Name: Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Parfait
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 9 sheets of graham crackers; ⅓ cup + 3 Tablespoons of granulated sugar, divided; ¼ cup of melted butter; 8 ounces of cream cheese; ½ cup vanilla Greek yogurt; ¾ cup powdered sugar; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 3 Tablespoon of fresh lemon juice, divided; 2 Tablespoon of heavy cream; 1 pint of fresh blueberries; ½ cup of water; 1 Tablespoon cornstarch

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This Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Parfait is an easy no-bake summer dessert that’s always a hit. It has all the flavors of cheesecake including buttery graham cracker layers to separate the sweetened lemon cream cheese mixture that’s topped with an easy homemade blueberry sauce and garnished with lemon. What could be more delicious?

Let’s not overlook the fact that it looks irresistible in a glass parfait dish giving it an instant elegant status. Serve this after a fancy dinner or as a refreshing dessert for an outdoor BBQ. It’s an easy make-ahead dessert that can chill in the fridge until you’re ready to serve it.

It’s also a low-effort no-bake dessert that you can customize using different fruits and other ingredients. It’s cooling, fruity, and outrageously delicious!

Ingredients Needed

For The Graham Cracker Layer:
Graham Crackers – processed into fine crumbs
Sugar – white granulated sugar helps to sweeten the graham cracker layer
Butter – melted, to help hold the graham cracker layer together
For The Lemon Cream Cheese Filling
Cream Cheese – set it out to soften so that it mixes easily and without clumps
Greek Yogurt – I use vanilla flavored, but plain will work fine, too
Powdered Sugar – to sweeten the filling
Vanilla Extract – for additional flavor
Lemon Juice – fresh juice will give you more of a lemon boost, but bottled is fine, too
Heavy Cream – to help thicken the filling as well as keep it smooth and creamy
For The Blueberry Sauce:
Blueberries – I like to use fresh, but you could also use frozen
Water – to help the blueberries break down on the stove as they heat
Cornstarch – to help thicken the sauce

How To Make Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Parfait

STEP 1: In your food processor, blitz the graham crackers into crumbs or crush them with a rolling pin inside of a gallon ziplock bag.
STEP 2: Put the graham crackers crumbs into a mixing bowl and add in the sugar and melted butter and stir to combine. Set aside.
STEP 3: In a medium saucepan, combine blueberries, sugar, lemon juice, water, and cornstarch. Heat it to a boil before reducing the heat and letting it simmer for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally.
STEP 4: Remove the blueberry sauce from the heat and allow the mixture to cool completely.
STEP 5: In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add in the Greek yogurt, powdered sugar, vanilla, lemon juice, and heavy cream. Mix well to combine.
STEP 6: To assemble the parfaits, layer the graham cracker mixture first, then the cheesecake mixture, and top with the blueberry sauce. Repeat the layers and garnish with lemon zest or a wedge or slice of lemon on top.

Can I Make This Ahead Of Time?

Yes! I love to make the different layers earlier in the day or the day before and let them chill, separately, in the fridge until it’s time to assemble the layers in the parfait cups. The two layers that benefit from being chilled are the cheesecake filling layer and the blueberry compote sauce. Since the blueberry compote gets rendered down on the stovetop, you have to let it cool anyway before assembling, so it just works better (and looks prettier!) when it’s chilled so it doesn’t “bleed” into the other layers.

Graham Cracker Variations

Instead of using the buttery crumbled graham crackers mixture to divide the layers, try one of these instead:

Use granola
Use crumbled or chunks of pound cake
Use crushed golden Oreo cookies

Can I Use Frozen Blueberries?

Yes! The sauce you make on the stove will render the frozen blueberries down, although you may need to increase the cooking time a bit more.

Can I Use Another Fruit?

Yes! Substitute the blueberries for raspberries, strawberries, or blackberries, and follow the same directions for making the stovetop compote sauce.

What If I Have Leftover Blueberry Sauce?

Any leftover sauce will keep in the refrigerator for a few days. I suggest using it over ice cream or stirring it into yogurt – delish!

Assembly And Layering Variations

For this recipe, I layer in the graham crackers, then the cheesecake filling, and then the blueberry sauce and repeat the layers in that order. Garnish with lemon zest or a wedge or slice of lemon on top.
Another option is to mix the blueberry sauce with the cheesecake layer to create a bluish-purple shade and just layer graham crackers and the blueberry/cheesecake mixture twice and garnish the top with lemon zest or a wedge or slice of lemon on top.
Another idea is to use a jar of prepared lemon curd and layer it in the parfait. Add the graham crackers first, then a thin layer of the lemon curd followed by the cheesecake filling and then the blueberry filling. Repeat the layers again.

How To Serve The Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Parfait

I usually serve this in individual parfait dishes or in juice glasses like these.

You can also use smaller mason jars or even plastic reusable parfait cups which work great for outdoor events.

You can also triple this recipe and layer it in a trifle bowl for a stunning dessert centerpiece.

Storage

To make ahead, store all the layers, separately, in the refrigerator before assembling right before serving. If already assembled, the parfaits will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 days, tightly covered.

More Easy No-Bake Summer Desserts

No-Bake Pina Colada Pie
Easy No-Bake Cheesecake
Strawberry Margarita Pie
Easy No-Bake Chocolate Pie
Pink Lemonade Ice Cream Pie
No-Bake Banana Split Cake
No-Bake Oreo Cookie Delight

Nettie is a wife and mother who is passionate about cooking and baking. With 5 children, Nettie insists that all meals, snacks, and desserts come together quickly! You will find a wide variety of easy yet scrumptious recipes on her viral website Moore or Less Cooking

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Serves 4

Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Parfait

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

This Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Parfait is an easy no-bake summer dessert. It has all the flavors of cheesecake including buttery graham cracker layers to separate the sweetened lemon cream cheese mixture that's topped with an easy homemade blueberry sauce and garnished with lemon.

Ingredients

9 sheets of graham crackers
⅓ cup + 3 Tablespoons of granulated sugar, divided
¼ cup of melted butter
8 ounces of cream cheese
½ cup vanilla Greek yogurt
¾ cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 Tablespoon of fresh lemon juice, divided
2 Tablespoon of heavy cream
1 pint of fresh blueberries
½ cup of water
1 Tablespoon cornstarch

Instructions

Gather all of the ingredients.
In your food processor, blitz graham crackers to crumbs. Or, add the graham crackers to a gallon ziplock and crush them with a rolling pin or something similar.
Add 3 tbsp. sugar and melted butter, and mix to combine. Set aside.
In a medium saucepan, combine blueberries, ⅓ cup sugar, 1 tbsp. Lemon juice, water, and cornstarch.
Heat to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 5-6 minutes.
Remove from the heat and allow the blueberry mixture to cool completely. You can speed this up by moving to the refrigerator and stirring about every 5 minutes or so until cools.
To make the cheesecake filling, in a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, until smooth. Add Greek yogurt, powdered sugar, vanilla, 2 tbsp. Lemon juice, and 2 tbsp. Heavy cream. Mix to combine well.
To make the parfaits, layer graham crackers, cheesecake mixture, and blueberries with syrup, about 2-3 tbsp of each. If making 4 parfaits you can repeat these layers twice.

Notes

Graham Cracker Variations:
Instead of using the buttery crumbled graham crackers mixture to divide the layers, try one of these instead:
● Use granola
● Use crumbled or chunks of pound cake
● Use crushed golden Oreo cookies

Can I Use Frozen Blueberries?
Yes! The sauce you make on the stove will render the frozen blueberries down, although you may need to increase the cooking time a bit more.