This Easy Blueberry Cheesecake Dessert with a light and creamy no-bake cheesecake layer is a fabulous make-ahead dessert choice for any time of year!
Things I love about this recipe:
- It includes ingredients you can easily keep on hand.
- It can (and should) be made ahead which is so necessary when you are having a big gathering.
- It makes a generous amount.
- The light and creamy no-bake cheesecake layer is a snap to make.
- And, most importantly, it is tasty as all get-out!
Everyone needs a few semi-homemade recipes at their beck and call and this is one of mine. A simple graham cracker crust is baked, topped with a really simple no-bake cheesecake layer, and then the whole shebang is finished off with blueberry pie filling and chilled until you are ready to serve.
It starts with a basic graham cracker crust – graham crackers, sugar, and butter. I like to use my food processor from start to finish. Start by pulsing the graham crackers until they are finely ground and then add the sugar and melted butter (all the precise measurements are included on the recipe below).
Process until it is nicely combined. Easy.
Transfer the crumb mixture to a 13″ x 9″ baking dish and pat it firmly down into the pan to form a crust. Bake the crust at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes, until fragrant and nicely golden brown. Allow the crust to cool completely while we get to work on the cheesecake layer.
You will need two packages of cream cheese – I used Neufchatel cream cheese, the less fat variety – a container of frozen whipped topping (aka Cool Whip) and a can of blueberry pie filling. You’ll also need to grab the powdered sugar and vanilla extract from the pantry.
Want to use homemade whipped cream? Go right ahead. You will need about 3 cups which is equivalent to an 8-ounce container of Cool Whip.
Beat the softened cream cheese with 1 cup of powdered sugar and two teaspoons of vanilla extract until it’s nice and creamy. Fold in the whipped topping with a spoon or rubber spatula.
Transfer the cheesecake mixture to the cooled crust and carefully spread, or pat it down over the top. You have to use some finesse here so you don’t disturb the graham cracker crust but don’t fret if a little bit of the crust does come up. We are going to top the whole thing with blueberry pie filling and no one will be the wiser.
Spoon the blueberry pie filling over the top and use a knife or offset spatula to lightly spread it out. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and pop it in the fridge to chill for several hours or even better, overnight.
It will slice and serve beautifully.
I love the look of it, the taste of it, all of it! Always a crowd-pleaser.
More delicious cheesecake dessert ideas:
Snickers Cheesecake Bars – Sally’s Baking Addiction
Strawberry Cheesecake Cookie Bars – Valerie’s Kitchen (yours truly)
Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars – The Girl Who Ate Everything
Coconut Cheesecake No Bake Dessert – Crazy For Crust
Oreo Cheesecake Bars – High Heels and Grills
Easy Blueberry Cheesecake Dessert
Ingredients
For the graham cracker crust
- 18 full sheets (2 sleeves) graham crackers, finely ground , (approximately 3 cups)
- ½ cup butter, melted
- ⅓ cup sugar
For the cheesecake
- 16 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 8 ounces frozen whipped topping (Cool Whip), thawed
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 21 ounces blueberry pie filling
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Crust
- Combine graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, and sugar in a food processor or a mixing bowl until well combined. Transfer to a 13- x 9-inch baking dish and press down firmly to form crust. Bake until edges are golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Set aside to cool completely before filling.
Cheesecake
- Use an electric mixer to beat together the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla. Use a spoon to fold in the whipped topping and mix until well combined. Carefully spread cheesecake mixture over prepared crust.
- Spoon blueberry topping on top of filling, spreading out evenly. Cover and refrigerate for several hours or overnight. Slice into squares and serve.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated using generic ingredients, and is an estimate not a guarantee. For more accurate results, please refer to the labels on your ingredients at home.
This has become my go to desert for pretty much anything that I’m asked to bring a desert to and is becoming an extended family favorite. Cherry pie filling also works very well. I’ve been thinking about trying to make a lemon raspberry version of this. Do you think it would work substituting lemon juice for vanilla extract or would it be better to use lemon extract?
I think fresh lemon juice would be wonderful with cherry pie filling. If you do use lemon extract, be sure to use a very small amount or it might overpower. Hope it turns out great for you!
I still make this, love it. Only changes are I use the pre-made graham cracker crusts & I cook fresh blueberries, adding sugar & a little water (I may be missing 1 other ingredient). It’s awesome!
My mom used to make this very recipe! I searched my kitchen everywhere looking for my recipe and gave up. I found yours!! It’s exactly the same….yay! Thanks for posting!!
I followed to a T except…. I used a large tub of cool whip. My mother-in-law has made this for my husband and his siblings for YEARS. She too uses a small tub. I deciced to use the large after misreading the size of cool whip. The texture is amazing and velvety smooth. My hubby was unsure on how I prepared this crust, as Mom uses the same as listed above but doesn’t bake it at all – just pressed firm into the pan. I like baked better 🙂 his birthday is tomorrow so it is setting in the fridge overnight. Had him lick the whisk to test and he was blissful loL. Very scary feat for me as I am wise to know not o challenge Mom’s baking, but my husband was missing this so much so gave it a wirl. Superrrrr delis! Thank you!
In my opinion there is too thick crust for the thickness of filling. I made this for our Memorial Day cookout and no one really cared for it and we are all cheesecake freaks. lol I served the pie filling on the side with pecans, fudge topping and carmele sauce so those that wanted fruit could have it and those that prefer turtle toppings had those available.I will not make it again.
If you followed the instructions and made it as directed it comes out nicely. Separating the pie filling was a mistake as it helps to form a proper top for the cake. Also its serve chilled so if it wasnt being chilled and just sitting out on a table over time it will sogg out.
I just made this on the Fourth of July! Absolutely amazing and easy to make. If you don’t like it then you didn’t follow the recipe.
Everyone is cleaning their plates including myself.
Could you sub granulated sugar for confectioners sugar?
I wouldn’t recommend it. Granulated sugar is just that – it has a granulated texture. Confectioners’ sugar dissolves much easier and is a better choice for this recipe.
I made this last week and I thought it tasted great. I made my own homemade blueberry topping instead of using the canned one but overall the taste was great with everything combined. My only issue was that the graham cracker crust ended up as just a bunch of graham cracker crumbs when I served the dish, it wasn’t a compact bottom, it was just loose crumbs and I had followed all of the directions and made sure to press It down really well before baking, so I’m not sure what went wrong since I’ve never had that happen to me when I’ve made cheesecakes before. Either way it’s probably an easy fix so I figure I’ll just use another recipe for the graham cracker crust to see if it makes a difference the next time I make this. But the taste of everything was great, even if I just scooped the graham cracker crumbs on top of it while serving it,!everything tasted really good and was easy to make which was perfect.
I know I’m a year late but I was checking reviews and comments before making. Did you add melted butter to the crumbs?
I have made this for about 35-40 years. It is quite good, quite easy and not a lot of trouble.
Can we use sour cream instead of whipped cream?
Hello! If I were to gift this to a friend, would it melt along the way? Since it’s only frozen in the freezer over night, Im wondering if the taste, texture, or shape would change if it was kept in a box or something for a few hours away from the freezer.