These no bake key lime cheesecake jars are the perfect summer treat. This keto dessert has just 5 net carbs each, is super easy to prep with no baking needed, and tastes just like real key lime cheesecake!
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Why No-Bake Key Lime Cheesecake Jars are the Perfect Summer Treat
Summer is the time for sun, fun, and, of course, delicious desserts! But when the temperatures rise, no one wants to turn on their oven and heat up their house.
That's where these no-bake key lime cheesecake jars come in – they're the perfect summer dessert that requires no baking at all. They’re easy to make and always hit the spot on a hot day.
I love to make them any time I have family coming over or I am hosting a get-together with friends. They’re so pretty to look at and always impress my guests. If I am taking them to a party, I can make them in little plastic cups, so I don’t have to worry about bringing any dishes home!
So, if you’re looking for a creamy, tangy, and refreshing summer treat that's also friendly to your keto lifestyle, then these no-bake key lime cheesecake jars are the way to go.
Tip: If you don't want to make this dessert in jars, follow my recipe for the best keto key lime pie!
How to make no-bake key lime cheesecake jars
Making these individual cheesecakes in a jar is quick and easy!
Here's what you'll need to make the best key lime cheesecake:
- Almond flour provides a base for the crust.
- Cinnamon gives the crust the flavor of a graham cracker crust.
- Sugar substitute provides sweetness without any net carbs.
- Gelatin stabilizes the filling and whipped topping.
- Heavy whipping cream adds creaminess to the filling and topping.
- Cream cheese is needed for the cheesecake flavor.
- Vanilla extract adds sweetness and enhances the flavor.
- Key limes provide the fruity citrus flavor!
I can't find key limes! What do I do?
If you can't find key limes, regular limes will work just fine. The only difference is that key limes have a slightly sweeter and tarter flavor, but both types of limes will still give you that delicious key lime taste.
Cheesecake tips
- Make it a 9—or 9.5-inch pie dish. You can easily make a full keto key lime cheesecake instead! Just mix the crust, press it down into your pie pan, and top with the prepared filling and whipped cream.
- Skip the garnish. The garnish is optional, but it is the perfect splash of color to finish off these cute little treats.
- Use fresh key limes. Although you can use bottled lime juice, adding zest from fresh limes really ups the flavor.
The 3 layers of keto key lime cheesecake jars
These little keto key lime cheesecake jar desserts come together in three simple parts:
1. The keto crust
Combine almond flour, cinnamon, sweetener, and melted butter. Divide the mixture between small jars and press down to form the crust.
2. Key lime cheesecake filling
Place cream cheese, sweetener, vanilla extract, lime zest, and lime juice in a large mixing bowl.
Beat cream cheese and other ingredients with an electric mixer until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
Prepare a stabilized sweetened whipped cream and fold it into the cream cheese mixture.
Tip: Adding gelatin to the cream before whipping stabilizes it so it won’t deflate the key lime mousse cheesecake layer.
3. The garnish
The cheesecake tops are finished off with some extra piped stabilized whipped cream. Adding a bit more lime zest and a few small slices of key lime really makes the no-bake key lime cheesecake pop with a splash of color!
How long can I store key lime cheesecake jars?
You can store these cheesecake jars in the fridge for up to 3 days. Just make sure to cover them tightly with plastic wrap or a lid to prevent them from drying out.
Storage hack:
If you're prepping these in advance, wait to add the whipped cream and garnish until just before serving. This way, the whipped cream stays fresh and fluffy.
Love This Keto Key Lime Cheesecake? Try These Recipes!
Looking for more delicious keto dessert recipes that don’t require any baking? Check out a few of these favorites:
- Sugar-Free Cheesecake Fluff is made with cream cheese, heavy whipping cream, and a dash of vanilla and lemon extracts.
- No-Bake Irish Cream Cheesecake combines rich coffee and chocolate flavors in mini jars or as a full-sized pie.
- Keto Chocolate Mousse with Cream Cheese can be made with cherry extract for a rich black forest flavor.
- No Bake Peanut Butter Cheesecake will satisfy any sweet tooth with delicious chocolate and peanut butter.
- Cookies and Cream Cheesecake has keto Oreos mixed with rich vanilla cream and poured over a cookie crust!
Follow us on FACEBOOK, PINTEREST, and INSTAGRAM for even more tasty keto-friendly recipes!
Recipe
No Bake Key Lime Cheesecake
Video
Ingredients
Crust:
- ¾ cup almond flour plus 2 tablespoons
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 ½ tablespoons low carb sugar substitute or Natvia
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
Stabilized whipped cream:
- 1 teaspoon grass-fed gelatin
- 4 teaspoons cold water
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 tablespoons low carb sugar substitute powdered
Filling:
- 12 ounces cream cheese softened
- ¼ cup low carb sugar substitute
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- zest of 2 key limes
- juice from 4 key limes about 3 tablespoons
Instructions
Crust:
- In a small bowl, combine the almond flour, cinnamon, and Natvia sweetener.
- Add melted butter then divide between eight 4 ounce jars or dessert cups.
- Press down to form a crust at bottom of each cup.
Stabilized Whipped Cream:
- In a small pan, combine gelatin and cold water; let stand to soften gelatin.
- Place over low heat, stirring constantly, just until the gelatin dissolves.
- Remove from heat; cool slightly at room temperature (do not allow it to set).
- Whip the cream with the icing sugar, until slightly thick.
- While slowly beating, stream in the gelatin liquid to whipping cream.
- Whip at high speed until stiff. Set aside.
Filling:
- In medium bowl, blend all filling ingredients with an electric mixer until well combined.
- Fold in half of the stabilized whipped cream.
- Pipe or spoon filling over crust in each jar, dividing evenly between the cups.
- Top off each jar with the remaining whipped cream.
- Decorate with additional lime zest and slices if desired.
Notes
- A cheesecake pie can be made by pressing the crust into a 9-inch pie pan and topping it with the filling.
- Gelatin is used to stabilize the whipped cream so it doesn't separate or go flat after it's been whipped.
Low Carb Sweeteners | Keto Sweetener Conversion Chart
Nutrition
Additional Info
Notes on Nutritional Information
Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site. Erythritol carbs are not included in carb counts as it has been shown not to impact blood sugar. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.
Copyright
© LowCarbYum.com - Unauthorized use of this material without written permission is strictly prohibited unless for personal offline purposes. Single photos may be used, provided that full credit is given to LowCarbYum.com along with a link back to the original content.
First Published on June 12, 2015. Updated on June 24, 2024, with new photos and additional recipe information.
Joy
Hi Lisa: I have made these a couple of times and just love them! Can you tell me if you've ever made them 4 days in advance?
Lisa MarcAurele
If you make them more than a day or two in advance, you may want to freeze them so they stay fresh longer. I usually don't prep it more than 2 days ahead.
S. Hannes
I have tried this recipe a few times and it is always a hit, even with those not doing keto/low carb. Works great in the individual servings like the small mason jars and also in my tart pan...a really pretty and tasty dessert. Appreciate the recipe...always on the lookout for good ones!
Simply Delish
These look so delish! Love the small, individual mason jars as a presentation!
Shawn
I was looking for a GF crust recipe, but I followed the entire recipe EXCEPT, having only 1 8 oz block of cream cheese, I used an avocado for the their 4 oz%. I also left off the gelatin for the whipped cream@ madness it was fine! I made and served the “pie” in an 8 hour period - not sure how this would have held up overnight in the refrigerator bu I expect okay.
I also used WHOLE EARTH Baking Blend (Raw Sugar & Stevia) at 1/2 amount as recipe lists. {I use this for most everything}
This was wonderful! Light and soft- and YUMMY!
Bete Primm
Hi! What if I don't have gelatin? Can I substitute it with something else or just keep it out for the lime cheesecake? Thanks!
Lisa MarcAurele
The gelatin is used to prevent the whipped cream from going flat. You can leave it out if you aren't concerned about that.
Katie Hearn
I have made this recipe a few times now and love it. I make it as written but I agree it looked a little plain and I wanted it to have that classic pale green color so I added half of an avocado since I'd seen it in other similar recipes. This gave the filling a beautiful pistachio green color and even added some creaminesss. This recipe actually makes enough filling for a 10" pie and has been a real crowd pleaser, thank you!
Lisa MarcAurele
Great tip on adding an avocado! I'm going to have to try that.
Patt Brady
Did use as much sweetener. I put all the whip cream in so I added more lime juice. Great! Thank you.
Lisa MarcAurele
I'm glad the key lime cheesecake recipe worked out!
Lynda
I have a small Oscar food processor and an immersion blender. I don’t have the other type of mixer. Could I use one of these?
Lisa MarcAurele
I don't see why not. Even hand blending should be okay.
Martha
Thank you for this recipe this was delicious! I made it into a pie and divided it into 8 equal parts.
melissa
I found a recipe for making a sweetened condensed milk I was wanting to us that instead of the whipped cream do you think it would work
Lisa
It should.You just need to make sure the sweetener amount is adjusted to your taste.
Audrey
When you recalculated the nutrition info did the carbs still come ot the same? I am eager to try but it’s not worth it if I had that many carbs. I am Keto Krazy right now and need to only eat 4-6 carbs for desserts. Can’t wait to hear back!
Lisa
I just calculated using my latest method and get 7g (5g net) per jar. You can always skip the crust to save on carbs.
Keri
Can I use Stevia as my low-carb sweetness and it’s 2.7 for one 4 oz jar at 377 for the calories.
Lisa
Any sweetener can be used. You just need to convert the amount as needed.
Ana
Is the sweetner powder sweetner for all the parts it is called for?
Is Stevia ok?!
Lisa
You can use any sweetener for the low carb sweetener, but may need to convert as needed.
Marianne
This was amazing! I made it last night and three regular diet people loved them! I used Stevia granulated and feel I should have used a little more. it was still utterly DELICIOUS! The best part? I am not sharing the other four that are left 😉
Jill
Can we use something besides jars? Cupcake cups?
Lisa
Small glasses or cups work well too.
Dessa
I didn't do the gelatin part simply because I'm lazy and used sugar free whip cream instead with some lime juice/sugar, but holy moly! This kicked my cheesecake craving in the behind! I'm so impressed by the flavor when the ingredients list is so small.
Thank you so much for this recipe 🙂
Lisa
I'm glad it worked out without the gelatin!
Maite Moctezuma
Hi, could I try making the crust with coconut flour instead of almond flour ...It's kind of hard to get almond flour where I live and it's really expensive! and for stabilizing the cream, could you replace the gelatin for tapioca starch?
Lisa
It's better to use ground nuts (any nut will work). Coconut flour is much drier than almond flour and you use much less.
Lauren
This is the first thing on my low carb diet that I've REALLY enjoyed and it tasted NORMAL!!! Thank you sooooo much!
Lisa
This was a great treat to transition over with!
Anon
I got lost on the gelatin portion. Can you elaborate? Do I basically make standard gelatin that sits in the fridge for several hours until it is solid enough to eat? Then, remove it from the fridge, heat it up on the stove to dissolve it back into liquid form, and then put it back in the fridge for an hour or so to cool off? Is it still in liquid form when I blend it into the whip cream?
Unfortunately, your video demonstrates what appears to just be a quarter cup of water instead of 4 cups, and it doesn't appear that the gelatin solidified or cooled off as you stir it over the stove.
Lastly, if I decide to cheat and just buy a can of whip cream, do I still fold in half of the canned whip cream into the filling?
Thanks!
Lisa
Take a look at the ingredients in a can of whipped cream. You do not want to use that, especially since it is not stabilized. The recipe calls for 4 TEASPOONS (not cups) and the water is only used to dissolve the gelatin before streaming it into the cream as it's whipped. If you do not fully dissolve the gelatin in a liquid, it will not get incorporated into the heavy cream correctly. Alternatively, you can soften the gelatin in a teaspoon of water, then add 3 teaspoons of hot water to fully dissolve the gelatin rather than heat such a small amount on the stove.
Che
It's like Jello mix, but no flavor. Just sprinkle it on the water. Actually, my short cut is to add it to the cream and stir it, before whipping and not even mess with dissolving it in hot water.
Seems to work fine
Rae
Hello, can I make these and freeze them for later?
Lisa
As long as the containers are freezer safe, it should work fine.
Julie
So one 4 oz jar equals 2 servings right? So for one 4 oz jar, I came up with 32.75 grams of total carbs, minus fiber (5.38) equals approximately 27.38 grams of carbs, and 619 calories, 53.75 g of fat, 13g of protein.
It is delicious recipe but the nutrition facts are deceiving. No matter what I tried, I could not figure out how you got 2.7 net carbs, or 3.9 total carbs from 8 servings or 2 oz. I even clicked the "Buy the ingredients" tab, which I have to assume is what you used and couldn't get that low carb count. Why are the nutrition facts so low? Can you tell me how you got those numbers?
Lisa
I'll take another look at this by plugging it into MyFitnessPal. If it seems off, I'll change the info. Thanks!
Michele Skof
Lisa,
I would like to use this crust for your dark chocolate mousse pie. Can I use a deep dish pie pan?
Lisa
I've used it for deep dish so it should work.
Katt0628
Can I make these a day ahead of time and store in the fridge?
Lisa
I always make these ahead. The whipped cream is stabilized with gelatin so it shouldn't go flat.
Michelle
I'm excited to make this recipe. Quick question, can I skip the gelatin? I'm out of it and stores are closed. It's Mother's Day here. Thanks.
Lisa
The gelatin is the thickener. So, it's okay as long as you don't mind it being thin.
Sarah
I would love to try this recipe, but do not understand how do use the gelatin. For the amount called for in the recipe is that the amount of gelatin powder to use? Or the amount of liquid gelatin to use?
Lisa MarcAurele
It's powdered gelatin that is then bloomed in water. To bloom powdered gelatin, you sprinkle it on a liquid and let it sit for 3 to 5 minutes to soften. Then, when the mixture is heated (add hot water) the gelatin dissolves easily.
Lisa
These look fantastic! I would like to make them, but can you tell me if they can be prepared ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator until ready to serve? I imagine the crust and the filling can, but will the whipped cream mixture hold its shape? When entertaining, I try to do as much as I can earlier in the day. I can't wait to try these! Thank you for posting the recipe 🙂
Lisa
I've made these ahead without issue. That's why I add gelatin to the whipped cream. It acts as a stabilizer so the whipped cream doesn't deflate.
Pam
Rheddi whip has 1 carb...why go through the work? Top when ready to serve...can't wait to try in a pie pan!
Lisa
I'm not a fan of some of the ingredients in the can. But, it is an option.
Linda Lanzoni
Just made this recipe for July 4th. Tried something....baked the crust in a pie plate, let it cool and then filled and topped with whipped cream and lime zest. It came out really nice and my taste was delicious!! Thank you for this recipe!???
Lisa
Good to know that you can bake the crust and make a whole pie!
Jamie Hall
Do you have to use Natvia, or can you use a different sweetener?
Lisa
You can use any low carb sweetener you prefer. Natvia is a one-for-one sugar replacement to substitute accordingly.
Helen
I made the key lime cheese cake tonight, it's lovely!! Bet these are too.
Lisa
These ones are my favorite! I need to make them again soon. I'll do a single pie instead of the jars.
Meaghan
I can't find Natvia where I live. I do have erythrotol though. Can I substitute and would I need to change the amounts? Also, I can't find key limes or key lime juice anywhere! Has anyone made this with regular limes/juice? I am so excited to make this!
Lisa
Regular limes will work, but key limes have a unique taste. You can use erythritol or a mix of erythritol and another sweetener like stevia. If using just erythritol, you may need a bit more depending on how sweet you like it.
Eliz
Hello, may I know the actual calculated nutrition facts for this key lime cheesecake? 🙂
Lisa
It's in the recipe notes. Nutrition per serving: 123 calories, 11.8g fat, 58mg sodium, 4.3g carbs, 0.4g fiber, 2.1g erythritol, 1.7g net carb, 2.1g protein
Eliz
I thought that the comment below stated that the calories was 379? So the nutrition facts should differ as well?
Lisa
Just recalculated. I think the original calculation was only part of the recipe.
Ashley
Good recipes but all nutrition is way off. Calories when entered as recipe was 379!!
Lisa
Will have to recalculate and see if something was missed. Thanks!
Sally
I made this in a 8x8 glass pan and it was just perfect!! It has lasted a week! I used bottled key lime juice and might add more next time. The zest really adds to the flavor and counteracts with some of the sweetness. Thanks for recipe
Lisa
Great to know that the recipe fits nicely into an 8x8 pan!
claudia | gourmet project
so nice!
Lisa
Thanks! They are really yummy!
Nóri | ingeniouscooking.com
Lovely! Pinned. 🙂
Lisa
Thanks!