Summery swirly berry bars with a no-bake lemon cheesecake filling, crispy cereal crust, and sweet jam swirl. Vegan, gluten-free, healthier!
I know its not quite summer yet, but in great anticipation for the best season of the year I am sharing the most bright, berry-swirled, baking-free summery sweet bars.
Lemon + blueberry. This is my favorite fruity combo. Of all time. But also this recipe could be a template…lime raspberry cheesecake bars. Or strawberry creamsicle cheesecake bars. Or blackberry grapefruit cheesecake bars? I can’t imagine a not delicious citrus + berry combo to be honest. But here is the basics:
- Crispy cereal crust
- Creamy no-bake cheesecake filling
- Jammy berry swirl topping
Crispy Gluten-Free Crumb Crust
My favorite cookie free way to make a crispy crumbly crust is with granola or cereal. Any kind of cereal will work to be honest, I used crispy brown rice cereal here, opt for a gluten-free cereal if necessary. I do not recommend puffed cereal, the texture will come out weirdly mushy.
Grind the cereal first – I recommend a food processor over a blender here – before adding the remaining crust ingredients. Don’t over grind, sandy is what we’re going for not dust.
No-Bake Dairy-free Cheesecake Filling
This is one of those HOW ARE CASHEWS THIS MAGICAL? kinda dairy-free cheesecake fillings. Raw cashews soaked for just a few hours plus citrus juice and sweetness and a little zest blends to the most luxurious cheesecake bar middle layer. Don’t rush the soaking and use a high speed blender for optimal creamy heaven-ness vibes.
Jammy Berry Swirl Topping
The sweet show-stopping purple swirl topping that is so easy to make. Frozen berries + coconut sugar + water simmered stovetop until the berries get extra sweet and naturally starts to thicken, usually about 10 minutes. Watch and stir frequently to make sure the berries don’t burn. I personally think frozen berries yield a sweeter smoother swirl, but fresh will work too. (Or you could use store-bought jam for an ultra lazy shortcut too!)
More No-Bake Berry Recipes You’ll Love
- Mini Cookies & Cream Cheesecakes
- Roasted Strawberry Brownie Ice Cream Sandwiches
- Superfood Ice Cream Bars
- No-Bake Matcha Cheesecake
Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Bars
- Prep Time: 40 minutes
- Cook Time: 8 hours (chilling time)
- Total Time: 8 hours 40 minutes
- Yield: 16 bars 1x
- Category: bars
- Method: no bake
- Cuisine: american
Description
Summery swirly berry bars with a no-bake lemon cheesecake filling, crispy cereal crust, and sweet jam swirl. Vegan, gluten-free, healthier!
Ingredients
Crust
- 3 cups (96g) crispy brown rice cereal
- 1/4 cup (50g) coconut oil
- 3 tbsp (60g) agave
Cheesecake
- 2 cups (240g) raw cashews, soaked and drained
- 1/3 cup (105g) agave
- 1/3 cup (70g) coconut oil
- 1/3 cup (80g) lemon juice
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
Swirl
- 1 cup (140g) frozen blueberries
- 2 tbsp coconut sugar
- 2–3 tbsp water
Instructions
- In a food processor, grind the cereal to a rough crumb.
- Add coconut oil and agave. Process until sticky and clumpy.
- Press firmly into a lined 8×8” square pan. Freeze.
- Blend all filling ingredients until very smooth.
- In a small saucepan, combine frozen berries, coconut sugar, and water. Simmer over medium-high heat stirring frequently for 10-12 minutes until berries start to break down and sauce thickens.
- Pour cheesecake filling on top of the crust, dollop with blueberry sauce, swirl with a chopstick.
- Freeze overnight.
- Slice and eat! Keep leftovers in the freezer.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bar
- Calories: 213
- Sugar: 9g
- Sodium: 32mg
- Fat: 14g
- Saturated Fat: 7g
- Carbohydrates: 18g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 3g
Keywords: cheesecake, no bake, cashew, easy, vegan, dairy free, gluten free, summer, healthy, dessert
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Hi Natalie 🙂 I am from Poland but I live in Spain.
A few days ago I discovered your YouTube channel (please – add videos regularly because they are GREAT!!!!!) And today I discovered your website – great blog, I like it very much 🙂 🙂 🙂 And I will make THIS recipe for vegan blueberry cheesecakes this Saturday ❤️
★★★★★
I am so so happy you found me Claudia welcome!! Can’t wait to hear how the cheesecakes go…🤗
Hi Natalie!
This recipe looks amazing.
Always wanted to make a cheesecake with cashews but without tofu!
Your recipe must be the one!
Hi Eva!! So so happy these are everything you were looking for, enjoy😊
This was TRULY a delicious recipe – a great balance of bright flavor and sweetness! I made just three ingredient substitutions, but kept the measurements the same: I used strawberries, honey and crushed lemon cookies (as the crust). The results…absolutely delicious. The funny part…..some of the people who ate this did not even know that the “cream” was vegan. It was THAT good. I am looking fwd. to trying more recipes from this site!
★★★★★
I am so happy you liked it and I love the sound of your swaps😋😋 Always the best when non vegans can’t guess haha! Appreciate your feedback Bonne💕
I used a muesli mix as the base + swapped raspberries for blueberries…I am obsessed.
Oh I love the muesli crust idea!! So happy you enjoyed them Kathryn🤗
I can’t wait to make this recipe! I just found your blog today and I’m so happy I did! I enjoy reading your blog articles and am learning so much from your recipes. Thank you so much!
YAY!! Welcome Genny, so happy you found me too🤗 Let me know how the cheesecake bars turn out, I love to hear what you think and always here to answer any and all questions!
How long do you think this could be stored in the freezer?
Quite a while, a month or so even. The longer you leave them they may be a bit icier and less creamy when you do finally defrost though so just keep that in mind!
Is there a different ingredient that I could use to replace the agave?
Any liquid sweetener will work, honey or maple syrup etc!
Ok great thank you so much!
Hi can I sub cashews with vegan cream cheese? Would I need to make other modifications to the ingredients if I do that? Thank you!
That should be totally fine actually, it will be around 10-12oz cream cheese!
Thank you, Natalie! I love that you respond to comments even on older posts. Many bloggers usually respond only to more recent posts. Can’t wait to make these.
This looks delicious! How long do you soak the cashews?
★★★★★
Overnight is ideal, but at least 4 hours will be fine!