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Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Bars

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!

Side view of lemon blueberry cheesecake bar, showing layers

Creamy Blueberry Cheesecake Bars

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. Accompanied by 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.

Also, if you need more blueberry bars in your life, check out this recipe for blueberry jam oatmeal bars!

Why You’ll Love These Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Bars

These blueberry cheesecake bars are the best way to celebrate springtime and warm weather! Here’s why I think they’re so great:

  • The perfect balance of tangy and sweet. Fresh, zesty lemon juice and sugary blueberry preserves are a golden combination. Together, they make these cheesecake bars light, refreshing, and just the right level of sweet!
  • Adaptable. It’s so easy to make these cheesecake bars your own! You can use a different kind of preserves if blueberries aren’t your favorite fruit, and there are some other small swaps that you can make as well (see variations below).
  • Crowd-pleaser. These lemon cheesecake bars with blueberry preserves are bound to receive rave reviews! Take them to dinner parties, cookouts, picnics, you name it! Everybody will love them.
Overhead view of ingredients for lemon blueberry cheesecake

What You’ll Need

Scroll down to the recipe card to find the ingredient quantities and recipe instructions.

For the Crust

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.
  • Sugar – For the filling, granulated sugar is best.
  • Eggs – To bind the ingredients together.
  • Lemon juice – Learn more by reading about How to Zest and Juice Lemons.
  • Vanilla extract – Use store-bought or homemade vanilla extract.
Overhead view of cream cheese bars and sugar in mixing bowl

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 them 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.

Lemon blueberry cheesecake bar on plate, with forkful removed

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 the bars for at least 2 hours before cutting into them. If you rush the process, the bars won’t cut cleanly—and warm cheesecake isn’t very tasty either!

Substitutions & Recipe Variations

While I’m a big fan of these lemon blueberry bars as they are, there are a few different substitutions that you could make, if you like!

  • Switch up the preserves. This is a great recipe for customizing to your preferences by using a different flavor of preserves (like strawberries, raspberries, etc.).
  • Adjust the lemon flavor. You could omit the lemon juice completely and use a different juice or extract if you prefer. You could also intensify the lemon flavor by adding fine lemon zest to the cheesecake mixture.
  • Make a graham cracker crust. You can go a bit more traditional by making these bars with a graham cracker crust, like the crust from my Nutella swirl cheesecake bars. Or, instead of pecans, use a different nut for the crust like walnuts, etc.
Side view of lemon blueberry cheesecake bar, showing layers

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 I Freeze These Cheesecake Bars?

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 bar on plate, with forkful removed

More Cheesecake Bar Recipes

Ready to make more creamy cheesecake bars? I highly recommend these ones!

Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Bars

Yield 24
Prep Time 35 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 35 minutes

Lemon blueberry cheesecake bars combine a nutty pecan crust, sweet blueberry preserves, and a lemony cheesecake for an irresistible dessert.

Lemon blueberry cheesecake bar on plate, with forkful removed

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:

  1. 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.
  2. 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:

  1. Spread the blueberry preserves evenly over the slightly cooled crust.
  2. 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.
  3. Pour the filling evenly over the crust and preserves. Bake 40-45 minutes, or until set.
  4. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for about an hour. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before cutting into bars.

Notes

  • Yield. Makes 24 2-inch bars.
  • 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.
  • To freeze. 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.

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    33 Comments on “Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Bars”

  1. lemon in a cheesecake is one of the cleanest flavors; so refreshing on the tongue (and tummy)

  2. Gosh. I’m such a sucker for cheesecake. And spring is the right time for lemon as far as I’m concerned… just YUM.

  3. 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.

  4. Looks great! I’m pinning it!!

  5. delicious, you can never have too much lemon 🙂

  6. Wow – this recipe looks amazing! I’m excited to give it a try. 😉

  7. These looks delicious! I can’t wait to test this recipe out. You come up with the best tasty treats. Thanks!

  8. Blueberry and lemon in a cheesecake sounds perfect

  9. 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.

  10. 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.

  11. Wow! What an awesome cheesecake.

  12. I love cheesecake, this looks like an interesting and unique way to change things up.

  13. Those look amazing! I can’t wait to make them!

  14. 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!

  15. 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…

  16. 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.

  17. 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.

  18. 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!!

  19. 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!

  20. Hello Jennifer this looks really good. Do you think a thick blueberry compot would work as well 
    as the preserves?

  21. Hi Jennifer,
    I’d like to put aluminum foil or parchment paper underneath the bars so I can lift them out.  Is this doable, do you know? It seems like anytime I want to make a dessert I turn to your blog!
    Thanks.

  22. 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.

  23. Thanks so much for sharing this fantastic recipe, Jennifer. The fresh lemon flavor and the pecan crust elevate this gem to a delectable degree. I used raspberry jam (one cup was too little, shall increase by 1/2 cup the next time), and decorated each square with a whole raspberry securely held in place with a tiny bit of jam. Too pretty for words.
    Everyone loved them.

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