Skinny Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Bars
These skinny lemon blueberry cheesecake bars are lightened up using greek yogurt and less sugar. Perfect for when you’re craving something sweet, but want something a little lighter!
One of the most popular recipes on my blog are these lemon raspberry cheesecake squares and for good reason! They’re insanely delicious and one of my favorite recipes as well. I think it’s safe to say that a lot of people love the combination of lemons and berries.
I’ve had a lemon blueberry cheesecake recipe on my mind for a while now, but I wanted to change it up a little. So, instead of the usual cheesecake recipe I decided to try to lighten it up a bit. You know, because summer is just around the corner and lighter desserts are always welcome in my home.
I have experience with making cheesecakes, but never a lighter version. After doing a quick search, I came across these Skinny Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Bars from Sally’s Baking Addiction and changed it up a little.
Now, these lemon blueberry bars aren’t exactly health food, but they are much better for you than your average cheesecake recipe. Although these bars are lighter, they are still incredibly rich and they taste delicious.
These would be great to bring as a lighter dessert option to a party. I can guarantee that no one will know they’re lighter either!
Ingredients in This Recipe
This healthy lemon dessert comes together with minimal ingredients. Here’s an overview of what you’ll need:
- Graham crackers: Are crushed and then mixed with melted coconut oil to make the crust.
- Coconut oil: I love to use coconut oil whenever possible, but if you don’t have any coconut oil on hand then butter will also work just fine.
- Cream cheese: Make sure to use reduced fat cream cheese, not fat free.
- Plain Greek yogurt: I used 2% plain Greek yogurt in these bars to make them a little richer, but 0% will also work as well.
- Granulated sugar: These bars still have sugar in them, but we’re cutting it down to only 1/3 cup for the entire batch!
- Lemon: Lemon juice and lemon zest flavor the cheesecake filling.
- Vanilla extract: I prefer using pure vanilla extract whenever possible.
- Flour: Just a few tablespoons is all that’s needed to help thicken and stabilize the filling.
- Egg whites: Save the yolks for your morning omelette!
- Fresh blueberries: I’ve only made this recipe using fresh berries and can’t speak to whether or not frozen berries would work.
How to Make Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Bars
For this healthy summer dessert, you’ll first have to make the graham cracker crust. It’s a simple mixture of graham cracker crumbs and melted coconut oil that gets pressed into the bottom of an 8-inch baking dish.
Bake the crust for about 8 minutes, or until it’s just set. Meanwhile, make the filling.
For the cheesecake filling, beat together the cream cheese and yogurt until smooth. Add the sugar, followed by the lemon juice and zest, vanilla, flour, and egg whites. Gently fold the blueberries in last.
Pour the filling over the pre-baked crust and return the bars to the oven. Once baked, let the bars cool at room temperature for about 30 minutes, then refrigerate them for at least three hours before serving.
Can I Use Other Berries in the Filling?
Of course! Swap out the blueberries with any fresh berry you’d like. If using strawberries, dice them finely before mixing into the batter.
Baking Tips
- You can easily double this recipe by doubling the ingredients list and baking the bars in a 9×13-inch baking dish.
- Make sure to use brick-style cream cheese in this recipe, not the spreadable kind that comes in a tub.
- These bars freeze well for up to 3 months, just thaw them overnight in the fridge for a sweet treat.
More Blueberry Desserts to Try!
- Baked Lemon Blueberry Donuts
- Blueberry Lemon Bread with Lemon Glaze
- Mini Blueberry Lemon Cheesecakes
- Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes
- Lemon Blueberry Scones
Skinny Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Bars
Ingredients
Crust:
- 5 full-sheet graham crackers (about 3/4 cup of graham cracker crumbs)
- 2 tablespoons melted coconut oil (or melted butter)
Filling:
- 1 8 ounce package reduced fat cream cheese , softened (do not use fat free)
- 3/4 cup plain greek yogurt (I used 2%)
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- zest of one lemon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons white whole wheat flour (OR all purpose flour)
- 2 egg whites
- 1 cup fresh blueberries
Instructions
To make the crust:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line an 8x8-inch baking pan with aluminum foil, leaving some overhang on the sides, and set aside.
- Using a food processor, process the graham crackers until you have fine crumbs. Add in the melted coconut oil and pulse until well combined.
- Scoop the graham cracker mixture into the prepared baking pan and press down. Bake for 8 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
To make the filling:
- Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a handheld mixer, beat the cream cheese and greek yogurt until smooth.
- Beat in the sugar and mix until well combined. Add in the lemon juice, lemon zest, vanilla, flour, and egg whites one at a time and mix until fully combined.
- Gently fold the blueberries into the cheesecake mixture.
- Pour the filling over the crust and return to the oven. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 25 minutes.
- Remove the cheesecake from the oven and allow to cool for 30 minutes at room temperature.
- Transfer to the refrigerator and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight before slicing.
These are the bomb!!! I made these to take to a local hangout for our friends. Everyone loved them, even people that weren’t part of our group came by to get one.lol. I absolutely love to bake and these will be a go-to for any event or family gathering. They are simply amazing and so easy to make.
Haha I love that! I’m so glad everyone liked the cheesecake bars, Christine! 🙂
Can you please provide the nutritional data on these? Thanks, Traci
Hi, Traci! I typically don’t include the calorie count for recipes on my site, since it can vary based on the brands/products that you use. My Fitness Pal has a great website and app that you can use though to get a more accurate calorie estimate. Hope that helps! ?
What is the nutritional breakdown on these? Calories etc… Thank you!
I typically don’t include the calorie count for recipes on my site, since it can vary based on the brands/products that you use. My Fitness Pal has a great website and app that you can use though to get a more accurate calorie estimate. Hope that helps! ?
I just made these with raspberries in place of the blueberries. Fabulous! Now to figure out the Weight Watchers points. If anyone has already done that, please post!
So glad you liked the bars, Grace! I’m not familiar with WW points, so I’m not quite sure on that.
The WW points are 4 points and these were the bomb!
Hi, I’m living in Australia and we don’t have graham crackers here. I normally substitute digestive biscuits but wonder about how much are the five sheets of crackers crumbed up? If you could tell me the weight of the crackers that would be awesome. Thanks! Meredith
It’s about 3/4 cup of graham cracker crumbs or 90 grams. If the mixture is a little too crumbly with the digestive biscuits, you can add a little more butter if needed.
Hi..Is this suitable for diabetic patient?
I’m unsure and can’t really give that kind of advice since it could vary from person to person.
Can I use one egg instead of two egg whites?
That should be fine.
Instead of lining the pan with foil can I spray my 8×8 glass dish with cooking spray?
Yes, that would be fine.
Could I blend the blueberries instead of putting them in whole? If yes, how would I do that? Thank you! Going to make these for my mother for a Mother’s Day special dessert.
You could blend them up and swirl the mixture into the top of the cheesecake filling before baking it.
How does this compare to the taste of a regular cheesecake? Negligible? Or slightly different in texture and taste?
It’s pretty similar, maybe a little denser.
Someone asked about WW points for this recipe. Keep in mind that points can change depending on the brand of products used, and which products used, so you always want to check for yourself by using their recipe builder on the app or website. This is ONLY meant to be a guideline. I plugged in items and brands that I use. The points I came up with on the new MyWW plan is 4 (Blue) 4 (Green) and 4 (Purple). I calculated using all purpose flour, fat free Greek yogurt and coconut oil. Now, to go make some! YUM!
I made these today and these bars are delicious! They’re light but you still get that rich taste of regular cheese cake. I’m in love! I will be making these on a regular basis.
Thanks so much for sharing this recipe!
Can this be put in the freezer?
Yes, absolutely! You can freeze the bars for up to 3 months and thaw them overnight in the refrigerator.
I have made this recipe many times and LOVE it! Can I take out the blueberries and lemon and make plain cheese cake or would I need to make any other substitutions? Thanks!
Yes, you can just omit them from the recipe! No need to make any other adjustments.
I have two questions. Can I use a springform pan and would I be able to substitute the reduced fat cream cheese with nonfat cream cheese? I can’t have a lot of fat in my diet since I had my gallbladder taken out.
Yes, a springform pan would be fine, but you may need to adjust the baking time for the filling slightly. Fat free cream cheese will change the taste of the bars, but it can be used if you need to.
Could I bake these in a 7.5 inch springform for a higher cheesecake if I adjust the baking time?
I think that would be fine!
Can you substitute the sugar for stevia in this recipe? I have the 1:1 Stevia, but so far, haven’t had any luck in the recipe’s I’ve tried.
Thanks!
I imagine that you could, but it will probably change the taste and texture of the bars.
Excellent dessert, I have made it several times (sometimes adding a bit more blueberries) and always turns out great. It’s a lovely, Springtime dessert.