Raspberry Cheesecake Bars Recipe (2024)

5 from 9 votes

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes minutes

Cool and Refrigerate: 5 hours hours

Total Time: 6 hours hours

Author: Nora Rey

For the raspberry sauce (swirl)

• ▢ 6 ounces fresh or frozen raspberries (see note)
• ▢ 2 tablespoons sugar
• ▢ 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• ▢ 1 teaspoon cornstarch

For the crust

• ▢ 1½ cups graham cracker crumbs, about 10 rectangles (see note)
• ▢ ¼ cup butter melted
• ▢ 2 tablespoons brown sugar light or dark
• ▢ Salt a pinch

For the cheesecake batter

• ▢ 1 pound cream cheese softened
• ▢ ¼ cup sour cream at room temperature (see note)
• ▢ ½ cup granulated sugar
• ▢ ½ tablespoon cornstarch sub: 1 tablespoon flour (see note)
• ▢ Salt a pinch
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• ▢ 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• ▢ 2 eggs at room temperature

US Customary - Metric

• Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat it to 325° F (165° C).

• Combine raspberries, sugar, and lemon juice in a small saucepan. Mash them and reduce the liquid over medium heat for about 5 minutes.

• Prepare a slurry by mixing cornstarch with a tablespoon of water. Add it in and let it thicken for about a minute to get a consistency like jam. Let it cool.

• Pulse graham crackers into fine crumbs in a food processor or crush them in a zip-top bag. Add melted butter, brown sugar, and salt; process until incorporated.

• Spread the graham cracker mixture into the pan. Pack them down with a ramekin or the bottom of a glass. Bake it for 10 minutes, then let it cool.

• Combine cream cheese, sour cream, sugar, cornstarch or flour, salt, vanilla, lemon juice, and lemon zest in a large bowl. Beat on medium-low speed until smooth. Scrape the bottom and sides as needed with a rubber spatula.

• Add eggs and mix until just combined.

• Pour the mixture over the cooled crust and spread it evenly with a spoon.

• Drop spoonfuls of the raspberry sauce on top. Create swirls using a knife, chopstick, or skewer.

• Bake for 30 minutes until the middle part is set and no longer wet.

• Allow it to cool completely in the pan uncovered to prevent condensation, which can make the crust soggy and cause the layers to separate.

• Refrigerate at least 4 hours before serving.

• Raspberries: Use fresh or frozen raspberries. Blueberries, strawberries, and other types of berries will also work. As an alternative, you can use about 6 tablespoons of store-bought jam.
• Graham crackers: Substitute with crunchy cookies like Biscoff, vanilla wafers, Oreo, or digestive cookies.
• Sour cream: Greek yogurt is a good substitute—tangy like sour cream. You can also use heavy cream for a very creamy texture.
• Cornstarch or flour: It makes cheesecake firm and easier to cut. The texture is very creamy without it; you can skip it if you are not particular about it.