Extra decadent and rich, these vegan blueberry cheesecake bars are honestly one of those vegan desserts that people won’t believe is vegan! These bars are the perfect mix between sweet and tangy and have the easiest thick, chewy crust. And the best part of all? They only require 10 ingredients and are super easy! The hardest part is being patient enough to let them set before diving in.
This recipe was inspired by a huge amount of very ripe blueberries I had in the fridge. Eating large handfuls of berries every time I went in the kitchen wasn’t getting through them fast enough so I had to think fast! I hate wasting food, especially good, expensive fruit!
I went back and forth between making a blueberry sauce to drizzle over top or swirl through the cheesecake squares, but in the end I decided to just sprinkle the blueberries on top! Less dishes, less steps, but equally delicious!
I’ve also always been a little intimidated by cheesecake. I think anyone that’s read about cheesecake or has made one before knows it can be a little finicky. It can crack, dry out, not firm up, etc. etc. (Thank you America’s Test Kitchen for educating me). Nothing’s worse than taking a lot of time to make a pretty dessert, especially when it’s for guests, only to have it flop.
I’m happy to share that these blueberry cheesecake bars are very easy and pretty hard to mess up!
The cheesecake filling is a bit softer than a traditional cheesecake so there’s no worry about it cracking and it does not need a water bath! Plus, the blueberries on top will cover up any blemish. Magic!
Making the Crust
To start, make the crust by processing together soft, medjool dates, raw walnuts, oats, vanilla extract and a pinch of sea salt. For best results, soak the medjool dates in boiling hot water for 10 minutes. The mixture should hold very well together when you pinch it together between your fingers. If the mixture feels a little dry add 1 tablespoon of water at a time until it sticks together well.
Once processed, press the crust into a parchment lined 8×8 baking pan.
Blind bake your crust for 5 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
This will help it stay firm and prevent the cheesecake filling from making our crust soggy.
The Filling
Once your crust has blind baked, make the filling! I used my stand mixer, but if you own a hand mixer, you can use the hand mixer as well and put the ingredients in a large bowl.
I will say that you will need one or the other for this recipe to achieve the right texture.
To the stand mixer, add the cream cheese and organic cane sugar and beat for 1-2 minutes or until the mixture is incredibly creamy and resembles a custard filling. Note: non-organic sugar can be non-vegan as it is often processed through bone char to bleach it. Organic sugar does not use this same process.
Once you have a custard texture, add in the remaining filling ingredients and beat for an additional 30 seconds or until fully combined. In this recipe, I used vegan yogurt to replace the protein in eggs and tapioca starch as the binding agent!
The texture sort of reminds me of a mix between frosting and cake batter.
It’s very delicious unbaked as well, so please, taste a little off the spatula!
Once you pour your filling overtop the crust and press in the blueberries, your 8×8 pan will be very full but don’t worry! These bars really don’t rise at all like regular cheesecake so there should be no spillage.
Instead, you’ll end up with beautiful, golden brown cheesecake bars!
Since these bars are softer than regular cheesecake, I recommend allowing them to cool completely in the pan to hold their shape. Allow them to firm up in the fridge for at least 4 hours before cutting in. I know…it requires a lot of patience, but it’s worth it!
Once ready, remove from the pan and slice into squares. The cheesecake bars should lift right out since we used the parchment paper! Isn’t parchment paper the best?
Hot tip: Run your knife under hot water before slicing and wipe it clean between each slice. This will prevent the cheesecake from sticking to the knife and will help them keep their shape!
Finish with a dusting of powdered sugar and dig in!
I cut into 9 bars but these are so rich, you may want to cut these into 16 bars, particularly for gatherings and social engagements (remember those?).
I hope you guys give these a try! They taste so much like cheesecake to me which is amazing knowing they’re completely animal free! We’ve come a long way with store bought vegan cheeses and cream cheeses!
No Bake Vegan Recipes To Try
- Flourless Brownie Bars
- Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats (no-bake)
- 3 Ingredient Chocolate Nice Cream
- Pumpkin Chia Seed Pudding
- Easy Banana Chia Pudding
Adapted from: America’s Test Kitchen
Vegan Blueberry Cheesecake Bars
Ingredients
Cheesecake Crust
- 1 cup walnuts
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1 cup Medjool dates - soaked
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Cheesecake Filling
- 16 ounces vegan cream cheese - 2 containers
- 1 cup cane sugar
- 4 tablespoons vegan yogurt - plain
- 11 ounces coconut cream
- ¼ cup tapioca flour
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 2 cups blueberries - do not substitute frozen blueberries
- ½ teaspoon powdered sugar - for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Soak your medjool dates in boiling water for 5 minutes or until soft.
- Add all crust ingredients to a food processor and process until you have a crumbly, sticky texture. It should stick together easily when you press the mixture between your fingers. If it is too dry, try adding 1 tablespoon of water at a time until it is right texture.
- Press crust into a parchment lined 8x8 pan. For ease I used two rectangular pieces of parchment paper in criss cross pattern to cover all 4 walls of pan. See photos for reference.
- Blind bake your crust for 5 minutes in the oven.
- In a stand mixer with the whisk attachment or a large bowl with a hand mixer, beat together the cream cheese and sugar until you have a very creamy texture (about 1-2 minutes).
- Once creamy, add in the yogurt, coconut cream, vanilla extract, sea salt and tapioca starch and beat again for 30 seconds to a minute or until fully combined. See photos for texture reference.
- Pour the filling overtop the warm crust and press in the blueberries. Your pan will be very full but it is okay because the cheesecake bars do not rise.
- Bake cheesecake bars for 50 minutes-65 minutes or until golden brown around the edges. When ready, it will still be very wobbly in the middle.
- Allow to cool completely and set in fridge for at least 4 hours. Keep it in the pan while it sets to help it keep its shape.
- After 4 hours, cut bars into squares and enjoy! Optional: dust with powdered sugar.
- Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
- I only tested this recipe with this cream cheese brand as this is by far my favorite vegan cream cheese brand.
- I cut these bars into 9 squares but they are very rich. You may want to cut into 16 squares for gatherings.
- For easy slicing, run knife under HOT water before slicing and wipe clean between slices.
- I do not think frozen blueberries will work with this recipe because they will release too much moisture and this cheesecake is already soft. If you do try it and have good results please let me know!
General note about salt
Please pay attention to the type of salt called for in the recipe (if applicable). Not all salts are made equal and cannot be substituted 1 for 1. If you are substituting table salt for kosher salt, you will need to cut the amount called for in the recipe by at least half.
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Nutrition
Disclaimer: The Nutritional Information provided for this recipe is only an estimate. The accuracy of the facts listed is not and cannot be guaranteed.
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