The best cheesecake bars recipe is made with a rich, creamy cheesecake filling and buttery gluten-free graham cracker crust. This no-fuss dessert is perfect for holiday parties, potlucks, or brunch. The best part is it can be made gluten-free and topped with your favorite fruit topping!
Cheesecake is one of my favorite desserts. I love to indulge in a decadent slice of New York-style cheesecake, it’s the ultimate treat but a lot of work to make. I tend to save it for special occasions and often go for easy mini cheesecakes. The mini lemon cheesecakes and chocolate chip cheesecake are my favorite.
Gluten-Free Cheesecake Bars
Adapting my go-to recipe to make cheesecake bars is an even easier option than my bite-size cheesecakes. This creamy, silky, smooth cheesecake recipe is simple. Only 5 ingredients are needed to make the cream cheese filling. The recipe makes small-batch cheesecake bars with only 16 ounces of cream cheese. A buttery graham cracker crust can be made gluten-free so anyone with a gluten allergy or intolerance can enjoy this delicious treat.
The best part is you don’t have to worry about a water bath or allowing the cheesecake to cool in the oven with the door open. This cheesecake recipe isn’t fussy at all but will result in light and fluffy cheesecake bars everyone will enjoy.
Cheesecake bars ingredients
For the crust:
- Gluten-free graham crackers
- Sugar
- Butter
For the filling
- Cream cheese
- Sugar
- Eggs
- Vanilla
- Sour cream
How to make cheesecake bars (VIDEO TUTORIAL)
- Prepare an 8×8 square pan by lining it with aluminum foil or parchment paper.
- Crush the gluten-free graham crackers in a plastic bag with a rolling pin or in a food processor. Mix in the sugar and butter with the graham cracker crumbs. Press into the prepared pan.
- Use a stand mixer to whip together the cream cheese and sugar for 2-3 minutes. The key is to mix the cream cheese and sugar until it is light and fluffy. Note: I like to use Baker’s Sugar (superfine pure cane sugar) but regular granulated sugar will work.
- Combine the rest of the filling ingredients and pour over the prepared crust.
- Bake, cool at room temperature, then chill in the refrigerator overnight.
How to make a gluten-free crust
These days it’s easy to find an assortment of gluten-free graham crackers available at the grocery store. Use homemade graham crackers or pick up a box of your favorite brand to make 1 ¾ cup of graham cracker crumbs. After crushing the graham crackers into crumbs, combine with melted butter and granulated sugar. Press the crumb mixture into the prepared dish with a tart tamper or the bottom of a measuring cup. There’s no need to prebake the crust for this recipe.
Another option is to use gluten-free OREO cookies.
How do you cut cheesecake bars?
- Line the baking dish with aluminum foil or parchment paper.
- Once the cheesecake bars have chilled overnight, use the overhang to gently lift them from the pan.
- Decide if you prefer to cut the squares into 9 or 12 pieces. If you prefer a slightly bigger square, cut the cheesecake into thirds vertically and horizontally. For smaller cheesecake squares, cut the cheesecake in half and then cut each side in half. Turn the cheesecake bars and repeat the process until you have 12 cheesecake bars.
Add your favorite cheesecake toppings
- Cherry pie filling
- Caramel sauce
- Chocolate ganache
- Strawberry topping
- Blueberry sauce
- Lemon curd
More Gluten-Free Dessert Recipes
Cheesecake Bars (GLUTEN-FREE)
Ingredients
Graham cracker crust
- 1 ¾ cup graham cracker crumbs gluten-free
- 4 tbsp sugar
- 5 tbsp butter melted
Cheesecake filling
- 16 oz cream cheese room temperature
- ½ cup sugar ultrafine pure cane sugar
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Graham cracker crust
- Cover an 8x8 square pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil.
- Crush graham crackers in a food processor into fine crumbs.
- Mix in melted butter and sugar until well combined.
- Press graham cracker mixture into prepared pan.
Cheesecake layer
- Combine cream cheese and ultrafine pure cane sugar (Baker's Sugar) in a stand mixer or use a handheld mixer. Cream together for 2-3 minutes or until light and fluffy.
- Mix in eggs, sour cream, and vanilla until well combined.
- Pour over prepared graham cracker crust; spread into an even layer.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes. Allow the cheesecake to cool on a cooling rack for 30 minutes. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight.
- Remove cheesecake from pan by lifting excess parchment paper. Cut into bars and top with berry pie filling, chocolate, caramel, or whipped cream.
Nutrition
