The Best Blueberry Swirl Cheesecake Bars
These delicious Blueberry Swirl Cheesecake Bars feature a creamy cheesecake bar swirled with a sweet, homemade blueberry lemon sauce and a buttery graham cracker crust you won’t be able to resist!
The Best Blueberry Swirl Cheesecake Bars
If you’re a blueberry lover like me, then these blueberry cheesecake bars are going to quickly become one of your favorite blueberry desserts.
These delicious Blueberry Swirl Cheesecake Bars feature a creamy cheesecake filling with marble swirls of sweet homemade blueberry and lemon sauce and a buttery graham cracker crust that’s absolutely divine!
And even though these blueberry cream cheese bars might look complicated – they are 110% beginner-friendly and super EASY to make.
If you want to learn step-by-step how to make my best blueberry swirl cheesecake bars with graham cracker crust, then check out my step-by-step video tutorial here and keep reading below!
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Blueberry Cheesecake Bars
Not only do I hold a special place in my heart for anything cheesecake, but I love pretty much any type of swirl dessert out there.
Case and point – my Peanut Butter Cheesecake Swirl Brownies are probably one of my favorite desserts of all time.
I’m also a total blueberry fanatic, which is probably why these blueberry cheesecake bars have quickly became a family favorite.
My official dessert taste tester of the blog (aka my husband) gave these blueberry swirl cheesecake bars the complete stamp of approval and the homemade blueberry sauce with lemon was his favorite part.
Reasons you’ll love blueberry cheesecake bars:
- They’re absolutely delicious
- They’re incredibly EASY
- You can make with fresh or frozen blueberries
- The marbled swirls are SO pretty, ya’ll!
How to Make Blueberry Swirl Cheesecake Bars
These blueberry swirl cheesecake bars are very easy to make, but for simplicity sake I’ve broken up the recipe into three easy sections.
Ingredients Needed
- Fresh Blueberries or Frozen blueberries
- Cornstarch
- Lemon Juice
- Vanilla Extract
- Granulated Sugar
- Graham crackers
- Unsalted Butter
- Cream Cheese
- Eggs
- Vanilla Extract
- All-Purpose Flour
Tools Needed For Blueberry Swirl Cheesecake Bars:
- 8 or 9 inch Square Baking Pan
- Stainless Steel Saucepan
- Mixing Bowls
- Rubber Spatulas
- Electric Hand Mixer
- Measuring Cups & Spoons
- Small Cookie Scoop
- Cooling Rack
- Parchment Paper
Important Tips:
For this recipe, you’ll need to follow the specific order of steps I’ve outlined below. This is because:
- Your blueberry sauce will need to cool before you can add it to your cheesecake filling
- You will need to pre-bake your graham cracker crust and let it cool slightly while preparing your cheesecake filling.
Make Ahead: If you plan to make these for a potluck or event, I highly recommend making them the day before so you can allow them to chill overnight before cutting.
This ensures you get clean, pretty slices, and honestly cheesecake is simply better the next day!
Homemade Blueberry Sauce Instructions (Prepare first)
1. Place blueberries, cornstarch, lemon juice, vanilla extract, and granulated sugar into a sauce pan and stir until evenly combined.
Let the mixture come to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring continuously.
2. Once sauce begins to boil, reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 5-8 minutes, stirring frequently until the blueberries have broken down and the mixture has thickened and is no longer runny.
3. Remove from heat and allow sauce to cool completely.
Graham Cracker Crust Instructions (Prepare second)
1. Adjust oven rack to the 2nd level mark and preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Spray the bottom and sides of an 8″ x 8″ cake pan with a non-stick spray and place a sheet of parchment paper with the sides hanging over. Lightly spray the sides and bottom of the parchment paper with the baking spray and set aside.
3. Prepare graham cracker crust by pulsing graham cracker sheets in a food processor, or place graham crackers in a resealable bag and mash with a meat tenderizer until they are fine crumbs.
Transfer to a mixing bowl, add in melted butter, and mix until evenly combined and the consistency is similar to wet sand.
4. Pour the graham cracker mixture into prepared 8″x8″ pan and press down evenly using the bottom of a measuring cup or glass.
Bake for 8-10 minutes or until it is a light golden brown, and let cool while you prepare the cheesecake filling.
Cheesecake Filling Instructions (prepare third)
1. First use an electric hand-mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, and beat the softened cream cheese for 2-4 minutes on medium-high speed until it’s smooth, light, and creamy in texture.
Make sure you scrape down the sides every so often to ensure everything is well incorporated.
2. Next, add in the eggs, vanilla extract, lemon juice, granulated sugar, and all-purpose flour, and beat together until smooth and combined.
3. Pour the cream cheese filling over the slightly cooled graham cracker crust, and use a spatula to level the mixture in the pan.
4. Next, use a small cookie scoop or spoon and add dollops of the cooled, blueberry sauce over top of the cream cheese filling.
5. Using a knife or toothpick begin to create swirls by drawing vertical and horizontal lines.
I normally do two passes both vertically and horizontally, which creates a beautiful marbled look.
6. Place cheesecake bars in the oven and bake for 40-50 minutes. The cheesecake bars will be done when you gently shake the pan back and forth and only the center of the bar slightly jiggles.
Alternatively you can use an instant read thermometer and insert in the filling 1″ from the edge. It should read between 180-190 degrees F.
Remove from the oven and allow the cheesecake bars to cool completely on a cooling rack before refrigerating for 2 hours to overnight.*
7. After the cheesecake bars have fully chilled, remove from fridge, and lift out the parchment paper to transfer to a cutting board.
Use a sharp knife and cut into bars. For clean slices, wipe the knife clean with a damp cloth between slices.
Blueberry Swirl Cheesecake Bars Recipe + Video
PrintThe Best Blueberry Swirl Cheesecake Bars
These delicious Blueberry Swirl Cheesecake Bars feature a creamy cheesecake bar swirled with a sweet, homemade blueberry lemon sauce and a buttery graham cracker crust you won’t be able to resist!
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 50 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 9-16 bars 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Blueberry Swirl Sauce
- 2 cups Fresh Blueberries, rinsed or Frozen blueberries, not thawed
- 2 tsp Cornstarch
- 1 tbsp Lemon Juice, freshly squeezed
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1/4 cup Granulated Sugar
Graham Cracker Crust
- 14 graham crackers, crushed into fine crumbs
- 6 tbsp Unsalted Butter, melted
Cheesecake Filling
- 2 8 oz packages of full fat or 1/3 fat Cream Cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup Granulated Sugar
- 2 Large Eggs, room temperature
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 tbsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- 3 tbsp All-Purpose Flour
Instructions
Homemade Blueberry Sauce Instructions
- Place blueberries, cornstarch, lemon juice, vanilla extract, and granulated sugar into a sauce pan and stir until evenly combined. Let the mixture come to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring continuously.
- Once sauce begins to boil, reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 5-8 minutes, stirring frequently until the blueberries have broken down and the mixture has thickened and is no longer runny.
- Remove from heat and allow sauce to cool completely.
Graham Cracker Crust Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to the 2nd level mark and preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
- Spray the bottom and sides of an 8″ x 8″ cake pan with a non-stick spray and place a sheet of parchment paper with the sides hanging over. Lightly spray the sides and bottom of the parchment paper with the baking spray and set aside.
- Prepare graham cracker crust by pulsing graham cracker sheets in a food processor, or place graham crackers in a resealable bag and mash with a meat tenderizer until they are fine crumbs. Transfer to a mixing bowl, add in melted butter, and mix until evenly combined.
- Pour the graham cracker mixture into prepared 8″x8″ pan and press down evenly using the bottom of a measuring cup or glass.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes or until it is a light golden brown, and let cool while you prepare the cheesecake filling.
Cheesecake Filling Instructions
- Using an electric hand-mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the softened cream cheese for 2-4 minutes on medium-high speed until it’s smooth, light, and creamy in texture. Make sure you scrape down the sides every so often to ensure everything is well incorporated.
- Next, add in the eggs, vanilla extract, lemon juice, granulated sugar, and all-purpose flour, and beat together until smooth and combined.
- Pour the cream cheese filling over the slightly cooled graham cracker crust, and use a spatula to level the mixture in the pan.
- Next, use a small cookie scoop or spoon and add dollops of the cooled, blueberry sauce over top of the cream cheese filling.
- Using a knife or toothpick begin to create swirls by drawing vertical and horizontal lines. I normally do two passes both vertically and horizontally, which creates a beautiful marbled look.
- Place cheesecake bars in the oven and bake for 40-50 minutes. The cheesecake bars will be done when you gently shake the pan back and forth and only the center of the bar slightly jiggles. Alternatively you can use an instant read thermometer and insert in the filling 1″ from the edge. It should read between 180-190 degrees F.
- Remove from the oven and allow the cheesecake bars to cool completely on a cooling rack before refrigerating for 2 hours to overnight.*
- After the cheesecake bars have fully chilled, remove from fridge, and lift out the parchment paper to transfer to a cutting board.
- Use a sharp knife and cut into bars. For clean slices, wipe the knife clean with a damp cloth between slices.
Notes
- *Unless you’re in a hurry, I recommend letting your blueberry swirl cheesecake bars chill overnight before cutting. This will ensure clean cut bars and further enhances all the delicious flavors.
- These Blueberry Cheesecake Bars can be frozen up to 3 months in a freezer safe container or bag. To unfreeze simply set the bars in the refrigerator to thaw out overnight prior to serving.
More Blueberry Desserts:
- Blueberry Cheesecake Cookies
- Blueberry Cheesecake Muffins
- Old Fashioned Blueberry Cobbler
- Blueberry Cheesecake French Toast Casserole
Hope you enjoyed today’s recipe for my Blueberry Swirl Cheesecake Bars and will give these a try soon! Do you love blueberries and cheesecake too? Let me know in the comments below!
Thanks for stopping by! – Cara
Iโm assuming you bake the cheesecake at the same temperature As the crust and cook it on the second rack from the bottom of the oven.
Donna
I’ve never attempted to make cheesecake before because I always thought it would be difficult but this recipe is so easy to follow for someone new to making cheesecake. I really appreciated all the helpful tips along the way too!
I’m so glad you loved the recipe and found my tips helpful. These cheesecake bars are my go-to when I’m craving cheesecake, and you can use the base recipe for all kinds of flavors (or just make them plain). Thanks so much for the 5 star rating!
These were absolutely delicious. Very easy to make. We were stuck home during a winter storm. I had blueberries a d went looking for something to make. These were a hit with everyone!
So happy to hear that, Sarah! Thanks so much!
These came out so delicious! I am lazy and used premade crust from pie pan. I took out and poured a little bit of melted butter on it. I also didnโt cook berries for as long and just poured on top. And didnโt use the extra egg white. This is my new favorite!
Thanks, Amy! So glad you enjoyed them!
So good!! This is easy to make and the flavor is incredible!!
Thanks so much! So glad you enjoyed it!
This looks delicious and I would love to make this, but I need it gluten free. If I use a store bought GF graham pie crust instead of making the crust in the recipe, would I have to change anything else (amounts, cook time, etc) ? Thanks!
Thanks Rebecca! If you buy a pre-made crust, you would just skip the graham cracker prep step and follow the cheesecake bar step as normal. Hope you enjoy it!
The recipe calls for light cream cheese. I usually use full fat. Does it matter?
No, full fat is fine too. Hope you love it!
Would you double recipe if wanting to make in 9×13 pan?
Yes. You might need to increase the baking time slightly since the doubled bars will be thicker in that size pan. I’d check them at the recommended time first, then add 5 minutes or more if needed. Enjoy!
These were perfect the first time I tried this recipe but would I need to do anything different if I were to use frozen blueberries or doubled the recipe?
Thanks Sara, so glad you enjoyed them! Although I haven’t personally tried it, you should be able to use frozen blueberries the same as fresh ones in the sauce. If you double the recipe, you would want to still put it in a pan of the same thickness, otherwise you would need to lessen the baking time if you’re making a thinner cheesecake bar. Hope that helps!
Wow! These do look delicious! Pinned.
Thanks Joanne! They are one of my favorite cheesecake bars!
My two favorites ~ blueberries + cheesecake! Pinned. Here via Wonderful Wednesday blog hop.
Mine too, Allyson! Thanks for commenting! ๐
These look so pretty and sound delicious!
You have lemon juice in the ingredients for the cheesecake filling but don’t include it in the instructions when making the cheesecake filling. Is it supposed to be in the filling?
Yes, apologies for that oversight – it goes in with the filling. I’ve corrected it now, thanks!