These triple-layered strawberry cheesecake bars are an awesome summer treat. Light, creamy, and with a wonderful strawberry flavor, this dessert shrinks a full-size cheesecake into wonderful single-serving squares. Great for get-togethers and family cookouts, these cheesecake bars will disappear fast.
While these layered strawberry cheesecake bars can be made any time of the year, this is a great summer dessert when strawberries are at their best and ripest. Creamy bar desserts like this are great because they can serve several people and make smaller, single portions than entire slices of thick cheesecakes.
I love this version of strawberry cheesecake bars because it has a pure, vanilla cheesecake layer with a tangy strawberry layer on top. Keeping them separate lets you enjoy the pure flavors of both layers instead of flavors that get muddled together. If you love bar desserts like these, consider my easy key lime pie bars for another awesome summer dessert.
Jump to:
🥘 Ingredients for Strawberry Cheesecake Bars
The ingredients here are broken into each layer, for measurements see the recipe card below. After the instructions I’ll mention a few variations as well.
Graham Cracker Crust
Graham Crackers – Use a full sleeve of graham crackers for the crust, about 9 sheets. If you live somewhere that doesn’t sell graham crackers, digestive biscuits make a good substitution.
Sugar – Use a bit of white sugar to sweeten the crust.
Flour – All-purpose flour adds a little more body to the crust.
Butter – Melted, unsalted butter helps to bind the ingredients together when cooked. If using salted butter, you can omit the added salt in the recipe.
Cheesecake Layer
Cream Cheese – Obviously, you’ll need some cream cheese for the cheesecake layer. I use 1 ½ pounds for this layer, so you’ll need 3 block-style cream cheese bars. Don’t use cream cheese spreads.
Sugar – More white sugar to flavor the middle layer.
Eggs – Use 3 large eggs at room temperature to thicken the cheesecake layer.
Vanilla – A good helping of vanilla extract adds a great flavor to the cheesecake.
Strawberry Layer
Strawberries – In a standard one-pound container of fresh strawberries, you’ll use about half of them in the top layer after blending them down. Save the other half for topping the cheesecake bars.
Sugar – Some additional white sugar for the final layer.
Sour Cream – Instead of more cream cheese, this top layer uses sour cream for a tangy topping that works well with the sweetness of the strawberries.
Black Pepper – This surprising addition enhances the strawberry flavor and actually makes them taste sweeter. I use this same addition in my strawberry buttercream, and I highly recommend using it here as well.
🔪 How to Make Strawberry Cheesecake Bars
You’ll need to start with the graham crust, bake it, add the cheesecake layer, bake it, then add the topping and bake a little longer. Once cooled, refrigerate until set and enjoy!
Graham Crust
Preheat the oven to 300°F / 150°C and prepare a 13x9 baking pan with a foil or parchment sling and set aside.
In a food processor, add the graham crackers, sugar, flour, and salt. Pulse a few times until combined. Pour in the melted butter and pulse a couple of times until all the dry ingredients look wet. If you don’t have a food processor, you can put everything into a zipper lock bag and crush the graham crackers with a rolling pin and mix everything in that.
Spray the bottom and sides of the 13x9 pan with nonstick spray and dump the moist crumb mix into it. Even the graham crumbs out along the bottom of the pan, and using the bottom of a dry measuring cup, pack them down into an even and compressed layer.
Bake the crust for 18-22 minutes until browned and cooked some. You can smell the graham when it’s ready to come out. Set aside to cool before adding the next layer.
Cheesecake Filling
While the crust is baking, start on the cheesecake layer.
In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, or in a mixing bowl with a hand mixer, add the cream cheese and mix on medium speed until smooth, about 2 minutes.
Add the sugar and cream together with the softened cream cheese on medium speed, about 2-3 minutes more. Pour in the vanilla extract and give it a quick mix for 10-20 seconds.
Finally, add the eggs, one at a time, and mix on low speed until just combined.
Pour the cream cheese mixture onto the cooled graham crust and tap the pan a few times to even it out. Place into the oven and bake for about 45 minutes, until mostly cooked and set, with only a little bit of wetness in the center.
Strawberry Topping
While the cheesecake layer is baking, make the strawberry and sour cream layer.
Remove the stems and chop the strawberries into halves or quarters. In the cleaned bowl of the food processor, or a blender, add the strawberries, sugar, and black pepper and pulse until it’s pureed.
In the cleaned bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, or in a mixing bowl with a hand mixer, add the sour cream. Mix on medium speed until the sour cream is smooth, about 2 minutes.
Add the strawberry puree mixture to the sour cream and mix on low speed for about a minute.
Once the cheesecake layer has baked, remove it from the oven and pour the strawberry layer on top of it. You don’t need to let the cheesecake layer cool first.
Place the pan back into the oven and bake for about 15 minutes longer. Remove from the oven and allow it to cool completely, at least 1-2 hours. Once cooled, cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight until completely chilled and set.
Remove the cheesecake bars from the pan and slice into 24 squares. Alternatively, top with slices of the reserved strawberries and/or whipped cream.
📖 Strawberry Cheesecake Bar Variations
While I love the flavor of these triple-layer strawberry cheesecake bars, there’s numerous other ways you can make these. Since some of these would require entirely different recipes, I’ll just go over the basic ideas here.
Double-Layered – If you would rather not make the extra layer, you can skip the sour cream and mix the strawberries into the cheesecake layer instead. Add an extra 8oz block of cream cheese and lower the vanilla extract to 1 teaspoon. You may need another 10-15 minutes of baking time as well, check that the center barely jiggles and looks mostly dry.
No-Bake Version – Make the crust as before, but instead of baking, freeze it for 2-4 hours. Omit the eggs and sour cream. Make 2 cups of whipped cream instead. Mix the strawberry puree into the whipped cream and fold the mixture into the cream cheese. Cover and freeze at least 4-6 hours or overnight.
Shortbread Crust – I’ve had this with both graham cracker and shortbread crust, and both are great options. If you’d like to use a shortbread crust instead, check out my recipe for creamy limoncello lemon bars and make the crust as directed there.
Mixed Berry – For a different flavor from just strawberries, use a combination of strawberries, blackberries, and raspberries for a mixed berry cheesecake bar instead. Use about 6-8 ounces altogether.
💭 Frequently Asked Questions
Because of the dairy content, you can only leave cheesecake bars sitting out at room temperature for about 2 hours. You’ll want to keep them refrigerated for food safety, but they also tend to melt if left out too long anyway.
If you’re trying to get nice and clean slices on cheesecake bars or any bar type of dessert, you’ll want to use a clean, sharp, hot knife. Run the knife under hot water, give it a quick wipe, and make a single cut along the length or width of the dessert. Clean and wipe the knife between each cut.
Absolutely. Cheesecake bars and other creamy bar desserts can be frozen for up to 3 months in an airtight container.
🍽 Recommended Equipment
While you can definitely make these with some basic kitchen equipment, a few items make things easier.
Food Processor – Using a food processor makes things much easier when making a graham cracker crust and pureeing the strawberries. While you can try and process the strawberries and sugar in a standard blender, the blade tends to sit a little high and there’s not a lot of liquid to help with things.
Stand Mixer – A good stand mixer should be a part of any home baker’s standard equipment. While it’s a bit of an investment compared to a hand mixer, it will make things so much easier for you in the long run.
❄️ Storing & Freezing Cheesecake Bars
Once cooled completely, cover and refrigerate the triple-layer strawberry cheesecake bars. After you cut them into individual bars, place into airtight containers and place wax paper between layers. Store in the refrigerator for 4-7 days.
If you have leftovers that you wish to store for more than a week, you can freeze them as well. Store just as above for refrigeration and they should last at least 3 months in the freezer. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator or enjoy them frozen as well.
📋 Recipe
Triple-Layered Strawberry Cheesecake Bars
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust:
- 1 sleeve of graham crackers, about 9 full sheets
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
Cheesecake Layer:
- 1 ½ pounds block-style cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Strawberry Topping:
- 6 ounces strawberries, hulled and quartered
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 cups full-fat sour cream, at room temperature
Directions
Graham Crust:
- Preheat the oven to 300°F / 150°C and prepare a 13x9 baking pan with a foil or parchment sling and set aside.
- In a food processor, add the graham crackers, ¼ cup white sugar, ¾ cup all-purpose flour, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Pulse a few times until combined. Pour in the ½ cup of melted butter and pulse a couple of times until all the dry ingredients look wet. If you don’t have a food processor, you can put everything into a zipper lock bag and crush the graham crackers with a rolling pin and mix everything in that.
- Spray the bottom and sides of the 13x9 pan with nonstick spray and dump the moist crumb mix into it. Even the graham crumbs out along the bottom of the pan, and using the bottom of a dry measuring cup, pack them down into an even and compressed layer.
- Bake the crust for 18-22 minutes until browned and cooked some. You can smell the graham when it’s ready to come out. Set aside to cool before adding the next layer.
Cheesecake Filling:
- While the crust is baking, start on the cheesecake layer.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, or in a mixing bowl with a hand mixer, add 1 ½ pounds of cream cheese and mix on medium speed until smooth, about 2 minutes.
- Add 1 cup white sugar and cream together with the softened cream cheese on medium speed, about 2-3 minutes more. Pour in 2 teaspoons vanilla extract and give it a quick mix for 10-20 seconds.
- Finally, add the 3 eggs, one at a time, and mix on low speed until just combined.
- Pour the cream cheese mixture onto the cooled graham crust and tap the pan a few times to even it out. Place into the oven and bake for about 45 minutes, until mostly cooked and set, with only a little bit of wetness in the center.
Strawberry Topping:
- While the cheesecake layer is baking, make the strawberry and sour cream layer.
- Remove the stems and chop 6-8 ounces of strawberries into halves or quarters. In the cleaned bowl of the food processor, or a blender, add the strawberries, ¼ cup white sugar, and ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper and pulse until it’s pureed.
- In the cleaned bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, or in a mixing bowl with a hand mixer, add 2 cups sour cream. Mix on medium speed until the sour cream is smooth, about 2 minutes.
- Add the strawberry puree mixture to the sour cream and mix on low speed for about a minute.
- Once the cheesecake layer has baked, remove it from the oven and pour the strawberry layer on top of it. You don’t need to let the cheesecake layer cool first.
- Place the pan back into the oven and bake for about 15 minutes longer. Remove it from the oven and allow it to cool completely, at least 1-2 hours. Once cooled, cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight until completely chilled and set.
- Remove the cheesecake bars from the pan and slice into 24 squares. Alternatively, top with slices of the reserved strawberries and/or whipped cream.
Comments
No Comments