Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with No-Bake Lime Cheesecake in a Jar!
St. Patrick’s Day is the perfect excuse to bust out all the best green desserts, like this adorable dessert-in-a-jar! Get ready to raise a jar to toast to Ireland with this deliciously limey St. Patrick’s Day Cheesecake!
I love any excuse to make a no-bake cheesecake! That’s why every March I love to bust out this beautiful no-bake St. Patrick’s Day Lime Cheesecake! It’s a super cute, layered dessert-in-a-jar with tons of delicious sweet and citrusy flavor!
Stop searching for ways to celebrate the Emerald Isle and just whip up this delightful green dessert for good luck!
🥘 Ingredients
- Graham Crackers: Use plain graham crackers to make the simply tasty crust for this green cheesecake.
- Unsalted Butter: Melted unsalted butter holds the graham cracker crumbs together to form a nice crust.
- Cream Cheese: Plain cream cheese is ideal for this recipe, but remember to remove it from the fridge to soften before mixing! You can also use low-fat cream cheese if you prefer.
- Mascarpone: This creamy cheese brings a wonderful tangy sweetness to the cheesecake filling.
- Icing Sugar: Icing sugar is also known as powdered sugar or confectioner’s sugar. It adds sweetness and structure to the luscious cheesecake filling.
- Vanilla Extract: This common flavoring adds a little silky smooth sweetness to the flavor. You can also opt to use pure vanilla bean or another flavor extract.
- Lime Jell-O and Boiling Water: This fantastic dessert has layers of tart and indulgent flavor. The lime Jell-O makes for a tasty and colorful cheesecake topping. The recipe will have you prepare the gelatin with boiling water, so get a kettle or pot ready before getting started.
- Green edible glitter (optional) – for a gorgeous green glitter effect!
See the recipe card for quantities.
🍀 Step-by-Step
Step One: Add broken graham crackers to the food processor and process until they’re fully broken down.
Step Two: Melt the butter and pour it over the crumbs. Mix everything with a wooden spoon until well combined.
Step Three: Divide the crumb mixture between the preserving jars (about three teaspoons per jar). Press down on the crumbs to make them firm. Chill the jars for half an hour.
Step Four: In a large bowl, add the cream cheese, mascarpone, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. Whip the mixture on medium-high speed until creamy and fully combined.
Step Five: Fill the cream into a pastry bag. Remove the chilled jars from the refrigerator.
Step Six: Divide the cheesecake batter between the jars. Spread the cream with a small spoon so it goes right up to the edge of the glass. Return the jars to the fridge.
Step Seven: Whisk the Jell-O and boiling water until no crystals remain. Let it rest at room temperature for 20 minutes.
Step Eight: Pull the jars out of the fridge and divide the lime jello between the jars.
Step Nine: Return the jar to the fridge for 2 to 3 hours.
Step Ten: Just before serving, garnish the St. Patrick cheesecakes with whipped cream.
Step Eleven: Dust with green edible glitter for a sparkling look!
🍰 Variations
- Grown-Up Green Cheesecake: Turn this sensationally simple dessert into an adults-only treat by making the Jell-O with vodka! To make this tasty take, swap out up to one-half of the boiling water in the recipe for vodka.
- Double-Dairy: Double the indulgent creamy flavor in this dessert by adding even more dairy! Garnish the finished cheesecake jar with a flavored whipped cream! Try my Vodka-Flavored Whipped Cream for an adult flavor or my bright and delicious Orange-Flavored Whipped Cream for a family-friendly finish to this Irish-inspired dessert!
🍽 Equipment
- Preserving Jars: This is an all-in-one jarred dessert, so I like to use really cute jam jars as the vessel for this cheesecake.
- Mixer with Whisk Attachment: A mixer with a whip will help you beat together the thick cheesecake batter.
- Food Processor: This is used to make the crackers into crumbs, but you can also crush them by hand if needed.
- Saucepan
- Mixing Tools and Bowls
- Piping bag with a Russian ball tip
💭 Top tips
Remember to smooth the cheesecake batter up to the edge of the jar before proceeding with the Jell-O. Smoothing the cheesecake forms a nice barrier so the Jell-O does not seep downward and spoil the layers.
If you want to make this lovely lime cheesecake even more elegant, try dusting the finished dessert with a little edible green glitter. This adds a wonderful luster that makes this dessert even more exciting!
🙋🏻 FAQ
This delicious homage to Ireland is perfect when enjoyed straight out of the jar; just grab a spoon and dig in! It’s ideal for St. Patrick’s Day parties but it also tastes great at Easter and other springtime events!
Try pairing this yummy dessert with a spritz or whiskey sour to make the perfect drink and dessert combo!
Yes, the cheesecake needs to chill for at least 4 hours. I love to make this St. Paddy’s Day dessert the night before the party. That way they are ready to eat by the time the St. Patrick’s Day festivities begin!
Other Cheesecake Recipes for You to Try
- No-bake Ricotta Cheesecake
- No-bake Pumpkin Cheesecake
- No-bake White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake {Halloween}
- No-bake Eggnog Cheesecake with Ginger Spiced Crust
- Fig Cheesecake in a Jar {no-bake}
- 5 ingredient mini Oreo Cheesecakes
- Strawberry Cheesecake
- No-bake Lemon Cheesecake with Blueberry Topping
- No-bake Biscoff Cheesecake
- No-bake Valentine’s Raspberry Cheesecake
Don’t forget about National Cheesecake Day on July 30th!
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St. Patrick’s Day No-Bake Lime Cheesecake in a Jar
Equipment
- Universal Chopper
- Small pan
- Food processor or electric mixer
- Tablespoon or wooden whisk
- Piping bag with Russian tip
- Preserving glasses for serving
Ingredients
Base
- 3 oz Graham cracker – or Petit beurre biscuits
- 1.76 oz Unsalted butter
Cream Cheese Layer
- 7 oz Cream cheese
- 5 oz Mascarpone
- ¾ cup Icing sugar
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
Lime Jell-o Layer
- 1 Pack Lime Jell-o
- 1 cup Water boiling
Instructions
Step 1 – Graham Cracker Base
- Crush 3 oz Graham cracker using a chopper.3 oz Graham cracker
- Empty crumbs into a mixing bowl and set aside.
- Meanwhile, melt 1.76 oz Unsalted butter in a small pan on the stove or in the microwave (in a microwave-safe bowl).1.76 oz Unsalted butter
- Pour the melted butter over the cracker crumbs and mix well.
- Now, take six preserving jars and divide the crumb mixture among the jars. (About three tsp per jar). Press tightly together in the jar to form a firm base.
- Once you've created the graham cracker base in the jars, please put them in the fridge until you've prepared the cream cheese filling and Jell-o.
Step 2 – Cream Cheese Filling
- Add 7 oz Cream cheese, 5 oz Mascarpone, ¾ cup Icing sugar, and 1 tsp Vanilla extract to a large mixing bowl.7 oz Cream cheese, 5 oz Mascarpone, ¾ cup Icing sugar, 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- Whip with the whisk attachment for two to three minutes on medium-high speed until a creamy mixture forms.
- Fill the cream into a pastry bag and take the chilled preserving jars out of the refrigerator.
- Divide the finished cheesecake batter between the jars.
Step 3 – Lime Jell-o
- Fill 11 Pack Lime Jell-o in a mixing bowl and add 1 cup Water (boiling).
- Whisk well until no crystals remain.
- Let the Jell-O sit on the bench for 20 minutes.
- Take the cheesecake jars from the fridge and carefully divide the Lime Jell-o between the cheesecake-filled glasses.
- Place the cheesecakes in the fridge and leave to set for 2-3 hours.
Step 4 – Garnish
- Right before serving, take the small cheesecakes out of the fridge.
- Generously top with (readymade) Whipped cream and dust with Green edible glitter.
- Serve and celebrate.
Notes
Nutrition
⛑️ Food Safety
- Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don’t leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
For further information, check Safe Food Handling – FDA.
My favourite dessert is a cheese cake, preferably no bake. I loved every spoonful of this recipe. And the green edible glitters makes it perfect for St. Patricks day.
Thank you so much, Sabine! I am happy you enjoyed those little cakes!
This is the best dessert, and we love how easy it is to prepare. The cheesecake and lime layers are so delicious and come together easily. The presentation is great and this recipe tastes as good as it looks!
Thank you so much for your wonderful comment! That makes me very happy!
I would have never thought about making lime cheesecake for St. Patrick’s Day. This idea is genius!!
Thank you, Leslie!
What a delightful way to celebrate with this no-bake lime cheesecake in a jar! 💚 It’s like a taste of spring in every bite! 😋 I love how convenient and adorable it is to serve in jars – perfect for sharing with friends and family. Thanks for the festive and delicious recipe idea! Can’t wait to give it a try!
Thank you, Claudia! Let me know how they turned out for you!