If you love cheesecake but don’t love the fuss that usually comes with making one, these Wild Blueberry Cheesecake Bars are exactly the kind of dessert to keep in your back pocket. They’re everything I love about a classic cheesecake—rich, creamy filling, plenty of tang from sour cream, and a buttery crust—but they’re baked in a simple square pan, sliced into bars, and don’t require a water bath or any special equipment.
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What Makes Wild Blueberries Better?
I’m always drawn to bar desserts because they’re just so much more approachable. You get all the flavor and satisfaction of a beautiful layered dessert without worrying about springform pans, water baths, or perfectly clean slices. Baking these low and slow keeps the cheesecake smooth and creamy, making them just as impressive as a full-sized cheesecake with a fraction of the effort! Because cheesecake bars are much thinner than a traditional cheesecake, they bake more evenly and gently, making it much easier to get that creamy dreamy texture without a water bath.
What really sets these bars apart is the super jammy wild blueberry compote swirled throughout the filling. Wild blueberries have a deeper, more concentrated flavor than their larger cousins, giving every bite a bright pop of rich blueberry flavor that pairs perfectly with the tangy cheesecake. Wild blueberries may be hard to find fresh in your area, depending on the season, so know that frozen works absolutely fine!
Instead of a traditional graham cracker crust, I opted for a buttery shortbread-style base that doubles as the crumb topping. The result is a dessert that’s crisp and crumbly on top, silky and creamy in the center, and packed with jammy blueberry-filled bites from edge to edge.
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Key Recipe Ingredients
You can find the full list of ingredients, quantities & method in the recipe card at the end of the page.
- Wild blueberries. The wild blueberries make all the difference in flavor! I typically use frozen because they’re more readily available–if you use frozen, don’t defrost them.
- Cream cheese. Philadelphia is my favorite brand to use because it yields the creamiest cheesecake IMO! Whatever brand you use, make sure to use-brick style cream cheese and not any of the tubs of cream cheese.
- Lemon zest & juice. The lemon zest and juice help brighten up the blueberry flavor.
- Eggs. Always make sure your eggs are room temperature.
- Sour cream. Make sure to use full-fat sour cream here! The tang from the sour cream helps balance the richness of the cheesecake and it actually lightens the texture to make it cloud-like!
- Brown & white sugar. The combination of both sugars in the crumble/crust add the perfect flavor and texture.
- All purpose flour. Make sure to spoon and level your flour so that you don’t add too much, or use a kitchen scale.
- Butter. You can use salted butter here for a more classic sweet and salty shortbread style crust or unsalted butter.
How to Make Wild Blueberry Cheesecake Bars (+ Step-by-step Photos)
- Make the blueberry compote. You can actually do this step several days in advance to help break up the work! All you need to do is add the blueberries, sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice to a saucepan and bring it to a simmer. Then, make a little cornstarch slurry with cold water and add that to the compote until it’s thickened. Let it cool before using.
- Make the crust and crumble. This is as simple as making a really basic cookie dough! You’ll cream the butter and sugars together and then mix in the flour and salt in until it’s clumpy and crumbly. 2/3 of the mixture will make the crust and the rest is reserved for the crumble topping.
- Make the cheesecake filling. To get the silkiest cheesecake filling, start by creaming the cream cheese with the sugar. Then, mix in the eggs one a time. Finally, you’ll fold in the sour cream and vanilla until everything is well mixed. Folding in the sour cream keeps the filling silky without introducing too much air during the mixing process.
- Bake the crust. This is a super important step! Pre-baking the crust partway keeps it from turning soggy once you top it with the blueberry compote and cheesecake filling.
Jenny’s Tip: Make sure to let the crust cool completely before adding the compote and cheesecake filling. Also, make sure to take note of the fact that we are changing the oven temperature a couple of times throughout the baking process!
- Layer the cheesecake bars. When your crust is nice and cool, you’ll spread some of the wild blueberry compote on the crust, top it with the cheesecake filling, and then dollop the rest of the compote on top. Use a knife to swirl a pretty design on top, then top with the rest of the crumble mixture.
- Bake and chill. You’ll star the baking at 325°F for the first 30 minutes, then drop the temperature to 300°F for the last 30-35 minutes. This is how we avoid having to use a water bath! Typically a water bath prevents the cheesecake from getting too hot as it bakes, which will curdle the eggs. Keeping the temperature low ensures a super silky cheesecake filling that isn’t grainy from overcooking! Make sure to chill the finished cheesecake bars for at least 4 hours, though overnight is better.
Jenny’s Tips for Ultra-Creamy Cheesecake Bars
Don’t over-mix. This applies to both the crust and the filling! When you’re mixing the flour into the butter and sugar for the crust, only mix until the mixture barely starts to clump together. For the filling, to avoid over-mixing we switch to a rubber spatula right before we mix in the sour cream.
Scrape the bowl often. As you mix the cream cheese with the sugar, be sure to scrape the sides of the bowl often! This way you can avoid any clumps of un-mixed cream cheese in your filling which will not bake properly.
Use a low oven temperature. Instead of using a water bath, which is an extra layer of mess and effort, we bake these cheesecake bars at a lower oven temperature. First at 325°F, then at 300°F after the first 30 minutes. This allows us to gently bake the filling without ending up with a grainy texture.
Don’t over-bake the bars. You’ll know your cheesecake bars are done when the edges are set but the center still jiggles slightly! The cheesecake bars will continue to set up as they cool, so don’t be tempted to bake them for longer.
Chill overnight for best results. To really let the cheesecake set up and allow the flavors to meld, I like to chill these bars overnight. Then, run a hot offset spatula or butter knife around the edges of the pan to help loosen the bars before slicing.
If you do give this recipe a try, I love hearing about it! Leave a comment with a star rating below. Be sure to subscribe to my weekly newsletter and never miss a new recipe! You can also snap a photo & tag @JENNYGOYCOCHEA on Instagram.
More Easy Bar Desserts to Try
Key Lime Pie Bars
Sweet Potato Pie Bars
Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
Cranberry Cheesecake Bars
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Wild Blueberry Crumble Cheesecake Bars
Ingredients
Crust & Crumble Topping
- 1 3/4 cups flour, spooned and leveled (228g)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
- 5 oz 1 1/4 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Wild Blueberry Compote
- 10 oz fresh or frozen wild blueberries*
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
Cheesecake Filling
- 16 oz brick-style cream cheese, room temperature (Philadelphia brand is best)
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup full-fat sour cream, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
Instructions
- Make the blueberry compote. In a medium saucepan, add the blueberries, sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice and bring to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat. Stir gently so that the blueberries release their juices and simmer for about 8-10 minutes, until slightly thickened. Mix the cornstarch with 1 tablespoon cold water, then add to the blueberries and simmer for another 2-3 minutes, until very thick. Cool completely. This can be done up to 3 days in advance and stored in the fridge.
- Preheat an oven to 350 F. Grease and line an 8×8 metal baking pan with parchment paper so that there’s overhang over two sides. This makes extracting the bars from the pan much easier.
- Make the crust/crumble. Using a hand mixer, beat the butter and sugars together in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes or so. Add the flour and salt and mix on low speed until the mixture is clumping together in small crumbles. Spread about 2/3 of the crumble in the prepared baking pan and use a small measuring cup to press into an even layer across the bottom. Transfer the rest of the crumble to the fridge. Bake for 10 minutes, then cool to room temperature.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 325 F.
- Make the cheesecake filling. In a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar together until smooth. Then, beat in the eggs, one a time, until well incorporated. Finally, fold in the sour cream and vanilla bean paste until totally smooth.
- Layer the bars. Spoon about 2/3 of the blueberry compote over the cooled crust. Pour the cheesecake filling over the top and use an offset spatula to make sure it’s in an even layer. Dollop the remaining blueberry compote over the top and use a knife to make a couple swirls. Top with the remaining crumble mixture from the fridge.
- Bake for 30 minutes. Then, lower the oven temperature to 300 F and bake for another 30-35 minutes, until the center of the bars just barely jiggles. Cool the bars to room temperature, then refrigerate for 4 hours, or overnight.
- Run a knife around the edge of the bars to loosen them, then use the parchment overhang to pull the bars from the pan. Use a knife heated with hot water to make clean slices and cut the bars into 9 or 16 pieces.
Make Ahead & Storage Instructions
- Make ahead: The blueberry compote can be made up to 3 days in advance and stored in the fridge in an airtight container. The cheesecake bars can be made several days in advance and stored in the fridge covered with plastic wrap.To freeze: Wrap the uncut cheesecake bars really well in plastic wrap and then place them in a freezer safe ziplock bag (this helps prevent freezer burn). Freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge.
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