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Hi Bold Bakers!
My lemon and blueberry cheesecake bars are, in word, incredible! The photos really don’t do these bars justice, but trust me when I say you have to try making these at home! And with summer approaching (it’s halfway through May already?!), it’s a perfect recipe to use some fresh blueberries!
I love everything about this dessert. The cheesecake layer is a delicious flavor combination of tangy, sweet, and citrus, perfectly balanced by the graham cracker crust and the sweet (but not too sweet) crumble topping. All those different flavors and textures make for one perfect dessert.
Every bite is better than the last. If your home is anything like mine, they won’t stay around for long!
What Are Lemon And Blueberry Cheesecake Bars?
Lemon and blueberry cheesecake bars are all the best parts of a cheesecake but in a much easier-to-make (and eat, in my opinion) form of a bar! I think lemon goes perfectly with a cheesecake; the citrus helps even out the creaminess of the cream cheese. And the blueberries at wonderful pops of sweetness, so no bite is too tangy or too sweet!
What You Need To Make Lemon And Blueberry Cheesecake Bars
- Measuring cups and spoons
- 8-inch square pan
- Parchment paper
- Food processor (optional, as long as you’ve got some elbow grease!)
How To Make Lemon And Blueberry Cheesecake Bars
This recipe covers everything you need to make these delectable treats, from crust to cheesecake to crumble. Here’s how you make lemon and blueberry cheesecake bars (and don’t forget to get the recipe with all the measurements, down below):
- First, prepare your cookie crust. Preheat your oven to 325°F (160°C) and butter and line your 8-inch square pan with parchment paper.
- Using a food processor, process the graham crackers until a fine crumb forms. Add the melted butter, cover, and process until blended.
- Press the graham cracker crumb mixture evenly into the bottom of your pan and place it in your fridge until needed.
- To make the crumble topping, add brown sugar, flour, and cold butter to the food processor and blend until the mix resembles crumbles. It should take just a few seconds. Set aside. (No need to wash the processor between making the crust and crumble, in my opinion.)
- To make the cheesecake layer, wipe the food processor mostly clean with a paper towel and then add the cream cheese, eggs, lemon zest, lemon juice, vanilla, and sugar. Process until it is smooth and creamy.
- To assemble, remove the cookie crust from the fridge and pour the cheesecake filling over it. Generously dot over it with blueberries.
- Scatter the crumble topping on top.
- Bake for around 55-65 minutes until the topping is lightly browned and the center is almost set. Allow the cheesecake bars to cool for 1 hour at room temperature, then refrigerator for about 4 hours or until chilled.
Gemma’s Pro Chef Tips For Making Lemon And Blueberry Cheesecake Bars
- You can make these bars the day before so you can serve them when they are fully firmed up from resting in the fridge overnight.
- You can swap blueberries for raspberries or blackberries, but I’d stay away from opting for strawberries—they have too high of water content.
- Don’t have a food processor? Don’t worry. You can make this recipe completely by hand with a whisk and some elbow grease!
- Use salted butter in this recipe for that extra yummy bite of salt.
- Use the cream cheese that comes in a brick shape, not in a tub. Since it is so much firmer, it’s much better to bake with.
- Use fresh blueberries over frozen ones. While it’s usually fine to use frozen berries, in this case, they bleed a little (like they did in my photos!)
How Do I Store Lemon And Blueberry Cheesecake Bars?
You can store lemon and blueberry cheesecake bars in your refrigerator, covered, for up to 3 days.
Don’t Miss More Cheesecake Recipes
- Best-Ever New York Cheesecake
- No-Bake Ube Cheesecake
- No-Bake Strawberry Cheesecake
- No-Bake Lemon Cheesecake
And don’t forget to buy my Bigger Bolder Baking Cookbook!
Full (and printable) recipe below!
Try These Recipes!
Lemon and Blueberry Cheesecake Bars Recipe
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust
- 9 (4oz/115g) graham cracker rectangles (1 ¼ cup of cookie crumbs)
- 4 tablespoons (2oz/57g) butter (melted)
Crumble Topping
- 1 cup (6oz/170g) light brown sugar
- ¾ cup (3 ¾oz/105g) all-purpose flour
- 6 tablespoons (3oz/85g) cold butter (cubed)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Cheesecake Layer
- 2 cups (16oz/454g) cream cheese (softened)
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons grated lemon zest
- 1 medium lemon juiced
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ cup (4oz/115g) sugar
- 1 ½ cups (7½oz/213g) fresh blueberries
Instructions
Prepare Cookie Crust
- Heat oven to 325°F (160°C). Butter and line an 8-inch square pan with parchment paper.
- In a food processor, add the graham crackers and process until fine crumbs form. Add the melted butter then cover and process until blended.
- Press Graham cracker crumb mixture evenly into the bottom of the pan and chill in the fridge until needed.
Crumble Topping
- Using the food processor again make the topping: Add brown sugar, flour, and cold butter to the processor bowl and blend until the mix resembles a crumble topping, just a few seconds. Set aside. (Bakers tips: I don't wash the bowl between these stages because it's such a similar crumb)
Cheesecake Layer
- Wipe the food processor mostly clean with a paper towel then add the cream cheese, eggs, lemon zest, lemon juice, vanilla, and sugar. Process until smooth and creamy.
To Assemble
- Remove the cookie crust from the fridge and pour the cheesecake filling over. Generously dot over the blueberries.
- Lastly, scatter over the crumble topping.
- Bake until the topping is lightly browned and the center is almost set, roughly 55-65 minutes. Cool 1 hour at room temperature then refrigerate for about 4 hours or until chilled. Cut into 9 bars and enjoy!
Absolutely delicious! I had lemons and blueberries that needed to be used up so this was a perfect recipe. I’m so glad it makes an 8×8 and not a 9×13 otherwise we’d be eating more than we should! Thank you for another fabulous recipe! Hubby and I are fans 👍👍
Can I mix the blueberries into the cheesecake layer instead of sprinkling on top?
Can these be frozen for later? Or only refrigerated for 3 days?
These bars are delicious! I made them late last night and enjoying tonight ☺
Can we use dark brown sugar?
Looks amazing – as always.. Gemma we don’t have “Graham crackers” in UK or in Ireland what could I use instead please. Thanks for another lovely recipe x
Hi Gemma
Can I substitute frozen blueberries for fresh as they are out of season here?
Can mascarpone cheese be used in this recipe? Love your recipes and try out many of them.. Martina Ireland
Hi Gemma – if I make individual cheesecakes in ramekins, how long should I bake them for? And should I use a bain-marie?
I tried this recipe last night!! I substituted the blueberries for fresh strawberries. I wasn’t sure about the crispness of the topping after a night in the fridge though I must admit the fact that there’s quite an amount of sugar in the topping keeps it pretty crunchy! I may try it with mascarpone next time or low fat cream cheese! What do you think about the latter? Another question I have is regarding your oven temperatures as I always tend to use my oven on fan assisted so I baked this on 160 fan assisted and it took over… Read more »