Easy No-Bake Yuzu Cheesecake
Make a bright, citrusy no-bake yuzu cheesecake in just 20 minutes. Creamy, tangy and topped with silky yuzu curd and fresh strawberries.
This easy yuzu cheesecake is what happens when a rich, creamy no-bake cheesecake meets one of the brightest citrus fruits in the world.
It has a buttery digestive cookie base, a smooth filling that's tangy without being sharp, and an optional yuzu curd topping that makes it look like it came straight from a pastry shop.
It takes about 25 minutes of hands-on work, and the fridge does the rest!
The first time I tasted yuzu, I was in a tiny Japanese grocery, holding a bottle of juice that cost more than a whole bag of lemons. I bought it anyway, and I've been putting it in desserts ever since.
The yuzu cuts straight through the richness of the cream cheese, so every bite is light and refreshing even though the filling is properly creamy.
The best part? You don't need any special equipment or baking skills.
If you can crush cookies and stir a bowl, you can make this!
I like to finish mine with a spoonful of homemade yuzu curd and a pile of fresh strawberries, but even plain it's a showstopper.
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Why you'll love this recipe
- Bright, citrusy flavor. Yuzu is more interesting than plain lemon, and it makes a classic cheesecake taste brand new.
- Simple ingredients. Cream cheese, cream, butter, sugar, cookies, yuzu juice. That's the heart of it.
- No fancy tools. A springform pan, a bowl and a spatula are all you need.
- Make-ahead friendly. Cheesecake actually tastes better the next day, so it's perfect for dinner parties.
- Freezer-friendly. Slice it, wrap it, freeze it. Dessert is sorted for weeks.
- Two desserts in one. The optional yuzu curd is delicious on toast, pancakes and yogurt too.
What is yuzu?
Yuzu is a Japanese citrus fruit that tastes like a mix of lemon, lime and grapefruit, with a flowery smell.
It's small and bumpy, about the size of a tangerine, and turns from green to yellow as it ripens. Cooks use the juice and the peel but not the flesh.
Nobody eats yuzu whole. It's full of seeds with almost no flesh inside. The fruit grows mostly in Japan, Korea and China.
That smell is why yuzu works so well in cheesecake. Cream cheese is rich and heavy. Lemon cuts through it. Yuzu cuts through it and adds a fresh, floral note on top, so you get sharpness and scent at once.
Fresh yuzu is hard to find outside Asia, and it's expensive. Bottled 100% yuzu juice is the easy swap, and it's what I use in this recipe.
Ingredients you'll need
You only need 7 ingredients to make this yuzu cheesecake.
Full quantities are in the recipe card below. Here's what each one does and what you can swap.
- Digestive cookies: The classic UK cookies I use for cheesecake bases. Graham crackers work just as well and are easier to find in the US.
- Unsalted butter: Binds the crumbs so the base holds together when you slice it. If you use salted butter, avoid adding a pinch of salt to the filling.
- Full-fat cream cheese: Use block-style, not the whipped kind in a tub and not low-fat. Low-fat has more water in it, and water stops a cheesecake from setting firm.
- Powdered sugar: It dissolves instantly, so you mix less and the filling stays smooth.
- Heavy cream: Keeps the filling silky instead of dense or chalky. If you're in the UK, double cream works the same way.
- Yuzu juice: The star. Look for bottles labeled 100% yuzu juice with no added salt, since salted yuzu is made for savory cooking and will ruin a dessert. You'll find it in Japanese grocers, larger Asian supermarkets and online.
- Lemon zest: Brings back some of the aromatic oils you lose by using bottled juice instead of fresh fruit. It makes the citrus taste brighter.
- Yuzu curd: Totally optional, but my yuzu curd recipe only calls for 5 ingredients, it's super easy to make, and it brings this cheesecake to the next level.
FOR DECORATING
Fresh strawberries: Sliced or halved, piled on top just before serving. Blueberries and raspberries work beautifully with yuzu as well.
How to make no-bake yuzu cheesecake
This easy no-bake cheesecake is ready in 4 simple steps, and the oven does most of the work for you.
Scroll down until the end of the post for the full printable recipe
- Crush the cookies into fine crumbs and stir in the melted butter until they look like wet sand. Press firmly into a lined springform pan and chill in the fridge.
- Beat the cream cheese with the powdered sugar until smooth, then beat in the yuzu juice and lemon zest. Pour in the cold heavy cream and keep beating until the filling is thick and fluffy.
- Spoon the filling over the chilled base and smooth the top with a spatula. Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, ideally overnight, until firm all the way through.
- Spread the yuzu curd (optional) over the top, then pile on the strawberries and citrus slices just before serving.
Baking tip: If you have time, bake the crust at 350°F / 180°C for 10 minutes first. It makes the base crisper and nuttier. Let it cool completely before you add the filling.
Tips for the best yuzu cheesecake
- Cream cheese soft, cream cold. The cream cheese should be soft enough to beat smooth, but the heavy cream has to come straight from the fridge or it won't whip properly.
- Beat until it holds its shape. Stop when the filling stands up on the beaters. If it still slumps back into the bowl, it isn't ready and the cheesecake will be soft in the middle.
- Press the base firmly. Use the flat bottom of a glass to compact the crumbs. A loose base crumbles the moment you lift a slice.
- Chill the base first. Twenty minutes in the fridge sets the butter, so the crumbs don't lift into the filling when you spread it. Baking it for 10 minutes instead gives you a crisper base, as long as you let it cool fully.
- Taste before you chill. Yuzu brands vary in sharpness. If it's too tart for you, beat in another tablespoon of powdered sugar.
- Slice with a hot knife. Dip a sharp knife in hot water, wipe it dry, and cut. Repeat between every slice for clean edges.
Common mistakes to avoid
Using low-fat cream cheese. It contains more water, and a no-bake filling has no eggs or heat to help it set. It will stay loose no matter how long you chill it.
Warm heavy cream. Cream that has sat out won't whip to stiff peaks, and without that structure the cheesecake never firms up.
Adding extra yuzu juice. More citrus sounds like more flavor, but too much liquid stops the filling from setting. Stick to the amount in the recipe and boost flavor with zest instead.
Underbeating the filling. This is the number one reason no-bake cheesecakes end up soupy. Keep going until it's thick and holding its shape.
Adding the curd too early. Spread it on a filling that isn't fully set and the two will bleed into each other.
Skipping the chill. Six hours minimum. A cheesecake that hasn't set will slump the moment you release the pan.
Substitutions and variations
- No yuzu? Use a mix of lemon and lime juice in the same total amount for a similar sharpness. It won't have yuzu's floral note, but it's a good stand-in.
- Yuzu marmalade (yuzu-cha) can replace some of the juice. Reduce the sugar slightly, since it's already sweetened.
- Gluten-free: Swap the digestives for gluten-free cookies. Everything else stays the same.
- Mini cheesecakes: Divide between glasses or a muffin pan lined with paper liners, and chill for 3 to 4 hours instead of 6.
- Extra citrus: Add 1 tablespoon of yuzu zest to the filling if you can get your hands on fresh fruit.
Storage Tips
- In the fridge: Keep the cheesecake covered in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Add the curd and fruit only when you're ready to serve, or the berries will release water onto the surface.
- Make ahead: You can make the cheesecake up to 2 days before you need it, and the curd up to a week ahead. Store the curd in a clean jar in the fridge. All the work happens in advance, which makes this a brilliant dinner party dessert.
- In the freezer: No-bake cheesecake freezes really well. Chill it fully first, then either freeze it whole or cut it into slices. Wrap in plastic wrap, then foil, and freeze for up to 1 month. Freeze slices on a tray first so they don't stick together.
- To thaw: Move it to the fridge overnight. Don't thaw at room temperature or on the counter, and don't freeze it with the fruit or curd already on top. Both are better added fresh.
Recipe FAQs
Yuzu tastes like a cross between lemon, lime and grapefruit, with a perfumed, almost floral aroma. It's more sour than a lemon and less bitter than a grapefruit, and the smell is a big part of the experience.
apanese grocery stores, larger Asian supermarkets and online retailers all carry it. Choose bottles labeled 100% yuzu juice with no added salt, since salted yuzu is made for savory dishes.
Yes. Use a mix of lemon and lime juice to get closer to yuzu's sharpness. The result will still be delicious, just less aromatic.
Almost always one of three things: the filling wasn't beaten long enough, the cream wasn't cold, or low-fat cream cheese was used. Beat until the filling holds its shape on the beaters, and give it a full 6 hours in the fridge.
Not for this one. Whipped heavy cream gives it enough structure, and the acid in the yuzu juice helps the cream cheese firm up as it chills. If you live somewhere very warm, you can add a teaspoon of powdered gelatin softened in a little water.
More dessert recipes to try
If you like a creamy, citrusy dessert, you'll probably love my ricotta cheesecake too. It's made with just 3 ingredients and has a lighter, more delicate texture than this one.
My classic tiramisu without eggs is another good no-bake option when you're feeding a crowd.
For something fruitier, the crostata and my nonna's Italian apple cake are both simple, rustic bakes that go beautifully with an afternoon coffee.
And if you have leftover egg whites from making the yuzu curd, put them straight into a batch of amaretti cookies.
DID YOU TRY THIS RECIPE?
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Recipe
Easy No-Bake Yuzu Cheesecake
Ingredients
For the Cookie Base
- 300 g digestive cookies, 10.5 oz, about 21 cookies
- 120 g unsalted butter, melted (8 tbsp)
For the Cheesecake Filling
- 600 g full-fat cream cheese, 21 oz, softened
- 100 g powdered sugar, ¾ cup plus 2 tbsp
- 300 ml heavy cream, 1 ¼ cups, cold
- a pinch of sea salt
- 75 ml yuzu juice, 5 tbsp
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest, about 2 lemons
To Decorate
- 200 g strawberries, 7 oz, halved or sliced
- 250 g yuzu curd, about 1 US cup, chilled
- fresh mint leaves
- 4 lemon slices
Instructions
For the Cookie Base
- Blend the cookies in a food processor until you have fine crumbs. Pour in the melted butter and pulse again until the crumbs look like wet sand.
- Tip the mixture into a lined 8-inch (20 cm) deep springform pan. Press it down firmly and evenly, using the flat bottom of a glass to compact it. Chill for 20 minutes while you make the filling.
For the Cheesecake Filling
- Beat the cream cheese and powdered sugar in a stand mixer or with an electric hand whisk until completely smooth, about 1 minute.
- Pour in the cold heavy cream, and a pinch of salt and keep whisking. As soon as the mixture starts to thicken, add the yuzu juice and lemon zest, then whisk again.
- Carry on whisking until the filling is very thick and holds its shape on the whisk. Check it often so you don't take it too far, then fold it through with a spatula to even everything out.
- Spread the filling over the chilled base and smooth the top. Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, or overnight.
To Decorate
- Release the cheesecake from the pan and slide it onto a serving plate. Spread the chilled yuzu curd (optional) over the top, then pile on the strawberries, citrus slices and thyme just before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
This post was originally published in May 2015 and updated in September 2026.
I love all desserts made with yuzu, and yesterday morning I gave this recipe a try and it is the most delicious yuzu cheesecake ever!!!