I love pie. All pie. The trouble with pie is that you have to bake it, usually. And that can present a problem when your oven is otherwise occupied (by a Thanksgiving turkey or a holiday ham) or when it’s 90 degrees outside, and you don’t want to heat up the kitchen. Enter no-bake lemon cheese pie.

This pie is simple and uses ingredients you might already have on hand: lemon gelatin, cream cheese, cottage cheese, lemon zest, whipped cream…you get the idea. Even better, this pie can be made using light ingredients like low-fat cream cheese (Neufchâtel), non-fat cottage cheese, sugar-free lemon gelatin, and even sugar-free or fat-free non-dairy whipped topping (like Cool Whip).

It all starts with that lemon gelatin. You dissolve it in hot water and then let it sit to cool down a bit before you mix it with the other ingredients. You could get crazy and try using strawberry or raspberry gelatin!

The next step is to whip the cottage cheese and softened cream cheese in a food processor until they’re smooth. You can use any kind of cottage cheese and cream cheese you like. You can also substitute mascarpone if you prefer it. I generally use Neufchâtel and fat-free cottage cheese.

It’s kind of magical just how creamy these cheeses get in the food processor. You really can’t skip this step. And you’ll need to be prepared to stop the food processor a couple of times to scrape down the side. You want the cheese to be smooth and creamy after processing.

Now the real magic begins! Time to combine your carefully prepared ingredients. As long as your resolved gelatin has cooled some, this part’s pretty easy and doesn’t require any special handling.

I use a large mixing bowl and a fairly sturdy whisk for this part because the cheese mixture, even after processing, is pretty thick compared to the dissolved gelatin. Be sure to mix them thoroughly. You should have a fluffy, pale yellow result with no streaks of yellow (from the gelatin) when you’re done.

See? No streaks. This is delicious as it is, and makes an excellent base for a fresh fruit tart. But we’re making pie, so we need to lighten up the texture and nothing does that like whipped cream.

Now, this is controversial. I prefer to whip my own whipped cream. Why? Because then the only thing in the whipped cream is cream (and maybe a little sweetener). There are no strange chemicals that I can’t pronounce, but I can taste. But, if you prefer the tub of non-dairy whipped topping, it works just fine in this lemon cheese pie. And if you want to reduce the fat in this recipe, you can use the fat-free tub.

Whether you choose to whip your own cream or use the stuff in the tub, you’ll want to gently fold it into the cheese mixture. One of the main reasons you’re adding the whipped cream is to lighten up the texture of the lemon cheese pie filling. So, take your time. If you stir it in too roughly, you’ll deflate the cream and get a runny pie filling. That would be a shame!

You don’t have to add the extra lemon zest or granulated sweetener (or sugar). And if you do, you could add them before folding in the whipped cream, but I always wait until after. That’s because I like to taste the filling first so I can adjust the amount of sweetness or lemonyness if needed. But remember, be gentle. You don’t want to deflate your lovely, fluffy cheese mixture.

It’s tempting you just take that big bowl of lemony cheese goodness and eat it with a spoon. And if that’s what you do at this point, I won’t judge you. But if you do that, you won’t have pie. And this is such a lovely pie. Also, this mix also works really well as the gooey part of a trifle. I suggest using poundcake and macerated strawberries or cherry pie filling. It really is a big bowl of yum.

If you resist the urge to eat the pie filling with a spoon, after letting it chill for eight hours or more in the refrigerator, you’ll be rewarded with a luscious, creamy, dreamy, lemony, cheesy pie. And all without turning on the oven. It’s like magic! Feel free to top this with fresh strawberries or a little whipped cream.

No-Bake Lemon Cheese Pie

Course: Dessert, EntertainingDifficulty: Easy

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

Refrigeration time

minutes

Ingredients

1 0.3 oz. package sugar-free lemon gelatin mix
1/3 cup boiling water
1 8-ounce block of light cream cheese (Neufchatel)
1 ½ cups cottage cheese
6 oz. heavy cream (or about 1/2 an 8 oz tub of whipped topping)
1 Tablespoon Splenda (or sweetener of choice)
½ tsp. vanilla extract
½ tsp. lemon zest (optional)
1-2 tablespoons Splenda or another granulated sweetener (optional)
1 prepared graham cracker pie crust (8 or 9 inches)

Directions

Dissolve gelatin in 1/3 cup boiling water. Set aside.
Process cream cheese and cottage cheese in a food processor until smooth. You’ll need to stop and scrape down the sides a few times.
Whip the cream with a hand mixer or stand mixer until soft peaks form. Add 1 tablespoon of Splenda (or the sweetener of your choice) and vanilla. Continue to whip until stiff peaks form.
Fold the whipped cream into the processed cheese mixture.
Fold in the lemon zest and additional sweetener (if using) until well combined.
Pour the mixture into your pie crust.
Refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.