12 Refreshing Citrus Cheesecakes

slice of cheesecake topped with mango sauce, whipped cream, and a slice of lime
Photo: Dianne

When you add citrus to a classic homemade cheesecake, you get pretty much the perfect dessert: a rich and decadent treat that's still somehow light and refreshing. (Who is the evil genius behind this delicious sorcery?!!) We've gathered up our most popular recipes, each with a sweet/tart citrus twist — from traditional key lime and lemon cheesecake recipes, to fun flavor combos like ginger-lemon and coconut-lime. We even included some bars and mousses, if you want to keep it super simple. Scroll through all 12 to find your fave.

01 of 12

Key Lime Cheesecake I

slice of key lime cheesecake topped with whipped cream and lime slice
naples34102

"One word for this cheesecake," says Roz Blair: "AWESOME!!! My boyfriend bugs me to make him cheesecakes so I surprised him with this tonight. Not only was HE pleased, but I just snuck a second piece and had to come online to write this review."

02 of 12

Avocado Lime Cheesecake

Avocado Lime Cheesecake
Melissa Goff

Shannon Bachorick says. "This was very easy to make and a great way to top off taco night! I added a splash of tequila when the filling was in the ice cream maker, which was a delicious twist!"

03 of 12

Citrus Cheesecake

"SO YUMMY," raves SAPATTEN. "The chocolate cookie crust with the citrus flavor is wonderful! I just used orange zest and it turned out great."

04 of 12

Lemon Cheesecake Mousse

individual servings of lemon cheesecake mousse
Maria Eldred

No graham cracker crust? No problem, says SLL: "I didn't make the graham cracker crust but served it as a mousse — it was delicious!"

05 of 12

Lemon Cheesecake Bars

squares of lemon cream cheese bars sprinkled with powdered sugar
Susan Langlois

"Another winner," says Susie. "I had to use a graham cracker crust as I didn't have any shortbread, but that did not affect the flavor of the bars. Next time I will buy the shortbread cookies and make the crust in the recipe."

06 of 12

Ginger Lemon Cheesecake Bars

ginger lemon cheesecake bars on a plate
lutzflcat

Recipe submitter, pho1962 says, "These bars are an elegant twist on lemon cheesecake bars, reminiscent of Carr's Ginger Lemon Cremes cookies."

07 of 12

Quick Lemon Cheesecake

slice of easy lemon cheesecake
Chef Oma

This simple cheesecake can be a blank slate for whatever topping you want to add. "It was soooo easy!" says pvcabco. "And it was very quick to make! I'm probably going to eat the whole pie myself."

08 of 12

Lemon Cheesecake

lemon cheesecake topped with lemon zest
Katie Mak

"This cheesecake is SO good," says Steph. "It reminds me of the lemon cheesecake I used to always get at The Cheesecake Factory until they discontinued it. I made only minor changes to the recipe: I added the zest of one lemon and used crushed Nilla Wafers for the crust."

09 of 12

Cranberry-Orange Cheesecake Bars

squares of cranberry orange cheesecake bars
Yoly

Recipe submitter shauna says. "These cranberry-orange cheesecake bars are a favorite around the holidays or any time of the year!"

10 of 12

Key Lime Cheesecakes with Raspberry Swirls

Key Lime Cheesecakes with Raspberry Swirls
Pam Ziegler Lutz

"These were incredibly easy and turned out beautifully," says Fall. "The texture was wonderful and the cheesecakes were just rich enough to be deliciously decadent, but you could eat more than two bites."

11 of 12

Coconut-Lime Cheesecake with Mango Coulis

slice of cheesecake topped with mango sauce, whipped cream, and a slice of lime
Dianne

Check out this rave review from Dianne for this tropical-inspired cheesecake: "Fantastic! Very refreshing. You can taste each flavor, but not one overpowers the other."

12 of 12

Lemon Meringue Cheesecake

Lemon meringue cheesecake
Kim

A silky layer of lemon curd bumps up the lemony flavor of this cheesecake, while the toasted meringue topping makes every slice a party on a plate.

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