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This Key Lime Cheesecake is creamy, moist, smooth, and slightly tart with a delicious buttery graham cracker crust. Then, it's finished off with a key lime sour cream topping.
Add these divine cheesecake recipes to your rotation: Sweet Potato Cheesecake, Deep Fried Cheesecake Bites, Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars, and Sweet Potato Cheesecake Bars.
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I've always been a huge fan of cheesecake but never a fan of baking them with a water bath. After researching, I discovered that making a creamy cheesecake didn't require one. So keep the large roasting pan and heavy-duty aluminum foil in the cabinets.
The traditional cheesecake we've all been raised on is rich and dense. I believe that a cheesecake should be creamy, smooth, and rich and make your taste buds dance!
Which was my target for this recipe. I knocked it out of the park on the first try, and I'm cautious to make this for anyone because every person I let try it. Always ends up asking me all year long when's the next time I'm making my key lime cheesecake.
This recipe takes longer to bake than a regular cheesecake, but that's because removing the water bath requires a lower baking temperature, so the cheesecake can bake low and slow. The final result is a smooth and creamy cheesecake.
After this recipe, I'm going to convert you, too! Let me show you how to make one!
Key Ingredients
Here are the star ingredients you'll need to make key lime cheesecake.
Key Limes
I love using fresh key limes, and I'll admit juicing them is tedious, but the flavor of fresh key lime juice and zest has a superior lime flavor to bottled key lime juice.
Graham Crackers
I know using graham cracker crumbs is a convenient shortcut, but I like to make mine fresh. Have fun using different graham crackers or cookie flavors to make it uniquely yours.
Full Fat Cream Cheese
If we're going to eat cheesecake, we're going to enjoy every single calorie. So stay away from the low-fat cream cheese blocks. Get some full-fat Philadelphia cream cheese and prepare your mouth and belly for a flavor party!
Granulate Sugar
You'll need some for the cream cheese filling and graham cracker crust. I like using raw cane sugar because the molasses left in it adds a delicious flavor. Don't worry, though; regular granulated sugar is perfect.
Sour Cream
Again, get the full-fat sour cream. Avoid low-fat versions like the plague. This is to make sure you bring all the flavor possible to the party. Fat equals flavor.
How To Make Key Lime Cheesecake Recipe
The main thing to remember while making this homemade key lime cheesecake is the technique for beating the cream cheese on a low speed and baking it slowly. Use an oven thermometer to ensure that your oven is heating correctly.
Graham Cracker Crust:
Preheat oven to 325°F/162°C. Add graham crackers and sugar and blitz on high in a food processor until crumbles form. Then, cut on low and slowly drizzle in 4 tablespoons of melted unsalted butter. The crust should hold together when squeezed in your hand.
Use the remaining melted butter to butter the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Press the mixture evenly and firmly into the bottom and sides of the pan. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 13 minutes until fragrant. Let the crust cool for 10 minutes before pouring in the filling.
Key Lime Cheesecake Filling:
Cut oven up to 425°F/ 218°C. In a stand mixer bowl, add the softened cream cheese and sour cream; using a paddle attachment, beat cream cheese on low for 1 minute. Add the sugar and kosher salt, mix on low for 1 minute, and scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Add the key lime juice and vanilla extract, mix on low for 1 minute, and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add 2 eggs at a time, mix on low for 1 minute. The mixture will be smooth and loose when finished.
Pour the cheesecake batter into the springform pan, smooth the batter, and bake the cheesecake for 10 minutes. Cut the heat down to 200°F/93°C and bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes or until the cheesecake registers to 150°F/65°C with an instant-read thermometer. The cheesecake will be firm, but the center will giggle slightly.
Remove from oven and let cheesecake cool for 5 minutes. Run a knife carefully around the outside of the cheesecake to release it. Cool completely at room temperature for 3 hours.
Key Lime Sour Cream:
While the cheesecake cools, mix sour cream and key lime zest in a bowl. Spread evenly over the top of the chilled cheesecake. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator overnight.
Before you release it the next day, let it sit out at room temperature for 15 minutes. Fill a tall vessel with hot water, dip the knife in water, and cut slices of cheesecake. Serve immediately with more lime zest or key lime slices, and enjoy.
How to Store Key Lime Cheesecake
Key lime cheesecake will remain fresh, wrapped with plastic wrap, or in an airtight container for 7 days.
Slice the cheesecake and wrap it individually, place it in an airtight container or freezer storage bag, and pop it in the freezer for 2 months. Thaw 24 hours in the fridge or on the counter for a few hours.
Pro Recipe Substitutions, Tips & Tricks
Here are the best practices, techniques, and flavor builders you'll need for a homemade key lime cheesecake.
- Use a 28 oz. can to help you remove the cheesecake from the springform pan.
- You can use salted butter instead of unsalted butter; omit the salt from the graham cracker crust.
- If you forget to take out your cream cheese, it only takes 5 minutes to make the cream cheese softened. Add the sealed cream cheese to a large bowl and cover with warm tap water until the cream cheese softened.
- You can find key limes right by the lemons and limes. You can use regular lime juice and zest instead of key limes. 1 small lime juice equals 3-4 key limes.
- If you cannot find key limes, use bottled key lime juice.
- For the best cheesecake batter, use room-temperature eggs and cream cheese.
- Cheesecake is fully cooked once the internal temperature reaches 150°F/65°C in the center.
- You can use light brown sugar instead of granulated sugar.
- You don't need a food processor for the crust; make crushed graham cracker crumbs by adding them to a storage bag and crushing them until they're fine.
- If you use graham cracker crumbs, you'll need 1 ¾ cups.
- If you're not a fan of sour cream topping, use whipped cream instead.
- Do not cover the cheesecake with foil. The foil will react chemically with the key lime zest, turning it brown.
FAQ
Here are the top questions readers have about making a key lime cheesecake at home.
Since key limes are smaller, they pack a more concentrated flavor, making them sweeter than traditional limes.
Key limes are small, slightly seedy, and offer a unique aroma and flavor that's simply wonderful. They're known for their delightful combination of tartness and sweetness, which sets them apart from the common Persian limes at the grocery store.
A key lime pie is made with sweetened condensed milk, key lime juice, and eggs and baked in a pie pan. It is served in a graham cracker or pie crust. Giving it a tart and sweet flavor with a less creamy texture.
Key lime cheesecake is made with cream cheese, key lime juice, eggs, and sugar and baked in a springform pan. The crust can be a graham cracker or spongecake. The cream cheese makes it creamier, thicker, and taller. Both can be made baked or no-baked and served chilled.
Key limes are small, seeded, and commonly found in the Caribbean climates, so they're known as Mexican limes, Florida Key limes, or West Indian limes. They're less acidic and more sweet than Persian limes (most commonly found in grocery stores).
A water bath is a technique used for baked cheesecake to bake it slowly, gently, and evenly with moist heat, keeping it light and smooth. To make a water bath, tightly wrap the base of a springform pan with heavy-duty aluminum foil to keep water from seeping into the cheesecake.
You then place the cheesecake in a large roasting pan and fill it ½ of the way with hot water before baking it. It adds moisture to the oven and helps distribute heat evenly around the cake.
You do not need a water bath to bake a smooth, creamy cheesecake. However, if you use one, the moist heat can act as a barrier to keeping the cheesecake from drying out. Wrap the cheesecake pan with foil, place it in a larger pan, and add enough warm water to come up halfway on the pan.
More Delicious Desserts
If you need more recipes to satisfy your sweet tooth, try these!
- Fried Peach Pies
- Fried Apple Pies
- Apple Pie with Graham Cracker Crust
- Fried Sweet Potato Pies
- Chocolate Cream Pie
- Lemon Ice Box Pie
- Chocolate Beignets
Before You Begin
Before getting started, here are the steps I use to get organized.
Step 1: Pull out all the ingredients that need to be at room temperature. Read the recipe fully one time and watch the YouTube video to build your confidence.
Step 2: Preheat oven to 325°F/162°C. Put everything measured into individual bowls.
Step 3: Use an oven thermometer to confirm your oven temperature is accurate.
Step 4: Start following the recipe and get ready for the best key lime cheesecake you've ever tasted!
This key lime cheesecake recipe will surely delight all who take a bite. Its rich, creamy texture, paired with the tartness of key limes, makes it a standout dessert that's perfect for all occasions. I genuinely hope you'll try making this at home and enjoy each bite as much as I do.
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📖 Recipe
Key Lime Cheesecake
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust:
- 9 graham crackers
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 5 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
Key Lime Cheesecake Filling:
- 2 ½ lbs. room temperature cream cheese
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 oz. sour cream
- ½ cup key lime juice about 14 key limes
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 6 large eggs room temperature
Key Lime Sour Cream:
- 4 oz. sour cream
- zest 2 key limes plus more for garnish
Instructions
Graham Cracker Crust:
- Preheat oven to 325°F/162°C. Add graham crackers and sugar and blitz on high in a food processor until crumbles form. Then, cut on low and slowly drizzle in 4 tablespoons of melted unsalted butter. The crust should hold together when squeezed in your hand.
- Use the remaining melted butter to butter the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Press the mixture evenly and firmly into the bottom and sides of the pan. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 13 minutes until fragrant. Let the crust cool for 10 minutes before pouring in the filling.
Key Lime Cheesecake Filling:
- Cut oven up to 425°F/ 218°C. In a stand mixer bowl, add the softened cream cheese and sour cream; using a paddle attachment beat cream cheese on low for 1 minute. Add the sugar and kosher salt, mix on low for 1 minute, and scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Add the key lime juice and vanilla extract, mix on low for 1 minute, and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add 2 eggs at a time, mix on low for 1 minute. The mixture will be smooth and loose when finished.
- Pour the cheesecake batter into the springform pan, smooth the batter, and bake the cheesecake for 10 minutes. Cut the heat down to 200°F/93°C and bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes or until the cheesecake registers to 150°F/65°C with an instant-read thermometer. The cheesecake will be firm, but the center will giggle slightly.
- Remove from oven and let cheesecake cool for 5 minutes. Run a knife carefully around the outside of the cheesecake to release it. Cool completely at room temperature for 3 hours.
Key Lime Sour Cream:
- While the cheesecake cools, mix sour cream and key lime zest in a bowl. Spread evenly over the top of the chilled cheesecake. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator overnight.
- Before you release it the next day, let it sit out at room temperature for 15 minutes. Fill a tall vessel with hot water, dip the knife in water, and cut slices of cheesecake. Serve immediately with more lime zest or key lime slices, and enjoy.
Video
Notes
- Use a 28 oz. can to help you remove the cheesecake from the springform pan.
- You can use salted butter instead of unsalted butter; omit the salt from the graham cracker crust.
- If you forget to take out your cream cheese, it only takes 5 minutes to make the cream cheese softened. Add the sealed cream cheese to a large bowl and cover with warm tap water until the cream cheese softened.
- You can find key limes right by the lemons and limes. You can use regular lime juice and zest instead of key limes. 1 small lime juice equals 3-4 key limes.
- If you cannot find key limes, use bottled key lime juice.
- For the best cheesecake batter, use room-temperature eggs and cream cheese.
- Cheesecake is fully cooked once the internal temperature reaches 150°F/65°C in the center.
- You can use light brown sugar instead of granulated sugar.
- You don't need a food processor for the crust; make crushed graham cracker crumbs by adding them to a storage bag and crushing them until they're fine.
- If you use graham cracker crumbs, you'll need 1 ¾ cups.
- If you're not a fan of sour cream topping, use whipped cream instead.
- Do not cover the cheesecake with foil. The foil will react chemically with the key lime zest, turning it brown.
Cheryl says
This was my first time ever making a cheesecake and it came out perfectly! Thank you for putting this in simple terms enough for me to make this... Bon appétit!