Cheesecake Bars
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Dense and creamy with a hint of lemon and a crisp graham cracker crust, these cheesecake bars are an easy and delicious alternative to NY cheesecake.
Cheesecake is one of the most crowd-pleasing desserts you can make, but baking one at home can be a project. Traditional cheesecakes need to be baked in a water bath to prevent curdling and cracking, and it can be tricky to tell when they’re done. This cheesecake bar recipe, however, is a whole different story. Dense and creamy with crisp and buttery graham cracker crust, the bars are not only a cinch to make (with a prep time of only 20 minutes!), but they also rival the very best New York cheesecake out there. They also have a high crust-to-cheesecake ratio so if you’re a crust-fan like me, you’ll love them.
“Just made these and oh. my. god. Perfect if you don’t want to make a whole cheesecake.”
What You’ll Need To Make Cheesecake Bars
- Graham Cracker Crumbs: Form the base of the crust, providing a sweet and slightly crunchy texture.
- Butter: Binds the crumbs together and, when melted, performs like glue creating a cohesive crust.
- Brown Sugar: Provides sweetness and adds a rich, caramel-like flavor to the crust.
- Cream Cheese: Forms the creamy and dense texture of the cheesecake bars, providing richness and flavor. I recommend Philadelphia brand (and make sure to use full-fat cream cheese).
- Granulated Sugar: Sweetens the filling, balancing out the tanginess of the cream cheese.
- All-Purpose Flour: Helps to stabilize the filling and prevent cracking while baking. It also makes the filling a bit lighter and fluffier.
- Sour Cream: Adds tanginess and creaminess to the filling and contributes to its smooth texture.
- Large Eggs: Bind the filling together and provide structure, resulting in a dense and creamy consistency.
- Vanilla Extract: Enhances the flavor of the filling with its warm and aromatic notes.
- Lemon Zest And Lemon Juice: Infuse the filling with a very subtle hint of lemon flavor, adding brightness and freshness to the cheesecake bars.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-By-Step Instructions
Begin by making the graham cracker crust. In a medium bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar, salt, and melted butter.
Stir, using your fingertips if necessary, until well combined with no lumps of brown sugar remaining.
Press into the bottom and 1 inch up the sides of the prepared 8-inch square baking pan. Bake for 10 minutes, until set. Remove the crust from the oven and set aside.
Meanwhile, make the batter. In the bowl of an electric mixer (either a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a hand-held mixer with beaters), beat the room temperature cream cheese, granulated sugar, and flour together until just smooth, about 1 minute.
Add the sour cream, eggs, vanilla, lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt.
Beat on low speed until just combined, about 1 minute, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl as you mix. Do not over-mix.
Pour the batter into the warm crust.
Bake for about 45 minutes, until the filling is set but still a little jiggly in the center (it will continue to cook as it cools). An instant-read thermometer, inserted into the filling about 1″ in from the edge, should read 180°F-190°F. Remove the bars from the oven, and cool at room temperature for 30 minutes. Refrigerate until cold, at least 6 hours but preferably overnight.
Before serving, use the foil overhang to lift the cheesecake out of the pan and onto a cutting board. Cut into squares, wiping the knife clean with a damp cloth between slices. Serve cold and enjoy!
Make-Ahead, Freezing & Storage Instructions
Cheesecake bars keep nicely in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. They can also be frozen for up to 3 months. To freeze, place the cooled cheesecake (cut or uncut) on a plate and freeze, uncovered, until firm. Remove the cheesecake bars from the freezer, wrap in heavy-duty aluminum foil, and place in a freezer bag. Seal and return to freezer for up to 3 months. Remove the foil before thawing.
The lemon flavor is subtle, but if you don’t want to include it, it’s perfectly fine to omit it (it doesn’t have any impact on the texture of the cheesecake).
Although cheesecake bars are much less finicky than standard cheesecake, I don’t recommend adding anything to the batter.
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Cheesecake Bars
Dense and creamy with a hint of lemon and a crisp graham cracker crust, these cheesecake bars are an easy and delicious alternative to NY cheesecake.
Ingredients
For the Crust
- 1¼ cups graham cracker crumbs, from 10 whole crackers
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- ¼ cup packed dark brown sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
For the Filling
- 16 ounces (2 8-oz. packages) cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1½ tablespoons all purpose flour
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 3 large eggs
- 2½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon packed freshly grated lemon zest, from 1 lemon
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Line an 8-inch baking dish with heavy-duty aluminum foil (so that there is an overhang on at least 2 sides) and spray lightly with nonstick cooking spray.
- Make the crust: In a medium bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, brown sugar, and salt. Stir until well combined, using your fingertips if necessary to be sure no lumps of brown sugar remain. Press into the bottom and 1 inch up the sides of the prepared pan. Bake the crust for 10 minutes, until set. Remove the crust from the oven and set aside. Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F.
- Make the batter: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with beaters or the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese, granulated sugar, and flour together on medium speed until just smooth, about 1 minute. Add the sour cream, eggs, vanilla, lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt; beat on low speed until just combined, about 1 minute. Do not over-mix.
- Pour the batter into the slightly cooled crust. Check to make sure your oven has cooled to 325°F, then bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until the filling is set but still a little jiggly in the center. (An instant-read thermometer, inserted into the filling about 1" in from the edge, should read between 180°-190°F.) The cheesecake will continue to cook as it cools. Remove the bars from the oven, and cool at room temperature for 30 minutes. Refrigerate until cold, at least 6 hours but preferably overnight.
- Use the foil overhang to lift the cheesecake out of the pan and onto a cutting board. Cut into squares, wiping the knife clean with a damp cloth between slices. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Note: The cheesecake bars can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The cheesecake bars can be frozen for up to 3 months. To freeze, place the cooled cheesecake (cut or uncut) on a plate and freeze, uncovered, until firm. Remove the cheesecake from the freezer, wrap it in heavy-duty aluminum foil and place in a freezer bag. Seal and return to freezer for up to 3 months. Remove the foil before defrosting.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (16 servings)
- Serving size: 1 square
- Calories: 248
- Fat: 16 g
- Saturated fat: 9 g
- Carbohydrates: 24 g
- Sugar: 20 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Sodium: 166 mg
- Cholesterol: 77 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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At my dad’s request for cheesecake, I made these bars for a family get together on Father’s Day. Wow — the cheesecake bars were a hit! I find this recipe less fussy than a traditional cheesecake, and the texture of the crust is beautiful. Coupled with your berry sauce recipe, there wasn’t a bite left.
Just curious: How is it different from your NY cheesecake recipe as the ingredients an and methods are so similar? Why doesn’t it require a water bath? Thanks!
Hi Helen, they are essentially the same recipe — the bars just make about 1/2 the amount. And I just haven’t found a water bath necessary for the bars; while you still need to be careful with them, they’re not as fragile as traditional cheesecake. (And you’re slicing them so if they crack a little, it’s less noticeable.)
Hi, have not made these as yet and wonder about making them in a mini tart or cupcake pan? How would that affect the baking temp and time?
Hi Enid, mini versions of this will work. I’d keep the baking temp the same but you’ll need to reduce the baking time by a lot; I’d start checking around 25 minutes. I’d love to know how they turn out!
My mom loves cheesecake. l like once upon a chef because they have good recipes.
I’ve never made cheesecake as I’m intimidated by the thought of it. These were so easy to make, turned out delicious and everybody raved about them. I was wondering if you could double the ingredients and make in 9 x 13 Pan. Thanks
Glad you liked them! Yes, you can double these and use a 9 x 13-inch dish. The bake time may be slightly different, so just keep an eye on it. Enjoy!
Delicious! I made these cheesecake bars at my husband’s request. We took them to visit friends. You know they’re good when the recipe is requested. Thank you for the simple, specific directions. The pictures were helpful, too. ♥
My daughter made these for my husband’s birthday (cheesecake is his favorite dessert) and he loved them. We shared them with family too, and they were finished in one sitting. *I swapped the foil for parchment paper because I do not like cooking food on aluminum, and this worked fine; and used crème fraîche instead of sour cream. Thank you for such a delicious, easy recipe!
Delicious! I made these cheesecake bars at my husband’s request. We took them to visit friends. You know they’re enjoyed when the recipe is requested. Thank you for the simple, specific instructions. The pictures helped, too. ♥
My family and I love this recipe. The bars are delicious. We live overseas and do not have access to graham crackers, so I used Oreos for the crust, without sugar. We will definitely make these again!
AMAZING. My first attempt at anything cheesecake and they were heavenly. Everyone went back for a second piece (including me😋). Will definitely make again! I didn’t have any lemon juice, so I left it out and made a strawberry rhubarb sauce to top it with to balance the richness with some tartness. Perfect.
Hello! I’ve been looking at your recipe for the cheesecake bars and the NY cheesecake; I’ve noticed that the filling retains the same ratio between the ingredients (just half the amount for each ingredient for the bars) but was wondering why there’s a lot more sugar in the crust recipe for the bars, when compared to that for the NY cheesecake, despite less graham crackers being used.
Would it affect the outcome of the cheesecake bars if I were to follow the NY cheesecake’s crust recipe but just halving it like what has been done for the filling? Or can I stick to the cheesecake bars’ crust recipe but reduce the sugar (please advice.) My parents are very conscious about their sugar intake… haha. Thank you so much, I adore your website! 🙂
Hi Dana, Glad you like the recipes! I think you could reduce the sugar in the crust to 2 tablespoons and keep the amount of graham cracker crumbs the same. Hope everyone enjoys!
Yummy! Yummy! Yummy! That’s all I have to say! Oh and thank you Jen!
Taste wise these cheesecake bars were AMAZING! However, even after following the recipe to the T and leaving them refrigerated for 6-7 hrs cutting the bars got a little messy…. Any idea why? the cheesecake kept getting stuck on the knife and even after cleaning after each cut it left messy cheesecake cubes! Definitely will try leaving overnight next time!
Hi Samreen, sorry you had a problem cutting these. Is there any chance they could have been a bit underbaked? If not, next time I would refrigerate them overnight and even pop them in the freezer for 15 to 20 minutes before you slice them. (That makes them slightly more firm and easier to slice.) Hope that helps!