Woolworth Icebox Cheesecake Recipe is a light and fluffy, no-bake dessert with a hint of lemon flavor on top of a graham cracker crust. I also have a Strawberry Icebox Cheesecake version!
Woolworth Icebox Cheesecake Recipe
Most people over a certain age have probably heard of, or even visited, a Woolworth store. It started out as a five-and-dime store, selling things that only cost 5 or 10 cents until it became a popular department store. And, the lunch counter was an added attraction, serving food, including its famous Icebox Cheesecake Recipe.
Woolworth Icebox Cheesecake Ingredients
There are two parts to this no-bake dessert–the graham cracker crust and the light filling.
Graham Crackers: You can buy graham cracker crumbs to use for the crust (about 2 cups). Or, you could crush sheets of graham crackers. You will need about 14 full sheets of graham crackers for 2 cups of crumbs.
Cream Cheese: Be sure the cream cheese is at room temperature when creaming with the sugar.
Jello Mix: The lemon-flavored box of jello mix gives the dessert just a hint of lemon flavor (but not even close to overwhelming). You could even try other flavors of jello!
Water: You will use both boiling water (212°F) and cold water (55°F) for the filling.
Evaporated Milk: Evaporated milk is super-concentrated milk that helps give the dessert filling its creamy texture. It should not be confused with sweetened condensed milk, which has added sugar. They should not be used interchangeably in recipes. Be sure to chill the can of evaporated milk in the freezer for about 30 minutes before using.
Do I Have to Freeze Icebox Cheesecake Recipe?
No, you don’t have to freeze this dessert, even with Icebox in the name. In fact, an icebox used to refer to a non-mechanical ‘refrigerator’ before we had electric refrigerators. So, you do have to store the cheesecake in the refrigerator (covered, for up to a week), but no need to make room in your freezer. The only freezing needed with this recipe is to chill the bowl and whisk attachment of a stand mixer.
What if My Evaporated Milk Does Not Form Peaks?
If you looked at the recipe below, you may notice the first instruction is to chill the bowl of a stand mixer, the whisk attachment, and the can of evaporated milk. If you are finding that the evaporated milk is not forming peaks, you can place the entire bowl with the contents into the freezer for 15-30 minutes and then re-whip. You’ll know it is ready to whip again when there are ice crystals on the bowl. Do not leave it longer than 30 minutes.
Evaporated milk has a lower fat content compared to whipping cream, so it’s harder to whip. This is why chilling is so important.
How Does it Taste?
Heaven. Seriously! It is light as air and melts into a velvety cloud of creamy deliciousness in your mouth. It’s almost like a “cloud cheesecake”. The lemon is so subtle, if you hadn’t made it you almost wouldn’t be able to detect it is there! This dessert is worth making and there is a reason it is so famous!
More No-Bake Cheesecake Desserts
Woolworth Icebox Cheesecake Recipe
Ingredients
Crust
- 2 cups (14-16 sheets, 168 g) honey graham crackers, finely crushed
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- ½ cup (1 stick / 113g) butter, melted
Filling
- 1 block (8 ounces) cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 box (3 ounces) lemon jello mix
- ½ cup boiling water, about 212°F
- ½ cup cold water, about 50°F
- 1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk, chilled in freezer for 30 minutes
Instructions
- Chill the bowl of a stand mixer, the whisk attachment, and the can of evaporated milk in the freezer for at least 30 minutes. (This will help get peaks when whipping the evaporated milk.) Do not skip this step.
Crust
- Lightly spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, add graham crackers and sugar and mix together.
- Add melted butter and mix until all ingredients are fully incorporated (no dry spots).
- Reserve ¼ cup of the graham cracker mixture and set aside.
- Press the remaining crumbs firmly into the bottom of the prepared 9×13-inch baking dish. Set aside.
Filling
- In a medium bowl cream together cream cheese and sugar with a hand mixer. Add vanilla and mix until well blended (2-3 minutes). Set aside.
- In a separate large bowl, add jello mix and boiling water. Whisk until the jello mix dissolves (1-2 minutes). Add cold water and set the mixture in the refrigerator for a few minutes while you prepare the rest of the filling, but do not let the gelatin set.
- To a stand mixer, add the chilled bowl and whisk attachment. Add the evaporated milk and mix on high until soft peaks form (about 5 minutes).
- Add the jello mixture and continue to whisk for 30 more seconds.
- Add cream cheese mixture and whisk for 30 more seconds.
- Pour mixture into the pan and top with the reserved graham cracker mixture.
- Chill overnight before serving.
Did you make this recipe?
Thank you for making my recipe! You took pictures, right? Well go ahead and post them on Instagram! Be sure to mention me @iambaker and use the hashtag #YouAreBaker.
Looks yummy!
Hi there:
This loos lovely, light and refreshing for summer!
Wondering if it would make any difference if one used whipping cream instead of evaporated milk? Would it not set?
Thanks so much for your recipes and your good cheer and humour!
Sandra
Could you skip the jello?
Mom used to make this (back in the ’60s) and I remember her frustration when the evaporated milk wouldn’t whip. I put a can in the fridge a couple days before I wanted to make it, and I filled the mixing bowl with ice for a while before whipping the milk. I added a little more lemon Jello (not more water) and lemon zest in hopes of a bit more lemon flavor. I’m taking it to a gathering this afternoon and plan on having some fresh blueberries to put on top of each serving. Can’t wait to see if it lives up to my memories!! (Mom made it with strawberry Jello, too.)
I made the Woolworths lemon icebox cake and it was disappointing because it didn’t have enough lemon flavor. I thought I left something out and rechecked the recipe to see if I left out some lemon flavoring, but I accounted for every ingredient. I saw another recipe that included several tablespoons of lemon flavoring. Did you misprint your recipe?
This recipe definitely needs lemon flavoring. Thank you
If you were expecting a very lemon-tasting dessert – then I can see why you might be disappointed, but I was very clear that this is not that dessert. This is what I wrote specifically in the recipe:
“Jello Mix: The lemon-flavored box of jello mix gives the dessert just a hint of lemon flavor (but not even close to overwhelming). You could even try other flavors of jello!”
AND
“How Does it Taste?
Heaven. Seriously! It is light as air and melts into a velvety cloud of creamy deliciousness in your mouth. It’s almost like a “cloud cheesecake”. The lemon is so subtle, if you hadn’t made it you almost wouldn’t be able to detect it is there! This dessert is worth making and there is a reason it is so famous!”
Putting evaporated milk in referigerator for at least 3 hrs makes it whip like whipping cream!
Many years ago I used to make this and I wish I still had the recipe but never did I use lemon jello. Suppose to have more tang then this. I remember squeezing lemons and using more zest and I believe non flavored jello.
This sounds really good.
I could swear my mom used to make something like this in the early 60’s..but I remember here being fruit cocktail in it..could it possible be the same receipe.
This was amazing! Takes time to put together, but so worth it! As a kid, we ate at Woolworths lunch counter and this is dead on!