No-Bake Blueberry Cheesecake Bars Recipe (2024)

So I made this over the weekend and not sure what I might have done wrong, but it never set :(.
It was very tasty, but when i cut it up it crumbled... not enough melted butter in the graham crackers perhaps? I put it in the fridge for two hours...

I made this as written. I saw others had trouble with it setting so I strained my ricotta to get out any excess moisture. We loved having a dessert that wasn't sugar loaded. Fresh and delicious.

I've also made recipes with ricotta that never set up, and I suspect ricotta is the culprit. Consistency and amount of liquid among brands and types of ricotta varies.

Instead of nuts in the crust, I used 1/4 cup of shredded coconut.

For the crust I lined an 8x8 pan with not-too-sweet cookies. The moisture from the cheese mixture softened them a bit but they held together to make a nice crust. I also cooked the blueberries for a few minutes with a bit of sugar and lemon and thickened with cornstarch as I don't care for raw blueberries. It set up beautifully. I'll absolutely make this again.

For a 9" pan (the only one we had), we added another 4 whole graham crackers and 2 tbsp butter (sorry). We let it set overnight and it was the perfect Sunday brunch pastry - not too sweet, but sweet enough, and pretty on the plate. And delicious. To keep it from falling apart when you serve it, be sure to give the crust a good squashing with the bottom of a measuring cup.

add ground nutmeg

I doubled the crackers and butter, and let it set overnight. Letting it set that long helps so much. Added an extra 1/2 tbl of honey. Also after peeling the lemon rind I squeezed about a tsp of the juice into the cheese mixture. The lemon juice gives it what it needs! Ive made this a few times now and have used bannans and chocolate chips, and strawberriers. They were all a hit!

For added complexity, add 2 tablespoons of shredded mint to the cream cheese batter...stellar.

Eat it within a day. If you leave the leftovers in the fridge too long they just don't taste as fresh.

Prettier to present and easier to cut up if prepared in a rectangular tart pan

Good. But use more butter. It doesn't set all that firmly, but I don't have a problem with that. I like it that it's not too sweet--lets the blueberry flavor come through.

More butter

This recipe works perfectly for serving individually in little jars. I used crushed ginger cookies for the base (didn’t add any butter) then topped with the cheesecake mixture (with the lemon rind of a full lemon) and berries. It was cute and delicious. It didn’t need any additional sugar.

Made this as written, and turned out great! If you're looking for a true cheesecake flavor its definitely not as sweet, but this was perfect as a light and palate cleansing dessert after a heavy meal. Didn't add extra butter to the crust as others have mentioned but didn't have any trouble with it - used the bottom of a measuring cup to really press it into the pan and it set just fine. Used part skim ricotta, which tends to be a little dryer, also set great.

Really good and fresh, even in the middle of winter with a windchill of 5 degrees. Upping the butter by 1.5tbls and refrigerating the crust overnight ensured that it stayed intact. I'm certain there are other brands that offer this but Galbani has a whole milk ricotta that has double cream in it. There is no issue with liquid. Also you can make your own ricotta from Melissa Clark which is outstanding. Did add the optional 1/4 cup sugar, Mr. Bittman mentioned. Thanks for this recipe!

Added lavender to the cream cheese/ricotta/honey/lemon mix, which really compliments the blueberries.

Used a few more of a gram, crackers and additional butter and added lemon juice for a bit of tiredness. Could be made any tart pan, which would be easier for her to cut.

If anyone else is making this gf, 2 packets of Schar grams are enough to get a 1/4 in crust; I used 3 and 1/4 c pecans and even after pressing firmly with a measuring cup had a 1/2 inch crust (doesn’t bother me, just not quite what the recipe asks for).Had a very thick ricotta, so didn’t drain it but did leave overnight before sampling and the bars set and the crust held together well.Taste-wise, I prefer Bon Appétit’s lime ginger no-bake cheesecake bars, but these ones are quicker to make

Based on other’s comments, I increased the melted butter to 5tbs and the crust set perfectly. I’m also gluten-free so I used Schär chocolate covered graham crackers for the crust. (I added chopped pecans too.) I put the crust in the freezer to set quickly as I made the filling. Turned out great! So refreshing as a summer dessert.

Used 8oz brick of Philadelphia cream cheese and 1 cup whole milk ricotta, whipped with the mixer (not just blended). Doubled graham crackers and added whole stick of butter and it set up well..mashed crust with a cup and refrigerated 45 minutes. It's not supposed to be super sweet. Perfect for a refreshing summer dessert for people who don't care for sugary desserts.

Why not just pop the crust into the oven for 10 minutes? I know it won’t qualify as “no bake,” but really? And if you start with graham crumbs, you’ll make up the time not having to crush crackers

Thanks to commenters!- used an extra tbsp of butter- used 2.5 tbsp sugar -- I am so not a fan of oversweet but had to ramp it up another .5 tbsp :)- drained ricotta- used defrosted mixed frozen berries and just added them when I served it- no problem setting but big problem getting out of the pan --- the second day it was much easier --- more delish the second day too!

Did not fare well with the crowd, definitely more bitter than sweet, try the tip with more honey or bit of sugar? Might try again :)

Won’t make again. Crust didn’t hold together. Not sweet even with 3 T honey. Really disappointing.

I used 5T of butter and the crust was perfect. Also strained my ricotta. This was delicious! I made it two days in a row. The second day was for a family with small kids so I made it a bit sweeter (twice the honey) and was still delicious!

Made this with Neufchatel cheese and part-skim ricotta. Omitted the nuts and the lemon because I forgot to buy it, and used an entire pint of blueberries. It was super easy to make, set up nicely, and was absolutely delicious.

I am loving this not-too-sweet treat. I did add an extra couple of tablespoons of butter to get the crumble to hold together and used an offset spatula to really cram it down. The whole milk ricotta I used was very thick, so I had no problem with too much moisture in the cheese mixture. A day later the crust has maintained its crunch. I did think this might be a treat one could eat like a bar cookie, but the crust is too crumbly. Perfect for a little plate and a fork.

Strain the ricotta to get out as much water as you have the patience to do.

I used cottage cheese in place of the ricotta and added a small container of vanilla yogurt. Used maple syrup for sweetness. Used frozen blueberries that I’m simmering for a few minutes with a few tablespoons of sugar, mead (I had no honey), and a spoonful of mixed berry preserves. Increased the butter by a tablespoon, seemed to set up fine. I’m excited about this one!