The Best Blueberry Lemon Cheesecake Bars Recipe – these bars are bursting with lemon and have tons of fresh blueberries in a rich and creamy baked cheesecake bar your whole family will love! 

There is nothing I crave in summer more than fresh fruit and lemon – it is comforting, sweet, and so delicious. Paired with rich, delicious cheesecake? Heaven! 

These bars take just 45 minutes to bake and assemble – then just pop them into the fridge to cool for a perfect summer dessert that is great to make ahead of parties and cookouts! 

These lemon cheesecake bars are studded with fresh blueberries for a kick of sweet berry flavor that takes them over the top for summer – but you can try other fresh berries that you love with lemon, too. 

They are quickly baked but then chilled, making them a perfect cool but filling dessert for hot summer days – though they are delicious in winter too. 

They are perfect alongside my go-to no bake key lime pie recipe to serve at cookouts! And if you’re a fan of cream cheese, don’t miss this cream cheese snickerdoodle recipe that is over the top! 

This dessert is a showstopper at parties, and can be made entirely ahead of time (they even freeze easily!) so you can have homemade blueberry cheesecake bars anytime the craving hits! 

I’m sharing lots of tips and tricks in this post to make sure you have all the information you need to make the best blueberry cheesecake bars EVER – but if you’d like to skip over all my tips, please scroll to the bottom of the page just above the comments. 

Easy Lemon Cheesecake Bar Crust

Cheesecake bars often have a graham cracker base – but we’re making these bars extra delicious by using sandwich-style cookies with a creamy center for additional flavor. 

We’re using cookies to make these bars incredibly delicious – cookies work as a perfect easy crust for cheesecake bars, and you can use different types of cookies to change up the flavor a bit every time you make these bars! 

How To Make Lemon Cheesecake Bar Crust

This cheesecake bar crust is super simple – but it is very important to get the right texture to have the perfect base for these blueberry cheesecake bars. 

We want to be sure to get fine crumbs so there aren’t chunks – so using a food processor is the best way to break down cookies. 

You can do it by hand – but you will really need to crush the cookies finely. 

After your cookies are crushed into crumbs, mix them with melted butter – being sure to mix it evenly so you can spread it to make a base. 

When the butter and cookies have been mixed well, press them onto a baking sheet prepared with foil or parchment paper, and press into the baking sheet to make a crust base. 

Use your hands to spread the cookie base out to be even across the baking sheet so it can cook evenly. 

How To Tell When Cheesecake Bars Are Done

One of the most common questions I get is how to tell when a cheesecake is done – and these bars also can be a bit deceptive. 

Often people will have browned corners of their bars, but a jiggly center – and it can be a bit unnerving… when are the bars do, and how can I keep them from overcooking?

 

Should Cheesecake Bar Center Be Jiggly

It can be unnerving seeing a jiggly center when making blueberry cheesecake bars – but these bars will naturally have a little bit of jiggle in the middle after baking since they need to set in the fridge. 

When the edges of the bars start to brown, your center should be close – but look for the center to be like a very thick, slightly wiggly consistency. 

Think of set jello – with half the jiggle. 

What Pan To Use For Lemon Cheesecake Bars

We’re calling for an 8×8 square baking dish for this recipe for best results – but outlining a few other options below if you don’t have an 8×8’ dish to bake in. 

• 9×9 square pan – cook time will be about the same, but check at 40 minutes, since it is a bit thinner and may cook a bit faster, depending on your oven.
• You can use round cake pans if you don’t have a square pan – the bars will be a very different shape (cut them like long thin slices of pie) – but if you’re in a pinch and have a craving for blueberry lemon cheesecake and don’t have anything else, it works! 

How To Make Lemon Cheesecake Bars in a 9×13 dish

If you only have a 9×13” dish, the bars will be very thin, and it will cook much faster. 

If using a 9×13” pan, please double the recipe and then follow the instructions below. 

You might need a bit more time in the oven, so watch for browned edges and a lightly jiggly center instead of going solely by the clock. 

 

How Far Ahead Can I make Lemon Cheesecake Bars

If you want to make these bars before a big party, or make them ahead of a busy week, they store easily and taste great right from the fridge. 

These bars stay fresh in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days.

If stacking, always wrap bars in parchment so they don’t stick to each other. 

These blueberry lemon cheesecake bars can make a great gift to give to friends because they are so easy to store, freeze, and thaw – and they can be wrapped individually, 

How To Freeze and Thaw Blueberry Lemon Cheesecake Bars

If you’d like to make a big batch of bars and freeze for later – or can’t make it through all your bars (is that a thing? We can’t keep these in the fridge for even a day at our house!) – you can easily pop them in the freezer and enjoy them anytime you want! 

Bars can be frozen for up to four months.

To thaw, pop in the refrigerator overnight. 

Do not re-freeze previously frozen-thawed bars for food safety and to prevent texture changes from freezer burn. 

If you’d like to freeze the bars individually, so you can pull out 1 bar to thaw at a time, follow the steps below: 

• Make bars as detailed below. 
• After cooled, cut bars in baking dish. Make sure bars are cut through and can be easily removed from pan when frozen. 
• Freeze until set, about 5 hours.  
• Wrap individual bars in plastic wrap (or parchment paper, then all the wrapped bars placed in a large plastic bag). 
• When you want a blueberry lemon cheesecake bar, place in refrigerator overnight to thaw. 

How Many Lemons Do I Need For Lemon Cheesecake Bars

We’re calling for one medium-sized lemon for these cheesecake bars – which will give you tons of fresh, sweet, tart flavor. 

By rule, a medium lemon gives about 3 tablespoons lemon juice, and about a tablespoon lemon zest. 

From a medium-sized lemon, you’ll have a bit of juice leftover from this recipe – but we will use all the zest. 

When zesting, I prefer to use a microplane and am very careful to not get down to the fruit’s pith – the white spongy part of the lemon skin under the bright yellow skin. The pith can be sometimes bland, and sometimes bitter – so for the best lemon cheesecake bar flavor, try to lightly shave off the yellow lemon zest without much of the pith underneath. 

To Make This Recipe You’ll Need: 

8×8 Baking Dish 

Foil or Parchment Paper

Large Bowl

Hand Mixer*

Food Processor*

*Can both be done by hand instead of using mixer/food processor, but it is a bit more stirring and crushing by hand. 

Other Lemon Recipes You’ll Love: 

• Lemon Blueberry Poke Cake
• Lemon Lime Angel Food Cupcakes
• Raspberry Lemonade Curd
• Lemony Cupcakes
• Lemon Berry Sweet Rolls

Other cheesecake recipes you’ll love:

• Tropical Cheesecake Salad
• Pineapple Upside Down Cheesecake
• Strawberry Cheesecake Bars

The Best Easy Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Bars

I hope you love this recipe as much as I do! If you do, please leave a five-star review, and help me share on Facebook and Pinterest! 

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