Crunchy biscuit base, creamy cheesecake filling and a juicy, sweet, berry topping. These blueberry and blackberry mason jar cheesecakes are quick and easy to make. Fantastic as a make-ahead dessert (they easily last a few days in the refrigerator) and they also make a great portable dessert for picnics and packed lunches.

Spoonful being taken from a mason jar cheesecake on a blue background. Thyme leaves, blackberry and blueberries also in shot.
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I’m not big on baked cheesecakes – the extra time, effort and finger crossing (so the top doesn’t crack) is usually enough to make me stick to the no-bake version.

Plus no-bake cheesecakes taste amazing! This time I’m making individual mason jar cheesecakes for four reasons:

  1. They’re portable – and who doesn’t like carrying a cheesecake around in their handbag for emergencies?
  2. They’re actually pretty big – unless you have some really tiny mason jars. More cheesecake can only be a good thing.
  3. There’s no risk of crust breakage, wonky slices, arguing over who has the big slice, and somebody nicking all the topping – as with a regular cheesecake.
  4. They’re cute!

📋 What do we need?

Ingredients for individual mason jar cheesecakes on a wooden table

📺 Watch how to make it

***Full recipe with detailed steps in the recipe card at the end of this post***

  • We start off by crushing some digestives or graham crackers.
Biscuits in a bag being crushed by a rolling pin
  • Then we add melted butter and sugar to those crushed biscuits and spoon the mixture into your jars for the cheesecake base.
Melted butter being poured into a bowl of crushed biscuits.
  • Next whisk up double (heavy) cream until thick, then whisk in cream cheese, vanilla and confectioners’ sugar. Spoon or pipe that on the biscuit base.
Cheesecake mixture being piped into a mason jar on top of a crushed biscuit base.
  • Finally we’re going to heat some blackberries and blueberries with sugar, lemon juice and a little cornflour (cornstarch) slurry.
Sugar being poured into a pan with blueberries and blackberries
  • The berries will break down, releasing lots of lovely juice, and the cornstarch will thicken the liquid.
Blueberries and blackberries simmering in pan
  • We let that cool then spoon on top and add a little fresh thyme or lemon zest.
Spooning berry mixture on top of mason jar cheesecakes

👩‍🍳PRO TIP You can also swap the digestives for hobnobs for an extra special treat (sorry my US friends – I believe you don’t have hobnobs over there?). Use gluten free digestives if you’re looking for a GF version.

That’s it. 10 minutes and done.

Mason jar berry cheesecake on a blue surface next to two gold teaspoons. Further mason jar cheesecakes in the background.

Eat them right away, or put lids on and they should keep in the fridge for 3 days.

Overhead image of 3 mason jar individual berry cheesecakes on a blue background. Berries and gold teaspoons are next to the cheesecakes

🍲 More fantastic no-bake cheesecakes

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Individual berry cheesecake in a mason jar on a blue background next to a gold teaspoon
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4.91 from 10 votes

Individual Berry No Bake Cheesecakes

By Nicky Corbishley
These blueberry and blackberry mason jar cheesecakes are so quick and easy! Great for picnics and packed lunches. Gluten Free instructions included.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 6 Jars
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American, British

Ingredients

Biscuit base:

  • 210 g (7.5 oz) digestives (or 7.5oz /14 whole graham crackers) – the gluten-free variety work great too
  • 4 tbsp unsalted butter melted
  • 3 tbsp light brown sugar
  • pinch salt

Berry layer:

  • 175 g (1 cup) fresh blueberries
  • 225 g (1 ½ cups) fresh blackberries
  • juice of half a lemon
  • 2 tbsp cold water
  • 100 g (1/2 cup) caster (or fine granulated) sugar
  • 1 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch) mixed with 2 tablespoons cold water

Cheesecake layer:

  • 180 ml (¾ cup) double (heavy) cream
  • 2 x 225g (2 x 8 oz) packs Philidelphia cream cheese
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 85 g (¾ cup) confectioner’s sugar
  • zest of one lemon

Instructions 

  • Place the biscuits/graham crackers into a large bag or bowl and crush them into crumbs using the end of a rolling pin. Add the melted butter, brown sugar, and salt and mix until the crumbs absorb the butter.
    210 g (7.5 oz) digestives, 4 tbsp unsalted butter, 3 tbsp light brown sugar, pinch salt
  • Place the blueberries, blackberries, lemon juice, water and sugar in a pan and heat gently until the berries start to break down (about 5 minutes).
    175 g (1 cup) fresh blueberries, 225 g (1 ½ cups) fresh blackberries, juice of half a lemon, 2 tbsp cold water, 100 g (1/2 cup) caster (or fine granulated) sugar
  • Stir in the cornflour mixture and heat through, continuously stirring for another 30 seconds until the berry mixture has thickened. Turn off the heat and allow to cool.
    1 tbsp cornflour
  • Pour the cream into a large bowl and whisk with an electric whisk until thick.
    180 ml (¾ cup) double (heavy) cream
  • Add the cream cheese, vanilla and confectioners’s sugar and whisk again until combined. The mixture should be thick enough to hold its shape.
    2 x 225g (2 x 8 oz) packs Philidelphia cream cheese, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 85 g (¾ cup) confectioner’s sugar
  • Divide the cookie crumbs between 6 mason jars (mine are 200ml/7oz jars) and press down with the back of a spoon.
  • Spoon or pipe the cream cheese mixture on top, then spoon over the cooled berry mixture.
  • Sprinkle with lemon zest and serve – or place a lid on and refrigerate until ready to serve.
    zest of one lemon

Video

Notes

Can I make them gluten free?
Yes! Swap the digestives for the same weight of gluten free digestives.
Can I make ahead?
Yes, make the cheesecakes, then cover and refrigerate them. They should keep in the fridge for 2-3 days.
Can I freeze them?
Unfortunately not. The cream cheese mixture doesn’t do well in the freezer and the cheesecake base would end up soft.
.What size are the mason jars?
I’m using 200ml (7 ounce) preserving jars (<– affiliate link) – they fit in quite a lot of cheesecake, so you can go smaller and make more cheesecakes if you like.
.Can I swap out the blueberries and blackberries?
Yes, strawberries and raspberries work well. Also black cherry pie filling makes an even easier topping!
.Nutritional Information is per mason jar of cheesecake.
These are large cheesecakes, so if you wanted to serve them in smaller pots, the calorie content would be 569 per pot if you were making 8 pots, or 379 per pot for 12 pots.

Nutrition

Calories: 759kcal | Carbohydrates: 76g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 48g | Saturated Fat: 26g | Cholesterol: 143mg | Sodium: 490mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 54g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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This recipe was first published in September 2018. Updated in June 2021 with new photos, video and some housekeeping.

Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links – which means if you buy the product I get a small commission (at no extra cost to you). If you do buy, then thank you! That’s what helps us to keep Kitchen Sanctuary running. The nutritional information provided is approximate and can vary depending on several factors. For more information please see our Terms & Conditions.

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Hi, I’m Nicky, bestselling author, award-winning recipe creator and food photographer. I love to cook comforting, delicious and easy recipes and share them with you.

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Comments

  1. Michele says:

    4 stars
    They were adorable and delicious and everyone loved them, BUT…
    Prep-Cook-Total Time are very under estimated. The prep is much longer as you are basically prepping 3 different stages; the crust, the berries and the cheesecake mixture. Cook time for the berries and is more like 15-45 minutes, which includes allowing time for cooling. The cheesecake mixture takes more than 5 minutes alone for mixing; first with thickening the cream, then incorporating the other ingredients.
    Then the time to assemble…I made a dozen 4-oz jars (instead of the six 7-oz).
    I think the start to finish Prep-Cook-Assemble process was 2 hours!!!

    Reply
  2. Jay says:

    5 stars
    Cant wait to try making these, definitely is going to be a winner in our house thanks Nicky and Chris

    Reply
  3. Laura K says:

    5 stars
    Are this for company tonight. I didn’t have exactly the ingredients but it was a forgiving recipe. A huge hit!! This was so simple and quick to prepare. I’ll be sharing the recipe and definitely will make this again.

    Reply
  4. Carole says:

    can this be made as 1 large cheesecake if so what size tin would you recommend please?

    Reply