This no-bake blackberry lemon cheesecake is the perfect summertime dessert that’s so easy to make! Every bite is swirled with creamy cheesecake and fresh homemade blackberry sauce. You don’t even need the oven!
This post is sponsored by Oregon Berries, all thoughts are my own.
Easy Lemon and Blackberry Cheesecake
Summer is berry season in Oregon. There’s no better way to ring in the harvest than with a creamy delicious blackberry lemon cheesecake. This is my no-bake lemon cheesecake, already a summer favorite, tucked into a golden cookie crust and swirled with homemade blackberry sauce.
It’s a seriously easy but seriously gourmet dessert made for summer, especially since you don’t need to switch on the oven. The best part is that I make this recipe with any berries that come into season. I’ll sometimes swap the blackberries for blueberries to make a lemon blueberry cheesecake!
About Oregon Berries
I’ve partnered with Oregon Berries to bring you this recipe.
Let me tell you a little bit about the harvest. The berries are picked at the height of freshness and then frozen within 24 hours at the height of ripeness. This means you can enjoy your favorite berries all year round. The frozen berries are also great for sauces and smoothies.
In Oregon we have over 11 varieties of berries, but for this cheesecake I chose the Marion Blackberry. Here we just call them marion berries. They are tart with a hint of sweetness, and the harvest begins in early July.
You’ll Want to Make This Because….
- Creamy lemon cheesecake. There’s plenty of punchy citrus from lemon curd and real lemon zest, mellowed out with sweet white chocolate.
- Homemade blackberry sauce. The blackberry sauce is SUPER simple and so delicious, pairs perfectly with the lemon cheesecake
- Make it ahead. No-bake cheesecake is the perfect dessert to make in advance (up to 2 days) and doesn’t require an oven.
Important Ingredient Notes
These are my notes on the important ingredients you’ll need to make your creamy lemon cheesecake, the no-bake crust, and the blackberry swirl filling. Scroll down to the recipe card below the post for a printable list with the full amounts.
- Crust – I make a simple no-bake Oreo cookie crust with Golden Oreos (or Lemon Oreos) and butter. You can also make this cheesecake with a graham cracker crust.
- Blackberries – If you don’t have fresh blackberries, the blackberry swirl turns out great with frozen berries. I love Oregon Berries’ frozen Marion Blackberries. They’re picked at peak ripeness and then frozen within 24 hours.
- Cornstarch – To thicken the blackberry sauce.
- White Chocolate – White chocolate gives structure and sweetness to the no-bake cheesecake filling. I recommend using the white chocolate bars that you find in the baking aisle. High-quality chocolate bars will melt down smoother and are less oily than chocolate chips.
- Whipped Cream – I make homemade whipped cream from heavy cream and powdered sugar. For the creamiest cheesecake filling, make sure to use full-fat heavy whipping cream. If you’d like to substitute homemade whipped cream with store-bought whipped topping, that works, too.
- Cream Cheese – Like the heavy cream, stick with full-fat cream cheese. You’ll want to use the kind that comes in bricks (not the bagel shmear kind that comes in tubs).
- Lemon Curd – I use a combination of lemon curd and fresh lemon zest to flavor the lemon cheesecake filling. Choose your favorite jar of store-bought lemon curd, or make homemade lemon curd if time allows.
Easy Homemade Blackberry Sauce
Make sure that your blackberry sauce has ample time to cool. If the sauce is too warm when you add it to the cheesecake, it might prevent the filling from setting properly.
Making the sauce is as easy as bringing frozen blackberries to a boil over medium heat, and then stirring in a little cornstarch. Let that simmer and reduce on low so that the sauce thickens. Take the pan off the heat once the blackberries have a jammy consistency.
Can I Use Fresh Blackberries Instead of Frozen?
Of course! You can make this blackberry sauce with fresh blackberries when they’re in season. Follow the same instructions. I suggest smashing the berries to extract more of their juices and boiling the sauce long enough that the extra liquid evaporates.
How to Assemble This Lemon Cheesecake
Once your cheesecake filling is prepared, assembling this cheesecake is easy! To make your blackberry swirl, it’s best to work in thirds:
- Start by adding ⅓ of the lemon cheesecake filling to your prepared cookie crust.
- Top this with 1-2 of spoonfuls of blackberry sauce, and swirl that around with a knife.
- Repeat two more times with the remaining cheesecake batter and blackberry sauce.
- Afterward, place the cheesecake into the fridge to chill for at least 3 hours, until set.
I like to garnish my no-bake blackberry lemon cheesecake with extra whipped cream and fresh blackberries just before serving after I’ve released it from the springform pan.
Recipe Tips
- Use full-fat ingredients. Just like when making traditional cheesecake, or any cheesecake for that matter, the filling turns out silkiest with full-fat cream cheese and heavy cream.
- Melting white chocolate. White chocolate (or chocolate is general) is easy to burn in the microwave. I generally recommend changing the power settings on your microwave to 50% powder (Google it for you make/model). You can also see this post more tips for melting chocolate (including without a microwave)
- Chill the mixing bowl for whipped cream. Prepare the whipped cream before you start the filling and transfer to another bowl. Then you don’t have to clean the mixer. However, be sure to chill the bowl first to help keep the cream cold when it’s whipping.
- If you don’t have a springform pan, make this cheesecake in a 9” round or square pan. Another option is to double the recipe and make it in a 9×13” baking dish. In this case, you can slice it to serve as bars.
- For clean slices, run a knife under warm water before cutting into the cheesecake, and wipe the knife clean between slices.
Why is my no-bake cheesecake not firm?
The main reason why a no-bake cheesecake doesn’t set properly is that the ingredients weren’t at the right temperature. In this recipe, if your white chocolate is too warm when it’s mixed into the cream cheese, or if you don’t allow the blackberry sauce to cool completely before you swirl it in, there’s a chance that your cheesecake will be runny.
How to Store
- Refrigerate. After this no-bake blackberry lemon cheesecake has set completely, wrap it tightly with plastic wrap or you can transfer slices to an airtight container. Keep it in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Freeze. Only freeze the cheesecake after it’s fully set in the fridge. Double-wrap the pan in plastic wrap and keep it frozen for up to 1 month. Defrost the cheesecake in the fridge before adding toppings and serving.
More Lemon Dessert Recipes
Print
No Bake Blackberry Lemon Cheesecake
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Chill Time: 4 hours
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 4 hours 45 minutes
- Yield: 10 slices
- Category: Cheesecake
- Method: Refrigerator
- Cuisine: American
Description
This no-bake blackberry lemon cheesecake is the perfect summer dessert! Every sweet-tart bite is swirled with fresh homemade blackberry sauce. It’s easy to make and you don’t even need the oven.
Ingredients
For the Crust:
- 1 pkg (15oz) Lemon or Golden Oreos
- 7 tablespoons (99g) Unsalted butter, melted
For the Blackberry sauce:
- 5 ounces frozen Oregon Marion Blackberries
- 1 teaspoon water
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
For the Filling:
- 4 ounces (113g) white chocolate bar (Ghirardelli or similar)
- 1 ¼ cups (295ml)+ 2 tablespoons (30ml) heavy whipping cream, divided
- ½ cup (65g) powdered sugar
- 16 ounces (452g) full-fat cream cheese, at room temperature
- ½ cup (95g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup lemon curd (store-bought or homemade)
- One large lemon, zested
For the Topping:
- 3/4 cup (177ml) heavy whipping cream
- 3 tablespoons (24g) powdered sugar
- Lemon Slices
- Blackberries for garnish
Instructions
For the Crust:
- Prepare a 9-inch springform pan by lightly greasing the edges of the pan with cooking spray, and then wiping gently with a paper towel. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper.
- Grind the cookies into a fine crumb using a food processor blender. Pour the melted butter over the cookie crumbs and stir until the crumbs are well coated.
- Pour the crumbs into the pan and press firmly into the bottom and up on the sides to create a thick crust. Refrigerate the crust while preparing the filling.
For the Blackberry sauce:
- Stir the cornstarch into the water to make a slurry. In a saucepan, combine the berries and slurry, heat over medium-low heat and until it’s boiling. Use a spatula to break apart the berries periodically. Reduce to low and continue to simmer until thickened to the consistency of jam, most of the liquid will be evaporated. Remove from the heat and cool completely.
For the Filling:
- In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the white chocolate chips and 4 tablespoons of heavy whipping cream. Microwave at 50% power in 30-second increments, stirring each time until the chocolate is melted. Stir until completely smooth
- Prepare the whipped cream. Place the mixing bowl and whisk attachment in the freezer for 5 to 10 minutes to chill. Beat the heavy cream on medium-high speed until thickened to soft peaks. Add the powdered sugar and continue beating at high speed until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
- Beat the cream cheese until it’s completely smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Next, add the sugar, lemon curd and lemon zest and continue beating until smooth. Add the melted chocolate, beating until it’s completely mixed into the cream cheese.
- Finally, fold the prepared whipped cream into the mixture and stir until well combined.
Assembly and topping
- Pour 1/3 of the batter into the prepared crust and spread evenly. Then spoon about 1/3 of the blackberry purée over the cream cheese and use a knife to swirl it into the batter. Repeat this two more times. Refrigerate 3-4 hours or until the filling has set.
- Prepare a second batch of whipped cream following the same instructions of above. Pipe the border using a large open round tip and garnish with thin slices of lemons and blackberries.
Notes
- For best results, use a white chocolate bar instead of chocolate chips.
- Fresh or frozen blackberries can be used
Storing
-
- Refrigerate. After this no-bake blackberry lemon cheesecake has set completely, wrap it tightly with plastic wrap or you can transfer slices to an airtight container. Keep it in the fridge for up to 5 days.
-
- Freeze. Only freeze the cheesecake after it’s fully set in the fridge. Double-wrap the pan in plastic wrap and keep it frozen for up to 1 month. Defrost the cheesecake in the fridge before adding toppings and serving.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Slice
- Calories: 739
- Sugar: 48.3 g
- Sodium: 214.2 mg
- Fat: 56.9 g
- Carbohydrates: 52.8 g
- Fiber: 0.8 g
- Protein: 7.5 g
- Cholesterol: 171.7 mg
Looks so delicious and very similar to the Blackberry White Chocolate Truffle Cheesecake recipe from your cookbook, No-Bake Treats! Thanks for making your recipe steps so easy to follow! My blackberry cheesecake turned out perfectly, and I had no trouble making the blackberry sauce! And WOW was everyone impressed with how my cheesecake looked, at our family get together. And that was before they even took the first bite. YUM! I made sure to sneak home with the last two pieces of cheesecake to relish in peace and quiet.
That’s wonderful!! So glad you enjoyed the recipe, thank you for sharing!
I made this today but instead of combining the blackberry sauce I made a compote with a little gelatine and put it on top I have to say it was the best cheesecake I’ve ever made and I’m quite partial to cheesecake 😋 I also omitted the granulated sugar as didn’t want it to be too sweet. Just gorgeous, thank you
That’s wonderful Andrea! I love the adjustment you made to make it your own. Thank you for sharing.
Hi!
Can I use fresh blackberries? And if so is the process the same?
Thanks!
Yes the process would be the same!
Just made this for mothers day yesterday it was AMAZING! the lemon and white chocolate with the blackberries was an excellent combo!!! It was gone in no time with rave reviews:):) Thanks for the great recipe!
Thank you so much Laura! I am so glad to hear this!