Easy No-Bake Jar Cheesecakes
I discovered mason jar cheesecakes on Pinterest one day, and I was immediately intrigued. A cheesecake recipe is always a go for me, but a cheesecake recipe you can literally put in your backpack to take on a hike? Even better! My special pal and I made these cheesecakes for a picnic that we went on a few weeks ago, and boy, was that one of the greatest decisions we made that day! I would highly recommend it. Since then, I've been tweaking the original recipe into my own modified version.
Three features of these cheesecakes stick out to me as the best: the first is transportability - you can take these practically anywhere, and they're mess free! The second is the swiftness of no-bake cheesecake - you can whip these up and eat them within 30 minutes if you want to! What are you waiting for!? The third feature I appreciate is the versatility of flavours.
I'm still experimenting with flavours for these cheesecakes. So far, I've made saskatoon cheesecakes, raspberry white chocolate cheesecakes, and the lemon one I'm sharing with you today. I can't wait to try more epic combinations! What are your favourite cheesecake flavours?
Mason Jar Cheesecakes Recipe
Serves: 4 | Preparation Time: 30 minutes | Refrigeration Time: 1 hour
Graham Crust:
- 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
- 4 Tbsp butter
- 3 Tbsp brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
Cream Cheese Filling:
- 8 oz cream cheese
- 2 tsp. vanilla
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 cup whipping cream, whipped till stiff
- 1 1/2 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp lemon zest
Lemon Topping:
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup + 1 Tbsp corn starch
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup lemon juice
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 1/2 cups boiling water
- 2 tsp lemon zest
- 1 tsp butter
Directions:
1. Prepare the graham crust: melt the butter, then stir all of the other ingredients together until combined. Divide the graham mixture between your mason jars, using the end of a spoon to tamp it down for a crust at the bottom of the jar.
2. In a blender (or with beaters) make your whipped cream. Then blend together with the cream cheese. Add the sugar, vanilla, lemon juice, and lemon zest, and blend well.
3. Mix all of the lemon topping ingredients together in a saucepan and whisk well. Be careful to whisk continuously while adding the egg yolks so they don't cook. Simmer on the stovetop until the mixture becomes thick and bubbly.
4. Fill your mason jars about 1/3 of the way with cream cheese mixture, then add a layer of lemon topping. Alternate between cream cheese filling and lemon topping until the jar is full. Garnish with a lemon slice or lemon rind as desired. Enjoy!
If you like cheesecake and want more tips and ideas, check out my mini cheesecake bites recipe here!
