Key Lime Cheesecake Bars are tart, sweet, creamy, and absolutely irresistible. They’re the perfect refreshing Summer treat and easy to share.
This fun Dessert Recipe is like a combination of a Key Lime Pie and New York Cheesecake. It gets its thick, rich texture from cheesecake, but it has the tart taste of the classic pie!
KEY LIME CHEESECAKE BARS
Summer is the perfect time to make classic fruit desserts like Strawberry or Peach Pie. The fruit is perfectly in season, and they just make the best treats. Key Lime has to be on the list of those favorite Summer dessert. The lime flavor is tangy, tart and refreshing, plus these chilled bars are sure to keep you nice and cool!
Cheesecake Bars are easier to make than a classic cheesecake. Instead of worrying about an ice bath or any steps like that, you just pour the key lime filling into your crust and bake it for 50 minutes. The bars are also easier to serve to a crowd than a typical Key Lime Pie or cheesecake. The squares are easy to cut, mess-free, and the batch is a lot bigger so it’s perfect for a party!
You can serve the Key Lime Cheesecake Bars as simple as they are, or add some garnishes to them. For a fancier occasion slice the bars into squares before serving. Then right before you take the dish out, add a dollop of Whipped Cream and thin lime slices for decoration.
MORE CHEESECAKE RECIPES
Brownie Cheesecake
Peanut Butter Cheesecake
Cherry Cheesecake Bars
Chocolate Cheesecake
TIPS FOR MAKING KEY LIME CHEESECAKE BARS
- Prep time: Take the cream cheese out of your fridge to soften. Preheat the oven and spray your pan with cooking spray.
- Crust: Put 24 graham crackers in your food processor and pulse until they’re broken into crumbs. If you don’t want to use a food processor, put the crackers in a plastic bag on your counter and use a rolling pin to break them apart. Combine the crumbs with sugar, and melted butter. Press the crumb mixture into the base of a 9×13 inch baking dish. Use your hands to press the crust into an even layer.
- Cheesecake batter: Add the cream cheese and granulated sugar to your stand mixer. Beat them together on high until the cream cheese is nice and fluffy. If you don’t have a stand mixer, put them in a large mixing bowl and use a handheld electric mixer to do the same thing. Lower it to medium speed before you add the eggs, sweetened condensed milk, vanilla, key lime juice, lime zest, and flour. Mix all the ingredients together until smooth.
- Bake: Use a rubber spatula to spread the lime mixture over the crust and bake for 50-55 minutes. Wiggle the pan to make sure the cheesecake is firm. Then put the Key Lime Cheesecake Bars in the fridge to chill.
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VARIATIONS ON KEY LIME CHEESECAKE BARS
- Crust: Instead of making a graham cracker crust, you can follow the same direction using vanilla wafers, oreo, or gingersnap crumbs.
- Lemon bars: To make lemon Cheesecake Bars just replace the lime juice in the recipe with lemon juice and the lime zest with lemon zest.
- Fruit: You can add other fruit flavorings to the recipe by adding fruit jam to the top. Swirl Strawberry or Blueberry Jam over the top of the cheesecake in a marbled pattern before baking. You could also top the bars off with fresh berries.
MORE BAR RECIPES
Oreo Blondies
Chocolate Scotcheroos
Strawberry Bars
Chocolate Caramel Cracker Bars
HOW TO STORE KEY LIME CHEESECAKE BARS
- Serve: Because of all the cream in the recipe, you shouldn’t leave it at room temperature for longer than 2 hours.
- Store: Put the Cheesecake Bars in an airtight container or cover them in aluminum foil to store them in the fridge. They’ll be good for up to 1 week.
- Freeze: You can also freeze the bars. Wrap each square individually in plastic wrap or separate them with parchment paper to store them in a freezer bag. They’ll stay good frozen for up to 3 months. Let them thaw in the fridge and then serve chilled.
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust:
- 3 cups graham cracker crumbs , (24 full crackers)
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted
Cheesecake Filling:
- 24 ounces cream cheese , softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup Key lime juice
- 1 tablespoon lime zest
- 2 tablespoons flour
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees and spray a 9x13 baking dish with baking spray.
- Mix the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter together then press it into the baking dish in an even layer.
- To your stand mixer add the cream cheese and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy.
- Lower the speed to medium and add in the eggs, sweetened condensed milk, vanilla extract, key lime juice, lime zest, and flour until smooth.
- Carefully spread the mixture on the crust.
- Bake for 50-55 minutes, or until set and firm.
- Chill completely before serving.
Nutrition
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I baked this yesterday and it was a big hit with my grandsons. One grandson loves key-lime pie. He told his parents this was better than the one bought at a local store. Of course, I left some for my husband, and he loved it. Thank you for the recipe. Now on to the Oreo Cheesecake Bars and the other grandson loves anything with Oreo’s in it.
Glad to hear your grandson enjoyed the recipe!
I took this to a 4th of July cookout and it was delicious. The key lime was fluffy and creamy with just the right amount of tart and sweet and the crust balanced it out with a touch of crunch. I have made Key Lime pies in the past but love the portablility of the bars and the serving amount. I am planning to try the lemmon version with blueberry jam for another family gathering this evening. Thanks for the wonderful recipe.