Our Most Popular No-Cook Dessert Of All Time

It takes less than 10 minutes to make and is the ideal summer treat.

By
Devan Grimsrud
Devan Grimsrud
Devan Grimsrud

Devan Grimsrud is a Berlin-based writer, editor, and recipe developer originally from Minneapolis, Minnesota. After working in television production with James Beard Award-winning chef Andrew Zimmern, she relocated to Berlin and became the managing editor at Kitchen Stories, an international digital cooking platform with millions of active users. 

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Published June 10, 2025
Devan Grimsrud
Layered dessert served with a fork and garnished with lime slices, focus on texture and freshness

Simply Recipes / Mihaela Kozaric Sebrek

I’m the kind of person who craves a little something sweet after dinner; it just doesn’t feel right if I go to bed without. My after-dinner treat, which is sometimes more like a midnight snack, can be as complicated as a multi-component ice cream sundae, as simple as a medjool date, as juicy as a ripe mango or peach, or as lucky as the last slice of cake from a recipe test earlier that week.

In the summer, one of my favorites (other than ice cream, of course) is a piece of icebox cake or refrigerator pie—specifically, our most popular no-cook dessert of all time, lime icebox pie. It’s something I can reliably count on myself to make when it’s hot because it takes less than 10 minutes, is no-bake, and keeps well in the freezer for up to a month. The smallest bit of effort pays off in a big way.

What Makes This Recipe So Good

There’s a lot to love about this recipe, but my favorite thing is the balance of flavors and textures. It’s sweet and creamy while still being sliceable, light and tart with a salty, buttery edge—it’s a craveable dessert and enough of an all-rounder that it can appeal to just about anyone with a sweet tooth.

The ease of prep is just another reason to love this recipe, and probably a key characteristic that makes it our most popular no-cook dessert. Simply whisk lime juice with sweetened condensed milk, heavy cream, and sour cream until thick, then layer into a dish with Ritz crackers and let chill in the fridge to set up. Slice or spoon to serve, and that’s it!

A no-bake lime dessert in a glass baking dish with a slice cut out, garnished with lime zest

Simply Recipes / Mihaela Kozaric Sebrek

Switch It Up

While this recipe, as written, is popular for a reason, you may find yourself unable to fight the urge to play around with it—and that’s okay! Here are some simple ways to give this lime cracker pie your own spin:

  • Use lemon juice instead of lime juice, or swap up to one-third of the total lime juice for freshly squeezed grapefruit, orange, or even yuzu juice.
  • Swap the Ritz crackers for graham crackers, plain club crackers, or vanilla wafers; if you use vanilla wafers, let the cake rest for at least 5 hours to give them enough time to soften up properly.
  • Layer the pie individually into small bowls, ramekins, or even martini glasses.
  • Top with toasted coconut, white chocolate shavings, whipped cream, or fresh raspberries right before serving.
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