No Bake Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake

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Get ready friends–this Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake is the ultimate no bake dessert this summer!

The tart lemon cheesecake filling is made with fresh lemon juice, lemon zest, real cream cheese, heavy cream, and white chocolate! No Cool Whip or gelatin is required! The base is an easy graham cracker recipe–but you can totally sub your favorite gluten-free cookies.

But the real star of the show? The homemade blueberry sauce on top!

Sweet blueberries are tossed with a little sugar and lemon and simmered into a thick and luscious sauce. We then pour the whole sauce over the top of the lemon cheesecake filling to make what is quite possibly the greatest dessert of all time.

How To Make A No Bake Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake

Serves 8-10

The Ingredients You’ll Need:

For The Graham Cracker Crust:

• 1 package (9 whole graham crackers) or 2 cups of your favorite shortbread or gluten free cookies–crushed
• 5 tablespoons of unsalted butter, melted
• 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar

For the Lemon Cheesecake Filling:

• 4oz of white chocolate
• 2-8oz packages of cream cheese, softened at room temperature
• 1 cup of heavy whipping cream, cold
• 2/3 cup of granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup of fresh lemon juice (2 small lemons or 1 large)
• 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon zest

For The Blueberry Sauce:

• 2 cups of wild blueberries (fresh or frozen)
• 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice + more to taste
• 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar
• dash of salt

Instructions:

To make the no bake graham cracker crust:

Spray an 8″ or 9″ springform pan with cooking spray and set aside.

In a food processor or by hand, crush the graham crackers into fine crumbs. Add the crumbs to a medium sized mixing bowl.

Sprinkle in the sugar and give a mix to combine.

Pour in the melted butter and toss until the mixture is evenly moistened.

Next, pour the crumb mixture into the springform pan and press the crumbs down into a compact and even layer.

Pop the pan into the freezer while you make the filling.

To make the no bake lemon cheesecake filling-

Break up the white chocolate bar into chunks and place in a heat safe bowl.

Create a double boiler by placing the heat safe bowl, with the chocolate, over a pan of steaming (not boiling) water. Stir the chocolate constantly until melted and smooth—about 4-5 minutes.

Once melted, remove the chocolate from the heat and allow to cool slightly.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the heavy cream until it’s doubled in volume and has reached stiff peaks.

You’ll know the cream is ready when you remove the beater from the mixer and a peak of whipped cream stands up straight without falling over at the end of the beater.

Carefully scoop the whipped cream into a separate bowl. Do not wash the bowl of the stand mixer.

Add the cream cheese to the now empty mixer bowl and beat on medium low speed until smooth.

Add in the sugar and mix until well incorporated.

Use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.

Pour in the cooled white chocolate and beat the mixture at medium low speed until combined.

Add in the lemon juice and zest and mix well.

Remove the bowl from the mixer and gently scoop the whipped cream onto the cream cheese mixture.

Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture. Do not stir the mixture or else all the air will get knocked out of the whipped cream. Gentle folding is the key!

Continue folding the batter until no more streaks of whipped cream show.

Retrieve the crust from the freezer and gently spoon the lemon cheesecake filling over the crust. Make sure to push the filling all the way out to the sides of the pan.

Smooth out the top and place it in the fridge. Chill the cake uncovered for at least 6 hours, but preferably overnight.

To Make The Blueberry Sauce for the no bake lemon cheesecake:

Add the blueberries, sugar, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, and salt to a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat until the mixture starts to simmer. 

Once the mixture starts to simmer, stir and gently mash the blueberries as the sauce cooks. Continue simmering for about 3-4 minutes. The sauce is done when it has thickened, turned dark purple, and coats the back of a spoon.

Give the sauce a taste and add a squeeze of more lemon juice if desired. Allow the sauce to cool and store in the fridge until ready to serve.

Unmolding and Serving the Cheesecake

Your no bake cheesecake is set when it is firm to the touch (it’s ok if it’s a little tacky on top) and does not jiggle.

To unmold, run a thin, sharp knife around the edge of the cake. Make sure to reach all the way down to the crust.

Unhook the springform pan and gently lift off the ring.

You can use a warm knife to smooth out the top of the cake or any rough and uneven spots around the edge.

Now to turn this no bake cheesecake into a lemon blueberry cheesecake!

Using a spoon, spread the blueberry sauce evenly over the top of the lemon cheesecake, make sure to push the sauce out to the edges.

To serve, run a sharp kitchen knife under hot water to warm. Cut the cake into slices, wiping the knife blade clean on a towel between cuts.

Store any leftovers in the fridge, covered, for up to 5 days.

Can I freeze my no bake lemon blueberry cheesecake?

Yes!

This cheesecake freezes BEAUTIFULLY. Once the cake has set, you can slice it up and pack the leftovers in a freezer safe container, and store in the freezer for a month. The lemon cheesecake can be frozen with or without the blueberry sauce!

When a cheesecake craving hits, remove the slices from the freezer and allow them to thaw in the fridge overnight or until soft enough to eat.

The cake will taste just as delicious as when you first made it!

Tips and Notes For Making the Best No Bake Cheesecake:

• Don’t rush the chilling process! This is by far the most important part of this recipe. Allow the cheesecake to set in the fridge for a minimum of 6 hours, but overnight is really best.
• Allow the white chocolate to cool slightly before adding it to the cream cheese mixture. If the chocolate is too hot, it’ll melt the cheese and whipped cream.
• Make sure to whip that cream to stiff peaks. If the heavy cream is not whipped enough, the filling will be too soft.
• Feel free to substitute your favorite shortbread cookies or gluten free cookies in place of the graham crackers. You’ll just need 2 cups of crushed cookies!
• Feel free to double the blueberry sauce recipe to have extra on the side.
• Don’t skip the white chocolate! You don’t taste it, but it really helps to set the filling and it accounts for some of the sweetness too!
• Use fresh lemons for the juice and zest. The bottled stuff won’t work–or taste good.

Why Is My No Bake Cheesecake Not Firm?

In general, a no bake cheesecake will not be as firm as a traditional baked cheesecake, but it will be firm enough to slice without losing shape.

However, if you find that your cake did not set, here are some areas that may have gone wrong:

• The cake hasn’t chilled long enough. This cheesecake needs a minimum of 6 hours in the fridge– but overnight is better. The long chill will be beneficial to the cake’s structure and the development of flavors.
• The whipped cream was not whipped stiff enough. If the heavy cream was not whipped to stiff peaks, then there was not enough air incorporated to stabilize the cream and fat. Without enough air, the cream will just collapse over time and get runny. As a result, the cheesecake will have a softer set filling. There’s a whole science to whipping cream– you can read about it here if you’d like!
• The whipped cream was not folded into the filling properly. The folding technique allows whipped ingredients (like whipped cream) to get gently incorporated into other (heavier) ingredients without deflating the air we whipped into them. However, if your whipped cream was improperly folded into the cream cheese mixture, the air may have been knocked out causing the whipped cream to deflate–and that would impact the cheesecake filling. If you’ve never folded ingredients into batters before, this video is a great tutorial for the folding technique!

More Cheesecake Recipes:

No Bake Biscoff Cheesecake

No Bake Chocolate Cheesecake

Mini Strawberry Cheesecakes

Cookies and Cream Cheesecake

Perfect Cheesecake Bars

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