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Inspired by my favorite breakfast, this luscious Lemon Cheesecake with Fresh Blueberries perfectly captures the essence of summer. Savor the luscious combination of a creamy, zesty lemon cheesecake filling, with bursts of juicy blueberries, all nestled in a crunchy granola crust. This not-too-sweet treat is perfect for satisfying your sweet tooth without going overboard.
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For an ultra smooth and creamy filling, you only need to follow a couple of steps. First off, make sure your cream cheese (I personally love Violife, it’s vegan and delicious) is at room temperature. That’s the secret to achieving that velvety texture without any lumps.
The second thing is to make sure is to strain the yogurt for about 30 minutes before you start assembling the filling. This will help prevent any extra liquid from making the crust soggy. I used Oatly plain yogurt, which is really thick, so I only had about 1 teaspoon of liquid. But if you’re using a different brand that’s more liquidy, definitely strain it first.
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 1½ cups granola
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 4 tablespoons vegan butter
For the filling:
- 1 cup plain vegan yogurt strained I used Oatly
- 8 oz vegan cream cheese at room temperature I used Violife
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
For the topping:
- 1½ cup fresh blueberries
Instructions
To make the crust:
- Preheat oven to 350℉.
- Place 1 cup of the granola and the brown sugar in the bowl of your food processor. Pulse until fine crumbs form.
- Drizzle in the butter, and pulse a couple more times.
- Add the remaining ½ cup granola and pulse once once of twice just until combined but still chunky.
- Transfer the granola to a 9 inch pie plate. Press evenly into the bottom and sides of the pan.
- Refrigerate until firm - about 15 minutes.
- Bake for 10 minutes until golden and fragrant. Remove from the oven and cool completely.
To make the filling:
- Place the yogurt in a cheesecloth, or fine strainer. Set over a bowl and strain at room temperature for 30 minutes. Discard liquid.
- Let the cream cheese come to room temperature while the yogurt is draining.
- Place the cream cheese in a bowl of a mixer and beat until very smooth.
- Add the maple syrup, and fresh lemon zest. Beat until smooth.
- Add the strained yogurt and beat on low until creamy.
- Pour the filling into the cooled crust. Refrigerate until set - about 4 hours, or overnight.
- Just before serving, top with the fresh blueberries.