4.73 from 73 votes

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!

Raspberry swirl cheesecake bars stacked from the side with a bite missing from the top bar. More bars and fresh raspberries sit nearby on the counter, and a fork holds a bite of cheesecake.


 

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.

Add these bars to a platter with a batch of Oreo cheesecake bars, caramel apple crumble cheesecake bars or the pumpkin cheesecake bars. The cranberry crumble bars are also a delicious treat!

Ingredients For Raspberry Cheesecake Bars

Ingredients for raspberry swirl cheesecake bars in bowls with labels on a counter from above.

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

  1. Preheat the oven to 325. Line a 8×8 square pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper.
  2. Place the graham crackers in a food processor and pulse until they become crumbs.
Graham cracker crumbs in a large bowl with brown sugar and butter in small bowls nearby on the counter from overhead.
  1. 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.
  2. 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

  1. 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.
Whipping cream cheese filling in a bowl from overhead with egg and sour cream in bowls nearby on the counter.
  1. 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.
  2. Add the sour cream and vanilla to the cream cheese filling. Whip with an electric mixer until smooth

Make The Raspberry Topping

  1. 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.
Raspberries in a pan with sugar and lemon juice nearby on the counter.

Layer And Bake The Bars

  1. Add the cheesecake filling to the top of the graham cracker crust. Use a silicone spatula to smooth the mixture evenly in the pan.
Cheesecake mixture poured into a square pan from overhead on a counter with raspberries nearby.
  1. 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.
Raspberry sauce being swirled into cheesecake in a square pan from above with a raspberry saucepan nearby on the counter.
  1. 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.
Raspberry cheesecake bars in a square pan on the counter after baking from overhead.
  1. 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!
Sliced raspberry cheesecake bars on a counter with more fresh raspberries forks with plates, and raspberry sauce nearby.

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.

Raspberry cheesecake swirl bars placed from above on a table close up with fresh raspberries on parchment paper..

Stacked raspberry swirl cheesecake bars with the top bar missing a bite. Fresh raspberries and more cheesecake bars sit behind and nearby on the counter.
Recipe

Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake Bars


Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Chill Time 6 hours 20 minutes
Total Time 7 hours 15 minutes
Servings 9 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
Keyword cheesecake, raspberry

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Recipe Rating




26 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    This is a fantastic recipe. I followed it exactly except I put some lemon juice into the cream cheese mixture for a lemon raspberry thing with the topping. 10/10 highly recommend for entertaining

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