These little blueberry cheesecake bars taste like the real deal. Milky cream-cheese filling, on top of a buttery lemon base and topped with ooey-gooey blueberries.
Yup, try not to have two.
These little darlings are very low carb, even with the blueberry topping (more on that in a bit) making them perfect for a low carb or keto diet. They are also gluten-free, so they kind of check off lots of healthy boxes.
There is no added sugar in this recipe, only the natural sugar from the fruit.
Super simple Blueberry cheesecake bars
These blueberry cheesecake bars are quick to make and super simple to boot.
The lemon almond crust takes a few minutes to pull together and only 12 minutes to bake up. You can make the filling in no time flat and the blueberries, well they just get spooned into to batter.
I mean easy peasy.
These tarts also cut beautifully when cold. They hold together exceptionally well and make for a great eat-from-your-hand snack.
Blueberry topping (3 options)
You have three options for the topping.
#1. Make your blueberry jam. I made so many batches of jam this summer to stock my cupboards with low carb, no sugar, shelf-stable jams, specifically for this purpose. I like the convenience of pulling homemade jam from my pantry and using it in my baking recipes. I get to control the level of sugar and the ingredients, so for me, it’s a win-win-win.
#2. You can use any low carb, sugar-free commercial blueberry jam that you may already have in your cupboard. Just make sure you adjust the nutritional values if you do since all commercial jams seem to have wildly different levels of carbohydrates.
#3. You can cook down blueberries until they are jammy and gooey. Pretty simple, but an extra step. In this recipe, I have added the instructions for cooking down your blueberries since I figure it will be the most accessible for anyone who stumbles onto this recipe.
BUT – I highly recommend checking out the jam recipes, they are a great way to stock your cupboard, save some money and have preserved summer fruit at the ready for your low carb baking.
What sweeteners for these sweet little blueberry cheesecake bars?
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Use your favorite 1:1 sugar substitute.
For the cheesecake squares, I prefer powered erythritol preferred over granular, as it blends better and has a more delicate texture. You can use granular; I prefer powdered. Erythritol does not get grainy in this recipe either, so feel free to keep these in the fridge. The texture is better cold too, so bonus!
If you don’t have powdered erythritol or xylitol and only have granular, go ahead and give it a blast with a high-speed blender or food processor.
My favorite powdered sweetener by far is So Nourished Monk Fruit Blend; I find it has almost no aftertaste at all. I tend to use it exclusively in my recipes because I find it tastes most like sugar.
Swerve, Truvia and stevia will work here as well, if this is your preferred sweetener, go ahead and use them.
Just remember, xylitol is poisonous to dogs and cats, so if that’s your choice and you have little furry friends running around, be aware that it can be deadly for them.
The simple crust
This crust is super easy to pull together, but there are a few tips to make it go easier.
It is a bit wet, and it does require a bit of fiddling to get into the pan.
Once the crust ingredients are mixed and form a ball, toss it all into the pan and spread it around with the back of a wet spoon. If the dough sticks to the spoon, clean it off, wet it again, and continue spreading out the crust until it fills the pan evenly to each side and corner.
Prick the crust with a fork and bake it for 12 minutes.
(see, easy peasy)
Also, don’t skip the lemon rind. The lemon rind adds so much punch and flavor to the crust and enhances the flavor of the blueberry topping.
Storage & serving suggestions.
These last for days in a cold fridge, be sure to cover them, so they do not dry out.
You can also freeze these cheesecake squares! If you make a larger batch and you don’t want a bunch of cheesecake hanging around you can toss a few of them into the freezer. Use a bit of parchment paper between each square and stack them to freeze. To defrost, leave them overnight in the fridge.
These make a GREAT on the go breakfast item. Since they are substantial in fat and high in protein, they tend to stave off hunger for a while.
Oh, and they are fantastic cold from the fridge with a hot cup of coffee!
More cheesecake? More Blueberries?
Well if you like cheesecake I have a pretty popular blackberry cheesecake with a ginger crust that looks as good as it tastes.
If you want blueberry cheesecake in ice cream form, I have that recipe too. Oh, so crazy good!
+ that the shelf-stable blueberry jam you can make in advance to stock up your pantry.
Gluten Free Blueberry Cheesecake Squares (Low Carb & Keto Friendly)
Creamy cheesecake bars topped with a sweet ripple of fresh blueberries all on top of a buttery almond crust. Sugar-free, gluten-free, low carb and keto-friendly!
Ingredients
Lemon Almond Crust
- 2 cups almond flour
- 2 Tbsp melted butter
- 1 tsp fresh lemon zest
- 1 large egg
- 3 Tbsp Powdered erythritol
Cheesecake Filling
- 16 ounces cream cheese (2 cups)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 cup powdered erythritol
Blueberry Topping
- 1 cup fresh blueberries
- 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 cup powdered erythritol
Instructions
Almond Lemon Crust
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Add almond flour, powdered erythritol, and grated lemon rind into a 9x9 square pan.
- Gently whisk butter with the egg and add to the pan.
- Blend all ingredients well with a fork. Once blended spread mixture evenly in the bottom of the pan. The back of a small flat bottomed measuring spoon works very well.
- Prick the crust with a fork.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes until just lightly golden brown.
- Cool to room temperature before adding the cheesecake batter.
Blueberry Topping
- Add the blueberries to a saucepan and set over medium heat.
- Cook until the berries break down and thicken. Approx 5-7 minutes, a few more if using frozen berries.
- Mash the fruit with the back of a fork.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat, and stir in powdered erythritol.
- Let stand 5-10 minutes to cool slightly.
Cheesecake Base
- In a medium-sized bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer whip cream cheese, vanilla, powdered erythritol and blend until soft and fluffy.
- Add eggs one at a time until fully blended, set the bowl aside.
- Pour the vanilla cream cheese base into the prepared crust. Spread it out with a knife, or offset spatula.
- Spoon the cooked blueberries on to the top of the cheesecake base and swirl with a spoon.
- Bake at 350F oven for 25-30 minutes or until the cheesecake is set in the center.
- Cool at room temp, slice and add a few fresh berries, and a sprig of mint.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 16 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 217 Total Fat: 19g Saturated Fat: 7g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 10g Cholesterol: 67mg Sodium: 122mg Carbohydrates: 6g Net Carbohydrates: 4g Fiber: 2g Sugar: 3g Protein: 6g
Hi! Your recipes look amazing! Think you could use honey or maple syrup as a sugar substitute?
Hi Rebecca, thank you so much! For this recipe changing the dry granular sweeteners with a liquid sweetener will throw off the texture. I haven’t texted it, so I can’t say for sure, but my guess is the cheesecake would be much softer and not the texture intended. You can, however, swap out the sweeteners in this recipe 1:1 for sugar.