Strawberry Cheesecake Bars
These strawberry cheesecake bars are the perfect recipe for summer. It has a graham cracker crust, creamy cheesecake, and fresh strawberry sauce.

If you are looking for a cheesecake bar that is dressed to impress for the summer BBQ, these are it! They are super creamy, and that strawberry sauce is so easy to make, but it has a bright strawberry flavor.
Another great part about this cheesecake is it doesn’t need a water bath! Which makes it such an easy recipe.
I have tips and tricks and process photos to easily help you make this recipe! If you love cheesecake bars, you have to try my cookie dough cheesecake bars.
Tips for making cheesecake bars
Here are my tips, so yours turns out like this recipe!
- Tip 1: The graham cracker crust only goes on the bottom of the pan. Don’t put in on the sides of the pan, it isn’t needed.
- Tip 2: Make sure your dairy is room temperature before baking. This helps prevent clumps and makes mixing easier.
- Tip 3: To help prevent cracks let the cheesecake cool in the turned off oven for 20 minutes. If you take it out to cool it will cool too quickly and can crack.
- Tip 4: The strawberry sauce can be made with fresh or frozen strawberries. However, fresh is best when you can chop them in smaller pieces.
FAQ’s
Yes you can!
Your cheesecake may crack since it does not use a water bath, mine didn’t though! However, these cheesecake bars are not very thick and have a strawberry sauce, so it should not affect them once they are topped.
Yes you can. It will just make thick bars. They will require more bake time than a big pan due to being thicker.
Storing and Freezing
You can store the cheesecake bars in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Save this Recipe!
The cheesecake bars can be stored in the freezer in an airtight container for up to 30 days. I recommend cutting them into individual slices first. They can then thaw for 1-2 hours before eating.
For more strawberry recipes, check out my
Make sure to leave a star review if you loved this recipe! Make sure to tag me on Instagram @stephaniesweettreats. To get more ideas follow me on Pinterest.
Strawberry Cheesecake Bars
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust
- 2 cups Graham cracker crumbs, about 1 1/2 packets of graham crackers.
- 2 TBSP Brown sugar, packed light or dark
- 1/2 cup Unsalted butter, melted
Strawberry Sauce
- 3 cups Fresh strawberries, washed, and cut into pieces.
- 1/2 cup White granulated sugar
- 1/2 TBSP Lemon juice
- 1 TBSP Water
- 1 TBSP Cornstarch
Cheesecake
- 24 oz Cream cheese, room temperature
- 3/4 cup White granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup Sour cream, room temperature
- 1/4 cup Heavy cream, room temperature
- 1 tsp Pure vanilla extract
- 4 Large eggs, room temperature
Instructions
Graham Cracker Crust
- Preheat oven at 325F. Spray an 9X9 inch pan with a baking non-stick spray. Line it with parchment paper on the bottom and 2 sides and spray again.
- Using a food processor, crumble up graham crackers until they are a fine crumb. Combine graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar, and melted butter in a small bowl using a fork. Pour crumbs into pan. Use your hands to press the crumbs into the bottom of the pan. Use a measuring cup to compact the crust.2 cups Graham cracker crumbs, 2 TBSP Brown sugar, 1/2 cup Unsalted butter
- Bake for 12 minutes.
Strawberry Sauce
- Cut strawberries into quarters and cut into medium sized pieces. Pour strawberries into a saucepan over medium heat. Add sugar, lemon juice, water, and cornstarch. Mix.3 cups Fresh strawberries, 1/2 cup White granulated sugar, 1/2 TBSP Lemon juice, 1 TBSP Water, 1 TBSP Cornstarch
- Heat until the liquid starts boiling. Cook for 8-10 minutes until the strawberry sauce is thick. Take off heat and cool completely. Store in the fridge until ready to decorate.
Cheesecake Batter
- Using a mixer, beat the cream cheese and sugar on high speed for 2 minutes. Scrape the bowl using a baking rubber spatula halfway through.24 oz Cream cheese, 3/4 cup White granulated sugar
- Add in sour cream, heavy cream, and vanilla. Beat on medium until creamy with no lumps remaining. Scrape the bowl. Add in the eggs and mix on low speed until just combined.1/2 cup Sour cream, 1/4 cup Heavy cream, 1 tsp Pure vanilla extract, 4 Large eggs
- Pour the batter over the crust. Then, bake for 35-40 minutes. The cheesecake is done baking when the edges are set but the middle has a slight jiggle.
- Turn off the oven, prop open the door and the cheesecake sit for 20 minutes. This allows the cheesecake to slowly cool. Place the pan on a cooling rack.
- Cool the cheesecake completely. Wrap in foil and place in the fridge for at least 6 hours or overnight.
- Take the cheesecake out of the pan and remove the parchment paper. Spread the strawberry sauce on top. Keep in the fridge until ready to serve.
Delicious recipe! I appreciate the way you put the amounts along with the instructions so I don’t have to keep scrolling up to re-look. Very clever! Thanks!
This worked exactly as written! My first time ever making a cheesecake and this recipe was easy to follow and SO yummy. Thanks for sharing your recipes!
Made these for a family function and they were a huge hit! So delicious!
Hi! My strawberries from the sauce turned into a very dark color, I cooked them for more than 10 minutes because it wasnโt getting thick. Any recommendations? Or any reasons that they didnโt stay in a good looking red?
Thanks
Here are my thoughts:
It sounds like you over cooked the strawberries. Did you use frozen strawberries?
If it didn’t thicken, that could be that the heat wasn’t high enough. Also, the sauce thickens dramatically as it cools. So you have may have over cooked it when it would have thickened as it cools. I hope this helps!
THE BEST CAKE I VE EVER EATEN!!!
Thatโs only the truth! I tried this recipe for the first time and I canโt believe how it worksโฆthe cheesecake was so smooth, soft without a water bath or anything else! I live in Germany and for the cracker crust I used โButterkekseโ and it was insane! Best recipes in the word by Stephanie ๐
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