Creamy Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake filling is baked into a crisp graham cracker crust and topped with luscious blueberry sauce. Top this show stopping dessert with fresh whipped cream. This stunning dessert is full of bright, fresh flavor – perfect for spring and summer entertaining.
This post was originally published as my Blueberry Cheesecake Bars in May of 2018. I’ve just updated it to be a whole cheesecake instead. If you’d like the old recipe, feel free to leave a comment or email me on the “contact” page and I will send it to you! There are also notes in the FAQs below about baking these as bars.
‘Tis the season for light, refreshing desserts, loaded with bright spring flavor! This Double Blueberry Cheesecake fits the bill perfectly – let’s make it!
Why you’ll love this recipe:
- Full of Blueberry Flavor – This cheesecake is full of blueberry flavor in the cheesecake and in the topping. A hint of lemon in the cheesecake and the topping pairs perfectly with the sweet blueberry flavor.
- Creamy Cheesecake – This cheesecake is ultra creamy and luscious, evident from the moment your fork slides into a slice!
- Approachable Recipe – Even though there are a few steps to this blueberry cheesecake recipe, the whole thing is completely doable no matter your skill level as a baker!
Ingredient Overview
- Cream Cheese – Use full fat cream cheese, in the block style. This needs to come to room temperature before you bake.
- Eggs – Use large eggs at room temperature.
- Sour Cream – Use full fat sour cream, at room temperature.
- Vanilla extract – Use real vanilla extract for best results.
- Blueberry Jam – Use your favorite blueberry jam or blueberry preserves.
- Butter – I always use salted buter for the best flavor, but feel free to use unsalted butter for the crust if you prefer.
Ingredient Substitutions:
- Gluten-free – Use gluten-free graham crackers to make this dessert gluten-free!
- Dairy-free – Use your favorite dairy-free cream cheese, sour cream, butter, and whipped cream to make this recipe dairy-free.
How to Make this Recipe Step-by-Step:
Step 1: Make & Bake the Crust. Stir together the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, and a pinch of sugar. Press this into a 9-inch springform pan and bake for 10 minutes.
Step 2: Make the Cheesecake Batter. In a large mixing bowl, beat your cream cheese on high speed with an electric mixer (or a stand mixer) to smooth it out. Then, mix in the sugar, eggs, vanilla, and sour cream. You’ll have a silky batter. If there are a few tiny lumps, that’s ok. Gently mix in the blueberry jam and lemon juice last.
Step 3: Bake the Cheesecake. Pour cheesecake batter over prepared crust and spread in an even layer. Bake as directed in the recipe card below.
Step 4: Chill the Cheesecake. The cheesecake must cool in the oven for 1 hour, then on the counter until it’s at room temperature. It then needs to chill at least 6 hours or overnight before serving.
Step 5: Make the Blueberry Sauce. Cook blueberries & sugar in a pot, until they begin to release their juices. Then, add a mixture of lemon juice, cornstarch, and water to thicken the sauce. Add extra whole blueberries at the end for a nice variety of texture! This can be made up to 2 days ahead!
Serving + Storing this Recipe:
Pour the blueberry sauce over the cooled cheesecake. Enjoy the cheesecake once it’s decorated! Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Expert Success Tips:
- Room Temperature Ingredients – It is imperative that you let your cold items come to room temperature. Cold ingredients will create a lumpy batter.
- Don’t Over Mix – Over mixing the cheesecake batter when you’re adding the eggs can cause the cheesecake to buckle a little bit in the oven. It will still taste great, but won’t look as pretty.
- Don’t Over Bake – Follow the doneness cues given in the recipe card below to avoid over baking the cheesecake. Don’t panic if it browns the slightest bit on top – that can happen without it being over baked.
FAQs:
- Can I halve this recipe? Yes, I would recommend baking it in an 8×8 or 9×9 square pan, to make these as Blueberry Cheesecake Bars. Bake for 30-42 minutes, checking for doneness in the same way.
- Can I double this recipe? I’m not sure that you would want to, haha. If you want two cheesecakes, you’ll need to mix each one up separately, I don’t recommend trying to double it with this quantity of batter.
- Does the Cheesecake have to chill so long? Yes! That’s the nature of cheesecake. Allow the cheesecake to come to room temp after it’s baked, and then transfer to the fridge to chill at least 6 hours or up to 1 day before serving.
- Why is this a Double Blueberry Cheesecake? Most of the blueberry cheesecake recipes I’ve seen online are plain cheesecakes with blueberry topping. Mine is a blueberry cheesecake with blueberry topping, for double the blueberry goodness!
Recipe Variations:
- Blueberry Topping – You can use blueberry preserves on top of the cheesecake if you want fewer steps, but the homemade topping is incredible!
Special Tools:
- Springform Pan – This recipe uses a 9-inch springform pan.
- Offset Spatula – I use an offset spatula for so many things, including smoothing the batter evenly into the pan for this recipe.
- Oven Thermometer – An oven thermometer will tell you if your oven is actually running at the temperature you set it to. Your oven may not be accurate. Oven temperature is crucial for most bakes, so I leave an oven thermometer in at all times to keep an eye on my oven’s calibration.
More Cheesecake Recipes to Love:
- Mini S’mores Cheesecakes
- Perfect Classic Cheesecake with Strawberry Sauce
- Pecan Pie Cheesecake
- Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake
- Bailey’s Chocolate Cheesecake
- No Bake Cherry Cheesecake Parfaits
- Biscoff Cheesecake
- Boozy Key Lime Rum Cheesecakes
More Blueberry Recipes to Love:
- Blueberry Lemon Thumbprint Cookies
- Strawberry Blueberry Pie
- Baked Blueberry Streusel Donuts
- One-Bowl Blueberry Crisp
- Bakery-Style Blueberry Muffins
- Skillet Blueberry Peach Cobbler
- Homemade Blueberry Pop Tarts
- Blueberry Spinach Salad with Honey Balsamic
Did you make this recipe? Snap a photo and leave a comment!
Be sure to follow bluebowlrecipes on instagram and tag #bluebowlrecipes with your photo! You can also post a photo of your recipe to the bluebowlrecipes Facebook page. I’d love to see what you make!
Double Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake
Ingredients
For the Crust
- 1 and 1/2 cups graham crackers crumbs
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 6 tbsp salted butter, melted
For the Blueberry Cheesecake
- 32 ounces cream cheese, softened at room temperature use full fat blocks
- 1 and 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 cup sour cream, at room temperature use full fat
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup blueberry preserves
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
For the Blueberry Topping
- 2 and 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries, divided If using frozen, don't thaw them
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tsp cornstarch or corn starch
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp warm water
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
For the Whipped Cream:
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 2 tbsp powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat oven to 350° F. Spray a 9 inch springform pan with nonstick spray and make sure the bottom is securely fastened. You can line the bottom with parchment paper (it will stick out through the bottom) for easy removal post-bake.
- Make the Crust: Stir together crust ingredients and press into prepared pan and up the sides a bit (see photos above). Bake this for 10 minutes. Set aside. Keep the oven on at 350. Fill a large pot with water and set it on your stove, and get out a large roasting pan – you'll need this for your water bath later.
- Make the Cheesecake Filling: Remember that your cold ingredients need to come to room temp before you start. In a large mixing bowl, cream softened cream cheese until creamy, about 1-2 minutes. Add the sugar & mix until just incorporated. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as you go. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing on medium speed after each until just incorporated. Add the vanilla and sour cream, and mix until just incorporated. Add the lemon juice & blueberry jam last, mixing on low speed until just incorporated. Use a spatula to fold the last bits in to avoid over-mixing.
- Prepare the Water Bath + Bake: Bring the large pot of water to a boil. Set your springform pan on a rack positioned in the center of the oven, and place the roasting pan on the rack below, or wrap the base of the cheesecake pan in foil and place it inside a 10-inch cake pan inside the roasting dish. Pour the boiling water into the roasting pan. Both of these methods ensure no leaks.Bake for 1 hour 32 to 1 hour 45 minutes. When done, the cheesecake will have only a slight wobble in the center, and a knife inserted into the edge will come out clean, and will have a bit of thick batter when inserted into the center.Turn off the oven and crack the door open. Let the cheesecake cool in the oven for 1 hour before removing it.
- Cheesecake Cooling: Once the hour is up, remove the pan from the oven. Remove foil and set the springform pan on a wire rack. Let cool completely at room temp, then cover with foil and refrigerate at least 6 hours or up to 1 day before removing from the pan and serving.
- Make the Blueberry Sauce: Add 2 cups of blueberries & the sugar to a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring, for 3 minutes so the berries begin to release their juices. (Cook for 1 additional minute if using fresh blueberries.) Add cornstarch, lemon juice, & warm water to a small bowl and stir to dissolve the cornstarch. Add to the pot, and bring to a heavy simmer over medium-high heat, then continue simmering over medium heat, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Add the remaining 1/2 cup of blueberries, & cook for 2-3 minutes more, until thick enough that the blueberries hold for a second when you drag a wooden spoon through the pot (like you're parting the red sea). It should feel like a jammy sauce – not thin and runny. If it's thin, bring it back to a simmer and cook for a few more minutes to thicken. Chill in a bowl in the fridge at least 30 minutes (or until cold) or up to 24 hours (cover if storing longer than the minimum time). Alternative: You can also use a jar of store-bought blueberry jam if you want a few less steps in this recipe!
- Make the Whipped Cream: Add the whipped cream ingredients to a medium bowl and beat on high speed until stiff peaks form. If you want to pipe this, you'll need to stabilize it – see note below.
- Serve & Store: Pour blueberry sauce over the chilled cheesecake and top with whipped cream. Slice and enjoy! Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Notes
Nutrition
Mel says
I made these bars for the first time and they were a HUGE hit! I’ve never made a true cheesecake before (that wasn’t from a box) so these were a great way to “get my feet wet”. I was confused by the mention of milk in the instructions so compared some other cheesecake bar recipes and decided to add 3 T to the filling and that worked just fine! Super creamy and delicious. And the blueberry topping — oh my! Super fun and easy to make. Highly recommend giving this one a try!
Stephanie Simmons says
Hi Mel! Glad you liked these cheesecake bars. And sorry about that typo in the directions – it’s been fixed now! But I’m glad they turned out – they really are a pretty forgiving recipe. 🙂 Happy baking!
Susan says
Milk is listed in instructions but not ingredients. Is that an error? I made without milk and so far look fine. Thanks!
Wanda Lopez says
I’m a sucker for dessert and anything with cream cheese. I’m all over blueberry this days. It so happens that I have all the ingredients on hand to make this dessert this week.
Stephanie Simmons says
How perfect!! Hope you love these ?
Constance Smith says
One of the first things we did when we bought our property, was plant lots of fruit trees and shrubs. I have about a dozen blueberry bushes out there that are covered in ripening berries. This recipe would be perfect for some of them!
Stephanie Simmons says
Yes!! That sounds amazing – I wish we had blueberry bushes in our yard! I also wish we had a yard ?
Camila Hurst says
wow, Steph! This is just so delicious looking! Girl those are some photography SKILLS you’ve got here!
Stephanie Simmons says
Haha thank you so much Camila!! ❤️❤️ That means a lot to me!
Chef Mireille says
love the vibrant color of the sauce – looks so YUM
Stephanie Simmons says
Thank you! ?
Cathleen @ A Taste of Madness says
Even though those blueberries were from last summer, they look perfect to me! LOVE that you topped it with blueberry topping!
Stephanie Simmons says
Haha, thanks Cathleen! I love using up things we already have on hand ?
Lisa says
These looks so good! I love cheese cake and that blueberry topping looks amazing!
Jacqueline Debono says
I’m sure these cheese cake bars taste as beautiful as they look. So want to make them!
Casey Rodweller says
I love cheesecake, and this blueberry topping looks absolutely amazing! I love everything about this and I cannot wait to make it.