This Blueberry Cheesecake Dessert recipe is my husband’s childhood favorite with a light, moist cheesecake topped with blueberry pie filling and whipped cream.
Before I got married over 20 years ago, my family, my husband’s family and my friends gave me a box of recipes.
I love that recipe box and still have all of the recipes. They are tried-and-true recipes that I know I will turn out. I love that the recipes are handwritten which gives them a more personal feel.
While I realize that it is somewhat ironic for someone who shares recipes online to treasure handwritten recipes, it is what it is. I decided to share one of the recipes from my box called Blueberry Dessert.
Disclaimer: This post contains links to products for making this recipe. If you use those links, I may earn a commission. Learn more here.
Brian’s grandmother gave this recipe to me because she knew it was one of his favorites. Both his grandma and his mom used to make this dessert for him.
It is light, moist cheesecake topped with blueberry pie filling and whipped cream. Here is the recipe she gave me (with her name removed to preserve her privacy).
Please be aware that I’m not sharing some secret family recipe by posting this. First of all, neither of our families have issues with sharing recipes.
If you have a delicious recipe, why wouldn’t you want others to make it as well?
Second, this wasn’t grandma’s original creation. I’m not sure where the recipe originated so if you have the source, please share it with me and I will add a link to this blog post.
*Update: A couple of readers have said the credit for this recipe goes to Philadelphia Cream Cheese although I have not been able to locate it on their website to add a link here.
How To Make Blueberry Cheesecake Dessert
Step One:
The first step is to crush 12 graham crackers.
You can use a food processor .
Or a gallon sized ziplock plastic bag and a rolling pin to do the crushing.
Step Two:
Add melted butter and sugar to the graham cracker crumbs.
Step Three:
Press into a 9×13 inch pan.
Step Four:
Cream two packages of softened cream cheese.
Step Five:
Add eggs, sugar, and vanilla.
Step Six:
Pour the mixture over the crust and bake at 375 degrees for 20 or more minutes until done (top is dry to touch).
Step Seven:
Allow the dessert to cool and top with canned blueberry pie filling and whipped cream.
This Blueberry Cheesecake Dessert is usually a part of celebrations with Brian’s family and my family loves it now too.
The buttery graham cracker crust, light, airy cheesecake topped with blueberry pie filling is simply divine!
Blueberry Cheesecake Dessert Recipe Tips and FAQs
1. What other pie fillings would be good?
Switch things up and try using other kinds of pie filling instead of blueberry. Try strawberry, cherry, apple, apricot, blackberry, lemon, peach, and raspberry.
2. Would other kinds of graham crackers be good in the crust? Yes! That’s another way to change the recipe is to change the kind of crust. Try cinnamon, vanilla, or chocolate graham crackers.
3. Can I use whipped cream instead of Cool Whip? Yes, if time allows, make three cups of whipped cream to use in place of the Cool Whip.
4. How can I make a gluten-free blueberry cheesecake dessert? To make this recipe gluten free, use gluten free graham crackers for the crust. For the topping make gluten free pie filling, or use a gluten free cornstarch to make my blueberry sauce, or use fresh blueberries instead.
5. What can I do to lighten this recipe? For a lighter version, try using 1/3 less fat cream cheese, low-fat graham crackers, replace a portion of the sugar with stevia or another sugar alternative, top with no sugar added pie filling or fresh fruit, and use light Cool Whip. But keep in mind that any alterations may change how the cheesecake turns out.
6. Do you have any suggestions for a non-fruit topping? If your family doesn’t care for pie filling or fruit on cheesecake, you can top it with chocolate pudding like I did in this recipe or caramel and pecans as in this recipe.
7. Can this cheesecake be made in a different size pan? Yes, but depending on the thickness of the cheesecake batter the cooking time may be altered.
8. Can this cheesecake be prepared ahead of time? Yes! We often make it ahead of time to bring to family gatherings. If you plan to serve it within 24 hours, you can make it and store it in the fridge. If you want to make it a day or two ahead of time, just bake the cheesecake. Store it in the fridge and add the blueberry pie filling and Cool Whip the day you plan to serve it.
9. It’s too hot to turn my oven on. Is there a no-bake version? Not of this exact recipe but I do have a no bake blueberry cheesecake recipe you can try.
10. My cheesecake didn’t turn out like yours. What went wrong? This recipe has been made hundreds of times by my extended family and by all of you, so I know it works. Issues can arise when you substitute ingredients or overmix/undermix the batter. Make sure the cream cheese is softened but not warm or runny. Weather, humidity, and altitude can affect recipes. Ovens vary and therefore so do baking times. Sometimes the type of pan you use can make a difference.
Blueberry Cheesecake Dessert Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 12 graham crackers about 1 2/3 cups of graham cracker crumbs
- ¼ cup butter melted
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 16 oz cream cheese, softened two 8 oz packages
- 4 large eggs beaten
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 21 oz can blueberry pie filling
- 8 oz tub Cool Whip about 3 cups
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375˚F. Crush the graham crackers.
- Stir in the melted butter and 1/2 cup of granulated sugar.
- Press into 9x13 inch pan.
- Beat the cream cheese until smooth.
- Add the beaten eggs, sugar, and vanilla. Mix well.
- Pour the cream cheese mixture over crust and bake at 375˚F for 20-23 minutes, or until done (top is dry to touch).
- Cool and top with blueberry pie filling and whipped cream or whipped topping.
Video
Lisa says
This is a family favorite! My husband asked me to make it again just a few days after I had made it for his birthday..lol..
Chris says
Should the cans of blueberries be refrigerated beforehand, or not?
Tonia says
No the blueberry pie filling does not need to be refrigerated beforehand.
Nep says
I have been looking for this recipe. I remember making this many times when my children were little. It’s a favorite!
Cheryl says
I grew up with this. Jeno’s Pizza had a division called Wilderness. They had a box dessert that was very similar.
Mary says
I have made a few times and I have one word: SPECTACULAR! One thing I did last time that helped alot is to use room temperature eggs. This made the filing fluff up more. Everyone absolutely loves this when I make it. I use whipped cream instead of cool whip. It’s a winner.
Kathy Kimber says
I was introduced to this recipe in 1979/80 when one of my classmates at the UC Davis vet school would make it for get togethers. But without the Cool Whiptopping.
Tonia says
What a special memory! Thanks for sharing!
Christina says
Found this recipe and gave it a try for a treat for when my university kids came home for a weekend. They all absolutely loved it! So easy to make and it’s now a favourite and I’ve tried it with different fruit toppings and it’s delicious every time. I make it using my kitchenaid mixer and it’s turned out every time. Thanks for the great recipe!
Kerry says
This sounds very similar to my family’s recipe. I think my aunt made it first and then my mom made it after that. It probably is a Philadelphia cream cheese recipe. We never added the cool whip/whipped cream layer, though.
Connie says
I would never have put Cool Whip on either…but it seems to be the icing on the cake. I am currently making 7th one
Payton says
This is very good I just made it tonight. Only issue I had was my crust is crumbly and it didnt taste very cheesecakey.. any thoughts?
John Unruh says
Hi Payton, bake the crust at 350 for 10 to 12 minutes until the edges are golden brown, Set aside to cool completely before filling.
Sarah dewar says
I’d change it to digestive biscuits and melted butter its wht I use.
Tammy says
Can I use ready crust graham pie crust? I have 2 and I wanted to use them up.
daria says
my batter ended up smooth like water… any ideas on what happened?
Tonia says
Hi Daria,
I’m not sure what could’ve caused that. Do you mean your batter didn’t have any lumps or that it was too thin? Did you use use any ingredient substitutions such as low fat cream cheese/whipped cream cheese, egg alternatives, or a sugar alternative? Was your cream cheese too soft? Did you try baking the cheesecake? How did it turn out?
~Tonia
sean says
how long let it cool before topping
Tonia says
Cool them completely…until chilled. ~Tonia
Vanessa says
This looks delicious! Definitely going to be making this soon. I prefer cherries on my cheesecake, so I might make one small change and use a cherry pie filling instead. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Thorne says
I had an issue with the batter. The cream cheese was completely smooth and then when I added the eggs it turned into a cottage cheese texture. I now have this chunks of cream cheese floating in egg. I whisked for five or so minutes and I can’t get it to smooth out again. What happened ??
Tonia says
Hi Thorne,
I’m sorry to hear that you had issues with the batter. I’m not sure how many chunks you had but you can see in the photos and video that my batter isn’t completely smooth either. It is recommended that you use softened (or room temperature cream cheese) and room temperature eggs when baking but especially when making cheesecake. I’m not sure if you were whisking by hand, but it is also recommended that you use a mixer when making a cheesecake.
Best of luck,
~Tonia