Ingredients
For the crust:
- 9 whole graham crackers (138 grams)
- 4 tablespoons (57 grams) unsalted butter, melted
For the cheesecake:
- 16 ounces (454 grams) cream cheese, completely softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) sugar
- 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
For the raspberry swirl:
- 1/2 cup (62 grams) raspberries, fresh or thawed frozen
- 2 tablespoons sugar
Directions
Make the crust:
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Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8 by 8-inch baking pan with foil or parchment, leaving an overhang.
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In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the graham crackers until finely ground. You should have about 1 cup crumbs.
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Add the melted butter and pulse until moistened. Press the mixture firmly into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake for about 10 minutes, or until lightly golden brown and fragrant. Let cool.
Make the cheesecake:
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In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and sugar on medium-high speed until well combined and smooth, scraping down the edges as necessary. Beat in the lemon zest, lemon juice, eggs, and vanilla until combined. Add in the flour and salt and beat until just combined. Spread the mixture over the crust.
Make the raspberry swirl:
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In a food processor or blender, puree the raspberries until smooth. Press through a fine mesh strainer, discarding any seeds and pulp that remain. Stir in the sugar. Dollop the unbaked cheesecake batter with spoonfuls of the raspberry puree. Use a knife or skewer to make swirls.
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Bake for 30 minutes, or until set at the edges but ever so slightly jiggly in the middle. Don't overbake. Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack. Cover and chill the cheesecake in the fridge until very cold, at least 3 hours. The cheesecake can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 days.
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Before serving, use the foil or parchment to remove the cheesecake from the pan and onto a work surface. Cut into 15 squares. Serve chilled.
Super yummy for Father’s Day. Easy to make, too!!
No cons only pros.
Super easy and so delicious.
No cons, only pros.
I’m usually not a huge raspberry fan, but I am blown away by how much I love these!! They are so easy to make and are a showstopper with that beautiful swirl pattern. Will definitely make these again!
So delicious!!! Will definitely make these again. Perfect for summer
Super easy & delicious!
Absolutely delicious!!! Easy to make, looks inviting and tastes even better!! Definitely worth making this recipe. A keeper and remaker.
How would you modify the baking instructions if doubling the recipe in a 9X13 pan? I am making them for an event tomorrow!
Hi Susan – did you see the recipe notes? “To double this recipe, double all ingredients and bake in a 9 by 13-inch pan, adding about 5 to 10 minutes to the baking time.” Hope that helps!
Oops, sorry, I did not see that, thank you for responding so quickly. I’m firing up the oven now!
I made these for the June challenge and they are incredible! Rich and delicious and the raspberry lemon combination just takes them to the next level! Perfect summer dessert!
I made these bars for the challenge and they are incredible! Easy to make and so rich and delicious! Perfect summer dessert!
So delicious. My family and I love cheesecake, and this is a perfect summer treat!
The best review of the cheesecake bars is that my family devoured them. They were easy to make and this was the first time I’ve made from scratch graham cracker crust. One mistake I made-I rinsed the raspberries and drained them but they were still wet. So when I puréed them, it was thin. Perhaps I should have put them on a paper towel and dried them.
Delicious and wonderfully refreshing! Had to bring them to work before I ate them all!
Just made it! Incredibly easy, delicious and elegant all in one go 🙂
Really lovely texture but I think the cheesecake mixture itself needs to be a little sweeter. I used raspberry seedless jam instead of the raspberry puree though so maybe that’s why!
I’m not a ‘bar’ baker- I tend to do cakes and other sweets. So I was intrigued! It is exactly like a lemon cheesecake but in a smaller, bite-size version. The swirls are a nice touch that add some colour and are easy to create. I don’t know if I”m ‘blown away’ by this, so I gave it a 4 rather than a 5. It’s a solid, easy to make, quick and impressive-looking every day dessert. I’d recommend it!
Really yummy recipe!
Pros:
Crust to cheesecake ratio
Great to bring to the office or a party since it’s easy to cut and serve
Nice flavor and hint of raspberry
Easy to make
Cons:
Not enough lemon flavor (I will add more next time)
Absolutely luscious!!!!
Great recipe for a hot summer day!
These are delicious! Thanks for the perfect summer BBQ dessert Tessa!
Easy to make, looks beautiful enough for company! And who does not like cheesecake!
This taste so good and ita really easy to make !!!
I love cheesecake and raspberries and cheesecake are a perfect combo. I usually don’t get the crust thin enough when making cheesecake but the crust on this recipe worked perfectly!
Outstanding! Made these for my brother in laws birthday and they were a big hit!
You know that episode of Friends where Chandler and Rachel can’t stop stealing and eating the cheesecake? Well this must have been the cheesecake they were eating because it is SO smooth and creamy with the perfect balance of flavors!
Hahaha!! Best review ever 🙂
This recipe is super easy and supremely delicious. It is creamy and luxurious. I’ve made it twice in two days!!!
Have you ever tried freezing them to serve for an event later?
It was so much fun making these raspberry lemonade cheesecake bars. The texture and the taste were superb with the added raspberry and lemon. You can’t go wrong with this recipe! Love, love, love!
These are AMAZING! I’ve made a handful of cheesecakes before and these are by the best cheesecakes I have ever made! The recipe is super simple to follow. The cheesecake is bursting with the perfect combination of lemon and raspberry flavor! I will be making these again in the near future for a picnic
I’ve made a few cheesecake recipes before I discovered Handle the Heat. There’s are AMAZING! It was super simple to make. It’s Burst with the perfect amount of lemon and raspberry flavor. The graham cracker crust is the perfect touch to the combination. This is a must try!
A fresh summer dessert! Not a fan of lemon taste in cheesecake but this just gives you the feeling of a lemonade by the poolside. Also very easy to make, not as tricky as an actual cheescake, but tastes just as good.
These are officially my new favorite cheesecakes bars for the summer. Raspberry and lemon are a perfect combo!
Extremely tasty cheesecake bars! The subtle lemon flavoring pairs well with sweet, ripe raspberries- perfect recipe for summertime (or anytime!)!!
a spectacular and refreshing cheesecake
I love raspberries and I think this recipe is perfect for summer, the bars taste delicious, I’m sure I’ll to this again
Raspberry Lemonade Cheesecake Bars are so delicious and we’re very fun to make. Will definitely make them again . Thank you Tessa for another delicious recipe!
Sooooo good! I did raspberry and chocolate chips since my hubby doesn’t like lemon. He said they were cheesecake perfection!
So delicious! I love the lightness to this cheesecake and how refreshing it is. Served up with homemsde whipped cream and a fresh raspberry on top!
So delicious and easy to make! I love that this dessert is better chilled so I can make it in the morning and serve it on a hot summer evening!
I have a question. Can I use some fresh raspberry jam if I add a little water?
I haven’t tested this recipe with jam but it should work, the swirl might just look different!
I have two questions..
1. If starting with graham cracker crumbs instead of full ones how many cups would I need?
2. Can I use frozen raspberries, If so should I defrost first?
Thanks! I love your site and the way you break down recipes!
Can i use the seedless raspberry jar instead
This looks so beautiful and delicious. When I got to the raspberries, pushing them through a fine mesh strainer turned it into a syrup. What am I doing wrong?
That’s just fine, that consistency makes it easier to achieve those swirls on top 🙂
Hı I am from turkey .I am following you I dont understand everthing about yor recipe. Cold you show us mostly video from your recipe. Thankyou
Thank You ! These recipes look amazing.
Hi Tessa,
Can I skip the lemon juice and zest, if yes then should I substitute them with anything else?
Thank you,
Anu
I made THREE of your recipes a couple days ago, and this was awesome. This is easily the best cheesecake I ever made.
Oh wow!! That makes me so happy to hear, thanks for commenting 🙂
I tried this today, i used strawberry instead of raspberry. I love the result so much. Thanks for this wonderful recipe.
Great! So glad you enjoyed it.
These are so gorgeous!! I want the whole pan right now!
yummy summery bars!
These look perfect! My kind of cheesecake!
Thanks Jaclyn!
I made these this weekend for an 80s prom birthday party, and they are really good, especially if you don’t like super sweet things. They are easy and fun to make, and they look so pretty. The only thing that you have to make sure and do is zest the lemon really fine. i made the mistake of zesting it too thick, and needless to say, lemon peels aren’t the best thing to bite into in your bar 😉
Very good recipe though!
So happy to hear that! Yeah, fine zest is definitely best for baking. The best lessons are learned through experience, you’ll probably never do that again 😉
I love that pretty pink swirl — I’ll take a dozen!
I need at least 2 or 3 of these! So gorgeous!
looks so yummy!! 🙂
love this fun twist on traditional cheesecake! looks delicious!!
Very pretty! My swirls never come out looking this nice. Do you have any pointers?
Good question! I just take a teaspoon measurement and dollop all over then I like to use a thick wooden skewer or the probe of a kitchen thermometer to swirl. I avoid swirling too much because then it just starts to look messy.
Those are so pretty and look so good!
I am such a bar guy! I’d take these over a cookie any day 🙂
Cheesecake is my favorite food. I have often thought about starting a petition to get it added as a food group in the food pyramid. I LOVE the raspberry lemonade flavour! Pinned!