Ginger and Lime No-Bake Cheesecake

Name: Ginger and Lime No-Bake Cheesecake
Prep time: 30 min
Total time: 290 min
Ingredients: 200 g gingernut biscuits; 75 g unsalted butter; 500 g full-fat cream cheese (chilled); 100 g icing sugar; 300 ml double cream (chilled); 2 large limes (approx. 65ml) (plus extra for decoration)

Fresh, zingy and so light. This ginger and lime no-bake cheesecake is the perfect fuss-free dessert that is an absolute crowd pleaser!

When it comes to chilled no-bake desserts, the humble cheesecake is at the top of the list. They’re easy to make, can be made in advance and taste so so delicious. Of course they’re different to their baked counterparts, but personally I love how creamy and light a no-bake cheesecake is! And this ginger and lime no-bake cheesecake is no exception. The zingy lime cheesecake filling against the fiery Gingernut biscuit base is a delicious combination, and definitely a crowd-pleaser!

Key Ingredients You’ll Need

Gingernut Biscuits – Gingernuts or Ginger Biscuits can be found in most supermarkets under their home brand range. You don’t need to get a fancy version here, and you could even make your own if you so wished!
Limes – You’ll need two limes to make this cheesecake, though I’ve also given the measurement in millilitres as lime sizes can differ quite wildly! You may also want to use a third lime for decoration like I’ve done, though that is totally optional.
Full-Fat Cream Cheese – For a no-bake cheesecake to set properly you must use a full-fat cream cheese. Again, it can be a homebrand version but it just has to be full-fat. Otherwise it’ll be a sloppy mess!

How to make a ginger and lime no-bake cheesecake

If you’ve ever made a no-bake cheesecake before, you’ll know how simple it is. It can be whipped up in less than 30minutes and then the fridge does all the work! But to help you achieve a perfect finish, I would advise using a spring-form cake tin. This is a tin that has a latch on the side, meaning the sides come away from the base without having to push the cheesecake out. It’s purely helpful for aesthetic reasons, but your cheesecake will be much prettier this way!

Making the biscuit base

The biscuit base is so simple to achieve, but having a food processor will make your life muchhhh easier. The Gingernut crumbs need to be blitzed to a fine crumb, and then melted butter added in to create a mixture that resembles wet clumpy sand. If you don’t have a food processor, you can place the biscuits into a sandwich bag or bowl and gently bash the biscuits with the end of a rolling pin.

The mixture then needs to be tipped into your cake tin, which should be lined only on the base! This makes it easier to cut out a slice once the cheesecake is ready, but doesn’t stick to the cheesecake filling.

The mixture should be compacted down in the tin, using either a spoon or your hands, until completely flat and level. And voila! A buttery Gingernut biscuit base is made. It just needs to chill in the fridge for a bit while you start on the cheesecake filling.

lime zest on top of no-bake cheesecake filling

Making the cheesecake filling

Before you begin making the cheesecake filling, make sure that your cream cheese and double cream are in the fridge and chilled. Using room temperature ingredients won’t work as well to thicken up. So if you’d already got them out, put them back in the fridge for a bit before you begin.

Then, whisk the cream cheese and icing sugar together. It’s much easier to do this with an electric hand-whisk, but if you only have a manual whisk that will work too, it will just take you a little longer! Then pour in the double cream, and whisk the mixture again until it’s thickened and looks creamy.

The final step is to add in the delicious zingy limes. First you want the zest of both limes and then the juice. This should be about 65ml. Then mix together, just by hand with a spatula this time and you’re done!

Spread the mixture onto the chilled biscuit base and leave it to set in the fridge. It will need at least 4 hours before you can cut it, but you can also leave it overnight! So it’s perfect if you need a a simple but delicious make-ahead dessert!

Tips & Tricks

I prefer lemon to lime. Could I swap it?

Yes! I think lemon would work really well here, just make sure to use the same quantity of juice. And you’ll likelt only need the zest of one lemon rather than two.

Could I make this ginger & lime cheesecake vegan?

Yes! This would work great with vegan cream cheese substitutes, plant based cream and vegan block butter. Most gingernut biscuits are already vegan!

How many days can I make the no-bake cheesecake in advance?

Ideally you would only make the cheesecake one day in advance. If you need to make it two days in advance, get it out of the fridge about 30 minutes before serving to soften up a little, as it can get very ‘set’ in the fridge for too long.

I love how fresh and summery this no-bake dessert is. It’d be perfect at a family bbq, the finishing touch for a homemade meal or just a delicious cooling afternoon treat! And its just so so simple. Thats what I love about no-bake cheesecakes, they look so impressive (especially if you go big on the decorations) but are so easy to put together and yet still taste so good!! I really hope you love this ginger and lime no-bake cheesecake as much as I do!