Lemon Pistachio No-Bake Cheesecake

Overview Video Ingredients Instructions Optional Tips Variations

Share this recipe:

Desserts

Lemon Pistachio No-Bake Cheesecake

A pistachio graham cracker crust, bright lemon cream cheese filling made with Wonderful® Seedless Lemons, no oven required.

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time:

N/A

Total Time: About 3 hours

Difficulty:

N/A

Serves:

Yield:

N/A

Overview

No-bake cheesecake asks almost nothing of you: cream cheese beaten with sugar and whipped cream, brightened with fresh juice and zest from Wonderful Seedless Lemons, poured over a buttery pistachio-graham crust. The pistachio adds a nutty, slightly savory crunch that makes the whole thing taste more interesting than a standard graham cracker base. Refrigerate overnight, slice, and serve.

Ingredients

Base:

1 cup Wonderful Pistachios No Shells Lightly Salted, crushed
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 Wonderful Seedless Lemon, zested
¼ cup brown sugar
½ cup butter, softened

Filling:

1 cup heavy cream (keep refrigerated until you’re about to use it)
⅓ cup sour cream
16 oz. cream cheese
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
3 tablespoons Wonderful Seedless Lemon juice
1 Wonderful Seedless Lemon, zested
1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

For the base: In a bowl, combine the crushed Wonderful Pistachios, graham cracker crumbs, zest from one Wonderful Seedless Lemon, brown sugar, and butter. Press the mixture into the bottom of a 9" springform pan and set aside.
For the filling: In a bowl of a stand mixer, use the whisk attachment and whip the heavy cream on medium until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
In a blender or food processor, combine the sour cream, cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla. Fold this mixture into the whipped cream until combined.
Spread the cheese filling into the pan with the base and refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours to allow it to fully set.
Top with pistachios and candied lemon peels and enjoy!

Optional Tips

Room-temperature cream cheese is non-negotiable. Cold cream cheese never beats completely smooth. Pull the cream cheese from the refrigerator at least one hour before mixing. If you forgot, microwave on 50 percent power for 20-second intervals until softened but not warm.
Cold heavy cream whips much better. Keep the cream in the refrigerator until the moment you pour it into the bowl. On hot days, chill the bowl and beaters in the freezer for five minutes first.
Do not overbeat the whipped cream. Whipped cream beaten past stiff peaks becomes grainy and begins breaking down into butter. Stop as soon as stiff peaks form.
Fold, do not stir. Once the whipped cream and cream cheese mixture come together, every additional stir deflates the air. Use a wide rubber spatula and fold with broad, gentle strokes from the bottom up.
The zest is as important as the juice. The juice provides tartness; the zest provides the aromatic citrus oils that give the filling its recognizably lemony character.
Overnight chilling produces the best slice. After six hours, the cheesecake is set but can still be slightly soft in the center. After eight to ten hours overnight, it firms significantly and slices with very clean edges.
Use a hot, clean knife for slicing. Dip a sharp chef’s knife in hot water, wipe dry, and make one clean cut. Repeat between each slice.
Garnish just before serving. Pistachios placed on the cheesecake in advance soften slightly from the moisture of the filling. Garnish at the table or right before plating.

Variations

Classic No-Bake Cheesecake. Omit the pistachios from the crust and the lemon from the filling. Make the crust from one and a half cups of graham cracker crumbs, six tablespoons of melted butter, and three tablespoons of sugar. Top with fresh strawberries or cherry pie filling.
No-Bake Cheesecake with Gelatin. For a firmer set, dissolve two teaspoons of unflavored gelatin in three tablespoons of warm water and whisk it into the cream cheese mixture before folding in the whipped cream. Allow the gelatin to bloom in the water for five minutes before using.
Individual No-Bake Cheesecakes. Divide the crust and filling among 12 standard muffin cups lined with paper liners. Chill as directed. Individual cheesecakes require only three to four hours of chilling and are easier to serve at parties without slicing.
Lemon Blueberry No-Bake Cheesecake. Swirl one-half cup of blueberry jam through the top of the filling before chilling using a toothpick or thin knife to create a marbled effect. Top with fresh blueberries and a light dusting of powdered sugar.
Vegan No-Bake Cheesecake. Replace the cream cheese with two cups of raw cashews soaked overnight and blended until completely smooth with three tablespoons of coconut oil. Replace the heavy cream with full-fat coconut cream, chilled overnight and whipped from the solid cream portion. Use maple syrup in place of powdered sugar.

Rate This Recipe

If you share pics of this recipe on Instagram, be sure to tag @WonderfulSeedlessLemons for a shoutout!

Thank you! Your submission has been received!

Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

Share this recipe:

Author Name

Comment Time

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere. uis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae era

Author Name

Comment Time