We love cool and refreshing desserts for summer. These No Bake Lemon Cheesecake Tarts are a ray of sunshine and you don’t even have to turn on the oven! With just a little prep and some time in the fridge, these tiny tarts are ready to enjoy, and they go fast!
How cute are these tiny tartlet shells? They make a fancy and fast dessert for dinner guests. We also love adding this cheesecake filling to individual graham cracker shells.
And here’s a tip: If you don’t have lemon juice you can use whipping cream or even milk. The cheesecakes will be slightly less lemony, but they’ll still be deliciously creamy!
Let’s talk a little about lemon Vitality essential oil. To say it makes me happy would be an understatement. Lemon is one of those scents that just brightens my day and my mood and adding it to food is such a burst of flavor.
- Lemon essential oil is cold pressed from the rind of Citrus limon, a 10- to 20-foot evergreen tree with highly scented blossoms and fruits.
- This tree is thought to have first grown in northeast India.
- It was introduced to the Americas in 1493.
- We get the essential oil from cold-pressing the peel.
It takes about 75 lemons to make one 15 ml bottle of lemon oil. That’s why a little goes a long way!
New to essential oils? Learn more about how we use them and why you should use them as well.
Ingredients
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 30 drops Lemon Vitality essential oil
- 2 - 3 teaspoons lemon juice
- 24 mini tart shells or 6 individual graham cracker shells
Instructions
- In a mixer, cream together cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and lemon essential oil. Mix for at least a minute scraping the sides to make sure to integrate all the ingredients.
- Add 2 teaspoons of lemon juice and mix. The mixture should be about the consistency of frosting. Add another teaspoon of lemon juice if it's too dry and thick.
- Switch mixer to high speed and whip for one minute until light and fluffy.
- Spoon the cheesecake mixture into the shells.
- Refrigerate at least an hour before serving. Garnish with fruit or whipped cream.
Nutrition
Martha LeBlanc says
WOW….30 drops seems excessive!!
Beth K says
Hi Martha! 30 drops would come to a little over 1 drop per tartlet. The flavor worked really well for us. Let me know if you find an amount that you prefer. We love hearing how different people use oils.
Connie says
My question is don’t the oils need a carrier ingredient like olive oil, milk etc??
Diana M says
Hi Connie! In this recipe we used butter and cream cheese as the base. The essential oils are meant to enhance the flavor.
Megan says
Hi! Have you tried this with other citrus vitality oils, like grapefruit, orange or lime? Just wondering if this would be a good base recipe that you can sub out the flavors? Thanks!
Diana M says
I have tried this with lime and it was equally as amazing!
Megan says
Hi! Have you tried this recipe with other citrus vitality oils? I’m wondering if the flavor could be subbed for grapefruit, orange, or lime? Thanks!
Diana M says
Hi Megan! Yes, you can substitute other citrus oil for a similar flavor. I’ve tried it with lime and it was equally as delicious!
Melissa says
Why does the ingredients list say “30 drops Lemon Vitality essential oil” then the directions say “Add 2 teaspoons of lemon juice and mix”? Not really consistent if the 30 drops are the 2 teaspoons.
Diana M says
Hi Melissa! In this recipe, we added both lemon juice and lemon vitality essential oil to intensify the flavor.
Julie says
Would that be like key lime pie??
Diana M says
Hi Julie! In this recipe we used lemon. Try our key lime cupcakes if you enjoy that flavor.