesecake Filling
- 12 g powdered gelatine
- 2 tbsp granulated sweetener of choice or more, to your taste
- 200 ml boiling water
- 200 ml cold water
- 500 g cream cheese full fat (not the ‘spreadable’ variety)
- 4 tbsp lemon zest
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
Instructions
Cheesecake Base
- Mix all the ingredients and press into a greased and lined pie/flan dish.
- Pop in the fridge while making the cheesecake filling.
Lemon Cheesecake Filling
- Pour the boiling water into a large jug and whisk in the gelatine powder. Whisk until all dissolved.
- Add the remaining cold water.
- Add the cream cheese, lemon zest, lemon juice and sweetener.
- Using a stick blender with the blade attachment, blend on a slow speed until smooth and lump free.
- Pour onto the prepared base.
- Refrigerate until set.
Video
Notes
- No added sugar – any sugar in the nutritional panel comes from the coconut, almonds and lemon juice.
- Please taste the mixture before pouring into the dish. You will need to adjust the amount of sweetener according to YOUR tastes and depending on how sour your lemons are.
Nutrition
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I am allergic to coconut. Do you have a substitute or do u absolutelyhave to have it?
No. You can actually delete the coconut if you like, just add more ground almonds instead to make up the volume and the correct consistency.
What size dish would you recommend using for a large cheesecake?
24cm or 9 1/2 inches pie dish 🙂
Hi Libby!
Great recipe! just to confirm for your recipe is for a 9.5 inch pie dish?
And… do you think I can use coconut flour instead of shredded coconut?
thanks!
Correct it is a 9.5 inch across pie dish (I just went and measure it again). No you can’t interchange coconut flour and desiccated coconut, totally different properties and volumes used. If you don’t like coconut, maybe try my other pie crust made with almonds, just remove the salt and pepper, add some stevia and lemon zest to make it applicable to this recipe.
thanks 🙂
I just love cheesecake, another great recipe, thanks..
All the best Jan
We don’t eat gelatin. Can it be substituted with Agar Agar? What would the measurement be? Thanks
I’m sure you could use agar agar. I don’t know what the measurement would be but use enough to set 500ml of water would be sufficient.
do you grind your own almonds or can you use almond meal? (Or is that too fine?)
I buy the ground almonds but if your blender is powerful enough you can make your own.
is ground almonds the same as almond meal? Or do you grind your own almonds?
Almond meal is the same as ground almonds, they contain the almond skins (the little dark flecks you see) and coarse. Almond flour have had the skins removed and is finer and more expensive. You could make your own if you have a powerful enough blender. Just don’t blend them too much otherwise you will end up with almond butter 😉
How long does this take to set? It’s so runny I’ve never made a cheesecake so liquidy before!
It usually takes a few hours in the fridge. The gelatine will set it nicely.
the amount of stevia required in this recipe is too much.
Did you use granulated stevia? I always state “granulated stevia, or sweetener to taste” as sweet taste is incredibly personal and individual.
I have just started to “ditch the carbs”. I have a huge sweet tooth and thought that I would make this cheesecake to give me a “treat” when I needed it. Originally the cheesecake tasted very sour to me, but over the few days that I have been eating this cheesecake, I have grown to really like it’s tartness. I added quite a bit more lemon zest and juice (2 more lemons than in the recipe). Thank you so much for your website, I can’t wait to make more recipes!
Can I leave off the crust for this to be suitable for Atkins induction? Also, can I use lime juice instead of lemon juice for a “key lime” pie? Thanks!
Absolutely. That would make for a great key lime pie. Thanks for the suggestion.
I actually found the crust to be very bland, I couldn’t stomach the taste 🙁 but the filling is delicious!
You could put some lemon zest in the base, or add more sweetener. Maybe some ginger? That would go well with lemon.
I usually add cinnamon — ½ tsp for the half quantity cheesecake I make. Yummy.
This was amazing, I done a mixture of almond and macadamia nuts for the base. My pis dish wasn’t deep enough for the filling so I poured some if the topping into two glasses and and had two extra mousse puddings .. Yum, thank you 🙂
Roughly how many hours does this take to set? Its been in the fridge for three hours and its still really runny
If made as a large cheesecake should take 4 hours, last night I made them as individual cheesecakes and they took an hour.
Ever thought of using marscapone instead? No need for the gelatine. This is a recipe I’ve used for over 20 years. I’ve now replaced the biscuits with your base and the sugar with stevia. So easy and no messing about with gelatin:
Mascarpone & Lime Torte
Delicious and sophisticated dessert with amazing flavours
Total time: 45 minutes
Serves: 6
Ingredients
200g ginger snap biscuits, crushed
50g butter, melted
2 x 250g tubs of mascarpone cheese
40g icing sugar, sifted
finely grated zest and juice of 2 limes
To decorate:
50g deluxe dark chocolate
50g caster sugar
a few grapes
Method
Mix together the crushed biscuits and melted butter and press into the base of a 18cm spring sided, or loose bottomed cake tin.
Place the mascarpone, icing sugar, lime zest and juice in a bowl and beat together. Spread over the base. Chill for 30 minutes.
To decorate, melt the chocolate as per pack instructions. was and pat dry soem rose leaves. Pull the underside of the leaves along the melted chocolate until coated. Allow leaves to dry coated side up.
Meanwhile to frost the grapes, dip in water, shake off the excess and coat with caster sugar.
Then carefully peel away each rose leaf starting at the stem and arrange with the grapes on top of the torte,
That looks like a beautiful recipe. The reason I use cream cheese so much more than Mascarpone is that it is so expensive here. I’ll keep an eye out for when it is on ‘special’ and make you recipe. Thank you so much for sharing it. 🙂
I love this cheesecake, and I love your site Libby! I make a half quantity and it does take 3-4 hours to set… I actually use a little more gelatine. I get six modest serves so that’s dessert taken care of for a week! (I keep it covered in the fridge.)
I’ve made it four times now, and one time I substituted 2 Tb cocoa for the lemon rind/juice. The resulting chocolate cheesecake was gorgeous too!
Hey thanks Brenda. It’s so nice to hear how people are getting on. I’m getting a lot of great feedback on this recipe. I love your idea of the chocolate cheesecake. Thanks.
Just made a half batch.. was wondering how long it would take to set (have done 6 individual ones.. thanks for this post 🙂
The whole cheesecake takes about 4 hours to set, so I would estimate 2-3 hours for half the recipe.
if I use the sugar free jelly, do i follow the recipe and use 3tsp?
If you use the sugar free jelly, you can do away with the gelatine and stevia altogether. You must use enough sugar free jelly that would set 500ml. Dissolve the sugar free sachet in the 200ml boiling water as per the recipe. Once the cheesecake mixture is made, taste it and add more stevia if required as it may not be sweet enough.
First time I’ve made a cheesecake! Super easy and delicious! Thanks Libby. I will definitely be making this again.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Wendy. It is becoming a really popular recipe here, especially when it is served to the unsuspecting sugar lovers 😉
I think two tbsp of powdered gelatine was too much and I’ll use a little less next time. Was a bit too well set. And (rookie mistake) waited too long before pouring the mixture into the base and it set a bit. Might also use a little less sweeter in the base too.
It actually says 3 teaspoons
how weird…my 3 tsps didnt work AT ALL! i have now added 2 more tsp!! so ive put 5 tsps and still waiting for it to set.
You posted this 2 minutes after the first comment – no gelatine sets that fast! Sending you some magic gelatine across the internet 😉
I might have posted the comment at a certain time…but i made the cheesecake hours before i was posting.
Made at about 11am…posted at about 5pm. BUt added 2 more teaspoons and mixed it up and by 9pm it was ready to eat.
Brilliant. I’m so happy it set 🙂
Hi Libby could you tell me the carb value of the base?I’ve never like the bases in cheesecakes or pies but would love to make your cheesecake for dessert.
Almonds and coconut give the most of the carbs for this recipe so by not having the base reduces them immensely. I always ask readers to use MyFitnessPal or cronometer.com to work out your own values with your own brand of ingredients you have bought as they vary so widely. My values are as a guide only. You can easily make the cheesecake only and set it in teacups or ramekin dishes. I like your idea. Lower in carbs, cheaper and easier.
Hi I was wondering how many sheets of gelatine do you need if you don’t have powdered gelatine?
3 tsp gelatine allows 500ml liquid to set as a jelly. The cream cheese (original, not spreadable) is already firm so the 500ml jelly allows it to set to a light consistancy. So read your gelatine sheets (they all vary slightly) and see how many are required to set 500ml liquid.
My daughter si vegetarian – is it possible you can develop something like this cheesecake – without gelatine? PLEASE? It is delicious!
Great suggestion, I’ll see what I can come up with 🙂
Just wanted to say I am vegeterian and I found something called “jel-it-in” a vegetarian alternative in Woolworths. It works exactly the same way and the cheesecake turned out fantastic.
Brilliant Jacinta! Thanks for the awesome tip. I’m always on the look out for alternatives for ingredients that aren’t suitable for readers for various reasons. Thanks for sharing “jel-it-in” (P.S. Love that name)
Hi Libby, I am just wondering about the base of the cheesecake… I HATE coconut and wondered could I replace the 50g with additional almond flour? Or, do you not really taste the coconut that much? Thank you, Angie
For sure. Just have a play around with the amount of butter you may need as almond flour is more absorbent than desiccated coconut so you may need just a little extra to help it to bind and set.
just made this using lime jelly and I made the base with Almonds and Brazil nuts cant wait to taste it when it sets
ok update OMG this was amazing took some to work and all the girls loved it going to make this again Thank you for the recipe
Ya hoo! I love hearing this. Any requires for the next flavour I need to develop?
would love a strawberry or any other berries flavor?
Hi I have just made the cheesecake and put it in the fridge to set, would love to make it for xmas as well could you please tell me how long it would last in the fridge and can you freeze it thanks 🙂
Tracy I think it may be too delicate to freeze (and mine never stays around for long enough to have leftovers) but it will stay fresh in the fridge for 3 days.
How risky am i????? I never made this before but decided to double to recipe and pour into a 9×13 lasagna bowl and hope I can cut in to squares. Praying it comes out delicious!
Living life on the edge – I like it 😉
Definitely going to make this over the weekend…I love everything lemon! Instead of 3 tsp gelatin and 2 TBSP sweetener, I’ll instead use 3 TBSP sugar free lemon instant pudding. Maybe even cut the zest and juice in half, too.
Thank you so much for this recipe! I just made it for a work function and my co-workers absolutely RAVED about these. I altered the recipe slightly for convenience, as I use standard measurements, and to use ingredients I had on hand. See below:
7oz. almonds, ground in a food processor
4 T butter
1 packet Splenda
1/8 t ground ginger, per your suggestion in a previous comment 🙂
1 packet lemon sugar-free Jello (2 cup yield)
3/4 cup boiling water
3/4 cup cold water
2x 8oz. blocks of cream cheese
zest of one lemon
pinch of salt
1 packet Splenda
I lined an 8×8 glass baking dish with parchment paper, pressed the crust into the bottom, filled with cream cheese mixture, set overnight, and cut into 16 squares. Given the size of the dish used, I’ll probably make less crust next time.
Again, I cannot thank you enough. My co-workers are already begging me to make this again.
Wow Nicole, I can’t thank you enough for this amazing review. I sure need this today. I have another couple of cheesecakes which are similar to yours using a packet of sugar free jelly for convenience (I just shy away from those sweeteners now) so take a look at my lime cheesecake and raw cheesecake. Another work morning tea perhaps? Thanks for your recipe and amazing lovely comment. Libby 🙂
The recipe mod with the 3/4 cup hot water and 3/4 cup cold water with sugar free jello is versatile. I have made it with sugar free lime jello and fresh lime juice and zest. The best one is with strawberry SF jello and fresh strawberries. Just use Nicole’s recipe with the 2 bricks of cream cheese and the water and stevia and fresh strawberries and whip it with a hand mixer. Leave it in the bowl and chill for a few hours and scoop it out in a dish with some whipped cream. Lemon SF jello with fresh blueberries is also a home run. The base is always the same, water,jello,stevia,fruit of choice and cream cheese. Best sugar free dessert.
Not sure what happned…but my mixture is like soup. I have now added another 2 tsp gelatine andput back in the fridge hoping it will set. 400ml water seemed a bit excessive? Or maybe the gelatine in South Africa is weak! lol.
Read the instructions that come with your gelatine but generally 3 teaspoons will easily set 500ml liquid. It does end up with the consistency of double cream before setting, but I have never had a failure of this recipe. Did it set in the end? It takes a few hours.
Have just made this, worried about the consistency of the filling when I was pouring it in it was like soup. Will update when it’s set ?
Update:
Set perfectly in just under 4 hours ! Although I found I put way too much lemon juice (2 lemons) and was too tart, will put less next time. But all around amazing recipe !
you just answered my question that I was looking for an answer to. I made this a couple of hours ago and it is still fairly “runny”. Hoping it will set soon cause it smells and tastes lovely. Would hate to find it a terribly liquid mess at the end – thank you.
I’m interested that it worked for some people, as it certainly didn’t for me! I was going to halve the amounts, as I only needed it for four people. However, when I did this, there was about 4 tablespoons of base mixture – not enough to cover my small baking tray. So I doubled that again, to get back to the original quantity, which was just about enough. There was gallons of topping – so much so that I had to discard some of it. I would say the original quantity gives enough base for two and enough topping for eight. Then it wouldn’t set, so I had to pour it out, whisk in more gelatine and put it in the freezer until it froze. It didn’t taste very nice – not lemony enough, and the following morning, in the fridge, it remained set,mbitnlpts of liquid came out of it. What a disaster – I’m glad I was cooking it for good friends!
I cant understand how you only got 4 tbsp of base when it is over 250g of ingredients, even if you halved it there would still be enough for a base. As for the topping the cream cheese must be full fat and solid and the water/gelatine mix dilutes it to be light and the gelatine sets the water. Did you use a stick blender to make sure it was smooth and completely mixed?
This is the very FIRST low carb dessert I have made and enjoyed. And I have tried a lot! This was really wonderful. I don’t have a hand/stick mixer so I just threw it all in a blender after dissolving the gelatin and gave it a few whirls. It was wonderful! It set perfectly in about 3 hours. I even love the crust. Thank you for a lovely recipe!!
All the lemon lovers liked this recipe!! I did modify it by using honey as we had someone not able to tolerate sugar alcohols. I also mixed the gelatine in 1/4 cup boiling water and replaced the rest of the water with 1 cup of cream that I had whipped and just folded that in. It set in under 3 hours. My daughter and another meal recipient would have liked the base thicker and my husband would have liked some chocolate shaved over the top. There was none left after 8 people demolished it. Thanks for the idea.
I didn’t find mine sweet enough or could barely taste any lemon. I used the lemon peel in the jar and it said that it is stronger than fresh so to use 1/3rd. Also when I added the Knox gemstone to the boing water it cobjeakwd right away so on the 3rd try I used 100 ml cold water first to dissolve it and then added the boiling water and the rest of the cold. What did you do to make it lemony?
Fresh lemons!!!
I ended up with too much filling for my pie plate. It seems others have had that issue as well… I wonder if the crust could be baked? I think it would enhance the flavor.
Yes you can bake the crust, that would be lovely. I just can’t be bothered most times because I make this in the summer, and don’t want to turn the oven on. I’m wondering if my pie/flan dish is deeper than most? You can always pour the excess into little ramekin dishes for an individual portion, and lower in carbs because it will have no crust. That would be nice.
That’s exactly what I did with the extra. 😉 Next time I’ll have to try my deep-dish pie plate. And I will definitely experiment with baking the crust! But I would love your suggestion for temperature and time. Thanks!
I’m guessing you could bake the crust at 180C/350F for 15 minutes depending on your oven.
Thanks a bunch!
Beautiful recipe! I am coming to the end of an 8 week sugar quitting plan and looking for good recipes to help out with work morning teas and special occasions etc. I hadn’t had a lot of luck until I found this.
It came out perfectly! I followed the exact recipe (only subbing rice malt syrup in at the same quantities as recommended for the stevia). It Set well, in about 3 hours.
It does make quite a deep cheesecake, and I had a little left over topping which I just set in individual small ramikans.
Definitely making this again!!
It’s amazing in the 21st century that all these recipes that admittedly look yummy, without exception, have nuts as a substitute. Did no one get the memo that nut allergies are one of the biggest allergies out there….. so obviously not too many are really experimenting to come up with a Lo carb and nut fee cheesecake…
If you look at my recent recipes, most of them are made with coconut flour to help those with nut allergies.
We use coconut flour instead of the ground almonds. Came out great!
How much coconut flour did you use pls?
Thnx 😉
Quit bitching about it, Andrew. Figure out the alternative yourself and stop being a little child. Whining like a little douche…
Feel free to not use this recipe that cost you nothing! It also costs you nothing to avoid being an ass.
I made this and turned it into a parfait for Thanksgiving – we found the amount of lemon a little overpowering so cut that back in subsequent batches and I subbed coconut flour for the ground almonds and ghee instead of butter. Another switch we’ve tried is leaving out the gelatin, sweetener, and lemon juice and using a sugar-free jello instead (raspberry cheesecake = delish). his is a great recipe to adapt as you wish. Thanks!!
Did you use the entire box of sugar free jello when making this?
Fabulous recipe – so easy and came out really well. Can you advise if it’s ok to freeze it – my husband is concerned he will eat too much if he sees it each time he opens the fridge
Yes it can be frozen, in fact it might even taste nice as a frozen cheesecake if you don’t want to defrost it.
Hi Libby. When you say “granulated stevia”, which one did you actually use? As you’ve got links to both Natvia & Swerve. I’ve never used artificial sweetener, so want to make sure I purchase the correct one. Many thanks.
I use both interchangeably. Natvia is mainly used by my NZ/AUS followers and Swerve by my US followers which is why I show both. This post is my Ultimate Guide To Low Carb Sweeteners. It shows you which I use and which I avoid.
We love lemon cheesecake filling, but kids aren’t keen on the base of them. I’m having a go at this today to put into individual Tupperware snack cups to make them suitable to take to school as an alternative. Miss 12 is going to be in heaven!! Thanks, I’ll let you know how I go….
Hi Libby – just made this. My husband needed it to take to a weekend function and I was worried it wouldn’t set in time so I added some extra gelatin and put it straight in the freezer. It was mainly set in about 40 mins then I transferred it to the fridge. Might help others worrying about the setting time.
Fabulous tips – thank you.
I’m so onboard with what you say about using coconut floor instead of almond! Can this recipe be made with coconut floor? May I suggest you add a tab on your website with coconut floor recipes? That would be fab!!
Fabulous idea. It would take some work but I will add it to my to-do list. Thanks for the suggestion 🙂
Here’s a coconut base I pinched.
Of course it will have to be baked for 10 – 15m at 350F, 180ishC.
CRUST
1 cup coconut cream concentrate (aka. coconut butter), softened / liquefied
½ cup shredded coconut
¼ cup coconut flour
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. orange extract
⅛ tsp sea salt
¼ tsp. liquid stevia
Could the cheese cake filling Ben placed in a cupcake tin with cup cake liners? I have a nut allergy so don’t want the crust.
Yes that would be great. I often make these without the crust for a quick and easy dessert. I use little ramekin dishes, wine glasses or cupcake cases.
Hi, I just made this last night in preparation for Mothers Day, and I made a little one on the side to taste before dishing it up for my Mum. I had swapped out the sweetener in the filling and used honey instead. However it tastes a little too sour. I did taste the filling prior to putting it in the fridge and it tasted fine, but seemed to sour up after setting. Do you have any suggestions of what I can sprinkle over the top to counteract the sourness?
I always use some whipped cream with sweetener if something turns out a little sour, or not quite to my liking. This trick can save many low carb baking attempts. I wonder if it was the honey? I can’t vouch for how that behaves in the recipe or possibly changes with the lemon?
Thanks for your reply, I’ll have to use that idea in future. Because I needed it yesterday I ended up coming up with my own solution, which was grated dark chocolate with some more desiccated coconut sprinkled over the top and a swirl of honey with some cream drizzled over it. My mum absolutely loved it! Thank you for your recipe, I will definitely be using it in future
I see so many recipes that call for using an stick blender. Could I use my stand mixer with the whisk attachment instead?
I guess you could use that, I have a big blender but can’t stand all the washing up so I use my stick blender for almost everything.
I used my stand mixer with the paddle and it worked great ?
Your recipe is fantastic!
Perfect taste ans wonderful consistency!
Thanks a lot!!
This turned out really well and my hubby loved it, thank you. Made it exactly to the recipe but added 3 Tbsp lemon juice as I didn’t have enough rind. The extra rind would have enhanced the delicious lemony taste. Used 3 Tbsp of Xylitol as the sweetener. Thank you for creating this recipe. Will make again and might try baking the base too but was certainly nice enough as it was.
Hey thanks Linda, what lovely review. And I’m so glad you and your hubby loved it. I love everything lemon, which is probably why I can’t stop developing lemon recipes 😉
I just found your website tonight; I’m really looking forward to trying this recipe! I make my own yogurt, and drain the whey out until it’s the consistency of cream cheese. I culture my yogurt for a full 24 hours, to allow the bacteria to eat all of the lactose (SCD Yogurt).
Do you think my yogurt cheese could substitute for the cream cheese in this recipe?
I’m having way too much fun on this site; it’s 2:00 am… I should be sleeping, not salivating over your recipes. 🙂
Hey Lynne, I love that you are up at 2am browsing my website and recipes – that has to be a first here! Yes I’m sure your drained yoghurt would work as long as it has had enough of the whey removed, alternatively, add a little more gelatine to ensure it will set. I like to drain yoghurt and make Labna cheese – yummy. Enjoy working through my recipes, one at a time 🙂
I wonder how much lemon extract I would use in this recipe? I have some lemon extract that I really need to use up!
Add to taste. Each lemon extract differs considerably in their “tartness” so I would hate to suggest an amount and ruin your cheesecake.
Wondering can I actually do this crustless and if so can you tell me the nutritional facts I am trying to limit the carbs as much as possible
Yes making this without a crust would work, and lower the carbs dramatically. I often make it without the crust and pour the cheesecake filling into little ramekin dishes or individual tea cups.
I just made this and it is SO nice!!! Set in the fridge in an hr. My kids loved it too. I added ground ginger to the base because I love the combination of lemon and ginger. I also added a bit more sweetener to the filling and tasted as I went. Definitely making this again and sharing the recipe with my friends. ?
Ok…..I tried to read through all the comments but realized there was way too many! Lol….ok, but I did noticed that I’m not the only who had a bit of problem with the filling being way to watery….I usually always use the US measurements so when I read “4/5”, I thought it meant 4-5 cups of water. :-/ I re-read it and realized 4/5 (which I’ve never seen before in a receipe) was not 4 to 5 cups of water but a measurement within the 2 cups. Plus I saw the video too. Well, with my “I got this” attitude, I did save it as much as I could lol. My girl and niece both love it, so I did good after all lol. It’s not bad but next time I make it, I’ll make sure to read the instructions more carefully 🙂
Ahhhh, I can see how the confusion has arisen – thank you so much. I have amended the cups to show 0.8 cup = 200ml
Sorry not too sure where to ask a question do I hold you don’t mind me tagging under yours.
May I ask if you can freeze it?
I think it would be too delicate to freeze. I fear the cheesecake may split.
You are in luck – cheesecakes freeze incredibly well. To freeze, place the cooled cheesecake on a baking pan and freeze, uncovered, until firm. Remove the cheesecake from the freezer, wrap it in heavy duty aluminum foil and place in a freezer bag. … Thaw the cheesecake in the refrigerator overnight.
google (can be) your friend.
BTW Libby, thanks heaps for this recipe!
Thanks for the awesome tip Brewster!! (and I’m glad you loved it)
Still doesn’t help. American measurement is 8 oz. To a cup, and we don’t have a measure for 8 tenths of a cup.we are left taking our 1 cup of cream cheese, dividing into 10 pieces and using 8 of them.:)
HI
I’m confused on the 8 measurement.
Do you mean like an 8th of a cup?
Not totally sure I have anything that has that measurement on it. About how many tablespoons would be then?
I saw someone ask about alternatives for the coconut but didn’t see any answers. I’m interested too.. I don’t like coconut.
Thanks for having this article out here for me to find. And big time thanks for having the American measurements too!
Maybe you’ve already gotten this answer from someone, but there are 16 Tablespoons in an 8 oz. cup, so .8 of a cup would be 12.8 T.
I had some special guests for dinner tonight that are very carb conscious. So I wanted to make this for them. But I didnt have any almond flour. So I compromised….I omitted the crust all together and poured the cheesecake into solo cups. This recipe filled 5 9 oz. clear solo cups. I put whipped cream and lemon zest on them before serving. They were a hit!
That is suppose to read 5- 9 oz. clear solo cups
My husband and I absolutely love this recipe. Sometimes I make 1 Cup of Lemon Sugar free jelly, let it cool and pour over the tope of the cheesecake to set… delicious!!
I love that idea, I might just pinch that and do the same next time 🙂
Do you mean Lemon Sugar-free ‘Jello’ (and not jelly)?
Do you pour it over the cheesecake before it has set or after?
I think I would like that.
Thanks.
Jelly NZ/AUS/UK = Jello US, whereas in the US you call jelly what we would call jam.
Can i follow the recipe exactly but with sugar free flavored gelatine instead to make a flavored cheesecake??
Has anybody tried this? Any hints on how to do it to make it work well?
Thanks.
just wondering what i did wrong. the cake did set. is it possible 400ml water is too much?
Check how much gelatine you added, and if it was in date or expired. 12g of gelatine will easily set the 400ml of water and the solid block of cream cheese is, well, solid so that should be firm too. Did you use soft cream cheese perhaps? It must be the solid regular cream cheese, not the spreadable type. I hope you managed to resurrect it somehow and enjoy it.
What can be used in place of the shredded coconut, as we don’t like the coconut.
I just omit coconut flour from the recipe. I don’t substitute or add more almond flour. Comes out perfect.
could I use half the amount of cream cheese – 250 grams – . would I then need to halve the gelatine
If you ever want to change the quantities in my recipes, simply dial up how many servings you require, and the ingredient quantities will be calculated for you.
Libby I just want to say THANK YOU for making these fab recipes and for sharing them free of charge… Greatly appreciated. I’ve just made this and it’s setting in the fridge now. Can not wait to try it.
Cara, this is so kind. I absolutely love making these recipes and it gives me so much pleasure that you are enjoying them. 🙂
SUPER tart and no flavor other than overwhelming lemon. I used Meyer lemons which has been a staple for lemon curd and other lemon cheesecakes but somehow this gelatin/lemon just didn’t taste good.
I’m sorry to read this. Did you adjust the amount of sweetener to your taste? We are all on different parts of our sugar-free path and some may require more sweetener than others.
could i use mascarpone in stead of cream cheese
Yes, I believe other reader’s here have used mascarpone with great success.
Are there any substitutes for almond flour (allergy reasons) that would work?
I’m working on developing a coconut flour base at the moment – stay tuned!
Bonjour Libby,
Any luck with the coconut flour? I bought that flour yesterday because almond flour was ridiculously expensive at my local grocery store.
Merci 🙂
walnuts ground make a great base, my daughter is allergic to almonds so i use walnuts
Is it just almonds? I’ve used hazelnuts. Also, i womder of a seed combination would work? Crush oe mill to a flour / meal.
Hi Libby
I’m looking at doing the no-bake cheese cake and wondered if you did get to developing a coconut flour base?
Hi Maggie, I do have a new coconut flour pie crust recipe, but it is baked. It’s lovely.
Hi Libby
Thank you. The coconut base was perfect for the no-bake cheese cake. Loved it
Maggie
You had me at “no bake” haha this looks great, I’ll need to make time to make this recipe for the weekend, thank you
I can’t stop making this cheesecake. It is amazing. I’m in Australia and use the gram measure for the gelatin and the ‘gram’ measure for the water as well and it has worked every single time. I have given this to friends who are not following a low carb lifestyle and they say it is now their preferred cheesecake. I love how this has a mousse like quality to it. The adjustments I make to suit my own taste are:
– add 1 tsp of ground cinnamon to the base
– add a good pinch of salt flakes to the base
– toast the shredded coconut
– mill the xylitol to icing sugar consistency to incorporate easier and add twice as much if not more in the filling
– increase the juice and zest
– add 1 Tsp of vanilla bean paste to the filling
– I ran out of cream cheese today so used 100 grams sour cream. I don’t think I’d use more than that.
Thank you a thousand times for this amazing and simple recipe. Yet another easy, delicious and decadent recipe.
Hi Anne, what a wonderful recipe review, and I love your “tweaks” to the recipe. I am happy to know your carb-loving friends love it too -yay!
Do you bake the base, or just refridgerate?
Do you use one pack of cream cheese or two; I know it says 500g which would be two but video looks like 1 and if I use two it won’t fit into dish.
I use 2 packs = 500g. This makes a very large deep cheesecake. You can adjust the number of servings you make using the conversion buttons in the recipe card.
Hiya, I’m in France and only liquid gelatine is available, would I use 12g still do you think? Thank you for your help in advance, I can’t wait to make this!
You would have to see how much 12g would set. You need enough gelatin to set 500ml liquid.
Can you tell me how much water to remove from 1 cup to make it .8 cup?
Sorry, but I don’t have a clue as to figure that out. I’ve never seen it before. :o)
Just measure 3/4 cup, it’s close enough 🙂
Shirley, glad you asked this, I had no clue either so I used 1/2 cup. Only wish I’d have read your question BEFORE ATTEMPTING THIS……even Alexa didn’t know.lol! I kinda switched some stuff to make it key lime. Fingers crossed it set up?
Can you use lemon extract instead of lemon juice and zest?
Hmm, I think it would work, I’m just not sure how authentic it would taste.
Wouldnt have the acidity or sourness just lemon essence if you will
I am on the keto diet and have been craving something sweet! I’m a lemon fan and found this recipe and thought to try it. I must say that this is phenomenal! I also tried the cheesy garlic bread from this site and I can’t believe how fantastic the food is here! It makes me think I could do keto forever! Thank you!
YAY – just don’t tell everyone we live like kings! 😉
Wow, the recipe is really simple and sweet and at the time of serving its cute too…I would definitely try the best one, thank you so much for sharing such a lovely recipe
Made this on the weekend and everyone loved it and couldn’t believe it was sugar free. Mine needed alot more sweetener as my lemons were very sour (1.5 cups powdered erythritol/monk fruit blend). Also I used Lactose free cream cheese which has less fat that regular cream cheese so added 80ml thickened cream so make it creamier. Just perfect.
Didn’t work for me! I think I got the the conversions wrong? Super disappointed.
Use the conversion buttons below the recipe. I have done all the math for you 🙂
I don’t know how to ask a question on here so I’m tagging on here. 4 tablespoons of lemon zest is a lot of lemons… roughly, how many lemons do you use for this recipe? Thanks
Sorry, I can’t remember, but if I state how many lemons, your lemons may yield more or less juice so I would hate to guestimate how many lemons to use. Giving you the quantity in tablespoons is more accurate.
How many lemons did you use?
5 very large lemons.
To my surprise, following this recipe I have been successful using powdered gelatine, that’s a first. I only had 3 lemons so clearly not enough for 4 tablespoons of zest so I topped up with a spirit based lemon essence which gave a good flavour. However, I would like to know how many lemons on average do you use?
Tasty base. I shall now try other low carb cheesecake recipes. Thanks
Didn’t work for me, the filling didn’t set up, its firm enough to eat and still tastes good the conversions were a bit confusing for me. Will have give it a second try.
Hi,
I haven’t tried this recipe yet but it looks great! I was wondering if the lemon could be substituted for a different flavour? For example, vanilla? Or does the recipe need the acidity?
Thanks!
Yes, you could use alternative flavours in this no-bake cheesecake. Let us know what you develop so we can give it a go too!
Hi Libby,
I’m planning on making this without the crust, in individual ramekins. I was just wondering whether you think I could use liquid stevia instead of a granulated sweetener?
Thanks!
Anna
Yes, liquid stevia would work, you may wish to read my Ultimate Guide To Sweeteners. Which ones I love and which ones I avoid.
Flipping great recipe! So so sooo simple. VERY cheap to make too. Lots of other low carb cheesecakes seem to require a billion dollars worth of ingredients. Well not quite, but you know what I mean.
My almond meal was quite pale, so I subbed in 50g of pecans to give a more traditional base colouring. I just blitzed them into a flour in my blender first.
I followed the suggestions made in one of the comments of adding some vanilla to the mix and a dash of cinnamon to the base. Honestly, I would have liked to add the ginger to the base that Libby suggested, but thought I would play it safe with the intended recipients of the cake.
The filling on its own is going to become a staple easy dessert here I think. Immediately after putting the lemon cheesecake in the fridge ( I made it to take to a gathering), I quickly whipped up a half batch of filling and blended up some frozen strawberries in it. I added a few drops of ‘Vital Zing’ Strawberry Milk Drops too to enhance the flavour. I set them in some ‘shot’ glasses and they are such a hit with my two youngest kids. The little desserts barely have a carb in them. Amazing.
This was so good! I did not follow the instructions completely. I totally eliminated the lemon element and used a premade low carb nut based crust. I didn’t measure vanilla or stevia. Just added to taste. I was also afraid of a jello texture so I used a smaller amount of gelatin. It was perfect. I served it with whipped cream and sliced strawberries. Would be soo good with honey if your diet allows
Planning to make this delicious looking recipe tomorrow. Can I use powdered erythritol for this recipe?
Yes, that will work. As always, taste after each addition to ensure you don’t over/under sweeten a recipe to your sweet tooth.
I made this Saturday morning. It taste great but then, I love lemons. I added 2 tsp more (pyure) sweetner and 1/4 tsp of coconut extract to the filling. My only slight complaint is the texture is closer to jello then cream cheese. But over all, I’ll make it again, just with a little less gelatin.
I loved the flavor but had a similar jello consistency. I did use fat free cream cheese-could that be the reason for the texture?
Yes, this is exactly what will have produced a strange texture. Do not use fat-free cream cheese …. ever! Firstly what is in cream cheese if the fat has been removed? Added sugars and starches. Secondly, all my recipes are developed using full-fat cream cheese, they will NOT set and will give a strange texture as you discovered (due to all the added starches). So enjoy your full-fat cream cheese and a lovely creamy velvety cheesecake with stable blood sugars after 🙂
Absolutely amazing!!! I made it today for my mother’s birthday!!! It is one of the best cheesecakes we have ever had 🙂 Thank you for the recipe!! A few changes I made: Add more butter to the base along with coconuts. Also add very little cinnamon to the base as my mom loves cinnamon 🙂 For the filling, I used 70% full fat cream cheese 30% light as I did not have enough full fat at home 🙂 Thus I increased the gelatin amount by 10% Absolutely love it!! I love less sweet recipes! Thus this becomes our favorite one now!!!
Yay – I absolutely LOVE it when readers adapt my recipes with little tweaks here and there. I love the addition of cinnamon you made and the adaptation of what you have in your cupboard to suit the recipe. Thank you for the wonderful review 🙂
Delicious and quick.
Delicious!
This was really yummy. It’s got a very slight jelly / jello texture to it, which is different to other no bake cheesecakes I’ve had, but we loved the flavour and it’s very simple to put together.
I toasted the almond flour in a dry pan to add a bit more of a nutty flavour to the base. And I dissolved the sweetener in the boiling water with the gelatine to reduce the risk of grittiness. I’d do both these things again.
Thanks for the recipe!
Thank u
I made this yesterday but added only a squeeze of lemon and a lot of vanilla essence and vanilla bean to get some taste. Unfortunately it came out very bland and tastes like nothing. How can I make my cheesecake taste like vanilla? Recipe itself is great – turned out well.
This is a lemon cheesecake so if you only add a small amount of lemon, it will of course be tasteless. If you want a vanilla cheesecake may I suggest you bake my keto vanilla baked cheesecake?
What could I use instead of coconut in the crust?
You could use an almond flour pie crust or a coconut flour pie crust.