Easy Luscious Lemon Cheesecake + VIDEO

This EASY Creamy Lemon Cheesecake is the best lemon cheesecake ever! It’s full of lemon flavor and so easy to make with just six ingredients! You’ll think you’re in lemon heaven! It’s the perfect dessert for any meal, any time of the year. 

Lemon Desserts

I was once was afraid to make cheesecake. I thought people who made beautiful and delicious cheesecakes were performed nothing short of miracles.

One day, I decided to follow a simple Kraft recipe that turned out delicious and I’ve been making cheesecakes ever since and have become a cheesecake connoisseur.

Like my beloved, late mother, I absolutely LOVE lemon.  I’ve made many cocktails with limoncello and delicious Limoncello Tiramisu.

As a matter of fact, my Mini Strawberry Cheesecakes with Strawberry Sauce has been featured on Philadelphia brand cream cheese website. I’m sure you’ll like that recipe too if you like strawberries.

What’s more, you can make this lemon cheesecake (or nearly any other cheesecake) the day before you want to serve it or even the same day! I’ll tell you how below.

But, first I have to tell you how wonderful this recipe is and how easy it is to make! You may never buy one at the grocery store again.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links which means, if you make a purchase, I’ll receive a small commission but, you pay the same price. 

Lemon Cheesecake Baked

I admit, I prefer a baked cheesecake over no- bake every day of the week! That doesn’t mean I won’t eat no bake cheesecake. Let’s not be silly. But, I prefer the taste of baked cheesecake.

I’ve used regular cream cheese, Neuchatel, light cream cheese, store brand, and a combination of all of them trying to reduce calories and fat.

But, what I’ve found is that the best tasting cheesecake is going to be full fat cream cheese.

Philadelphia brand is the best and not just because I’m from the Philly area. It tastes the best!

Easy Creamy Lemon Cheesecake

Use a zester to get the yellow part of the lemon peel off. It has a lot of citrus lemon flavor in it and is a wonderful fresh seasoning for cakes, marinades and any time you want fresh lemon flavor.

If you don’t have a zester, I highly recommend getting one. As I mentioned above, there is a lot of flavor in citrus peels (i.e. lemon, lime, orange and citron.) The zester can be used for coconut, whole nutmeg, garlic, etc.

When I don’t have time to make a cookie crust for a cheesecake, I’ll use the Keebler pie crust. As long as it has a long expiration date, it should be somewhat fresh.

Always check the dates. An old cookie pie crust will taste stale and impair the cheesecake’s flavor. Although you can buy cookie crumbs, it still adds extra steps and more dirty dishes.

But, it will taste a bit more fresh so, it just depends how much time you have.

If you have a little extra time, consider making this delicious Creamy Cranberry Lemon Cheesecake. It is twice as big as the Easy Creamy Lemon Cheesecake but, has the extra tart of the cranberries.

 

How to Make Easy Creamy Lemon Cheesecake

1. First, preheat oven to 350F.
2. Then, use a zester to make the lemon zest because you only want the yellow part of the lemon and not the white bitter part. So much flavor lies in the yellow skin (zest.)
3. Next, in a large mixing bowl, add softened cream cheese. I like to beat it for a minute or two to get it creamy before adding the remaining ingredients.
4. Then, add the vanilla, sugar, eggs, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Mix until well combined.
5. Next, put the cream cheese mixture into a Keebler Graham Pie Crust or Shortbread Pie Crust and bake for about 40 min on 350F or 180C.
6. Let it cool completely before refrigerating.

Lemon zest adds a lot of lemon flavor to cakes, salmon, roasted potatoes and broccoli, fruit salad, etc.  I love my zester. It can also be used for nutmeg, lime, orange and even garlic. Put lemon zest in pound cakes and sponge cake.

TIP: As I mentioned above, mixing the cream cheese for a few minutes on high makes the cream cheese become creamy and slightly fluffy.

One time, I accidentally left my Kitchen Aid mixer beating cream cheese for a few minutes while I tended to something else and was worried I overbeat it. The effect was great. The cheesecake came out a little bit lighter in consistency and creamier. Ever since, I mix it longer than needed.

How to Make The Perfect Cheesecake

If you’re looking to make the perfect cheesecake, read my article on How to Make a Creamy Cheesecake Without Cracks!

After you bake this Easy Creamy Lemon Cheesecake, let it cool until it is only slightly warm on the bottom. Then, put it in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours. 

If you need it faster, put it in the freezer for two hours and then move it to the refrigerator. If you are making a larger cheesecake, you’ll need up to 8 hours or preferably over night.

You can tell how creamy this Easy Lemon Cheesecake is by the picture below. Look at the consistency. YUM!

How to double this recipe

This Easy Creamy Lemon Cheesecake recipe can be doubled!  You’ll need a springform pan to make the doubled recipe unless you plan to use two store-bought pie crusts.

You can just double the ingredients but, you’ll have to make a cookie pie crust which, can be made by combining 1 1/2 cups of graham cracker crumbs, 5 tablespoons of melted butter and 1/3 cup of sugar. 

Then, firmly press down the mixture into the springform pan going up the sides about an inch. 

Bake the crust at 350F for 10-13 minutes. Remove from oven and put in the cheesecake batter and then bake about one hour.

It’s good to have a 3 piece spring form pan set so you can make various size cheesecakes.

 

Can I Make This Lemon Cheesecake the Day Before?

Yes! Certainly you can make it the day before serving. You can even make it two days before which makes it a convenient dessert to serve for Mother’s Day, Easter, Memorial Day, July 4th, or any occasion.

When you find a delicious dessert that’s this easy to make, you save the recipe! So be sure to pin it!

Easy Creamy Lemon cheesecake is perfect for pot luck parties. With only 10 min of prep time, you’ll amaze people. You can tell them you actually made it- a from scratch cheesecake! Move over Cheesecake Factory! They’ll think you performed a baking miracle!

You may also like:

Easy Limoncello Tiramisu Italian Recipe

Frozen Lemonade Pie

I took this recipe to Weekend Potluck.