Skinny No-Bake Blueberry Cheesecake Bars Recipe - A lightened-up version of a traditional cheesecake using low-fat cream cheese and sugar substitute, plus a delightful blueberry sauce on top. Plus, this delicious dessert is NO-BAKE and gluten-free too!
Why I Love this Skinny No-Bake Blueberry Cheesecake Bars Recipe
• A great dessert that tastes like blueberry cream cheese pie in convenient bar form.
• The perfect dessert for blueberry season and it's a great make-ahead dessert.
• A creamy cheesecake filling paired with a luscious homemade blueberry sauce with a wonderful fresh blueberry flavor!
• It's a fun treat without excess sugar! And it's super easy to substitute some sugar in a recipe for a low-calorie sugar substitute
• The best part about this recipe is that it's a NO BAKE dessert. The less I have to turn on the oven in the summer, the better!
• Great for cheesecake lovers that are watching their waistline! It's a light yet decadent dessert.
ingredients Notes
Blueberries are the star of this recipe! These fresh blueberries are so sweet and juicy and the perfect ingredient for summer baking or no-bake desserts like this one. (Note the cute little hands that belong to my son.) Great recipe for fresh blueberry season!
Cookie Crumbs - Make your own by putting cookies in food processor and process until you have fine crumbs. If you're gluten free, choose gluten free vanilla wafers. Otherwise, you can use graham crackers to make a crunchy graham cracker crust if you're not gluten intolerant.
Cream Cheese - Choose room temperature lowfat cream cheese if you're watching your calories. If making for guests or for a party, I would suggest using full-fat cream cheese. Not everyone is on a diet, lol.
Sugar Substitute - Swerve is the brand that we used. You can use your favorite sugar substitute such as Splenda, stevia or erythritol.
Light Butter - Use your favorite brand of lowfat butter. We used Land O Lakes.
How to make Skinny Blueberry Cheesecake Bars
1) To make Skinny Blueberry Cheesecake Bars, start by making a cookie crumb crust. Line an 8"x8" pan with foil or parchment paper, letting some hang over the edge. Combine gluten-free cookie crumbs (substitute graham cracker crumbs if you're not gluten intolerant) and light melted butter in a bowl, then pour into pan and press down to form crust. Refrigerate while you prepare the filling.
2) For the cheesecake layer: In a large mixing bowl, whip up the creamy filling. Beat softened cream cheese and sugar substitute with an electric mixer until creamy. Add sour cream and vanilla. Mix to combine. Then stir in plain gelatin which you sprinkle over cold water, then heat in microwave for 20 seconds and stir until dissolved. Pour cream cheese mixture into prepared crust and chill for a few hours.
3) Meanwhile, make your homemade blueberry sauce (it tastes like homemade blueberry pie filling). In a heavy saucepan, stir together some sugar substitute and cornstarch. Add water, lemon juice, and blueberries. Stir constantly as you bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil until thickened. Remove blueberry filling from heat and let cool.
4) Cut chilled cheesecake into 9 bars. Serve with blueberry sauce on top of the cheesecake bars.
Expert Tips
• Always add gelatin to cool water, not hot. This lets it bloom and dissolve. Then you add the hot water per the recipe to fully incorporate the gelatin.
• Carefully follow the crust measurements. The ratio is just right so the crust sticks together but doesn't turn so solid you can't cut it when chilled.
• Always use a foil sling to line the pan. This lets you remove the entire cheesecake so you can neatly slice it outside of the pan.
• Don't walk away from the blueberry topping! You need to stir to watch for the perfect consistency as well as keeping it from boiling over and making a mess.
• Add lemon zest to the blueberry sauce if you want a little extra lemon flavor added.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use frozen blueberries instead of fresh ones?Yes, you can use frozen blueberries. Just make sure to thaw and drain them properly before using in the recipe.
Can I substitute Greek yogurt for the sour cream in the recipe?Yes, Greek yogurt can be substituted for sour cream if you prefer and this option will bump up the protein content as well.
Can I use a different fruit topping instead of blueberries?Yes, you can use other fruits like strawberries, raspberries, or mixed berries as toppings for variation.
How long will these cheesecake bars keep in the refrigerator?These cheesecake bars can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days in an airtight container.
Can I use a different type of sweetener?Yes, you can use your favorite sugar substitute such as Splenda, stevia or erythritol.
You might also like these cool treats
Chocolate Turtle Cheesecake Pops
Sparkling Pink Pineapple Lemonade
Looking for more recipes on the lighter side? Try Strawberry Angel Food Cake or Sugar-Free Strawberry Pie
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Love this recipe? If you try it, be sure to tag me on @Instagram! You can also find me on Pinterest, YouTube and Facebook.
Skinny No-Bake Blueberry Cheesecake Bars Recipe
Ingredients
For the bars
- 1 cup gluten free cookie crumbs about 10 gf vanilla sandwich cookies
- 3 tablespoons light butter softened
- 2 tablespoons cold water
- 1 ½ teaspoon powdered gelatin
- 16 ounces lowfat cream cheese room temperature
- ½ cup powdered sugar substitute I used Swerve
- ¼ cup fat free sour cream room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
For the blueberry sauce
- ⅓ cup powdered sugar substitute I used Swerve
- 2 ½ teaspoons cornstarch
- ¼ cup water
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 cups fresh blueberries
- 1 tablespoon light butter
Instructions
- Line an 8"x8" baking pan with foil. Leave a 2" overhang on two sides. Spray foil with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
- Crush cookies in a food processor or place in a sealed plastic bag and pound with a rolling pin until you have fine crumbs.
- In a medium bowl, stir cookie crumbs and butter together with a fork until moistened. Pour mixture into prepared pan and press firmly to form a crust. Place in refrigertor.
- Pour 2 tablespoons water into a small bowl. Then sprinkle gelatin over water. Let it rest while you make the filling.
- In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese with an electric mixer for one minute. With the mixer on low, gradually add the sugar substitute. Turn mixer up to medium and beat until sugar is thoroughly combined. Turn mixer off, scrape the bowl, then mix again for a few seconds. Mix in sour cream and vanilla. Heat gelatin mixture in microwave for 20 seconds, then stir until completely dissolved. Turn the mixer on low and slowly add the gelatin to the cream cheese mixture. Mix until thoroughly combined.
- Pour cream cheese mixture into crust. Smooth top with an offset spatula. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for three hours or overnight. Cut into bars and serve with blueberry sauce. Store in refrigerator for up to 3 days.
For the blueberry sauce:
- In a heavy saucepan, stir together the sugar substitute and cornstarch. Stir in lemon juice and water. Add blueberries. Bring to a boil over medium high heat, stirring constantly. Let it come to a boil and continue boiling for about 2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in butter. Let it cool, then serve with bars. Store sauce in refrigerator with plastic wrap right on top.
Notes
Nutrition
From original post:
It's officially summertime. Yay! You know I'm talking about the school calendar, right? The last day of school was Friday and my kids are super excited to have a couple of months off. I'm psyched because I won't have to wake up at 6:00 am for a while. Hooray!
Summer is a great time to make light desserts with berries. Especially locally grown blueberries! Skinny Blueberry Cheesecake Bars are a lightened-up version of a traditional cheesecake using low fat cream cheese and sugar substitute. Then topped with a heavenly sauce made of blueberries. It's berry delicious and you won't miss the calories one bit! It's gluten-free too, making it perfect for many diets.
Megan @ MegUnprocessed says
These blueberries!! Yum!
Lauren Gaskill | Making Life Sweet says
My husband would just die if I made these! So good!!
Rebecca Hubbell says
These cheesecake bars look absolutely divine and that blueberry sauce is calling my name!