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Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Bars

A delicious blend of tangy lemon, juicy blueberries, and smooth cheesecake, all sitting on a crunchy graham cracker base.
Course Dessert
Keyword bars, cheesecake, dessert
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings 9 bars

Ingredients

For the crust

  • 20 graham crackers
  • 3 tbsp butter, melted
  • 3 tbsp sugar

For the filling

  • 2 16 oz packages of cream cheese, softened at room temperature
  • 2 eggs, room temperature
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tbsp lemon zest
  • 4 tbsp lemon juice

For the blueberry sauce

  • 3/4 cups frozen blueberries
  • 3 tbsp sugar
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice

Instructions

For the blueberry sauce

  • From the 3/4 cup of blueberries, take out 1/4 cup and put back into the freezer until later. You'll use these for putting on top of the cheesecake at the end.
  • In a small saucepan, combine the leftover 1/2 cup of frozen blueberries, sugar, and lemon juice.
  • Place the saucepan over medium heat and bring the mixture to a gentle boil, stirring occasionally. Once it starts boiling, reduce the heat to low and let the mixture simmer for 2-3 minutes.
  • Remove the saucepan from the heat and let the blueberry mixture cool down for a few minutes.
  • Transfer the cooled blueberry mixture to a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. If you prefer a chunkier sauce, you can skip this step.
  • Set aside and let cool completely.

For the crust

  • Preheat your oven to 325°F . like a 9x9 square pan with parchment paper or grease a baking dish.
  • In a food processor take the full graham crackers and process them into fine crumbs.  You should end up with a cup and a half of graham cracker crumbs.
  • In a medium bowl, combine the crushed graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, and sugar. Mix until the crumbs are evenly coated with the butter and sugar.
  • Press the graham cracker mixture VERY firmly and evenly into the bottom of the lined baking pan. 
  • Place the baking dish in the preheated oven and bake the crust for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let it cool while you prepare the filling.

For the filling

  • In a large mixing bowl, with your electric mixer on medium speed, beat the cream cheese until smooth and creamy.
  • Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
  • Add the vanilla extract, lemon zest, lemon juice, and sugar. Beat until the mixture is smooth.
  • Pour the cheesecake filling over the cooled graham cracker crust in the baking dish. Use a spatula to smooth the top.
  • Spoon dollops of the cooled blueberry sauce onto the surface of the cheesecake filling. Use a toothpick or knife to create a swirling pattern, gently dragging the blueberry sauce back and forth through the cheesecake batter.
  • Press the 1/4 cup of blueberries you put back in the freezer in the first step of this recipe into the top of the cheesecake. Space them out when doing this step.
  • Place the baking dish in the preheated oven and bake the cheesecake bars for 40-45 minutes, or until the edges are browning and set and the center is slightly jiggly.
  • Remove the cheesecake bars from the oven and let them cool completely at room temperature. Once cooled, cover the baking dish with plastic wrap and chill the cheesecake bars in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, or overnight, until firm.