These Easy Cheesecake Bars are creamy and delicious with a Graham cracker crust and lemon—the quick small-batch recipe you need with great tasting cheesecake bars.
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Real baked cheesecake bars, not a "no-bake" version, with about the same work. Dense and creamy New York Cheesecake in a bar. Now you can have great cheesecake without the fuss.
This small-batch cheesecake bar recipe is perfect for smaller gatherings or family desserts. It makes 12 squares or easily doubles in a 9 by 13 pan for larger needs.
This recipe is easy to make with minimal work or skill in about an hour and has a wonderful buttery homemade Graham cracker crust.
Not quit the bars you want, check out our popular Easy Lemon Bars or tasty Blueberry Cream Cheese Bars. And check out the other cheesecake recipes, like Cheesecake Cupcakes, Chocolate Chip Cheesecake, Blueberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake, and Philadelphia Pumpkin Cheesecake.
This is a small-batch version of one of the internet's most common cheesecake bar recipes. Adapted from the King Arthur version with expanded detail and a few adjustments.
🥣Ingredients
- Crust
- Graham crackers
- Powdered sugar
- Butter
- Cinnamon
- Batter
- Cream cheese—room temperature
- Sugar
- Sour cream
- Eggs
- Vanilla extract
- Lemon juice—add zest also if using fresh
👨🍳How to Make Cheesecake Bars
- Allow the cream cheese to rest at room temperature for several hours before starting.
- Mix crushed Graham crackers with powdered sugar and cinnamon. Then mix in melted butter.
- Press into a baking pan and bake to firm up—8 to 10 minutes.
- With a mixer, combine room-temperature cream cheese with sugar until smooth. Mix in eggs, sour cream, vanilla, and lemon juice.
- Pour the cream cheese mixture into the baking dish with the crust.
- Bake for 30-40 minutes until the edge is set and just starting to brown.
- Cool and refrigerate before cutting.
✔️Tips
- The lemon juice is optional. If you use a fresh lemon, add some zest.
- Be sure to use parchment paper, or you will destroy the cheesecake bars trying to get them out of the pan.
- Serve topped with whipped cream or fresh fruit.
⬆️Making double recipes
- Use the recipe card and adjust the number of servings from 12 to 24.
- Use the amount of ingredients in the ingredient list, not the instructions—those do not adjust.
- A double recipe fits nicely in a 9 by 13 baking dish.
- A double batch will take about 10 minutes longer to bake.
Please use parchment paper, or you will probably destroy the bars by removing them from the pan.
❓FAQs
Yes, in my opinion. Baked cheesecakes have a smooth texture denser than no-bake ones that can not match. No-bake cheesecakes are more of a mousse texture. But both have great taste.
Outside of the baking step, the work is about the same.
The cheesecake needs to be very cold. Use a long, sharp knife. Heat it under hot water and dry it. Make long cuts across the whole cake. Whip the blade clean after each cut—reheat and clean with hot water if needed.
❄️Storage
Store refrigerated covered for up to 3 days.
To freeze, place cold pieces on a tray in the freezer for an hour, then remove and double wrap them back into the freezer in a zip-lock freezer bag for 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
This recipe is listed in these categories. See them for more similar recipes.
🖼️Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
Note: all pictures are for a double batch. All instructions and recipe card are for a single batch.
Allow the cream cheese to rest at room temperature for several hours before starting. Preheat oven to 375°.
Prepare an 8 by 8 or 6 by 9 baking dish by lining it with parchment paper. Use two sheets and cut to fit in a crossing pattern. Use dots of butter in the corners of the dish to help them stay down. They need to hang over a little since you need them to remove the bars from the pan.
Crush 8 sheets of Graham crackers. Add 2 tablespoons powdered sugar, ¼ teaspoon cinnamon, and ⅛ teaspoon salt if using unsalted butter. Mix to combine. Melt 5 tablespoons butter and add.
Mix well and press into the bottom of the prepared dish and allow to run up the side about ¼ inch. Bake for 8-10 minutes to firm up. When done baking the crust, decrease the oven temperature to 325°.
With a hand mixer or stand mixer, combine 1 pound of cream cheese and 1 cup of sugar until smooth. Add 3 eggs, ¼ cup sour cream, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Add optional lemon juice if using it at this point. Mix well.
Pour into a baking dish.
Bake for 30-40 minutes until the edge is set and just starting to brown some. The center will still appear soft. You can check the temperature; it should be 180° about one inch from the edge.
Cool at room temperature for 30 minutes, then chill in the refrigerator until cold. Cut with a large sharp knife run under hot water for clean slices.
Recipe
Easy Cheesecake Bars
Ingredients
Crust
- 8 sheets graham crackers
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- 5 tablespoons butter
- ⅛ teaspoon salt - only if using unsalted butter
Batter
- 1 pound cream cheese
- 1 cup sugar
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 3 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice - optional
Instructions
- Allow the cream cheese to rest at room temperature for several hours before starting. Preheat oven to 375°. Image of ingredients if for a double recipe.
- Prepare an 8 by 8 or 6 by 9 baking dish by lining it with parchment paper. Use two sheets and cut them to fit in a crossing pattern. Use dots of butter in the corners of the dish to help them stay down. They need to hang over a little since you need them to remove the bars from the pan.
- Crush 8 sheets of Graham crackers. Add 2 tablespoons powdered sugar, ¼ teaspoon cinnamon, and ⅛ teaspoon salt if using unsalted butter. Mix to combine. Melt 5 tablespoons butter and add.
- Mix well and press into the bottom of the prepared dish and allow to run up the side about ¼ inch. Bake for 8-10 minutes to firm up. When done baking the crust, decrease the oven temperature to 325°.
- With a hand mixer or stand mixer, combine 1 pound of cream cheese and 1 cup of sugar until smooth. Add 3 eggs, ¼ cup sour cream, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Add optional lemon juice if using it at this point. Mix well.
- Pour into the baking dish.
- Bake for 30-40 minutes until the edge is set and just starting to brown some. The center will still appear soft. You can check the temperature; it should be 180° about one inch from the edge.
- Cool at room temperature for 30 minutes, then chill in the refrigerator until cold. Cut with a large sharp knife and run under hot water for clean slices.
Your Own Private Notes
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips
- This uses an 8X8 pan but 6X9 will be fine.
- A double recipe fits in a cake pan size dish of 9X13. This will take about 10 minutes longer to cook.
- Your cooking time will vary by your oven and the pan used so watch for the end-points.
- This works much better if the eggs and cream cheese are at room temperature.
- It will be near impossible to get out of the pan in good shape without the parchment paper. I like to use longer pieces of paper so I can lift it out of the pan when done.
- A few dots of butter in the pan will hold the parchment in place and prevent shifting while you assemble this.
- Great to top it with a little fruit of your choice or whipped cream.
- Cool at room temperature first helps prevent cracking.
- Good refrigerated covered for about 3 days and frozen for 3 months.
To adjust the recipe size:
You may adjust the number of servings in this recipe card under servings. This does the math for the ingredients for you. BUT it does NOT adjust the text of the instructions. So you need to do that yourself.
Nutrition Estimate
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Editor's Note: Originally Published April 4, 2017. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.
Jan D
How many 8-ounce packages are in one pound?
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
Hi Jan,
Welcome to the blog. I think you are looking at the image of ingredients which is for a double recipe (count the eggs) and should have been labeled as such—fixed.
Thanks for pointing that out.
Dan