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.
- Butter: Binds the crumbs together.
- Brown Sugar: 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.
- Large Eggs: Bind the filling together and provide structure, resulting in a dense and creamy consistency.
- Vanilla Extract: Adds a subtle warmth to the bars.
- Lemon Zest And Lemon Juice: Infuse the filling with a very subtle hint of lemon flavor.
- 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.
Meanwhile, make the batter. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the room temperature cream cheese, granulated sugar, and flour together until just smooth.
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). Cool at room temperature for 30 minutes, then refrigerate until cold, at least 6 hours or 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. Serve and enjoy!
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.
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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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I made this cheesecake as mini cakes in a small cupcake tray. I had a batch of snickerdoodle cookies that I somehow botched. They tasted great but looked terrible. So I substituted the graham crackers with snickerdoodles. The result was outstanding. The cheesecake bites were very rich, so the small size was perfect. This recipe made 24 mini cheesecakes.
I don’t have cooking spray to prep the pan. Can I just use butter?
Sure, Julie, that’s fine.
Hi Jen, Renee here
Can I add about 1/2 cup of key lime juice to the batter at the end or do you think that will make it to runny. Thank you, love all your recipes.
Hi Renee, I do think it would make the batter too runny – sorry! (And glad you like the recipes!)
Fabulous! Served them to my book group and made some more for a family reunion. Everyone loves them!!
Such a tasty, easy recipe! Just made my second batch – the first disappeared one night eaten by my family who didn’t even tell me. When I went to get one, they were gone! But I took it as a compliment and decided just to make more. Love the touch of lemon; it really brightens up the denseness. I will always make these now instead of a cheesecake. Thank you!
I made this last night and it was super easy and delicious! The lemon was a nice twist.
Delicious, was my daughter’s birthday request and were a big hit. Might be an annual thing!! Hope I’m not too late in asking but would like to make for St Patrick’s Day and add some Bailey’s Irish Cream. How much would I add and how much vanilla/lemon juice would I need to leave out? Would I still add the lemon zest? I know you have Bailey’s brownies but I have never made them before and a bit nervous taking them to a potluck without having made them before.
Glad your daughter enjoyed these! You could omit the lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla and add 2 tablespoons Baileys. (I think the flavor will be subtle.) I’d love to hear what you think if you try it!