Strawberry Cheesecake Bars
Strawberry Cheesecake Bars made with a thick graham cracker crust, creamy, tangy cheesecake filling, and a fresh strawberry topping. Easy, rich, and delicious!
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Cheesecake is perfect year-round, but when strawberries are in season, my family begs me to make these strawberry cheesecake bars. Nothing screams summer and scream to me more than these strawberry cheesecake bars and my lemon raspberry cheesecake. I know it's a hot summer day and we don't want to turn the oven on but trust me and bake strawberry cheesecake bars you won't regret it.
Why you'll love these strawberry cheesecake bars:
- They taste better overtime, which means you can bake it way ahead of time for a party or a summer barbeque.
- Not a fan of strawberries? Use another topping like my raspberry, blueberry or apple topping
- No water leaking into the graham cracker crust.
Strawberry Cheesecake Bars Ingredients:
Cheesecake crust
- Graham crackers- You can simply use any kind crackers you like here I just used honey maid honey graham crackers
- Brown Sugar- Regular white sugar is a great substitute for brown sugar for the crust.
- Butter- I like to use salted butter but feel free to use unsalted butter here if you have that instead.
Cheesecake Filling:
- Cream cheese- Use full fat cream cheese
- Sugar- White granulated sugar, don't substitute with any other kind as it will alter the taste and color
- Sour Cream- Helps give the cheesecake tang. Greek yogurt is a great substitute.
- Heavy Cream- Don't skip the heavy cream, makes velvety cheesecake
- Vanilla- You can use vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste, substitute for the same amount
- Eggs- I use large eggs, make sure the eggs are room temperature
Strawberry Topping:
- Strawberries- Fresh strawberries or frozen strawberries will both work well
- Sugar- Adjust the sweetness according to how you'd like I believe the amount of sugar I added was perfect for the tanginess of the cheesecake.
- Cornstarch- You can skip adding cornstarch, but cornstarch makes the process a bit faster and makes sure that the strawberry sauce is too liquid and running everywhere.
Water- The water in this helps the consistency of the cornstarch mix better, you can add more if needed.
Full strawberry cheesecake bars ingredients are listed on the recipe card below.
Let's Make Strawberry Cheesecake Bars
If you’re comfortable baking, you can jump straight to the recipe. But if you’re newer to baking, I love walking through the process step by step.
Graham Cracker Crust:
Start by preheating your oven to 350°F and lining an 8×8 baking pan with parchment paper. Leave some overhang on the sides so the cheesecake is easy to lift out once it’s chilled.
In a medium bowl, mix together the crushed graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar, and melted butter
Stir until everything is well combined. When you squeeze some of the mixture in your hand, it should hold together without falling apart.
(This step can also be done in the food processor, crush the graham crackers, add the sugar and melted butter and you're done!)
Cheesecake Batter:
Press the crust firmly into the bottom of the pan using the bottom of a measuring cup helps create an even, sturdy crust.
Bake the crust for 8 to 10 minutes, then remove it from the oven and set it aside to cool. Once it’s out, lower the oven temperature to 325°F.
Beat softened room temperature cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl.
Mix on low to medium speed until smooth, stopping to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl
Crack and whisk the eggs in another bowl and then mix along with the vanilla extract.
Keep the mixer on low speed and mix gently.
Once the mixture is creamy with no lumps, add the heavy cream and sour cream and mix just until combined
I like to mix for about 30 seconds, then stop, scrape the bowl, and give the batter a few gentle folds by hand. This prevents the cheesecake from getting overmixed.
Pour the cheesecake batter over the cooled crust and smooth the top with spatula so it’s even.
Bring a pot or kettle of water to a boil. Place a small baking pan on the lower rack of your oven and carefully pour the hot water into it. This creates steam in the oven and helps the cheesecake bake evenly without cracking. (This is not a water bath)
Bake for 45 to 50 minutes.
The edges should be set, the center should still have a gentle jiggle, and the top will be lightly golden around the edges. Remove the cheesecake from the oven and allow it to cool completely at room temperature before placing it in the refrigerator. Four hours is the minimum but overnight gives the best texture.
Strawberry Topping:
To make the strawberry topping, wash and quarter the strawberries.
Place them in a medium saucepan with sugar. Cook over medium to low heat, stirring occasionally, until the strawberries soften and release their juices.
Pour half of the mixture into a tall container and blend until smooth, then return it to the saucepan.
This step is optional, but it gives the perfect balance of sauce and jammy strawberries.
Stir the cornstarch and water together, then pour it into the strawberry mixture while stirring. The topping will thicken quickly. Transfer it to an airtight container and allow it to cool before refrigerating. This can be made at least 3 days ahead of time.
Once the cheesecake is fully chilled, lift it out of the pan using the parchment paper. Spread the topping evenly over the cheesecake and add fresh strawberries if desired, slice into bars. Enjoy!
Frequently asked questions.
How come my cheesecake is not fully done fully baking at the 45-to-50-minute mark?
This can be caused by a lot of things. The ingredients may not be the same temperature as my house room temperature. Which means it would take longer to bake if you used cold ingredients from the refrigerator. Your oven is also not the same as mine, so adjust baking time as needed.
Can I make this with another fruit?
Refer to the top of my headlines where it says Why you'll love this recipe! There are three other toppings you can try with this cheesecake.
Can I use another kind of baking pan?
Yes, if you use a different baking pan, you'll have to adjust the time. Add or takeaway if the pan is bigger or smaller.
Strawberry Cheesecake Bars
Ingredients
Cheesecake Crust
- 2 cups Graham Crackers crushed
- 3 tablespoon Brown Sugar
- 6 tablespoon Salted butter melted
Cheesecake Filling:
- 16 ounces Cream cheese room temperature
- ¾ cup Sugar
- ½ cup Sour Cream room temperature
- ¼ cup Heavy Cream room temperature
- 2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 3 large Eggs room temperature
Strawberry Topping:
- 1 lb Fresh Strawberry washed, cut, remove stems
- ⅓ cup Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoon Cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon Water
Instructions
Cheesecake Crust:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8×8 pan with parchment paper.
- Mix graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar, and melted butter. Press into the pan and bake 8–10 minutes.
- Cool and reduce oven to 325°F.
Cheesecake Batter:
- Beat softened room temperature cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl.
- Whisk eggs and vanilla in a separate small bowl and add to cream cheese.
- Add heavy cream and sour cream.
- Remove the bowl from the stand mixer and then gently fold cheesecake batter until it's all combined. Pour over crust and smooth the top.
- Place a small pan of boiling water on the lower oven rack to create steam. Bake cheesecake 45–50 minutes until edges are set and center jiggles.
- Allow the cheesecake to cool to room temperature on the counter and then refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.
Strawberry Topping:
- Cut, wash and quarter strawberries removing the stems.
- Cook the sugar and strawberries in a medium saucepan for 4 minutes on low speed until the juices release.
- Pour half of the mixture into a tall container and blend until smooth, then return it to the saucepan. This step is optional, but it gives the perfect balance of sauce and jammy strawberries.
- Stir the cornstarch and water together, then pour it into the strawberry mixture while stirring. The topping will thicken quickly. Transfer it to an airtight container and allow it to cool before refrigerating.
Strawberry Cheesecake Bars Assembly:
- Spread the topping evenly over the cheesecake and add fresh strawberries if desired, slice into bars.
- Enjoy!
