We shared these easy cheesecake bars years ago, and they became so popular that Betty Crocker asked to share them as well! The bars are super delicious, with fresh lemon and blueberries! If you love cheesecake, these bars are for you! For more dessert recipes with that blueberry lemon combination, see our lemon blueberry cake, this easy blueberry crumble, and our lemon blueberry muffins!
Key Ingredients
Blueberries: I love fresh blueberries (when they are in season), but you can substitute frozen berries if that’s what you have. Other berries like raspberries or blackberries are great, too. Lemon: I use lemon zest and juice in this recipe! For finely grated lemon zest, use a microplane zester. Graham Crackers: I love cheesecake with a graham cracker crust, which I use in this recipe. Non-US bakers can substitute digestive biscuits. Cream Cheese: Use full-fat block cream cheese for cheesecake. Make sure it is at room temperature. Eggs: Two eggs help firm up the cream cheese in our cheesecake filling, making it more creamy and rich. Sugar: You’ll use granulated sugar for the crust and cheesecake, then brown sugar for the delicious streusel topping. Butter: I use butter two ways. First, it helps bind the crust, and second, I add it to my topping.
How to Make Blueberry Cheesecake Bars
These blueberry cheesecake bars come together quickly, especially when using a food processor. It makes quick work of the crust. You’ll combine graham crackers, sugar, lemon zest, and melted butter in the food processor and pulse until fine crumbs. Then, press the crust into your baking pan and bake for 10 minutes. You can also use a food processor to make the lemon cheesecake filling. Combine cream cheese, eggs, more lemon zest, lemon juice, and sugar and pulse until smooth. Then, top the baked crust with the cheesecake filling and scatter blueberries over it. Finish with the brown sugar crumble topping and bake until golden brown. If you don’t have a food processor, no problem. You can put the graham crackers in a plastic bag, bash them into crumbs with something heavy, and then stir in the remaining ingredients with a spoon. Then, use a stand or handheld mixer to make the cheesecake filling. 2 tablespoons (25g) sugar 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest 4 tablespoons (56g) butter, melted 2 large eggs 2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest 1/4 cup (60ml) fresh lemon juice 1/2 cup (100g) sugar 1 ½ cups (225g) fresh or frozen blueberries, 8 ounces 3/4 cup (98g) all-purpose flour 6 tablespoons (85g) cold unsalted butter 2Make the crust. Add graham crackers, 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, and 1 teaspoon of lemon zest to a food processor bowl. Pulse until fine crumbs. Add the melted butter, cover, and process until moistened. 3Press the graham cracker crumb mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan and bake for 10 minutes or until lightly toasted. Cool for 10 to 15 minutes before adding the cheesecake layer. 4Meanwhile, make the cheesecake bar filling. Wipe the food processor mostly clean with a paper towel, then add the cream cheese, eggs, 2 tablespoons of lemon zest, lemon juice, and 1/2 cup of sugar. Process until smooth and creamy. 5Spoon the cheesecake filling over the crust, then top with blueberries. 6Make the streusel topping. Add the brown sugar and flour to a medium bowl. Cut the butter into small cubes and add them to the bowl. Work the butter into the flour and sugar until crumbly using your fingers or a hand-held pastry cutter. Scatter the topping over the blueberries. 7Bake the cheesecake bars until the topping is lightly browned and the center is almost set (the center should jiggle only slightly when moved), 35 to 40 minutes. 8Cool for 1 hour at room temperature, then refrigerate for 2 hours or until chilled. Cut into 9 bars.
