Matthew McConaughey's Favorite No-Bake Lemon Cheesecake Recipe (5 Ingredients, 15 Minutes) Cakes/Cupcakes Desserts Snacks Holidays Gluten-free Fruit High Protein Recipes

You may have first heard of Camila Alves McConaughey through her connection to actor Matthew McConaughey. Indeed, Camila is married to the Oscar-winning actor. But did you know that she is also a mother of three, an entrepreneur, a healthy-eating advocate and founder of the community and lifestyle website called Women of Today? She’s been building the lifestyle community since 2015, with the hopes that her audience will “connect with Women of Today.”

Alves McConaughey was inspired to create the site and community while growing her family. She told her hometown Austin Chronicle, "Matthew and I were building a family and I felt responsible for other beings. I needed to understand what we were putting into our bodies. People say all the time, 'You are what you eat.' But the reality is, we also have all sorts of environmental things we can't control ... If I can be good 80 percent of the time, then my body can recover from the 20 percent that I'm not ... I think 80/20 is something we can all try to achieve..."

Women of Today offers community as well as health and wellness tips, including budget-friendly recipes, even those for beginners, such as this easy high-protein, no-bake lemon cheesecake recipe. I love this no-bake lemon dessert for several reasons: it’s no-bake, it only has five ingredients, it’s super easy to make and it’s as pretty as it is delicious.

You can easily modify this no-bake recipe to make it lime or orange instead of lemon and gluten-free. While I love it as is, a lusciously lemon dessert, it’s nice to have options!

The creamy cheesecake starts with a homemade cookie crust made with shortbread cookies and butter. The sweet-tart, creamy filling is a mixture of cream cheese, lemon juice and sweetened condensed milk. That's it! The lemon slices and zest, and the shredded coconut, are optional garnishes. 

Serve this creamy lemon cheesecake for dessert with a cup of coffee or as a sweet snack anytime of day. It makes a perfect Easter dessert, too!

Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 15 minutes plus chill time
Cook Time: 0 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes plus chill time
Servings: 8

Ingredients

• 1 cup crushed shortbread cookies
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 16 ounces (2 boxes) cream cheese, softened
• 1/3 cup lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
• 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk

Optional Ingredients

• lemon slices and zest
• shredded coconut (Camila uses lemon slices)

Here’s how to make it:

1. Crush cookies, add melted butter and mix. Press into the bottom of a 6-inch springform pan. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. (To make this recipe gluten-free, use gluten-free cookies for the crust.)
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the softened cream cheese and lemon juice. Using a mixer, beat for 2 to 3 minutes or until well combined. (Fresh-squeezed lemon juice is always best, but you can use bottled in a pinch.)
3. Add the sweetened condensed milk and beat for another 2 to 3 minutes or until cheesecake batter is light and fluffy. Spoon batter into the springform pan. Sprinkle a small amount of lemon zest on top of the cheesecake, if desired. Refrigerate at least six hours or overnight.
4. Remove springform outer ring and place thinly sliced lemon slices around the edge of the cheesecake or press shredded coconut around the edges, if desired. Slice and serve cold. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

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