Want rich, creamy cheesecake without all the fuss? These New York-style Cheesecake Bars are your answer. With a buttery graham cracker crust and a thick, tangy cream cheese filling, they bake up beautifully in a 9X13 pan-no water bath required. Easy to slice and perfect for parties, they're a make-ahead dessert that looks fancy but comes together fast.
Cheesecake is always a good idea in my book. I absolutely adore all forms of cheesecake. I have over 30 + Cheesecake Recipes on CBQ! A NY Style cheesecake has sour cream in the batter to help create a smooth, denser, and creamier cheesecake texture. Another sour cream cheesecake we make on repeat is this baked chocolate chip cheesecake.
Behind the Bars: Crust, Filling & Water Bath Explained
For this cheesecake bars recipe:
- Graham Cracker Crumbs. You can also used crushed Biscoff cookies or Ginger biscuits. You can crush them yourself in a food processor or in a large ziplock bag and a rolling pin, OR you can buy pre-made crushed graham cracker crumbs.
- Cream Cheese. Trust me when I say the cream cheese MUST be completely softened to room temperature, but not liquidy soft. I have tested so many cheesecakes, this is imperative! To bring your cream cheese to room temperature quickly you can place the foil-wrapped blocks of cream cheese in a bowl of warm water for 5-10 minutes, but be careful you don't want to get it too warm. Baked mascarpone cheesecake is another take on a cheesecake you might enjoy.
- Sour Cream. Use full-fat sour cream that has been brought to room temperature. You could also get away with using full-fat Greek Yogurt.
- Large Eggs. The eggs provide structure, fat, color, and richness to the bars. Make sure your eggs are at room temperature so they properly incorporate into the batter.
You can top these bars with all kinds of delicious things like my Homemade Whipped Cream Recipe or Homemade Salted Caramel Sauce. Or try store-bought caramel or chocolate sauce, lemon curd, mini chocolate chips, or fresh fruit -- the options are endless!
Featured Review
"Best cheesecake bars EVER. Made them for dessert for Christmas for my family. They absolutely loved them."
Nana
Check out all my cheesecake baking tips here.
Let's Make Cheesecake Magic
Place the cheesecake bars in the oven on the middle rack then place a large pan filled with hot water on the bottom rack, this helps create a steamy, moist environment for the cheesecake to bake in. Which helps prevent cracks.
Use a sharp knife to cut the bars, I like to make one cut and then wipe the knife clean so that I can get clean edges on all of my cheesecake bars.
More cheesecake recipe ideas
- Lemon and blueberries are a match made in heaven in this lemon blueberry cheesecake recipe.
- This salted caramel cheesecake recipe is a family favorite, it's so creamy and delicious!
- The best mash-up has got to be this cinnamon roll cheesecake- so so good!
★★★★★ Please let me know if you make this recipe by leaving a star rating and comment below!
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New York Cheesecake in Bar Form: Creamy, Tangy & Totally Shareable
Want rich, creamy cheesecake without all the fuss? These New York-style Cheesecake Bars are your answer. With a buttery graham cracker crust and a thick, tangy cream cheese filling, they bake up beautifully-no water bath required. Easy to slice and perfect for parties, they're a make-ahead dessert that looks fancy but comes together fast.
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 16-24 Bars 1x
Ingredients
Crust
- 250 Grams (2 Cups) Graham Cracker Crumbs
- 50 grams (¼ Cup) Granulated Sugar
- 6 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, melted
Cheesecake
- 24oz (1 ½ lbs) Cream Cheese, completely softened to room temperature
- 225 grams (1 Cup + 2 Tablespoons) Granulated Sugar
- ¼ Teaspoon Salt
- 3oz (Scant ½ Cup) Sour Cream or Greek Yogurt
- 2 Teaspoons Lemon Juice
- 2 Teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract
- 3 Large Eggs + 2 Large Egg Yolks, at room temperature
- Optional: Homemade Whipped Cream Recipe
Instructions
Crust
- Preheat oven to 350F/180C and line a 9-inch X 13-inch pan with parchment paper and grease with non-stick baking spray.
- In a small bowl combine crushed graham cracker crumbs and granulated sugar. Once evenly combined add melted butter to the crumbs. Mix until a wet sand texture is formed. Press into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake for 5-8 minutes to set the crust. Let cool on a wire rack and reduce oven temperature to 300F/ 149C.
Cheesecake
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or a large bowl with a hand-held electric mixer beat the cream cheese for 3 minutes at low speed. It should be smooth with no lumps. Add the granulated sugar and salt then beat for another 2 minutes on low speed. Add the sour cream, lemon juice, and vanilla extract- mixing until fully combined. Make sure to scrape the sides of the bowl to ensure everything is evenly combined.
- Add in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add the final two egg yolks together. You should have a creamy batter with no lumps and no signs of egg yolk. Pour into the prepared pan and gently tap on the counter to encourage any air bubbles to come to the top, use a toothpick to pop any bubbles.
- Place the cheesecake bars in the oven on the middle rack then place a large pan filled with hot water on the bottom rack, this helps create a steamy, moist environment for the cheesecake to bake in. Which helps prevent cracks.
- Bake for 35- 40 minutes, the middle 2-3 inches of the cheesecake should jiggle just a little bit. I like to use an instant-read thermometer to check the internal temperature is 150F-155F or 65C-68C but be careful when you poke as if you are not covering the top in whipped cream you will see the mark.
- Turn the oven off and open the door but let the cheesecake cool in the oven for 45 minutes - 1 hour then cool it on a wire rack for another hour. Then wrap the cheesecake with plastic wrap. Let chill in the fridge overnight or for at least 6 hours.
- If you used a pan with a removable bottom then you can easily remove the bars from the pan or use the parchment paper overhang to help you remove them from the pan. Store leftovers in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
- To freeze the bars bake them and let them cool then chill them completely- they need to be set up properly before freezing. Then cut the cheesecake into the sizes you want and wrap each piece in plastic wrap tightly twice, then place it in a freezer-safe bag. This helps prevent freezer burn.
- To thaw frozen cheesecake bars transfer them to the refrigerator to thaw overnight or at least a few hours depending on how large the slices you cut are.
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 40 Minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Susan says
These are delish! I was in a hurry so just laid graham crackers in the bottom of a 9x13 glass dish and poured the cheesecake filling over the top. I added another egg and another block of cream cheese to make it stretch and then covered it with cherry pie filling-had it done and ready to get in the car in two hours. Didn’t have time to refrigerate it but it was fine after leaving in oven with door open. Hopefully will feed 15 of us!
Nana says
Best cheesecake bars EVER. Made them for dessert for Christmas for my family. They absolutely loved them.
Katie says
I made this recipe and it was very good. I had never made cheesecake before. I’m thinking of making it for my daughter’s wedding but would have to make it ahead of time and possibly freeze. If I freeze it will it make the crust soggy?
Thanks,
Katie
Elizabeth Waterson says
Hi Katie glad you liked the cheesecake, thank you for the review! Sometimes with freezing the texture of the crust can change slightly but not too much. I suggest freezing the cheesecake bars directly after they have set up in the refrigerator. Wrap them in plastic wrap, tightly, twice then cover in aluminum foil so this helps prevent air getting to the bars. Then thaw them in the refrigerator over night. Hope that helps!! Happy Baking XX Liz
Jan Hewitt says
I made these for Thanksgiving, amazing! I have made cheesecakes for 50 years and I would match these against anything that I have baked. Thank you for the recipe and Happy Holidays to you!
Elizabeth Waterson says
Thanks so much for the review Jan! So happy to hear that you enjoyed the bars! May I ask a huge favor please? Would you be so kind to leave a star rating next time you leave a review, they help me so much and other readers quickly see others have had success!! XX Liz
Katie says
The first time I made these they turned out great. This time they were thin and had no fluff to them. Maybe I didn’t cook them long enough? Only had a slight jiggle.
Cory Nolte says
I made these and they were INCREDIBLE! My family wants them again but want more filling, so if I doubled the filling but still kept in a 9x13 pan (I actually have the pan recommended in post) to have a thicker cheesecake layer, how much longer should I bake for?
Teri says
I made your cheesecake filling with a gluten free crust for Thanksgiving yesterday. I made homemade apple pie filling simmered on the stove and when cooled, topped the cooled cheesecake. It was wonderful. Everyone raved over it and the pan was almost gone. I used one pkg of light cream cheese and the sour cream was light as well. Baked time was perfect in your recipe. Thank you so much. It's a keeper!!!