No bake blueberry cheesecake bars

No bake blueberry cheesecake bars have a chocolate crust with a thin layer of melted chocolate in between for that something extra. Super creamy, silky smooth filling swirled with fresh blueberry sauce make these bars as pretty as they are delicious. 

I’ll give you variations and substitutions where I can, plus helpful tips and tricks for success. Read on for this info as well as the recipe. If you’d like to skip straight to the recipe, use the jump to recipe button at the top of the post.

You may also be interested in my no bake chocolate cheesecake and my no bake lemon cheesecake parfaits recipes. For ease of browsing, you can find all of my no bake dessert recipes in one place.

Pook’s Pantry participates in affiliate programs. If you make a purchase through one of my links, I may earn a small commission. For more information, please see my disclosure policy.

Why you should make this recipe

• Quick & Easy – The actual “hands on” time is roughly 30 minutes.
• Versatile – You can swap out blueberries for strawberries or blackberries.
• Great for gatherings – You can easily double this no bake blueberry cheesecake recipe to serve a big crowd.

No bake blueberry cheesecake bars

Bars are the go-to dessert when you are feeding a crowd. If I can get away with not turning on the oven, that’s even better. They are great for backyard gatherings and bringing to parties. Cool and creamy, these easy no bake blueberry cheesecake squares are always a hit.

I love a good cheesecake, but sometimes I don’t feel like making a baked version. No bake bars are faster, easier and during the warmer months, a perfect option.

The fresh blueberry sauce can be used for topping ice cream, waffles, pancakes, etc. You can use it to swirl into batters or blend into frosting. There are no limitations to its use.

Make a big batch and freeze it in small portions. You can use it whenever you are craving blueberries, even if they aren’t in season.

Ingredients

• Chocolate graham crackers – You can substitute regular graham crackers if preferred.
• Granulated sugar – A little sugar sweetens the crust and the blueberry purée.
• Unsalted butter – Melted butter is mixed with sugar and grahams to make the crust.
• Melted chocolate – I recommend 60% – 72%, higher percentage is less sweet.
• Cream cheese – We can’t have cheesecake without cream cheese. Use full fat for best results.
• Powdered sugar – Used to sweeten the filling.
• Heavy cream – Heavy cream (or double cream) is whipped up to lighten the filling.
• Vanilla – Provides great flavor to cheesecake filling.
• Sour cream – Gives the filling a delicious tang.
• Blueberries – The blueberries get cooked down into a purée that will be swirled into the filling.
• Lemon juice – It brightens the blueberry sauce and balances the sweetness.

How to make

If you’ve ever made a no bake cheesecake before, this will be very familiar, but with a blueberry swirl. Generally, a recipe like this would use regular graham crackers for the crust or even a shortbread crust. I wanted something different here, so I chose chocolate graham crackers.

The combination of the chocolate, cheesecake filling and blueberry is spectacular and I highly recommend it. However, if you prefer plain grahams, feel free to swap them.

1. The graham crackers get blitzed up in the food processor with the butter and sugar, then patted down into the  baking dish. You can use the bottom of a glass or a measuring cup, I just use my hand. Using my hand allows me to feel the crust, and any uneven spots, so I can fix them before adding the filling.
2. Melt chocolate and spread over the chocolate graham cracker crust using a small offset spatula. The layer of melted chocolate gives it a little something extra and adds an additional texture, which I really like. Make sure to use a thin layer of chocolate, though. I made the chocolate too thick the first time I made this and it was difficult to cut through. Learn from my trial and error, don’t get greedy with the chocolate.
3. Simmer blueberries, sugar and lemon juice in a saucepan on the stove until the berries begin to burst. Let it cook down until some of the liquid has reduced. Let it cool before puréeing it, then set it aside. I usually make this the day before so the sauce is really cold when it is added. You can do this the night before, if needed.
4. Whip up the cream for the filling, then pile it on top on the crust. Swirl your blueberry sauce through the filling and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or until firmly set.

How to make swirls in cheesecake

After you have filled the crust with the no bake cheesecake filling, dollop the blueberry purée on top with a spoon or, as I prefer, a squeeze bottle.

I like 9 big circles of blueberry sauce for even distribution throughout the pan. Next, swirl it through in a figure 8 design with a butter knife or your small offset spatula.

You can be as gentle or as aggressive as you like with your design, as long as you don’t disturb the crust. I like to leave small pools of sauce in a few places so it doesn’t look perfect.

As you can see, I leave spots of cheesecake and pools of sauce mixed with perfectly swirled places. These no bake bars are so delicious and easy, plus they feed the whole family.

No bake blueberry cheesecake FAQ’s

Variations and substitutions

These no bake blueberry cheesecake bars could be changed into just about any fruit flavor that you like. During summer months when so much fruit is in season, I like to make these bars with raspberries or cherries.

If you are craving these bars when you can’t get fresh fruit, use frozen. You are making a purée from the fruit, so cook it down and blend it up! You could use frozen peaches, strawberries or a combination of a few favorites.

More blueberry recipes we love

• Blueberry buttermilk Bundt cake
• Blueberry bourbon BBQ sauce
• New York-style blueberry crumb cake
• Blueberry pound cake
• Easy blueberry muffins

Serving suggestions

This warm weather dessert is a perfect ending to nearly any meal. A few of our summertime favorites are grilled lemon herb shrimp skewers, glazed grilled chicken and peaches, and bacon goat cheese burgers.

Helpful tools and equipment

• 8 x8 baking pan – A classic glass baking dish is what I used to make the bars.
• Hand mixer – No need to get out the stand mixer. A hand-held electric mixer works well here.
• Immersion Blender – Perfect for blending blueberries into a smooth purée.
• Offset spatula – Used for spreading melted chocolate and smoothing the top of the cheesecake filling.
• Small saucepan – You’ll need a small pan to cook the blueberry purée.

Please share

If you love this recipe, please give it 5 stars!

I hope you love this no bake blueberry cheesecake recipe as much as we do! Please consider rating and/or commenting.

Your shares help this site to grow and I appreciate it so much. Do you know someone who would like this? I’d love it if you would share it on Facebook or pin it to your favorite recipe board.

No Bake Blueberry Cheesecake Bars

Cheryl Bennett

Delicious no bake blueberry cheesecake bars with fresh blueberry sauce swirled throughout the creamy filling.

4.52 from 29 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe SaveSaved!

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Chill Time 3 hours hrs

Total Time 3 hours hrs 35 minutes mins

Course Desserts

Cuisine American

Servings 12 people

Calories 474 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

For the Chocolate Crust

• 9 chocolate graham cracker sheets broken into small pieces
• 1 stick unsalted butter melted // 113g
• 1/4 cup sugar // 50g
• 1/4 cup melted semi sweet chocolate // 50g

For the Filling

• 2 blocks of cream cheese 8 oz. each // 454g
• 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream // 180mL
• 1/4 cup sour cream // 61g
• 3/4 – 1 cup powdered sugar // 75 – 120g
• 1 tbsp. vanilla bean paste can sub regular vanilla, see notes

For the Blueberry Sauce

• 2 cups fresh blueberries // 300g
• 1/4 – 1/2 cup sugar depending on sweetness of blueberries // 50 – 100g
• 1 TB fresh lemon juice

Instructions

 

• Place chocolate graham crackers, melted butter and sugar in bowl of food processor and blend until combined. Pour into 8×8 pan and press down firmly, making sure it is even.
• Melt semi sweet chocolate in microwave. Place in small, microwave-safe bowl, 30 seconds at a time until there are no large pieces. Small pieces are ok, stir until completely melted and smooth. Pour on top of crust, spreading evenly.
• Place in refrigerator for 15 – 20 minutes to set.
• In a small pot, combine blueberries, sugar and lemon juice. Bring to a boil and cook until blueberries begin to burst and some of the liquid has evaporated, about 20 minutes. Stir occasionally. Remove from heat and cool.
• Purée using an immersion blender or regular blender.
• Using a hand mixer, beat cream cheese, sour cream and powdered sugar until smooth. Add COLD heavy cream and vanilla, beat until smooth and fluffy (3 – 4 minutes). Pour into pan and smooth top.
• Dollop fresh blueberry sauce on top and using a butter knife, swirl sauce into cheesecake filling. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 3 hours before serving.

Video

Notes

Place heavy cream in the freezer for 15 minutes before using. It needs to be VERY cold.

The layer of chocolate should be THIN. The first time I made them, the layer of melted chocolate was too thick and it was hard to get through. Learn from my mistakes! Don’t get greedy with the chocolate 🙂

Vanilla bean paste – the paste contains the scraped out bits of the vanilla bean, so you’ll see little specks of vanilla. It is my preferred vanilla if I’m not using the actual vanilla bean pod.

Adjust powdered sugar to personal preference. If you like it less sweet, use 3/4 cup, if you like it sweeter, add the full cup.

Nutrition

Serving: 1pieceCalories: 474kcalCarbohydrates: 37gProtein: 9gFat: 34gSaturated Fat: 19gPolyunsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 93mgSodium: 327mgFiber: 1gSugar: 25g

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Thanks for stopping by! Have a delicious day 🙂

Questions? Send me an email, I’m happy to help. I’d love to send you weekly tips and recipes, so you can get updates about what’s happening in the kitchen!

Hello! All photos and content are copyright protected. Please do not use my photos or recipe (other than for personal use) without prior written permission. Thank you!

Originally published 7/27/18.