Lemon Cheesecake Parfaits
These Easy Lemon Cheesecake Parfaits are rolling out the spring welcome mat with their bright, lemony, tangy flavor. Sandwiched between a vanilla cookie crust and a homemade whipped cream, you’ll be craving these all spring long.
Easy Lemon Cheesecake Parfaits
Light and tangy, these Easy Lemon Cheesecake Parfaits require zero baking, minimal ingredients (less than 10) and ready in about 10 minutes.
Ingredients
- 1 8 ounce package cream cheese, softened
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 2 Meyer lemons, (juice of + 1 tsp zest)
- 5 ounce package vanilla cookies (can substitute vanilla wafers, or graham crackers)
- 1 Tablespoon butter, melted
- homemade whipped cream, (optional)
- mint sprig (optional, for garnish)
Instructions
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar, sour cream, 1 teaspoon lemon zest and the juice of 2 small Meyer lemons; beat at medium speed until mixture is smooth and creamy.
- In a separate bowl, combine vanilla cookie crumbs and melted butter. Spoon cookie "crust" into 4 small mason jars, weck jars or parfait dishes.
- Layer cream cheese mixture on top of the crust. Top with whipped cream (if desired), lemon zest, and extra cookie and a sprig of mint.
Notes
My mason jars are the small 4 ounce quilted jars from Ball. Larger jars will result in fewer servings.
To make life simple, they require ZERO baking and while it makes them more of a cheesecake mousse rather than traditional cheesecake, they use minimal ingredients most of which you likely already have on hand and can be ready in 10 minutes.
I changed things up a bit by using a vanilla cookie crust, but you can stick with graham crackers if you prefer.
It is no big surprise that lemon recipes are my absolute favorite. I’ve shared this Lemon Loaf, these Lemon Doberge Squares, and this Layered Lemon Cake among others. I was super excited to lighten things up a bit and celebrate citrus season with Sprouts. No need to twist my arm! Combined with my love of lemons and the incredible price and selection at Sprouts, you just can’t go wrong.
Unrelated: Every time I check out with a large number of lemons, I think back to the lemon scene in the movie The Breakup. Jennifer Anniston’s character Brooke is preparing to host friends and needs 12 lemons for a centerpiece but her boyfriend Gary comes home with 3….which we all know will not fill a vase, and hence an argument ensues because he tells her that rather than using the lemons for a centerpiece, she should use the lemons to juice the dry chicken instead. Whomp whomp.
My husband KNOWS if I give a certain number of lemons, he needs to return with that number and a few extra so that he doesn’t have to return to the store. Likely why we’re still together!
Back to the parfaits.
I’m using Meyer lemons in this recipe. There are times when it doesn’t really matter which lemons you grab, but if you’re wanting to use less sugar and need a lemon that is a bit sweeter on its own, then it’s a Meyer that you want to look for. They’re a little smaller, but I find they are much sweeter and perfect for lightening up traditional recipes.
We are still using sugar in this recipe, but you could certainly substitute with a zero calorie sweetener in this recipe and have yourself a low carb, semi quilt free snack in an instant!
And after a long, wet winter who doesn’t look forward to a light and refreshing snack?
Add some fresh fruit, and enjoy it for breakfast.
After dinner indulgence? You got it.
These little guys are great any time of the day.
Today’s post was sponsored by Sprouts Farmers Market but I’d still be excited to share this recipe even if it wasn’t! You can visit their website here.
