This easy Lime in the Coconut No Bake Cheesecake comes together in under 30 minutes, with a quick crust made from toasted sweetened coconut, almonds and Nilla wafers, and a simple cheesecake filling flavored with fresh lime. Refreshing for summer (or any time of year!), this cheesecake is sure to be a showstopper at your next pot luck or party!
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YumA slice of summer
If you're looking for a tart, summery dessert that requires no baking, look no further than this Lime in the Coconut No Bake Cheesecake!
With an easy, citrusy filling and a crisp, coconut flavored crust and topping, this cheesecake has tropical summer beach vibes written all over it.
Making the crust and crispy topping
To make the crust and topping for this no bake cheesecake, you will need:
- Nilla wafers, or other vanilla flavored wafer cookies. I won't tell if you use Aldi brand 🙂
- Light brown sugar. I prefer this to regular old granulated sugar for this recipe, as it add some depth and richness to the crust.
- 1 cup chopped almonds or walnuts.
- ½ cup melted unsalted butter. I like to nuke mine in the microwave for about 45 seconds in a glass 2 cup liquid measuring cup, but do whatever works for you!
- Toasted sweetened flake coconut - you'll toast this VERY briefly in the oven. It's worth it.
- MORE lime zest, for flavor and for prettiness.
Toast, blend, press
First and foremost, you'll need to preheat your oven to 350, then toast the coconut on a parchment lined baking sheet for about 10 minutes. I know I said no bake, but this is technically "toasting" and it is also 100% worth it. The coconut is sweet, crispy and crunchy afterwards, making it a perfect component for the crust mixture, as well as a topping for the cheesecake.
Once the coconut is toasted, you'll add all the crust ingredients to a food processor, pulverize into crumbs, and mix with some butter. All that left to do after that is press it into the springform pan across the bottom, and about an inch up the sides to make a little shell to pour the filling into.
Making the filling
To make the easy no bake filling for this cheesecake, you will need:
- Cream cheese, softened to room temp. This is an important step, as cold cream cheese will produce a lumpy filling.
- A bit of powdered sugar.
- Lime zest and lime juice.
- A touch of salt, to balance all that sweet.
- A can of sweetened condensed milk.
- A bit of vanilla extract.
This filling is SO SIMPLE! Whip the cream cheese for about a minute. Add everything else, whip for about 30 seconds. Pour it into the prepared, chilled crust shell. DONE. Well almost...
Assembling and chilling the cheesecake
Once your crust is ready, you'll pour the prepared cheesecake filling into the prepared, chilled shell. Then you'll sprinkle the remaining toasted coconut over the top, and sprinkle on some lime zest. Once it's all pretty, you'll put the cheesecake into the refrigerator for 8-24 hours, or overnight to let it set. It's important to let the cheesecake fully set, so it's sturdy enough to slice. It's worth the wait, I promise!
Serve this cheesecake ice cold, and cover and refrigerate any leftover for up to a week!
Want to give this recipe a try? PIN FOR LATER!
If you make my Lime in the Coconut No Bake Cheesecake, please be sure to leave me a comment! I would love to hear from you, and value your feedback! Lastly, if you make the recipe and love it, please tag me on Instagram! I love to see your photos!
Looking for more great dessert ideas? Why not try my Honey & Rum Whipped Cream, Blackberry Lime Cheesecake Bars, Pear and Fig Galette, or my Chocolate Pistachio Cookie Bars!
Lime in the Coconut No Bake Cheesecake
Equipment
- 9" springform pan
- Food Processor
- hand mixer or stand mixer
Ingredients
Cheesecake filling
- 16 oz cream cheese, softened
- 3 tablespoon powdered sugar
- the zest of 2 limes
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Crust/Topping
- 2 cups Nilla wafers (or other vanilla flavored wafer cookies)
- ¾ cup light brown sugar*
- 1 cup chopped almonds*
- ½ cup melted unsalted butter
- 1 ⅓ cups toasted sweetened flake coconut (reserve ⅓ cup for topping)
- Lime zest, to taste (for topping)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 2. Spread the coconut out evenly on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Toast the coconut int the oven for 8-10 minutes (checking frequently to prevent burning) until golden brown. If some spots seem to be browning quicker than others, move the coconut around with a fork to ensure even browning. Allow to cool 10 minutes before adding to crust mixture. 3. Add toasted coconut, Nilla wafers, chopped almonds and light brown sugar sugar to a processor and pulse until mixture is pulverized into fine crumbs. 4. Add the mixture to a medium bowl, and stir melted butter into the crumbs with a fork until all are moistened. 5. Transfer crust mixture to a greased 9” springform pan and press into the bottom in an even layer. Press crust out and up the sides, about 1” up all the way around. Once crust is well pressed into the pan, place in the refrigerator while you work on the filling. 6. In a medium or large mixing bowl, whip the softened cream cheese with a hand mixer 1-2 minutes until light, whipped and creamy. 7. Add the sugar, salt, lime zest, lime juice, sweetened condensed milk and vanilla and beat for 30 seconds until well combined. 8. Immediately transfer to chilled pie shell and smooth out the top with and offset spatula or silicone spatula. 9. Top with reserved toasted coconut and more lime zest (to taste). 10. Chill in the refrigerator overnight to set. Serve cold. Keeps up to 1 week covered in the refrigerator.
*Notes/Substitutions:
It is important that your cream cheese is softened before working with it. If you use cold cream cheese, you will have cream cheese lumps in your filling. Leave cream cheese blocks sit at room temperature for at least 1 hour, and up to 2 hours before you work with it.
If you do not have light brown sugar, regular granulated sugar would work- the crust will just be sweeter.
Walnuts could be subbed in for the chopped almonds,.
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