Say hello to my beloved no-bake key lime cheesecake—the dessert I make more than any other all summer long. Every bite is cool, creamy, and almost mousse-like, with bright, puckery lime cutting through the sweet cream cheese filling and buttery graham cracker crumbs adding just the right amount of crunch. It smells like a key lime pie and eats like a cloud. 😮💨
I’ve been making this for over 10 years, hauling it to potlucks, cookouts, teacher celebrations, soccer hangouts—you name it. It disappears every single time, and someone always asks for the recipe. If you keep a shortlist of make-ahead dessert recipes for entertaining, this one belongs at the very top.
A little goes a long way, so serve yourself a slice or simply grab a spoon and take a few bites straight from the dish. No judgment here!
Feeding a smaller crowd? Make my key lime cheesecake parfaits instead. Same dreamy filling, scaled down for individual (and adorable) servings.
What You’ll Need
- Graham cracker crumbs: Pulse whole graham crackers (honey or cinnamon) in a food processor or buy pre-packaged crumbs. Either way, they get tossed with melted butter, sugar, and kosher salt until they resemble wet sand.
- Key lime cheesecake filling: Cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk, fresh lime juice (do not use bottled juice!) and zest, whipped cream, and a splash of vanilla extract. It’s totally fine to skip the key limes and use regular limes instead!
Easy Instructions
At this point you’ll fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture.
To assemble, grab a large baking dish, then sprinkle a thin layer of the graham cracker crumbs along the bottom.
Make It Foolproof 💯
- Room temperature cream cheese is essential for a silky-smooth filling. Cold cream cheese leaves lumps.
- Fresh lime juice only: Freshly squeezed key lime (or regular) juice makes all the difference in flavor.
- Stiff peaks matter: Whip the heavy cream fully before folding it in so the filling stays light and airy.
This cheesecake can be made a few days in advance, which makes it perfect for entertaining!
What To Serve With Key Lime Cheesecake
This is a cookout dessert through and through. It’s been my go-to 4th of July dessert for about a decade (and it carries you straight through Labor Day). It needs no whipped cream or berries on top; let the flavor speak for itself!
My favorite way to serve it: after a backyard dinner of sticky-sweet grilled marinated chicken thighs or crowd-pleasing black bean burgers with a big bowl of charred potato salad with burrata and snap peas on the side. And since you’ll already have a pile of fresh limes on the counter, do yourself a favor and shake up a pitcher of icy classic margaritas while the cheesecake chills. That’s summer, done right.
Truly loved by all—this is everyone’s favorite summer dessert! If it earns a spot in your cookout rotation, leave a star rating and review below. I truly love to hear your feedback!
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No-Bake Key Lime Cheesecake (Easy, Family-Style!)
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
- 24 honey graham crackers, finely ground (you can do this in a food processor or place in a large ziploc bag, seal, and then bang with a rolling pin)
- 10 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 1½ tsp kosher salt
- 12 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- 1⅓ cup heavy cream
- 2 (14oz) cans sweetened condensed milk
- 2 lbs (32oz) cream cheese, room temperature
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- ⅔ cup key lime or regular lime juice, about 8 limes
- Zest from 6 limes, about ¼ cup
- Note: if you want to decorate with lime wedges or rounds, you’ll need an additional 2-3 limes.
Instructions
- Make the graham cracker crumbs. In a small bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, 10 Tbsp sugar, and 1½ tsp kosher salt. Add 12 Tbsp melted butter, then stir until the mixture begins to stick together. It should resemble wet sand. Set aside.
- Whip the cream. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, whip 1⅓ cup heavy cream on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form, about 4-6 minutes. Use a spatula to transfer the cream to another bowl, then switch out the whisk attachment with the paddle attachment.
- Make the key lime cheesecake filling. Add 2 (14oz) cans of sweetened condensed milk along with 2 lb (32oz) room temperature cream cheese, then beat on medium speed at first (or it’ll make a mess!) until light and fluffy, gradually increasing to medium speed. Beat for about 4 minutes. Turn the mixer off, then add 2 tsp vanilla extract, ⅔ cup fresh lime juice, and ¼ cup lime zest. Beat for an additional 1-2 minutes, scraping down the beater as needed (a lot of lime zest tends to get stuck there).
- Fold in the whipped cream. Add whipped cream to the cream cheese mixture, then gently fold with a spatula until thoroughly combined.
- Assemble the key lime cheesecake. Spoon ¼ of the graham cracker crumbs along the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish, enough to evenly cover the bottom. Add ⅓ of the key lime mixture on top, then use an offset spatula to spread into an even layer. Top with another ¼ of the graham cracker filling. Repeat with 2 more alternating layers of key lime filling and graham crackers, ending with the graham crackers. Cover tightly with plastic wrap or aluminum foil, then chill in a fridge for at least 4 hours or up to overnight. When ready to enjoy, garnish with lime wedges or rounds, if using. Enjoy!
Notes
- Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Freezing is not recommended—the mousse-like filling loses its light texture when thawed.
This is something we will be making for every gathering this summer! This has got to be our most favorite lime dessert we have made! It has just the right amount of fluffy sweetness, not dense and the graham cracker crumbs brings it all together to make it taste like key lime pie! I recommend using key lime juice if you can.
This is hands down my family’s favorite dessert that I make. I think I’ve served it 100x and gifted it to everyone I know. 😂 Glad it’s going to become a family favorite for you guys too!
I had never heard of Key Lime Cheesecake before, so I had to try. WOW this is so creamy and hard to eat just one serving. I used Key Limes not regular limes because I felt Key Limes had the best flavor. I have no comparison between the two types of limes but will make again using Key Limes. We have enjoyed Key Lime Pie and now we have another favorite way to enjoy Key Limes.