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Home » Recipes » Single Serving Desserts

By Joanie Zisk Published: Mar 13, 2017 · Updated: Apr 21, 2021 · This post may contain affiliate links · Please read my disclosure

Lemon Cheesecake Mousse For One

Jump to Recipe
a lemon cheesecake with a piece taken out.

This lemon cheesecake mousse is a light and creamy, no-bake dessert that's got the perfect balance of tart and sweet.

Lemon cheesecake mousse garnished with thin lemon slices on a glass plate with three whole lemons in the background on a metal tray

Why This Recipe Works

  • A lemon cheesecake mousse is soft, light, and absolutely delicious!
  • No baking is necessary. The ingredients are whipped together and refrigerated. No bake cheesecakes are different than traditional cheesecakes, they have more of a light and airy, mousse-like consistency rather than a dense, custard-like filling. No-bake cheesecakes are very easy to make.
  • It's the perfect spring-summer dessert and so hard to resist!
  • The flavor is fresh and lemony and can be ready in less than 1 hour.

RELATED: The Best Cookie Recipes For One

Ingredients

See recipe box below for ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions.

For the crust

  • Graham crackers: Graham crackers are sweet whole wheat cookies made from graham flour. They are commonly found in the US in the cookie aisle of the grocery store. You can also use lemon cream-filled cookies or vanilla wafers. In the UK, you might like to use digestive biscuits instead.
  • Butter: Melted butter helps hold the crust together.

For the lemon cheesecake mousse

  • Cream cheese: Make sure you use cream cheese from a block of real cream cheese, not cream cheese spread. Also, make sure it's room temperature.
  • Sugar: 3 tablespoons of granulated sugar provides the perfect amount of sweetness and helps balance the tart taste of lemon.
  • Lemon juice and lemon zest: I prefer using freshly squeezed lemon juice and you can easily zest the skin of the lemon you are using. If you only have bottled lemon juice, that is perfectly okay to use. Just leave out the zest but keep in mind that even a small amount of lemon zest adds a large amount of flavor. Without the zest, the lemon flavor won't be as pronounced.
  • Heavy cream: Beating heavy cream into stiff peaks is a very important step in this recipe. It is the secret to a thick no-bake cheesecake filling. Heavy cream is also called double cream.
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How To Make This Recipe

  1. Pour crumbs into a small bowl and stir in melted butter.
  2. Spoon crumbs into dessert dish and press down with the back of a spoon. Set aside.
  3. In a separate bowl, mix together the cream cheese, sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest.
  4. Pour the heavy cream into another small bowl and whisk until stiff peaks form, about 2-3 minutes.
  5. Fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture.
  6. Spoon over the cookie crust and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.

RELATED: Easy Single Serving Comfort Food Recipes

a small pie topped with lemon slices with a triangle taken out.

This lemon cheesecake is the perfect size for one or two people to enjoy.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Do You Thicken No-Bake Cheesecake?

As mentioned in the ingredient notes, the most important step is to beat cold heavy cream into stiff peaks. Be sure to fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese filling gently so that the cream doesn't deflate. The filling thickens in the refrigerator.

Can This Recipe Be Doubled?

Yes! If you'd like to make two cheesecakes, double the ingredients.

What Is The Best Dish To Use?

The dishes I most often use in this recipe are mini pie/tart pans, an 8.5-ounce or a 10-ounce ramekin. These dishes can be found on our Cookware Page and our Bakeware Page.
You could even make a crustless cheesecake by leaving out the crust and spooning the cheesecake mousse into a pretty dessert dish.

Do You Have Other Single Serving Pie Recipes?

We do! Here are a few of our most popular pie recipes:
* Peanut Butter Pie
* Banana Cream Pie
* Key Lime Pie
* Pumpkin Pie
* Coconut Cream Pie
* Sweet Potato Pie
* Pecan Pie
* Blueberry Pie

Expert Tips

  • This cheesecake can be made 1-2 days in advance. It can be refrigerated for up to 2 days before eating.
  • You can make the crust 1-2 days ahead of time. To freeze the crust only, cover and place the crust in the freezer for 1 hour, then cover tightly and refrigerate for 1-2 days before adding the filling.
  • Bring the cream cheese to room temperature before using. This helps to guarantee a smooth cheesecake filling. The heavy cream MUST be cold in order to whip into stiff peaks.
  • You can certainly enjoy this lemon cheesecake mousse right after you make it. However, if you refrigerate the cheesecake for a few hours you'll end up with a firmer, yet still mousse-like consistency.
Overhead view of a spoonful of lemon cheesecake mousse in a dessert glass on a white cloth napkin and a bowl of lemons all on a metal tray

Ways To Use Leftover Ingredients

If you have any ingredients leftover from this lemon cheesecake recipe you might like to consider using them in any of these single serving recipes:

  • Graham crackers: Icebox Cake, Key Lime Pie Ice Cream, Lemon Mango Pie
  • Cream cheese: Mini Carrot Cake, Red Velvet Donuts, Mini Pineapple Oat Cake, Pumpkin Bars
  • Lemon juice/lemon zest: Lemon Bars, Lemon Blueberry Muffin, Lemon Curd

More Single Serving Cheesecake Desserts

You might also like to try these single serving cheesecake recipes:

  • No Bake Cheesecake
  • Pumpkin Cheesecake
Forkful of lemon cheesecake mousse on a glass plate with whole lemons and a mug of coffee on a metal tray

If you’ve tried this lemon cheesecake mousse or any recipe on One Dish Kitchen please let me know how you liked it by rating the recipe and telling me about it in the comment section below.

Also, if you take a picture please tag us on Instagram (@onedishkitchen) we’d love to see!

Lemon Cheesecake Mousse with crust on glass plate

Lemon Cheesecake Mousse

Light and creamy, easy to make, no bake dessert recipe. Perfect balance of tart and sweet. Single serving. Treat yourself.
5 from 12 votes
Print Pin Rate
See the post above for expert tips,
FAQs and ways to use leftover ingredients.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Chill: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Course: Dessert
Servings: 1 person
Calories: 689kcal
Author: Joanie Zisk

Equipment

  • 10-ounce ramekin

Ingredients

  • ¼ cup graham cracker crumbs (2 large sheets of graham crackers or use 5 lemon cream filled cookies such as Lemon Oreos)
  • 1 tablespoon salted butter melted
  • 2 ounces cream cheese softened
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • ½ teaspoon lemon zest
  • 4 ounces heavy cream
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Place the 2 sheets of graham crackers (or 5 cream filled cookies) in a zip-topped bag and roll with a rolling pin or heavy can to crush.
  • Pour crumbs into a small bowl and stir in melted butter.
  • Spoon crumbs into dessert dish and press down with the back of a spoon. Set aside. *(See notes)
  • In a separate bowl, mix together the cream cheese, sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest. Set aside.
  • Pour the heavy cream into another small bowl and whisk until stiff peaks form, about 4 minutes.
  • Fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture.
  • Spoon over the cookie crust and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.

Notes

Expert Tips
  • This cheesecake can be made 1-2 days in advance. It can be refrigerated for up to 2 days before eating.
  • You can make the crust 1-2 days ahead of time. To freeze the crust only, cover and place the crust in the freezer for 1 hour, then cover tightly and refrigerate for 1-2 days before adding the filling.
  • Bring the cream cheese to room temperature before using. This helps to guarantee a smooth cheesecake filling. The heavy cream MUST be cold in order to whip into stiff peaks.
  • You can certainly enjoy this lemon cheesecake mousse right after you make it. However, if you refrigerate the cheesecake for a few hours you'll end up with a firmer, yet still mousse-like consistency.
Nutrition Facts
Lemon Cheesecake Mousse
Amount Per Serving (1 serving)
Calories 689 Calories from Fat 603
% Daily Value*
Fat 67g103%
Saturated Fat 44g275%
Cholesterol 247mg82%
Sodium 463mg20%
Potassium 200mg6%
Carbohydrates 48g16%
Sugar 39g43%
Protein 7g14%
Vitamin A 2780IU56%
Vitamin C 7.1mg9%
Calcium 146mg15%
Iron 1.1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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About Joanie Zisk

Joanie Zisk is the creator of OneDishKitchen.com, the number one go-to site for single serving recipes. The aim of One Dish Kitchen is to inspire individuals with access to single serving recipes that will enable them to enjoy the preparation of a meal that will nourish both body and soul. Her website is filled with hundreds of easy, flavorful recipes that are tailored for those cooking for one. Joanie is the author of "The Ultimate Cooking For One Cookbook" and her recipes and food photography have been featured in various publications including, TODAY.com, Huffington Post, Real Simple, Self.com,Women’s Day, Buzzfeed, and others. Come say hello and follow Joanie on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and LinkedIn.

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    Recipe Rating




  1. Lynne Marie says

    May 14, 2022 at 10:51 am

    This was very good. I used lemon extract instead of the lemon zest. I will be making this again.

    Reply
  2. Chari says

    March 27, 2022 at 5:46 pm

    Such a good dessert and so easy to make. Only thing I did different was add a teaspoon of vanilla extract..... Cause I like vanilla

    Reply
  3. Sherri Sullivan says

    September 12, 2021 at 8:39 pm

    Very good and the best part was it was so fast and easy to make.

    Reply
  4. Ann Foehner says

    December 23, 2020 at 2:23 pm

    Cheese Cake, I am wondering if you can use this same recipe and do it in a small spring form pan? I can't seem to find a recipe using a spring form pan and wanted to make it like for Christmas Eve or Da y desert. What are your suggestions?

    thanks so much!

    Reply
    • Joanie Zisk says

      December 23, 2020 at 4:23 pm

      Ann, this lemon cheesecake has a mousse-like texture and is not as firm as a traditional cheesecake so I don't think it will work well in a spring form pan. If you want to use the spring form pan, you could do an upside down cake ( https://onedishkitchen.com/caramelized-banana-upside-down-cake/ ) and feel free to use a different fruit, if necessary. The pan used is a 7-inch pan. If the pan you are using is smaller, you might like to try the flourless chocolate cake - https://onedishkitchen.com/flourless-chocolate-cake-for-one/

      Reply
    • Dawn says

      July 11, 2021 at 3:09 pm

      Delicious

      Reply
  5. Kasey says

    November 28, 2020 at 2:06 am

    Reply
  6. Kathy says

    October 17, 2020 at 2:33 pm

    I made this today without the crust, mostly to save a few calories. Loved it. I could hardly wait for it to chill.
    Next time I’ll crush one little section of graham cracker to sprinkle on top just for texture, or a vanilla wafer would be good.

    Reply
    • Joanie Zisk says

      October 19, 2020 at 1:17 pm

      I'm so happy you enjoyed the recipe. Thank you for your feedback.

      Reply
  7. Mary says

    September 17, 2018 at 8:28 pm

    So quick and easy. I made it without a crust in a parfait dish with fresh blueberries. I like the idea of adding lemon cookies with the mousse. I recently bought some Pepperidge Farm lemon cookies that would be great with this. I am learning to cook for one and have made several recipes from your site. In fact I had curried cream of vegetable soup using your curried carrot soup recipe.

    Reply
    • Joanie Zisk says

      September 19, 2018 at 1:02 am

      I'm so happy you are enjoying the recipes, Mary. Thank you so much for letting me know.

      Reply
  8. Susan Jones says

    August 17, 2018 at 11:11 pm

    The lemon Oreos or snaps sound delish! If you want to use with the mousse, I suggest crushing up some and just layering with the mousse to make a parfait. This will be on the menu as soon as I can go get the cookies!

    Reply
  9. Judy says

    July 20, 2018 at 4:07 pm

    Oh my gosh, that was sooo good. I made it without the crust because I don't have the small pans yet but I'm going to order them asap.

    Reply
    • Joanie Zisk says

      July 20, 2018 at 4:53 pm

      I love it without the crust too, Judy. Thanks so much for letting me know you enjoyed the recipe. It makes me so happy to hear!

      Reply
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Welcome to One Dish Kitchen, I’m Joanie and I’m incredibly happy you’re here! Our aim is to inspire individuals with access to single serving recipes, education, and a supportive community that will enable them to enjoy the preparation of a meal that will nourish both body and soul.

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