Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake Bars
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Sweet raspberry cheesecake bars are the perfect mix of creamy cheesecake with a burst of delicious raspberry flavor. Perfect for dessert platters, these fruity and dreamy cheesecake bars always feel extra special for dessert!
Table of Contents
Why We Love Raspberry Cheesecake Bars
- Creamy With A Delicious Raspberry Flavor – If you have a raspberry fan in your family they will love the burst of flavor in these creamy raspberry bars.
- Simpler To Make Then Cheesecake– These easy cheesecake bars use a regular square pan instead of a springform pan like traditional cheesecake.
- Perfect For Celebrations – These bars feel decadent for parties, birthdays, Christmas and Thanksgiving holidays, baby showers, Easter and more! These bars can also easily be sliced large or bite-sized for a dessert platter.
Ingredients For Raspberry Cheesecake Bars
Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements and directions below in the recipe card.
For The Graham Cracker Crust
- graham crackers you can also buy already crumbled crumbs by the cup
- brown sugar
- butter – salted melted
For The Cheesecake
- cream cheese – softened to room temperature, 2 blocks
- sugar
- eggs
- sour cream
- vanilla extract
For The Raspberry Topping
- raspberries can use fresh or frozen
- white sugar
- lemon juice
How To Make Raspberry Cheesecake Bars
Make The Graham Cracker Crust
- Preheat the oven to 325. Line a 8×8 square pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper.
- Place the graham crackers in a food processor and pulse until they become crumbs.
- Add the graham cracker crumbs to a large mixing bowl. Place the brown sugar and melted butter in with the graham cracker crumbs. Mix together until the crumbs are no longer dry.
- Add the graham cracker crumbs into the bottom of the pan. Use a ½ cup measuring cup to press the crumbs firmly and evenly into the bottom of the pan. Bake the crust in the oven for 8 minutes then let the pan cool for at least five minutes.
Make The Cheesecake Filling
- Place the cream cheese in a large mixing bowl. Mix with an electric mixer until smooth, about 2-3 minutes. Add ½ cup sugar and cream together the sugar and cream cheese until fully mixed.
- Crack the eggs into a medium bowl and beat lightly with a fork. Add the eggs half at a time to the cream cheese mixture, whipping until fully mixed.
- Add the sour cream and vanilla to the cream cheese filling. Whip with an electric mixer until smooth
Make The Raspberry Topping
- Add raspberries, 6 tablespoons of sugar and lemon juice to a saucepan. Bring the mixture to a slow boil over high heat. Reduce the mixture to medium heat to simmer, stirring regularly to keep from burning. Cook for 10-12 minutes until thick sauce begins to form, then set to the side to cool for a few minutes.
Layer And Bake The Bars
- Add the cheesecake filling to the top of the graham cracker crust. Use a silicone spatula to smooth the mixture evenly in the pan.
- Drizzle the raspberry mixture over the cream cheese. Swirl a chopstick or butter knife through the mixture to allow the raspberry filling to mix more into the top of the cheesecake layer.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes until fully set in the center. You can test by holding the pan with hot pads and gently rolling the pan from left to right just a little. The top center of the pan should not look liquidy but will still jiggle a little. The middle of the cheesecake should feel slightly tacky when carefully touched.
- Allow the cheesecake to cool in the pan on a wire rack for at least 20 minutes. Place in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours to chill, or overnight. Then slice into small squares and enjoy!
Variation Ideas
Use jam– The raspberry swirl in this recipe is a homemade jam, but you can swap flavors of delicious jam in this recipe. Try my blackberry jam, or make a full batch of raspberry jam and use the rest of the jam for toast! Storebought jam can also be swapped, but the quality of the jam may change the flavor and results.
Add lemon zest– Adding a little (or a lot) of lemon zest to the cheesecake base can give these bars a delicious lemony raspberry twist. Add a little at a time and taste the cheesecake base to make sure you add enough lemon to the mix to your liking. A little goes a long way for lemon zest
Swap the berries– Try using blueberries, strawberries, or even a mix of berries!
Add whipped cream– A swirl of whipped cream on the plate is delicious with these bars.
Other Sweet Recipes You’ll Love
Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake Bars
Sweet raspberry swirled in a creamy cheesecake bar, this decadent treat always feels extra special for dessert!
Equipment
- 1 8 x 8 Metal pan
- 1 Food Processor
- 1 Aluminum foil or parchment paper
- 1 Electric Mixer
- 1 Saucepan
Ingredients
For The Graham Cracker Crust
- 9 sheets graham crackers 9 rectangular sheets equals about 1 cup of crumbs
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- ¼ cup butter salted, melted
For The Cheesecake
- 16 ounces cream cheese softened, 2 blocks
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
For The Raspberry Topping
- 3/4 cups raspberries about 6 ounces fresh or frozen
- 4 tablespoons sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
Instructions
Make The Graham Cracker Crust
- Preheat the oven to 325. Line a 8×8 square pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper.
- Place the graham crackers in a food processor and pulse until they become crumbs. Add the graham cracker crumbs to a large mixing bowl. Place the brown sugar and melted butter in with the graham cracker crumbs. Mix together until the crumbs are no longer dry.
- Add the graham cracker crumbs into the bottom of the pan. Use a ½ cup measuring cup to press the crumbs firmly and evenly into the bottom of the pan. Bake the crust in the oven for 8 minutes then let the pan cool for at least five minutes.
Make The Cheesecake Filling
- Place the cream cheese in a large mixing bowl. Mix with an electric mixer until smooth, about 2-3 minutes. Add ½ cup sugar and cream together the sugar and cream cheese until fully mixed.
- Crack the eggs into a medium bowl and beat lightly with a fork. Add the eggs half at a time to the cream cheese mixture, whipping until fully mixed.
- Add the sour cream and vanilla to the cream cheese filling. Whip with an electric mixer until smooth.
Make The Raspberry Topping
- Add raspberries, 4 tablespoons of sugar and lemon juice to a saucepan. Bring the mixture to a slow boil over high heat. Reduce the mixture to medium low heat to simmer, stirring regularly to keep from burning. Cook for 10-12 minutes until thick sauce begins to form, then set to the side to cool for a few minutes.
Layer And Bake The Bars
- Add the cheesecake filling to the top of the graham cracker crust. Use a silicone spatula to smooth the mixture evenly in the pan.
- Drizzle the raspberry mixture over the cream cheese. Swirl a chopstick or butterknife through the mixture to allow the raspberry layer to mix more into the top of the cheesecake layer.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes until fully set in the center. You can test by holding the pan with hot pads and gently rolling the pan from left to right just a little. The top center of the pan should not look liquidy but will still jiggle a little. The middle of the cheesecake should feel slightly tacky when carefully touched.
- Allow the cheesecake to cool in the pan for at least 20 minutes. Place in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours to chill, or overnight. Then slice and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Doubling The Recipe
When doubling this recipe, I use a 9×13 pan. Expect the bars to bake for 40-45 minutes.Slicing Cheesecake Bars
These bars are delicious but rich. I often will slice them into 12 pieces instead of 9 to share. They are also so cute sliced into bite-sized cubes for a dessert platter.Storing Bars
Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for 3-5 days.Nutrition
Calories: 331kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 105mg | Sodium: 216mg | Potassium: 111mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 22g | Vitamin A: 930IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 67mg | Iron: 0.3mg
Did You Make This?
I would love to see it! Share your thoughts with me in the comments below!
Delicious! I suggest keeping in the fridge overnight before cutting.
Will definitely be making again.
Planning to make these soon. Do you have the amount needed if I have graham wafer crumbs instead of graham cracker sheets?
Hi Jeanette – It says right in the recipe card at the bottom already. 9 sheets of graham crackers, which are about 1 cup of graham cracker crumbs. Hope that helps and you enjoy!
I am allergic to raspberries can I switch them out to cherries or strawberries?
Yes you can use another berry to make the swirl part. The only differences may be 1. how long it takes you to cook down the fruit mixture 2. how much sugar is needed to add to the fruit mixture, you’ll need to add a bit at a time and adjust to taste
You could also swirl a higher quality jam into the top of the bars. I wouldn’t use a grape jelly or anything, but a good quality strawberry jam or preserves can be used in place of the fruit mixture in this recipe. You could also use my homemade blackberry jam recipe https://onmykidsplate.com/blackberry-jam/ and swirl that in. Hope that helps.
I have apples, was wondering if I could use them instead of raspberries?
I have an apple caramel crumble cheesecake bar recipe, I suggest trying that recipe if you have apples. https://onmykidsplate.com/caramel-apple-cheesecake-bars/
Looks good! Will try tomorrow. If I wanted to substitute the raspberry topping for a different one, how much topping should I use? Would 1/2 a cup be roughly equivalent?
So delicious
When doubling recipe the directions still use single measurements. Caught it so ok .will make next week.
Yes the program only allows the ingredients to easily be doubled when you hit x2, and I include it to make it easier for anyone making my recipes. It can’t change the text of the written instructions unfortunately.
Can I put them in the fridge and the freezer to speed up chilling time?
Cheesecake can be frozen but if you put it too quickly in the freezer to cool it too fast, the cheesecake can sometimes crack.
For a triple batch, how big of pan and how long should I expect to cook it? Thanks in advance
I would use three square pans and follow the directions as is. You could also put a double batch ins a 9×13 glass pan, it should take about 35-40 minutes to cook for the rectangular pan alone, but an extra square pan for the third batch would cook quicker as per the directions.
This came out soo yummy! I made it with handpicked raspberries and it was so delicious. I shared it with friends and neighbors and they all messaged me to tell me how good it was!
Thank you!
Oh fantastic, I’m so glad everyone enjoyed the raspberry cheesecake Alyse! I bet it was even better with those handpicked raspberries. 🙂
Delicious and very easy to make!
I went the extra step to strain the seeds when I made the raspberry syrup because no one wants that many seeds. It really made the difference. Otherwise it was an easy and delicious recipe.
What do you set the oven to, 350 I’m assuming . .. . .
Forget it, I found it .. . .. . 325 . .. . .
Can I freeze these?
Yes, these bars freeze alright. I would slice them and freeze them on a cookie sheet, then wrap in freezer paper or wax paper before putting in an freezer container or freezer bag. Hope that helps!
ok with the raspberry seeds, do not need to strain?
I didn’t find it necessary to strain the seeds for this recipe. You can if you prefer.