Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake

Hello friends! I’ve been on a serious berry kick lately, and this Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake is where all that testing landed. It’s a baked cheesecake that leans bright and balanced, with lemon doing the heavy lifting and blueberries adding just enough sweetness. I’ve made this one enough times to know it holds up—and that matters with cheesecake.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

It’s just that good, and here’s why:

• Bright lemon flavor without being sharp
• Blueberry in every slice, not just as a topping
• Creamy, smooth texture that sets cleanly
• A reliable bake with minimal cracking when done right time!

Key Ingredients & Why I Use Them

Cream Cheese: I stick with full-fat cream cheese here. It gives the cheesecake enough structure to support the swirls while staying creamy once chilled.

Lemon Juice & Zest: Both matter. The juice brings acidity and balance, while the zest gives you that real lemon flavor that doesn’t fade after baking.

Blueberries: I cook them down into a smooth sauce so they integrate cleanly into the batter. Whole berries tend to sink and create uneven pockets.

Lemon Curd: Swirling curd directly into the cheesecake adds brightness without thinning the batter. I prefer this to layering it on top, which can slide when slicing.

Graham Crackers: A classic crust works best here. It’s sturdy, neutral, and lets the filling stay front and center. Here’s a foolproof recipe for graham cracker crust.

How to Make Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake

Full step-by-step instructions, prep time, total time estimates, and ingredient amounts can be found at the bottom of this post in the recipe card! Even if you’re not a baker, you’re going to do great!

Step 1: Make the Lemon Curd

I beat the softened butter for about a minute, then add the sugar and keep mixing until creamy. The eggs go in one at a time, followed by the lemon juice, zest, and salt. At this stage, the mixture can look a little broken—that’s normal.

I transfer everything to a saucepan and cook it gently over medium-low heat, stirring constantly. I stop once it thickens and hits about 170ºF, or when it coats the back of a spoon. I cover the surface directly with plastic wrap and chill it until cold.

Step 2: Make the Blueberry Sauce

I combine the blueberries, sugar, and lemon juice in a saucepan and let them simmer until the berries break down.

Once they’re soft, I stir in the cornstarch slurry and cook just until thickened. I always strain the sauce—this keeps the swirls smooth and seed-free. Then I let it cool completely.

Step 3: Prepare the Crust

I mix the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter, then press the mixture firmly into the bottom and slightly up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan. I bake it briefly at 325ºF and let it cool while I work on the filling.

Step 4: Make the Cheesecake Batter

I make sure everything is at room temperature before starting. I beat the cream cheese until smooth, then add the sugar and mix until fully combined, scraping the bowl often.

I mix in the sour cream and vanilla, then add the eggs one at a time. I stop mixing as soon as they’re incorporated—this is important for avoiding cracks later.

Step 5: Assemble

I grease the sides of the pan, then pour in about a third of the batter. I spoon over blueberry sauce and lemon curd and gently swirl.

I repeat this layering once more, then finish with the remaining batter and a light final swirl. I keep the swirls loose—I’m not trying to fully mix them in.

Step 6: Bake with a Water Bath

I wrap the pan in several layers of foil and place it in a roasting pan with hot water coming halfway up the sides. Then I bake at 325ºF for 60-75 minutes until the edges are set and the center still has a slight wobble.

Once it’s done, I turn the oven off and let the cheesecake sit inside for an hour. This slow cooling step makes a big difference.

Step 7: Chill & Decorate

After cooling at room temperature, I refrigerate the cheesecake for at least 6 hours, ideally overnight, so it fully sets.

When I’m ready to serve, I whip the heavy cream with powdered sugar and vanilla until soft peaks form, then pipe it around the edges of the chilled cheesecake. I finish with fresh blueberries, lemon slices, and a light sprinkle of lemon zest for a clean, simple finish.

Storage & Make Ahead

I store this cheesecake in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. If I’m making it ahead, I wait to decorate until the day I’m serving it. It also freezes well without toppings—just wrap it tightly and thaw overnight in the fridge.

Recipe Notes & Tips

If you’re new to making cheesecakes, definitely check out my Best Cheesecake Tips, it really helps!

• The cornstarch slurry in the blueberry sauce matters—it keeps the swirls defined so they don’t bleed into the batter while baking.
• Stop whipping the cream at soft peaks; firmer peaks look pretty at first but tend to crack and weep over time.
• Alternative Citrus: Feel free to use Meyer lemons, limes, or even oranges for a different flavor twist.

FAQs

More Recipes You Might Enjoy

If you liked this Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake, you might also enjoy my Lemon Blueberry Bread, Blueberry Coffee Cake, No-Bake Blueberry Cheesecake, or a classic New York Cheesecake when you’re craving something simple and familiar.

If you make this recipe, I’d love to see it. Tag me on Instagram or leave a comment and rating below—it really helps, and I always enjoy seeing how these turn out in your kitchens.

Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake

Camila Hurst

This Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake features a buttery graham cracker crust, a luscious lemon cheesecake swirled with homemade blueberry sauce and lemon curd before baking.

5 from 3 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 45 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Chill Time 6 hours hrs

Total Time 8 hours hrs

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 12 servings

Calories 500 kcal

Ingredients

 

Lemon Curd

• 3 tbsp unsalted butter at room temperature 42g
• ⅓ cup granulated sugar 66g
• 2 large eggs
• ¼ cup lemon juice 60 ml
• 2 tbsp lemon zest 15g
• ⅛ tsp salt

Blueberry Sauce

• 1½ cups blueberries fresh or frozen
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1½ tsp cornstarch
• 1 tbsp water

Graham Cracker Crust

• 1½ cup graham cracker crumbs 180g, or 12 full sheets of graham cracker
• ¼ cup granulated sugar 50g
• 6 tbsp unsalted butter melted 84g

Cheesecake Batter

• 4, 8 oz blocks of cream cheese room temperature 904g
• 1⅓ cup granulated sugar 266g
• ½ cup sour cream 120g
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 4 large eggs, room temperature

Whipped Cream

• 1½ cup heavy whipping cream
• ¼ cup powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla

Topping

• lemon slices
• lemon zest
• fresh bluberries

Instructions

 

Lemon Curd

• To make the Lemon Curd, in a bowl, beat the butter with an electric mixer for 1 minute. Add the granulated sugar and beat for another minute, until creamy.
• Next, add the eggs, one at a time, and mix, making sure the first egg is incorporated before adding the next. Add the lemon juice, zest and salt and mix on low speed until combined. The mixture might look separated and that’s okay.
• Pour it into a small saucepan with a heavy bottom and place it over medium-low heat. Since this is a small amount of curd (half of my regular recipe), the curd is more prone to scrambling. Because of this, please make sure to keep the heat more on the low side than medium.
• Keep the curd at a gentle simmer and stir continuously to prevent it from boiling, as boiling can cause the eggs to curdle and give the curd a scrambled egg texture.
• Heat the curd slowly until a thermometer reads 170ºF (76ºC). If you don’t have a thermometer, the curd should be thick and coat the back of a spoon. Once you achieve a nice thick curd, remove it to a bowl and place it in the fridge for at least 2 hours. The curd will set and get very thick as it cools.

Blueberry Sauce

• In a small saucepan, combine the blueberries, sugar, and lemon juice.
• Place over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the blueberries begin to soften, about 10 minutes.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and water until smooth.
• Add the cornstarch mixture to the saucepan and stir well to combine.
• Continue cooking for another 1–2 minutes, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens slightly.
• Remove from the heat.
• Pour the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl. Use a spatula or spoon to press the sauce through, leaving the skins and seeds behind. Discard the solids and let the strained sauce cool completely before using, with plastic placed directly on the surface so it doesn’t form a skin.
• Keep it refrigerated until ready to use.

Graham Cracker Crust

• Pre-heat the oven to 325ºF.
• If using whole sheets of graham cracker, you will need about 12 full sheets. Process the graham crackers in a food processor until a fine crumb.
• Mix the sugar with the graham cracker crumbs and add the butter. Mix to combine.
• Pour the graham cracker crust on the bottom of a 8 or 9 inch springform pan.
• Use a cup to press the crust down the bottom and up the sides of the pan.
• Bake the crust for 10 minutes in the pre-heated oven.
• Remove from the oven and let it cool down.

Cheesecake Batter

• Grease the exposed sides of the cheesecake pan. (Read notes)
• In a bowl, beat the cream cheese for 3 minutes with a mixer at medium speed, until creamy.
• Add the granulated sugar to the bowl and beat for 2 minutes at medium speed.
• Scrape the bowl and beat for another 30 seconds.
• Add the sour cream and mix to combine. Scrape the bowl.
• Make sure to scrape the bowl a few times during the mixing process, to avoid the cream cheese from forming lumps in the batter.
• Add the eggs one at a time to the bowl, mixing until incorporated before adding the next one.
• Along with the last egg, add the vanilla and the salt.
• Avoid over mixing once the eggs are added, to prevent cracking of the cheesecake.

Assembly

• Pour one third of the cheesecake batter on the bottom of the baked and cooled graham cracker crust.
• Add about one third of the blueberry sauce in spoonfuls on top of the batter. Do the same with the lemon curd.
• Use a knife or a spatula to swirl the sauce and the curd into the cheesecake batter gently. You don’t want to completely blend them together.
• Pour another third of the cheesecake batter on top of the swirled batter and sauce.
• Pour another third of the blueberry sauce and the lemon curd in spoonfuls on top of the batter. Swirl it gently with a spatula or knife.
• Pour the remaining cheesecake batter on top except for a couple of tablespoons, and top with the remaining blueberry sauce and lemon curd. Pour the remaining couple of tablespoons of cheesecake on top. We do this so there isn’t sauce or curd exposed, or the cheesecake will crack in those spots. Swirl it around with a spatula.
• Wrap the bottom of the pan with a few layers of foil.
• Place the pan in a larger roasting pan, and add hot water to the roasting pan, to form a water bath. This is very important so the cheesecake doesn’t crack.
• Bake the cheesecake in the pre-heated 325ºF oven for 60 to 75 minutes.
• To check if the cheesecake is done baking, give the pan a little wiggle, it should jiggle slightly in the center, but the edges should look set.
• Turn the oven off, and leave the cheesecake in there for 1 hour.
• Remove the cheesecake from the oven, let it cool down. Don’t remove the ring of the pan yet, place the cheesecake in the fridge to chill for at least 6 hours.

Whipped Cream

• Beat the heavy cream with the sugar and the vanilla with a mixer at medium-high speed for 3 to 4 minutes, until it forms peaks.

Decorate

• You can use a cake lifter tool to lift the cheesecake from the pan and slide it onto a serving plate.
• Before serving, top the cheesecake with the whipped cream. I added the whipped cream to a piping bag fitted with a 4B piping tip.
• Top the piped cream with fresh blueberries, lemon slices, and mint leaves.

Storage

• Store the cheesecake in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.

Notes

Lemon Curd: I’m Emphasizing the need to use a pan with a heavy bottom and keep the heat low or medium-low. This will ensure the curd doesn’t taste eggy.

Cracking: To avoid cracks in the the cheesecake, don’t over mix the eggs once they are added to the batter. Don’t skip the water bath. Leave the cheesecake in the oven once it’s done baking, so it cools down slowly. And before opening the springform pan, run a knife around the edges of the cheesecake to ensure it won’t be stuck to the sides and make the cheesecake split.

Room Temperature Ingredients: Make sure all ingredients are at room temperature, to ensure they get nicely incorporated together.

Alternative Citrus: feel free to use meyer lemons, limes, or oranges instead.

Digestive Biscuits: You can use digestive biscuits instead of graham crackers if you can’t find them where you are.

To Freeze: To freeze the cheesecake, bake it and let it cool down. Don’t decorate it with whipped cream. Use a cake or bench scraper to remove the cheesecake from the springform pan, place it on top of a piece of parchment paper, and place it on top of a baking sheet. Place the cheesecake in the oven until it freezer, for about 2 hours. Once the cheesecake is frozen, wrap it with plastic wrap and heavy-duty aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw it overnight in the refrigerator.

Cheesecake Pan: I use the Fat Daddio 8″springform pan. You can also use a 9″ springform pan with this recipe.

Mini Cheesecakes: You can bake the batter in cupcake tins to make mini cheesecakes. You will be able to obtain 24 mini cheesecakes, and baking time will be around 25 minutes for the mini cheesecakes. No water bath needed.

Greasing the Cheesecake Pan: I like to grease the exposed sides of the pan after baking the crust, because if I grease the cheesecake pan before adding the crust in, I have a hard time making the crust stick to the sides of the pan, and it makes the crust soggy.

Oven Temperature: If using a convection oven, you may have to use a lower baking temperature, around 300ºF instead. And baking time may also vary. Bake until the cheesecake is slightly jiggly in the center, and set around the edges.

Oven Thermometer: It’s best to have an oven thermometer to ensure the oven temperature is accurately measured. Often times, ovens are not accurate, and if the oven is off and the actual temperature is too low, the cheesecake can take way longer to bake. And if the temperature tends to be higher than what you actually set it to, the cheesecake can crack because of being baked at too high of a temperature.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 sliceCalories: 500kcal

Keyword lemon blueberry cheesecake

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