Lemon cheesecake– light and creamy with a bright touch of lemon. This cheesecake is the perfect spring dessert, ideal for Easter, showers, or anytime you need a sweet, bright treat to brighten up an event! I promise everyone will be coming back for seconds!
Ingredients Needed
This is just a preview of ingredients and method, keep scrolling for full printable recipe.
Crust
- Vanilla sandwich cookies – Such as Golden Oreos.
- Butter – Use real butter.
Cheesecake
- Cream cheese – Full fat!
- Eggs – Room temperature.
- Granulated sugar
- Salt
- Vanilla extract
- Lemon extract
- Lemon zest
- Fresh lemon juice
- Sour cream – Full fat.
Topping
- Sour cream – Full fat.
- Sweetened condensed milk
- Fresh lemon juice
- Yellow food coloring – Optional
How to Make a Lemon Cheesecake
- Create a buttery cookie crust with golden Oreos and press into a spring form pan.
- Set that aside and combine the filling ingredients, including fresh lemon juice and zest which gives this ultra-creamy batter incredible lemon flavor.
- Pour it into the prepared crust. You can wrap your springform pan in foil, or use a turkey roasting bag. Read more about water bath options in the Storing and Other Tips section below.
- Bake the cheesecake in a water bath to ensure even cooking, then cool slowly in the oven with the door cracked open.
- When it’s completely cool, carefully cover with plastic wrap or aluminum foil, being careful to keep the wrap off the surface of the cake. Refrigerate it overnight or for at least 8 hours.
- When you are finally ready to serve the cheesecake, carefully remove the edges of the pan.
- To make the topping, whisk together some sour cream, sweetened condensed milk, and lemon juice. Carefully spread it over the top of the chilled cheesecake. Slice and serve.
Storing and Other Tips
- Store finished, cooled cheesecake, tightly covered, in the refrigerator and enjoy within 3-4 days for best results.
- Water Bath: Now…I cannot for the life of me find a springform pan that doesn’t leak. I’ve also had not-so-great luck with wrapping the pans in foil. I’ve also mentioned this tip before, but just in case you missed it, try wrapping the pan in a turkey roasting bag (do not cover/seal the bag, just roll it up to the edges of your springform pan). For whatever reason, it seems to be better at keeping the water from the water bath out of the springform pan for me.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make this lemon cheesecake ahead of time?
Cheesecake is the perfect make-ahead dessert because it requires a long chill time. Feel free to make it up to two days in advance. Just whip the topping up fresh right before serving!
Can I freeze this cheesecake?
Yes, cheesecake freezes well! Wrap the entire cheesecake or individual slices tightly in plastic wrap and then foil. Label with the date, pop in the freezer, and enjoy within 1-2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator for 24-48 hours. It’s best to make the topping fresh!
Lemon Cheesecake
Light and creamy, while not being overpowered by lemon flavor – this cheesecake is a delight!
Servings servings
Ingredients
Crust
- 2 cups vanilla creme cookie crumbs packed; about 24 Golden Oreos
- 2 tablespoons butter melted
Cheesecake
- 2 8-ounce packages cream cheese softened, room temperature
- 3 eggs large, room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon lemon extract
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest zest the lemons first, then juice them
- ½ cup lemon juice freshly squeezed, strained
- 3 cups sour cream
Topping
- ¼ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup sweetened condensed milk
- 1 1½ tablespoons lemon juice freshly squeezed, strained
- 1 – 2 drops yellow food coloring optional
Instructions
Crust
- Use a food processor, blender, or a heavy-duty zip-top bag and a rolling pin to crush the cookies into crumbs. Mix with the melted butter and lightly press it into a 9″ springform pan. Set aside.
Cheesecake
- Preheat the oven to 375℉.
- In the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer (or in a large bowl using a hand-held electric mixer), beat the cream cheese until softened and smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating completely after each addition. Add the sugar, salt, extracts and beat until smooth. Add the lemon juice, lemon zest, and sour cream and beat until light, fluffy, and completely combined (be sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl–sometimes a film of cream cheese will form and then lead to lumpy batter). Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
- Wrap the pan in one or two layers of heavy-duty foil or a turkey roasting bag. Place the pan in a larger roasting or baking pan. Use a pitcher or tea kettle to carefully pour water into the larger pan so it reaches halfway up the sides of the springform pan.
- Bake the cheesecake in the preheated oven for 35-55 minutes or until the center is firm yet jiggly (like a custard or Jello). Turn off the oven and crack open the door. Let the cheesecake cool until the pan can be comfortably handled (about 1-2 hours) and then remove the pan from the water bath and allow it to cool completely on a completely flat surface.
- Carefully wrap the pan in plastic wrap or aluminum foil and refrigerate for at least 8 hours (preferably overnight).
- When ready to serve, carefully remove the sides of the springform pan.
Topping
- In a small bowl, whisk together ¼ cup sour cream, ¼ cup sweetened condensed milk, and 1 ½ tablespoons of strained, freshly squeezed lemon juice.
- Carefully spread it over the top of the chilled cheesecake. Using a sharp knife and wiping it clean after each cut, cut the cheesecake into slices and serve immediately.
Notes
- Store finished, cooled cheesecake, tightly covered, in the refrigerator and enjoy within 3-4 days for best results.
- Water Bath: Now…I cannot for the life of me find a springform pan that doesn’t leak. I’ve also had not-so-great luck with wrapping the pans in foil. I’ve also mentioned this tip before, but just in case you missed it, try wrapping the pan in a turkey roasting bag (do not cover/seal the bag, just roll it up to the edges of your springform pan). For whatever reason, it seems to be better at keeping the water from the water bath out of the springform pan for me.
Nutrition
Calories: 374kcal, Carbohydrates: 43g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 21g, Saturated Fat: 9g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 6g, Trans Fat: 0.1g, Cholesterol: 85mg, Sodium: 211mg, Potassium: 158mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 33g, Vitamin A: 526IU, Vitamin C: 7mg, Calcium: 97mg, Iron: 1mg
Calories: 374kcal
Cost: $10
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Questions & Reviews
Made this for 4th of July. It was sooo good! Thanks for the recipe!
I love this Cheesecake idea! Especially using the golden Oreos as a crust; I adore golden Oreos! If you want another idea for a lemony dessert try my recipe for Yellowies (Lemon Brownies). 🙂 p.s. My daughter was born after Thanksgiving, our anniversary is the 21st of Dec., and my son was born on this past Christmas afternoon (right after we finished opening presents we left for the hospital). 🙂
Lemon Cheesecake!! Heaven! I love that this cheesecake has a topping so that I can cover all my inevitable cracks. Also I love that there is no other fruit to compete with the lemon. YES!
I made this Saturday (to eat yesterday) and it was very creamy – not as cakey as I was expecting. It tasted good – not too lemony (wow I just made up a lot of words) but it seemed a lot creamier than I had expected. Did I do something wrong? Or is it supposed to be more creamier/soft/airy? I kind of like my cheesecake creamy but crumbly (not dry just stiff maybe?). That was hard to try to describe. My husband seemed to like it which is why I made it but I want to try again. Thanks!
It’s definitely a creamier cheesecake, although if you like a firmer texture, you can bake it for a bit longer. 🙂
I made this yesterday to have today for the special Father’s Day dessert for my husband and it was AMAZING!!!!!!!!!! Sooooo good. Very light texture and the lemon flavor was so perfect. It was a bit labor intensive for me, but so very worth it.
Made this today for Father’s Day. Oh.My. So delish!! I have a springform pan that I bought at Williams-Sonoma and it doesn’t leak at all. Just FYI…
I love your blog! Everything I’ve made so far has been fabulous. 🙂
Is it only 2 Tbl of butter for the crust? Your picture shows 4 Tbls, and I’m making this right now and 2 just isn’t enough.
You can use 4 if you need it. Mine was way too soggy with 4. It should be just moistened enough that you can get it down into the pan.
I have a favorite cheesecake recipe, but I am excited to try this one. Another great fast option for cheesecake crust is Nilla wafer crumbs mixed with melted butter and a spoonful of sugar. Press crumbs into pan and pop in the oven for a few minutes to set before adding the cream cheese. I also like to sometimes line the bottom of the pan with a thin vanilla cake round (already baked). It makes a delicious crust. I am looking forward to the fresh flavor of the lemon used in this recipe. Great for summer. Thanks!
I know how you feel about EVERYTHING happening. November-December is us. My sister, dad, and husband are three days in a row in November, 4 days later is my Grandma, Thanksgiving then a week later me, my aunt, then Christmas,and 3 days after Christmas, our anniversary. It is RIDICULOUS to buy that many people gifts in a 6 week period 🙂
This cheesecake looks amazzzinnnnnngggggg. The hubby will LOVE me for it! Or maybe he will love you guys. . .
Can I ask why a water bath? I’ve made lots of cheesecakes and have never done a water bath.
It’s just a safeguard to ensure the cheesecake comes out smooth and creamy. I’ve made them without water baths before ad sometimes they’re great and sometimes they’re grainy and they crack on top. Cheesecakes require SO much time and patience that I’m just trying to avoid that. 🙂
Thank you for your reply! When I am baking a cheese cake I put a pan (usually a 9×13) of water on the rack below the cheesecake. This does add humidity to the oven to prevent the cracking. I don’t know if it helps prevent it being grainy. I wonder if the water bath would make enough of a difference to be worth the trouble (I have no idea if my pan would leak or not!). I may have to experiment and find out! Thanks again!