No-Bake Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake

This creamy, dreamy, easy no-bake lemon cheesecake with a buttery graham cracker crust and heavenly blueberry topping is completely out of this world. I love cheesecake…and I’m declaring this one of the best cheesecakes ever.

Sometimes I get these random ideas in my head that manage to settle in and prevent me from living a normal, functional life.

Like make a no-bake lemon blueberry cheesecake, for instance.

Consequently, I become an obsessed madwoman making no-bake lemon cheesecake day in and day out until it’s perfected, and I can finally sleep without nightmares of bad, bad lemon cheesecakes floating through my mind.

If only I were as singleminded about dejunking closets. Or washing window tracks (worst job ever). Or plucking my eyebrows. For some reason those projects never take root the same way cheesecake and cookies do.

Strange, I know.

But seriously, you guys, this no-bake lemon cheesecake is honestly one of THE BEST THINGS TO EVER COME OUT OF MY KITCHEN.

I’m sorry to shout, but this is a big deal.

In the middle of an existence filled with lots and lots and lots of amazing recipes and pretty dang good food (you know, with the occasional gross recipe fail to keep me humble), this cheesecake came out of nowhere and made me rethink every single cheesecake priority I’ve ever had.

Modeled after a favorite key lime white chocolate cheesecake pie, it is simpler to make and out of this world delicious.

When I had the thought to get a stellar no-bake lemon blueberry cheesecake posted for you and me and all of our posterities for generations to come, I had no idea I would fall this hard for a simple no-bake cheesecake.

Now before I get angry comments and hate mail, let me assure you that I know the title says “no-bake.” And yes, I know the buttery graham cracker crust is baked. I’m sorry if that’s misleading.

But the “no-bake” refers to the cheesecake part of the recipe.

As in, there’s no need to fuss with a baked cheesecake filling. And then subsequently question the heavens about whether to employ a water bath or not before fasting and praying the cheesecake won’t crack as it bakes and cools.

Nope. No need for that. Because the ethereally creamy cheesecake filling in this recipe is completely NO-BAKE.

And it is easily the dreamiest, creamiest, lightest, fluffiest cheesecake filling ever.

Quite honestly, it’s hard to describe just how silky and fluffy this lemon cheesecake is.

Can you see the hint of air bubbles nestled in the filling in the pictures? That’s just the smallest indication of the airy lightness of this cheesecake.

Each luscious bite feels as if you are eating a wispy, fluffy, lemony cloud followed with buttery, toasty notes of graham crust and completed by the fresh pop of blueberries.

I swear, it’s so light tasting, there can’t possibly be any calories hidden in the depths of cheesecake and crust.

Um, yeah, ok, so that’s probably taking it a step too far. But hopefully you are catching my drift here.

This cheesecake is light in texture. And perfect in taste.

Although the recipe below may look a bit lengthy, I promise it is extremely easy.

I’m not even going to tell you how many times I’ve made it in the last month (some of you may have seen it in my Instagram stories a while back). And just because I like to give you a solid, objective opinion, I’ve honestly shoveled a bite of this into just about everyone’s mouth I know over the last few weeks (clean forks with each bite, promise).

Because every single reaction has ranged from “wow, this is amazing” to a few verklempt, speechless moments from friends who are as emotionally involved with cheesecake as I am, I knew I needed to post this recipe.

One particular time, Brian and my brother-in-law, Bart, nearly turned the dinner table over on it’s side (scene from Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, anyone??) in an effort to get to a rogue remnant of cheesecake left on my 13-year old’s plate (who incidentally ended his no sweets challenge in the face of desserts like this – two of his brothers are still going strong, however).

So basically, prepare yourself for some potentially emotional actions which may or may not include throwing a few elbows in pursuit of cheesecake.

You could easily change the blueberry topping to whatever fruit you prefer. Raspberry. Strawberry. Cherry. Certainly the options are endless, and I think most of those fruits would pair deliciously well with the creamy lemon cheesecake.

Because I already have a really wonderful no-bake cheesecake recipe, you might be wondering why I needed a whole new recipe. Surely adding lemon juice/zest to that fabulous starter of a recipe could work. Right?

Not exactly.

While my first few test runs weren’t terrible, I realized I wanted to amp up the creamy factor.

I quickly remembered the key lime white chocolate version I referenced above. Adding melted and cooled white chocolate to the batter is probably the most brilliant variation on cheesecake in the history of ever.

If you want the creamiest, dreamiest, best little cheesecake this side of cheesecake heaven, and you happen to have a thing for no-bake cheesecakes (cause the world is quite divided when it comes to baked or no-bake cheesecakes, I’ve learned), this recipe is for you.

I’m a little fearful I’m going to run out of dessert content for you guys, because honestly, this no-bake lemon cheesecake is pretty much the only thing I feel like making right now.

Also, check out the handy list below the recipe for some of the supplies I use to make this cheesecake! Later, skaters.

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No-Bake Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake

Yield: 12 Slices (9.5-inch cheesecake)

Prep Time: 4 hours hrs 25 minutes mins

Cook Time: 15 minutes mins

Total Time: 4 hours hrs 40 minutes mins

4.64 stars (55 ratings)

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Ingredients

Crust:

• 1 ½ cup (150 g) graham cracker crumbs, (13-14 rectangles)
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• ½ cup (113 g) salted butter, melted

Lemon Cheesecake:

• 12 ounces (340 g) cream cheese, softened
• ½ cup (57 g) powdered sugar
• Zest of 1 lemon, about a tablespoon
• ¾ cup (170 g) sour cream
• ⅓ cup fresh lemon juice, 2-3 lemons
• 6 ounces (170 g) white baking/bar chocolate, melted and cooled slightly (see note about using white chocolate chips)
• 1 ¼ cup heavy whipping cream, well chilled

Blueberry Topping:

• ¾ cup water
• ¼ cup (53 g) granulated sugar, or more if you want it sweeter
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 cups (340 g) fresh blueberries
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

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Instructions 

• For the crust: preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Combine the graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar, and melted butter until well mixed. Press the mixture evenly into the bottom and up the sides of a deep 9.5-inch pie plate (see note). Bake for 8-10 minutes until fragrant and lightly browned. Remove from the oven and let cool.
• For the cheesecake: in a medium bowl with an electric hand mixer (or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment), mix together the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and lemon zest until smooth and creamy, 1-2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
• Add the sour cream and lemon juice; mix until well-combined, 1-2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the melted and cooled white chocolate and whip until creamy and thick. If the batter is at all warm from adding the white chocolate, refrigerate until chilled so the whipping cream will thicken properly (probably not necessary if the white chocolate was cooled for enough time).
• Add the chilled heavy cream and mix until very thick and creamy, 3-4 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Spread the cheesecake filling evenly in the cooled crust. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours to let the filling chill and set up (or up to 24 hours).
• For the blueberry topping: in a medium saucepan, combine the water, sugar, cornstarch, blueberries and lemon juice. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture bubbles and thickens, 4-5 minutes (you can continue letting it cook longer if you want the blueberries to break down a bit more). Remove from the heat, scrape the mixture into a bowl, press plastic wrap directly on the surface, and let it cool to room temperature (see note for make-ahead options).
• Serve slices of cheesecake with a dollop of blueberry topping OR spread the blueberry topping evenly over the entire cheesecake (you can do this several hours in advance and chill ahead of time) and cut pieces to serve.

Notes

Pie Plate: I’ve only ever made this cheesecake in a 9.5-inch pie plate which is a little deeper and obviously wider than a 9-inch pie plate. If you don’t have this size of pie plate, you can try heaping the filling in a 9-inch pie plate or using an 8X8- or 9X9-inch square baking pan (a little harder to scoop out of this type of pan, but definitely a doable solution). 

Heavy Cream: I don’t whip the heavy cream separately and then fold into the cheesecake filling – I add the heavy cream straight from the fridge into the cheesecake filling, and whip it right into the batter until it is thick and ethereally creamy. It is important to use heavy whipping cream, not just whipping cream, and make sure it is well-chilled before using.

Make-Ahead: the blueberry topping can be made ahead of time and refrigerated – but I prefer making it the day of because it thickens and jells (like jam) if it is refrigerated. This isn’t necessarily a problem, but when I do this, I like to take it out of the refrigerator and warm it just slightly over low heat so it is easily spoonable over the cheesecake.

Blueberry Swirl: to get a blueberry swirl on top of the cheesecake (I don’t always do this, but it certainly is pretty, even if it will eventually be covered up with more blueberries), I spoon out part of the glaze while it is slightly warm (no blueberries, just glaze) and drizzle it over the top of the cheesecake. Then, I take a knife and swirl it back and forth until it feels appropriately artistic. 

White Chocolate: I’ve mentioned this plenty of times before, but white chocolate chips don’t melt well and may cause you to curse my name and say very bad words as they seize up and clump. I’ve only ever had slightly good luck with the Guittard brand of white chocolate chips, and even then, it was a little sketchy. I highly recommend using white baking/bar chocolate (like the Ghirardelli brand; it is easily available in the chocolate chip aisle of the grocery stores near me); this is NOT the same as almond bark or candy coating, which may result in a sweeter, more fake-tasting cheesecake. Melt the white chocolate on 50% power in a microwave-safe bowl for 1-minute intervals, stirring in between until just melted. Don’t overheat! Let the mixture cool until just slightly warm or at room temperature (but don’t let it cool so much that it sets up again into a hardened mass). 

Author: Mel

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Serving: 1 Slice, Calories: 452kcal, Carbohydrates: 35g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 34g, Saturated Fat: 20g, Cholesterol: 93mg, Sodium: 262mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 24g

Recommended Products

9.5-inch Pie Plate

Electric Hand Mixer

Silicone Spatula

Recipe Source: from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe (used my Key Lime White Chocolate Cheesecake Pie as a starting place and went from there)

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Key Lime White Chocolate Cheesecake Pie