These lemon blueberry cheesecake bars have the perfect balance of sweet and tart flavor, with jammy blueberry preserves and a layer of tangy citrus-infused cheesecake on top. A lovely dessert for springtime or any time of year!
Lemon Cream Cheese Bars With Blueberry Preserves
This recipe came about as I was contemplating how to make a lemon dessert without it being so lemon-y that I wouldn’t like it. I’m more of a citrus-in-small-doses fan, you see. I decided to add blueberry to the mix to make things a bit more balanced, and these lemon blueberry cheesecake bars were the result.
Let’s start at the bottom of all of this—the crust. Rather than using a traditional graham cracker base, I made a nutty crust with butter, brown sugar, and pecans. This dials back some of the sweetness in the recipe, which is a good thing because the next layer is blueberry preserves.
Over the blueberry layer, you’ll add—you guessed it—a thick layer of creamy, citrusy lemon cheesecake. Between the crust and the preserves, the tart lemon flavor of the cheesecake is quite tame compared to, say, a lemon bar or lemon cream pie. It certainly satisfies my hankering for a dessert befitting springtime.
What You’ll Need
Scroll down to the recipe card to find the ingredient quantities and recipe instructions.
For the Crust:
- All-purpose flour – Learn more: How to Measure Flour
- Unsalted butter – Unsalted or Salted Butter: Which is Better for Baking?
- Light brown sugar – Dark brown sugar has a more assertive flavor; there are already a lot of big flavors in these bars, so keep things in check by sticking with light brown sugar. Learn more: Light Brown Sugar vs Dark Brown Sugar: What’s the Difference?
- Pecans – You can substitute another nut if you prefer.
- Salt
For the Filling:
- Blueberry preserves – Use a high-quality brand, preferably one with some intact fruit for a nice texture.
- Cream cheese – Let this come to room temperature so it’s easy to blend with the other ingredients.
- Granulated sugar
- Eggs
- Lemon juice – Learn more: How to Zest and Juice Lemons
- Vanilla extract – Use store-bought or homemade vanilla extract.
Which Cream Cheese Is Good for Cheesecake?
When it comes to cream cheese for cheesecake, you should always use full-fat. Lower-fat cream cheese has a higher moisture content, which can affect the texture of your cheesecake.
Avoid any brands with added ingredients, and labels with phrases like “cream cheese spread” or “light cream cheese.” If you’re not sure what to buy, go for a classic like Philadelphia Cream Cheese. It has the perfect texture and tanginess for cheesecake, and it’s the preferred choice of professionals and home baking enthusiasts alike.
How to Make Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Bars
If traditional cheesecake recipes have failed you in the past, cheesecake bars are a great alternative. They’re much less fussy to bake because the cheesecake layer is thinner—no springform pan or water bath needed!
Prepare. Preheat your oven to 350°F and grease a 9″x 13″x 2″ baking pan. Alternatively, you can line the pan with parchment paper and grease the paper, which will make it easier to remove the bars.
Make the crust. Use a fork or your hands to combine all of the crust ingredients in a medium bowl. Press the mixture evenly into the prepared pan, then bake for 15 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly.
Add the blueberry layer. Spread the blueberry preserves evenly over the slightly cooled crust.
Make the lemon cheesecake layer. Use an electric mixer on medium speed to beat the cream cheese and sugar until they’re light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, followed by the lemon juice and vanilla extract. Mix until smooth.
Bake. Pour the cheesecake filling over the crust and preserves. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until set.
Cool and serve. Let the lemon blueberry cheesecake bars cool in the pan on a wire rack for about an hour. Chill the bars in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, then cut into squares.
How to Cut Cheesecake Bars
To get perfectly neat squares, you can use a warm knife to help cut through the cheesecake. Dip a sharp knife in hot water and then wipe it clean before and after each cut. This will make for cleaner slices that look like they came from a professional bakery.
Tips for Success
Read over my baking tips for beginners, then follow these additional tips for perfect lemon blueberry cheesecake bars.
- Use room temperature cream cheese. It really matters! Cold cream cheese won’t blend smoothly and your finished bars will be flecked with unmixed white spots in the cheesecake layer.
- Don’t over-bake. Cheesecake bars will be set, but still jiggle slightly in the center, when done.
- Be patient. Refrigerate at least 2 hours before cutting into bars. If you rush the process, the bars won’t cut cleanly—and warm cheesecake isn’t very tasty either!
Variations
This is a great recipe for customizing to your preferences by using a different flavor of preserves, or by omitting the lemon juice or using a different juice or extract. You can also intensify the lemon flavor by adding fine lemon zest to the cheesecake mixture.
You can go a bit more traditional with a graham cracker crust, like the crust from my Nutella swirl cheesecake bars.
How to Store
These lemon blueberry cheesecake bars can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. If you’re stacking them in the container, parchment paper between the layers will keep them from sticking to each other.
Can This Recipe Be Frozen?
Yes, these bars can be frozen in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 3 months. To thaw the bars, simply leave them in the refrigerator overnight.
Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Bars
Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Bars combine a nutty pecan crust, blueberry preserves, and a lemony cheesecake for an irresistible dessert.
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 1 & 1/2 cups (180g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (226g) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- 1/2 cup (100g) firmly packed light brown sugar
- 3/4 cup (148g) finely chopped pecans, toasted (or other nut)
- pinch salt
For the filling:
- 1 cup blueberry preserves
- 24 ounces (680g) cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
To make the crust:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9″x 13″x 2" baking pan. For easier removal of the bars, you can line the pan with parchment paper and grease the paper.
- Combine all the crust ingredients using a fork or your hands. Press evenly into the prepared pan. Bake for 15 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly.
To make the filling:
- Spread the blueberry preserves evenly over the slightly cooled crust.
- Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add the lemon juice and vanilla extract. Mix until smooth.
- Pour the filling evenly over the crust and preserves. Bake 40-45 minutes, or until set.
- Cool in the pan on a wire rack for about an hour. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before cutting into bars.
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31 Comments on “Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Bars”
lemon in a cheesecake is one of the cleanest flavors; so refreshing on the tongue (and tummy)
Gosh. I’m such a sucker for cheesecake. And spring is the right time for lemon as far as I’m concerned… just YUM.
This cheese cake looks sooo delicious! I wish I could have a piece now. I like the fact that you used pecans with your crust. Great idea.
Looks great! I’m pinning it!!
delicious, you can never have too much lemon 🙂
Wow – this recipe looks amazing! I’m excited to give it a try. 😉
These looks delicious! I can’t wait to test this recipe out. You come up with the best tasty treats. Thanks!
Blueberry and lemon in a cheesecake sounds perfect
I just made these and they turned out tasty. i have 2 questions…first it cracked in the middle, how can i prevent that? and 2 when i cut it it looked much more messy than your pic. How do you get nice clean lines? thanks
Malissa, cracking is sadly a common occurrence with cheesecakes. Cracks or not, it’s still delicious. If it cracks while it’s baking, it may have been overmixed. To prevent it from cracking after it has baked, you can run a knife around the sides to loosen it a bit. The best way to get clean cuts is to use a very sharp knife that you (very carefully!) wipe off after each cut. Make smooth cuts, not a back-and-forth motion.
These mouthwatering Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Bars are fantastic! The unique taste of these bars really made our customers to ask for more and of course we present them in most simple but elegant way by serving them in small white aqua plates.
Wow! What an awesome cheesecake.
I love cheesecake, this looks like an interesting and unique way to change things up.
Those look amazing! I can’t wait to make them!
I’m already counting down to blueberry picking season, and planning my recipes…I think these might just make the list! Can’t wait to try, thanks for sharing!
So I am attempting these in Peru, where blueberry preserves are hard to come by. How do you think strawberry preserves would do instead? Is the lemon no good with strawberry or would they compliment each other? Thoughts…
Hi, Megan. I think strawberry preserves would be delicious!
One word, YUM. I made this tonight and it was so good. I cut the recipe in half, used frozen blueberries because I didn’t have the preserves, and used a little freshly squeezed tangerine juice because I didn’t have lemons, and goodness this was good. This is the first time I’ve tried one of your recipes.
Hi! Just putting this togetherr and it seems that the butter amount is incorrect for the crust. I cup of butter made a very greasy mixture, so I added about another cup of flour to stiffen it up. I’m guessing it should really be 1/2 cup??
Hi, Mary. The amount of butter is correct. If you didn’t change anything about the recipe, then maybe look at how you measure your flour. I usually weigh mine, as scooping can give variable results.
Great recipe but I didn’t have pecans so used toasted ground almonds, increased the bluebrries to 1 1/2 cups and added some cinnamon. Didn’t have lemon so used o.j. and orange rind. None left!!
Meant to add – a versatile recipe. I like to tweak recipes. Never use only one when concocting stuff.
That sounds like a delicious variation, Jean!
One word: perfect! Not too sweet and very elegant. I’ve had my eye on this recipe for quite some time and have really wanted to bake something cheese-cakey before the summer is over. I made these last night. Scattered fresh blueberries on top of the cream cheese layer prior to baking. I like the fresh blueberry taste in the finished bar. Chilled overnight–cut like a dream this morning. The crust is a bit ‘oily’ to start (I added 5 min to the bake time) but bakes up nicely and holds the jam well. Super easy to cut and remove from the pan. I did add Limoncello, no surprise there, plus lemon zest. 🙂 Thanks for a great recipe, Jennifer!
Hello Jennifer this looks really good. Do you think a thick blueberry compot would work as wellÂ
as the preserves?
Hi, Sarah. I think it might work if it’s fairly thick.
Hi Jennifer,
I’d like to put aluminum foil or parchment paper underneath the bars so I can lift them out. Â Is this doable, do you know? It seems like anytime I want to make a dessert I turn to your blog!
Thanks.
Hi, Teresa! You can line the pan if you like. I have better results using parchment paper, but feel free to use aluminum foil if you prefer. Enjoy!
Thanks Jennifer!
I saw this recipe on line and wanted to make it. However, My husband is not a fan of lemon, would it de tract from the flavor of my sour cherry preserves? Do you have any other recipes to use sour cherry preserves with? Thank you so much. Found your site on line.
Hi, Debbie. You can leave out the lemon. I have several recipes that use preserves, and most would work with any flavor. Click here to see all of those recipes.