Cheesecake Bars

5 from 5 votes

This easy cheesecake bars recipe is made with a graham cracker crust, and a creamy cheesecake filling on top. Everything you love about cheesecake in bar form!

Prep Time25

Cook Time40

Total Time1 5

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: bars

Calories: 339kcal

Author: Heather Perine

Ingredients

For the crust:

1 ½ cups (180 g) graham cracker crumbs about 12 crackers
¼ cup (53 g) packed light brown sugar
6 tablespoons (85 g) unsalted butter melted

For the vanilla cheesecake layer:

16 ounces (2 packages, 454 g) cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
1/4 cup (60 g) sour cream
3 large eggs room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions

Make crust:

Position a rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
Line a 8x8-inch square baking pan with tin foil or parchment paper. Spray with cooking spray. Set aside.
Place graham crackers in a food processor and pulse into fine crumbs. Or you can place in a large plastic bag and crush with a rolling pin. In a small mixing bowl, stir together the graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar and melted butter until a crumbly mixture forms. 1 ½ cups (180 g) graham cracker crumbs ¼ cup (53 g) packed light brown sugar 6 tablespoons (85 g) unsalted butter
Press the graham cracker mixture into the bottom and slightly up the sides of the prepared pan.
Bake the graham cracker crust for 8 to 10 minutes, until set. Remove from the oven cool while you prepare the lemon cheesecake filling. Lower the oven temperature to 325°F.

Make cheesecake batter:

In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or you can do this in a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer) beat the cream cheese and sugar together one medium speed until smooth. 16 ounces (2 packages, 454 g) cream cheese, 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
Add in the sour cream, eggs, vanilla extract, and beat on low speed until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. 1/4 cup (60 g) sour cream 3 large eggs 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Pour the filling on top of the crust and spread into a smooth layer.
Bake in the preheated 325°F oven, for 35 to 40 minutes, until the edges are set but the middle of the bars are still soft in the center. The bars will continue to firm up as they cool.
Remove the bars from the oven, and cool at room temperature for 30 minutes. Refrigerate for 4 hours or until firm. Cut into bars and serve.

Notes

Storage: You want to store these cheesecake bars in an airtight container in your fridge for up to 4 days. For longer storage, I recommend freezing them.
Freezing: You can freeze for up to 3 months. I like to wrap any bars in plastic wrap or aluminum foil and store in plastic bag. Thaw overnight in the fridge before serving. I did find that the crust and topping will soften slightly.
Graham crackers - If you can't find graham crackers, you can use digestive biscuits or Nilla wafers.
Brown sugar - I used light brown sugar for the graham cracker crust but granulated sugar or dark brown sugar will also work.
Butter - I used unsalted butter but salted butter will also work.
Cream cheese - Make sure your cream cheese is softened so it blends up smoothly. And use full-fat cream cheese in the blocks for best texture.
Sour cream - I used full-fat sour cream but a plain full fat Greek yogurt will also work.

Nutrition