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No Bake Key Lime Cheesecake Jars

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These cute little no bake key lime cheesecakes only take 7 ingredients and just a few minutes to make. They are a perfect individual dessert that travel well. Make a batch for your next party!

group of small jars filled with key lime cheesecake and topped with whipped cream and lime zest

These fun little key lime pies are a perfect single serve dessert.  They come together easily and are a great make ahead. 

Then when it’s time to serve, you just pass out jars. No cutting and primping required!

Plus the jars make them easily transportable.  You can even toss them in a picnic basket or cooler and have a fun treat for the beach or picnic.

Ingredients including graham crackers, key lime juice, cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk, sugar and butter ready to be made into mini no bake key lime cheesecakes.

I originally shared these yummy jarred cheesecakes in 2017.  Little Dude requested them for one of his birthday treats this year, so we thought we would make a video of us putting them together so you could see how easy they are. 

Check out the video on YouTube and subscribe if you can.  He loves seeing that number go up!

While we were at it we updated some pictures and made the recipe card a little better.  Here is what we had to say about these fun treats in 2017:

Mini little desserts are always so much fun to make and eat.  It is exciting to get your own single serve dessert. Plus it is good portion control. 

If you are served a little chocolate bundt cake or a cute little jar of dessert you don’t accidentally cut yourself a ginormous piece. Not that would ever happen. Never ever. Not here. Uh-uh. No way.

Ok.

 Fine.

It happens here.

All. The. Time.

So I am doing us both a favor and keeping these fun treats a reasonable size. So you can eat the whole darn thing. Just try not to go back for a second and you’ll be fine!

These were actually born after a conversation at work.  One of my friends’ son was getting married and she was working on the rehearsal dinner.  They were having all of his local restaurant favorites catered in, but they didn’t have a dessert figured out yet.

small jars filled with graham cracker crust, key lime cheese cake, and piped cream cheese whipped cream on top

The wedding was going to be at one of those really cool barns.  So there was going to be a lot of jars, gingham, galvanized steel and twinkly lights.

They even had a trail mix bar! Isn’t that fun?! They stamped out cute brown paper sacks and had all of the trail mix favorites in glass bowls, jars and galvanized buckets.

I need to steal that idea for one of my parties sometime. The next shower needs to have a trail mix bar, don’t you think?

Anyway, we were brainstorming ideas for the rehearsal dinner and I suggested little jar desserts.  We did dirt pudding in jars for my sister’s wedding, why not for a rehearsal dinner? 

We were discussing a few different types of no bake cheesecake filling when she thought of key lime.  They bride and groom both love key lime and it would be a perfect refreshing end to a fun dinner.

Of course I volunteered to do them for her!  A proper wedding dessert needs to be tested and tasted ahead of time.

So I made a batch and sent her some pictures.  She though I had found them on Pinterest.  She didn’t realize that I made her a taster batch until I delivered one to her desk the next morning.

When making the testers, I used 8 oz jars.  I decided they would be too much after a big dinner, and leaving them half full wasn’t the look I wanted. 

So we decided to do 4 oz jars for the real deal.  I am glad we did, they were cute as can be.

Piping cream cheese whipped cream borders onto mini no bake key lime cheesecake jars.

Of course you don’t have to be throwing a rehearsal dinner to enjoy these.  They are a perfect dessert for transporting anywhere.

They’d be fun at a BBQ, in a picnic basket, at a potluck or just because. They would also be a fun baby or bridal shower dessert. 

The filling has a great creamy texture with that citrus zing. They take very little garnishing and still have a wow factor.

So go ahead, buy some cute little 4 oz jars.  I already have about 100 more ideas on how to fill them!  What are your favorite mason jar desserts?

More Creamy No Bake Desserts:

If you prefer your key lime in slice and serve pie form, check out our recipe for no bake key lime pie. It is on of my husband’s all time favorite treats! 

No bake lemon cheesecake jars topped with berry sauce are another great option. We made them for my brother’s wedding and a coworker’s son’s wedding as well. They are a hit every time.

Hand holding jar of no bake key lime cheesecake decorated with a cream cheese whipped cream border, ready to eat.

Or make a full size no bake lemon cheesecake if you don’t have little jars. It is another great citrusy treat.

For a showstopper, try making an orange cream cheesecake. The lady finger crust and orange juice based topping make it a real stunner.

Did you make this recipe? Please leave a review in the recipe card below!

group of small jars filled with key lime cheesecake and topped with whipped cream and lime zest

No Bake Key Lime Cheesecake Jars

Carlee
These cute little key lime cheesecakes only take 7 ingredients and just a few minutes to make. They are a perfect individual dessert that travel well. Make a batch for your next party!
4.54 from 81 ratings
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 0 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 20 Servings
Calories 211 kcal

Ingredients
 

Crust

  • cups graham cracker crumbs
  • 4 Tablespoons butter
  • 2 Tablespoons sugar

Filling

  • 28 ounces sweetened condensed milk
  • 16 ounces cream cheese softened
  • 1 cup key lime juice

Cream Cheese Whipped Cream

  • 4 ounces cream cheese softened
  • 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream cold
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract optional

Instructions
 

  • Stir together the graham cracker crumbs and sugar. Melt the butter and pour it over the graham cracker mixture, stirring to coat.
    1¼ cups graham cracker crumbs, 4 Tablespoons butter, 2 Tablespoons sugar
  • Divide the graham cracker mixture among the 20 jars, pushing it down slightly.  You should have a generous Tablespoon of crust for each jar. 
  • Beat softened cream cheese until it is smooth.
    16 ounces cream cheese
  • Add the sweetened condensed milk, a little at a time, beating between until smooth and incorporated.
    28 ounces sweetened condensed milk
  • Whip in the key lime juice. Be sure the scrape the sides of the bowl multiple times and beat until smooth.
    1 cup key lime juice
  • Spoon cream cheese mixture into jars.  We like to use a large cookie scoop or ice cream scoop for this.
  • If you would like to use the cream cheese whipped cream, beat the sugar and cream cheese until completely smooth.  Stir in the vanilla if desired.
    4 ounces cream cheese, 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • With the mixer running, slowly drizzle in the cream.  Beat until it forms stiff peaks.  Spoon or pipe on top of key lime filling.
    1 cup heavy whipping cream
  • Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.
  • Garnish with lime if desired.

Notes

You will need 1 sleeve of graham crackers to make the crumbs for the crusts.

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 1jarCalories: 211kcalCarbohydrates: 12gProtein: 3gFat: 17gSaturated Fat: 10gPolyunsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 50mgSodium: 143mgSugar: 8g
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These cute little no bake key lime cheesecakes only take 7 ingredients and just a few minutes to make. They are a perfect individual dessert that travel well. Make a batch for your next party!

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Recipe Rating




Judi

Friday 8th of March 2024

That video was adorable- your little guy is very adept in the kitchen and neat too!

Carlee

Friday 8th of March 2024

Thank you! He really does do a very good job helping in the kitchen.

Judi Volle

Sunday 11th of February 2024

I have to make dessert for 160 people. This looks easy and good. Thought I would make 2-3 weeks ahead and freeze. What about a chocolate wafer or oreo for crust to make it easier. Thought I would sprinkle with dyed coconut. Any thoughts

Carlee

Sunday 11th of February 2024

I think that's a great idea! I have done them for large groups, and they do come together pretty quickly. I have seen folks do Oreo crusts with key lime pie, or you could do golden Oreos. I would probably make a small batch with a few different options and freeze them for a bit to make sure you like how they come out. But I love this idea all the way around and wish you luck!

Eileen

Monday 2nd of October 2023

Carlee, I cannot wait to try this recipe, so simple and fun. Thank you for the video and the recipe. I love watching you and your little one cooking together, it reminds me of cooking with my mom, and also cooking with my little ones. He did a great job and the sign he made with his dad is great! You have a lot to be proud of!

Carlee

Monday 2nd of October 2023

Thank you so much, that really means a lot. We have great fun cooking together.

Jackie

Thursday 24th of August 2023

Does the whipped cream hold up overnight or does it need stabilizing?

Jackie

Thursday 24th of August 2023

@Carlee, thank you

Carlee

Thursday 24th of August 2023

The whipped cream holds up overnight because the cream cheese helps to stabilize it.

Deb

Saturday 17th of June 2023

Was the filling runny/ thin? Currently making them, but seems so thin and I haven’t even added the lime juice yet 😬

Carlee

Saturday 17th of June 2023

The lime juice will react with the condensed milk and thicken it up a bit as it chills. It shouldn't be really runny, but it is pretty soft when you are putting it together. The acid and some time in the refrigerator will change that.