August 7, 2020

No Bake Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Bars

No Bake Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Bars made with fresh lemon juice, a delicious blueberry jam, and the best shortbread cookie crust. Naturally sweetened with maple syrup and dates, these bars are a healthier version of your favorite treat. This recipe is vegan, dairy-free, gluten free, and Paleo.

No Bake Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Bars

Lemon and blueberry, is there a better combination? The tartness of lemon, the sweetness of perfectly ripened fresh blueberries…so, so good!  These no-bake lemon blueberry cheesecake bars have the perfect blend of tart, sweet, and refreshing. The best part? There is no baking involved.

A creamy, dairy-free, cheesecake filling is swirled with a homemade blueberry jam for the perfect easy and delicious treat. Not only are these bars delicious, they are vegan, sweetened with unrefined sugar, and Paleo-friendly. They make a wonderful and healthier dessert that everyone will love!

Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Bar Ingredients

Soaked Cashews: Cashews soak overnight so they create a smooth and creamy texture.

Full Fat Coconut Milk: Canned full fat coconut milk helps to give the filling just the right amount of creaminess.

Lemon Juice: All good cheesecake has lemon juice! I include a suggested amount in the full recipe below, but feel free to add more.

Blueberry Jam: These bars are swirled with a delicious blueberry jam that is slightly tart with just amount of sweet.

Maple Syrup: These bars are naturally sweetened with pure maple syrup. Feel free to use more

Vanilla Extract: An obvious addition that adds just the right amount of maple flavor.

Coconut Oil: Coconut oil helps to solidify the bars once cooled.

blueberry cheesecake bars in 8x8 pan

(be sure to scroll down for the full recipe ingredients and instructions)

Step One: The first step is to soak the cashews in water overnight. Soaking the cashews helps to soften them and create a creamy “cheesecake” filling.

Step Two:  Next, make the blueberry jam to swirl in the cheesecake filling. Combine the blueberries, maple syrup, cinnamon, and vanilla extract over medium-high heat. Use a wooden spoon or potato masher to mash the blueberries and break them down. Bring the blueberry mixture to a boil and then lower the heat and let simmer for 10-12 minutes while constantly stirring.

When the blueberries have all burst and the jam has turned a dark purple color, whisk the lemon juice and arrowroot starch in a small bowl to make a slurry. Next, turn off the heat and pour the slurry mixture into the blueberries. Stir until the blueberries have thickened into a jam like consistency.

crust in food processor

Step Three: While the blueberry jam is cooking, make the shortbread cookie crust.  To do this, add the crust ingredients to a food processor and pulse until a sticky dough forms. Then, use your fingers to press the shortbread dough into an 8×8 baking pan that has been lined with parchment paper. Next, place the crust in the fridge or freezer while you prepare the cheesecake filling.

Step Four:  To make the dairy-free cheesecake filling, add the soaked cashews, lemon juice, maple syrup, coconut oil, coconut milk, and vanilla extract to a food process or high powered blender. Blend the cheesecake filling until silky smooth and creamy. You want to make sure that there are no lumps or bits of cashew pieces remaining.

Next, pour the filling into a large mixing bowl and add the cooled blueberry jam. Gently fold in the blueberry jam. Next, give the filling a taste and adjust it based on your tastebuds. You can add more lemon juice if you like your cheesecake to be more tart or add more maple syrup to make the cheesecake bars sweeter.

Step Five: Once the filling meets your taste preference, pour the cheesecake filling over the prepared shortbread cookie crust crust.

Step Six: Freeze the cheesecake bars overnight or until completely solid. When you are ready to serve the bars, remove the cheesecake from the freezer and let sit out on the counter for around five minutes to slightly soften. Then, use a sharp knife to slice the bars into 9 or 16 pieces.

How to Store No Bake Cheesecake Bars

These bars are designed to be eaten from frozen so they need to be stored in the freezer for best results. Once you have cut the cheesecake into individual bars add them to a freezer safe storage bag and place in the freezer. When you are ready to enjoy a bar, pull one out of your storage bag and let sit on the counter for a few minutes before digging in!

lemon blueberry cheesecake bars cut into 9 squares

Tips For the Best No Bake Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake

These no bake lemon blueberry cheesecake bars are incredibly easy to make but a few helpful hints never hurt. Here are a few  tips and tricks to make sure that your cheesecake bars are perfect every single time:

  • Be sure to remove the pits from your dates before adding them to the food processor to make the crust.
  • Don’t over process the crust. It should be sticky, similar to a cookie dough, but not smooth like a nut butter.
  • To get that nice blueberry swirl in the cheesecake, do not over mix the filling. Instead, gently fold in the blueberry jam so you have swirls of blueberry and cheesecake.
  • Let the bars freeze until they are completely solid before slicing. It will be tempting to dive in right away but freezing the bars until completely firm makes them much easier to slice.
  • These bars are designed to be eaten frozen. If you let them sit out for too long they will melt.

More Healthy Dessert Recipes to Love

Healthy Key Lime Pie Bars

No Bake Strawberry Cheesecake Bars

Healthy Peanut Butter Rice Crispy Treats

Blueberry Pie Bars

Gluten Free Strawberry Crisp

Healthy Raspberry Oatmeal Bars

 

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No Bake Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Bars

  • Author: Ashlea Carver
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Scale:
  • Author: Ashlea Carver

Ingredients

Shortbread Cookie Crust: 

  • 6 pitted dates
  • ¾ cup cashews
  • 1 cup almond flour 
  • ¼ teaspoon cinnamon 
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
  • 2 tablespoons maple syrup
  • ¼ teaspoon sea salt 

Blueberry Jam

  • 2 cups fresh blueberries 
  • ¼ teaspoon cinnamon 
  • 2 teaspoons arrowroot starch
  • 2  tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ¼ cup maple syrup

Cheesecake Filling

  • 2 cups whole cashews
  • ¼ cup full fat coconut milk 
  • ¼ cup lemon juice
  • ⅓ cup maple syrup 
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
  • 2 tablespoons coconut oil

Method

  1. Combine the blueberries, maple syrup, cinnamon, and vanilla extract over medium-high heat. Use a wooden spoon or potato masher to mash the blueberries and break them down. Bring the blueberry mixture to a boil and then lower the heat and let simmer for 10-12 minutes while constantly stirring. When the blueberries have all burst and the jam has turned a dark purple color, whisk the lemon juice and arrowroot starch in a small bowl to make a slurry. Next, turn off the heat and pour the slurry mixture into the blueberries. Stir until the blueberries have thickened into a jam like consistency.
  2. Add the crust ingredients to a food processor and pulse until a sticky dough forms. Press the dough into an 8×8 baking pan lined with parchment paper. Put the crust in the fridge or freezer while you prepare the cheesecake filling.

  3. Add the soaked cashews, lemon juice, maple syrup, coconut oil, coconut milk, and vanilla extract to your food process or high powered blender. Blend the filling until silky smooth and creamy.

  4. Transfer the filling to a mixing bowl and add the cooled blueberry jam. Gently fold the jam into the filling. Give the filling a taste and adjust the level of sweet or tart to your taste.

  5. Pour the cheesecake filling over the prepared crust. Freeze the cheesecake bars overnight or until completely solid.

  6. When you are ready to serve, remove the cheesecake bars from the freezer and let sit on the counter for around 10 minutes to slightly soften. Use a sharp knife to slice the bars into 9 or 16 pieces. Serve and enjoy!

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Recipe rating

    17 comments
  1. Hi, I love making this recipe, I do use fresh or frozen blueberries, and always turns wonderful. One thing I changed is that we have almond intolerant at home, so instead of almond flour I use millet flour,and it is so good, I even took it to my sister’s family when they moved to their new home like a welcoming gift, fresh light and tasty good. Thank you for the good recipe 👍😎.

  2. These bars are light and refreshing. I love blueberries and then add in citrus, really good. I also love the date crust. Never thought about that until now.

  3. LOVED these bars. I made them for Thanksgiving this year as a guilt-free treat and WOW were they wonderful. I used coconut flour as a thickener instead of arrowroot (added it straight to the blueberry mixture without making a slurry first) and it worked perfectly. All of my family members went back for seconds (and thirds!) and requested I make this again for Christmas. Thanks, Ashlea!

    • I’m so happy you loved the bars, Mimi! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review and share what worked for you!

  4. I can’t wait to make these tomorrow. I know I will love them. I was wondering can I use tapioca starch in place of arrowroot starch? I don’t know much about either.

    • I made these with cornstarch because I didn’t have arrowroot starch and I couldn’t find it at the store. These were for my mom. We loved them!

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