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Picture a dessert that blends the tangy brightness of lemon with the creamy richness of cheesecake, all in a light, airy mousse. This Lemon Cheesecake Mousse is exactly that—a refreshing, no-bake treat made for one! With simple ingredients like cream cheese, lemon, and graham crackers, you’ll whip up a dessert that’s both satisfying and light, complete with a crunchy graham cracker base for a little extra delight.
Looking for more no-bake single serving dessert recipes? Check out our simple and tasty Buckeyes, crunchy Puppy Chow, creamy Peanut Butter Fudge, and refreshing Grapefruit Posset.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Simple & No-Bake: Skip the oven—this dessert comes together in minutes, no baking needed.
- Perfect Portion: A single serving means no leftovers, making it great for smaller households or portion control.
- Creamy & Tangy: Smooth cheesecake filling with bright lemon flavor gives you a perfectly balanced sweet and tart treat.
- Quick & Easy: Just a few ingredients and minimal prep make this dessert perfect for busy nights or last-minute cravings.
- Make-Ahead Friendly: Need a hassle-free dessert? Prep it up to 2 days ahead for a chilled, refreshing treat whenever you’re ready.
RELATED: The Best Cookie Recipes For One
Ingredients
If you have any ingredients leftover from this lemon cheesecake mousse recipe, check out our Leftover Ingredients Recipe Finder.
For the Crust
- Graham crackers: These are sweet, whole wheat cookies made with graham flour, typically found in the cookie aisle in US grocery stores. Alternatively, lemon cream-filled cookies, vanilla wafers, or digestive biscuits (in the UK) can be used. Consider using any leftover graham crackers in a small batch of Peanut Butter Bars, Key Lime Pie, or S’mores Dip.
- Butter: Melted butter is essential to bind the crust ingredients together.
For the Lemon Cheesecake Mousse
- Cream cheese: Use block cream cheese at room temperature, not cream cheese spread. Feel free to choose low-fat cream cheese for a lighter version. Extra cream cheese can be used to make a No-Bake Cheesecake, Peanut Butter Pie, or a Hot Spinach Dip.
- Sugar: Three tablespoons of granulated sugar adds the right amount of sweetness, offsetting the tartness of the lemon.
- Lemon juice and lemon zest: Freshly squeezed lemon juice and zest from the same lemon enhance the flavor. If using bottled lemon juice, omit the zest, though this may reduce the lemony punch. Use any extra lemon juice in Buttermilk Pie, Mango Sorbet, or a Lemon Posset.
- Heavy cream: Whip the heavy cream to stiff peaks to achieve a thick, no-bake cheesecake filling. Known as double cream in some parts of the world, it’s a key component for texture. We use heavy cream in many of our single serving and small batch recipes. Consider using any leftover cream in Banana Pudding or French Silk Pie.
Recipe Variations
Here are some ways to customize your Lemon Cheesecake Mousse:
- Lime Cheesecake Mousse: Substitute lemon with lime for a tropical twist.
- Mixed Berry Cheesecake Mousse: Add a layer of fresh berries under the mousse.
- Chocolate Base: Replace graham crackers with chocolate biscuits for a chocolatey crust.
- Orange Cheesecake Mousse: Use orange instead of lemon for a different citrus flavor.
How To Make Lemon Cheesecake Mousse
See the recipe box below for ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions.
- Prepare the Crust: Mix crumbs with melted butter in a small bowl. Transfer this mixture into your dessert dish, pressing it down firmly with the back of a spoon. Set aside.
- Make the Cheesecake Mixture: In a different bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest together.
- Whip the Cream: In another small bowl, whip the heavy cream until it forms stiff peaks, which should take about 2-3 minutes.
- Combine: Gently fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture, ensuring it’s well blended.
- Assemble: Spoon this creamy mixture over the prepared crust in the dessert dish.
- Chill: Refrigerate the mousse for at least 20 minutes before enjoying.
RELATED: Easy Single Serving Comfort Food Recipes
Expert Tips
- Crush the Graham Crackers Finely: This ensures a smooth and even crust texture.
- Whip the Cream To Stiff Peaks: This creates a light and airy mousse that holds its shape.
- Smooth Texture: Ensure your cream cheese is at room temperature for easier blending.
- Serving Dish: Using a 10-ounce ramekin or mini pie/tart pan is ideal for this recipe.
Serving Suggestions
This single serving cheesecake mousse is perfect on its own, but here are some ideas to elevate it:
- Fresh Fruit: Top with a dollop of whipped cream and your favorite fresh berries like raspberries, blueberries, or strawberries.
- Shortbread Cookies: Serve alongside some shortbread cookie bites for a delightful textural contrast.
- Chocolate Shavings: For a contrasting rich flavor.
- Lemon Slice: Garnish with a thin slice for an elegant touch.
Frequently Asked Questions
To thicken a no-bake cheesecake, the key step is whipping cold heavy cream until it forms stiff peaks. Then, gently fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture to keep it airy. The cheesecake filling will further thicken as it chills in the refrigerator.
Absolutely! You can easily double the ingredients if you want to make two cheesecakes.
The mousse can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
Absolutely! Use a gluten-free cookies for the crust.
I typically use mini pie/tart pans or a 10-ounce ramekin for this recipe. Alternatively, for a crustless cheesecake, simply spoon the cheesecake mousse into a decorative dessert dish.
Ways To Use Leftover Ingredients
If you have any ingredients leftover from this recipe, check out our Leftover Ingredients Recipe Finder or you might like to consider using them in any of these single serving and small batch recipes:
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 it!
Lemon Cheesecake Mousse For One
Equipment
- 10-ounce ramekin or dessert dish
Ingredients
For the crust
- ¼ cup graham cracker crumbs — ¼ cup of graham cracker crumbs can be made by using 2 large sheets of graham crackers (or 5 lemon cream filled cookies such as Lemon Oreos) and crush with a rolling pin or in a food processor.
- 1 tablespoon salted butter , melted
For the lemon cheesecake mousse
- 2 ounces cream cheese , room temperature
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon lemon zest
- ½ cup heavy cream (4 ounces)
Instructions
- Prepare the Crust: Mix crumbs with melted butter in a small bowl. Transfer this mixture into your dessert dish, pressing it down firmly with the back of a spoon. Set aside.
- Make the Cheesecake Mixture: In a separate bowl, mix together the cream cheese, sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Use a spoon for stirring or an electric hand mixer on low speed to blend them thoroughly.
- Whip the Cream: In another small bowl, use a hand mixer to whip the heavy cream until it reaches stiff peaks, typically taking about 2-3 minutes.
- Combine: Gently fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture, ensuring it's well blended.
- Assemble: Spoon this creamy mixture over the prepared crust in the dessert dish.
- Chill: Refrigerate the mousse for at least 20 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Crush the Graham Crackers Finely: This ensures a smooth and even crust texture.
- Whip the Cream To Stiff Peaks: This creates a light and airy mousse that holds its shape.
- Smooth Texture: Ensure your cream cheese is at room temperature for easier blending.
- Serving Dish: Using a 10-ounce ramekin or mini pie/tart pan is ideal for this recipe.
Nutrition
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.
Can you use ready made whipped cream instead of homemade?
Yes but store-bought whipped cream tends to be much sweeter than homemade, you may want to reduce the amount of sugar you use in the recipe.
So fantastic. Simple perfect size
This was very good. I used lemon extract instead of the lemon zest. I will be making this again.
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
Very good and the best part was it was so fast and easy to make.
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!
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/
Delicious
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.
I’m so happy you enjoyed the recipe. Thank you for your feedback.
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.
I’m so happy you are enjoying the recipes, Mary. Thank you so much for letting me know.
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!
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.
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!