These easy Lemon Raspberry Cheesecake Bars are the perfect spring dessert! They are filled with lots of tangy flavor from the lemon and cream cheese and topped with homemade lemon raspberry curd!
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These Lemon Raspberry Cheesecake Bars are creamy lemon cheesecake bars baked over a buttery graham cracker crust. They are topped with homemade raspberry lemon curd. Each bite is full of creamy cheesecake and tangy raspberry lemon flavor!
I love how creamy and indulgent these raspberry cheesecake bars are. They have a buttery crust, super creamy filling and luscious curd topping. They are incredibly delicious!
For more raspberry recipes, white chocolate and raspberry scones, white chocolate and raspberry blondies, and raspberry muffins!
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Why We Love This Recipe
- Lemon and raspberries make the best flavor combination for spring!
- The filling and curd are full of fresh lemon flavor just like my lemon lime bars and meyer lemon olive oil tart!
- These raspberry cheesecake bars are much easier than making a full sized cheesecake.
- The raspberry curd is naturally beautiful just like the curd in my blood orange cheesecake!
Ingredients
- Butter: I recommend unsalted butter for this recipe. We’ll need melted butter for the crust and cold, cubed butter for the curd.
- Graham crackers: For the crust. Crush them in a food processor or put them in a large plastic freezer storage bag and hit with a rolling pin til cookies are crumbs.
- Cream Cheese: Use full fat, room temperature cream cheese. I leave my cream cheese out at room temperature for about 4 hours. Room temerature cream cheese prevents lumps in the cheesecake bars. Use blocks of cream cheese not the whipped tubs.
- 4 eggs and 1 yolks: We’re using 3 large eggs for the cheesecake and 1 egg and 1 yolk for the curd. Make sure your eggs for the cheesecake are foom temperature. It will be easier to incorporate the eggs into the batter if they are at room temperature.
- 2 lemons: We’re using lemon zest and lemon juice in both the cheesecake filling and raspberry curd. It gives these bars lots of tangy, fresh flavor. It also brings out the tart flavor of the raspberries.
- Raspberries: Use fresh or frozen raspberries. Frozen raspberries don’t need to be thawed before using. Raspberries add a gorgeous color and a perfectly tart and sweet flavor. If you love raspberries, try my raspberry ricotta cake and my pomegranate cake made with fresh raspberries!
Instructions
Step 1 (Picture 1 above)–Start by making the crust. Stir graham cracker crumbs, salt and sugar together. Stir in melted butter. Press mixture into the bottom and about 1 inch up the sides of an 8 inch pan. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Set aside and reduce oven to 325 F. In a large bowl, mix the lemon zest and sugar with your fingertips or the mixer briefly. Add the cream cheese, flour, and salt and beat on medium speed for 1 minute.
Step 2 (Picture 2 above)–Turn the mixer to low. Mix in the eggs, sour cream, vanilla, and lemon juice and beat til just combined, about 1 minute. Do not overmix.
Step 3 (Picture 3 above)–Pour the batter over the cooled or slightly cooled graham cracker crust. Bake at 325 F for 39-43 minutes, until the filling is set but still a little jiggly in the center.
Step 4 (Picture 4 above)– Cool at room temperature for 45 minutes then set in the fridge to cool for at least 4 hours or overnight. Make the rapsberry curd while the cheesecake bars cool.
Step 5 (Picture 5 above)–In a heavy bottom saucepan, whisk together the sugar, lemon zest, whole egg, yolk, and salt, until smooth.
Step 6 (Picture 6 above)– Stir in the raspberries and lemon juice. Stir constantly with the mixture over medium-low heat til mixture comes to a simmer then thickens, about 10 minutes. Strain the curd through a fine mesh sieve and into a large non-metal bowl.
Step 7 (Picture 7 above)– Stir in the cold, chopped butter til melted. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the curd. Set the bowl in the refrigerator to cool and thicken for at least 2 hours.
Step 8 (Picture 8 above)– Lift the bars out of the pan. Spread the raspberry curd over the cheesecake bars. Slice bars with a long, sharp knife. Enjoy!
Expert Tips
- Use room temperature ingredients for the cheesecake filling.
- Mix the sugar and cream cheese well. Once you add the eggs, do not overmix. Only mix until combined.
- Stir raspberry curd frequently while cooking. This will keep it from clumping up or burning.
- Store the curd in a non-metal container to prevent it from having a metallic aftertaste.
- Press plastic wrap directly on the surface of the curd to keep it from forming a skin.
- Run a knife down the sides of the pan to make sure they’re not sticking to the pan before lifting them out.
Recipe FAQs
To cut the bars, run a long, sharp knife under hot water and wipe it dry. Slice then run the knife under hot water and wipe it clean in between each cut.
Store these raspberry cheesecake bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Yes! You can freeze cheesecake bars in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Defrost for a few hours on the counter or overnight in the fridge before serving.
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Lemon Raspberry Cheesecake Bars
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust
- 1½ cups (180 g) graham cracker crumbs from about 12 whole graham crackers
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- 6 tablespoons (84 g) unsalted butter melted
- 1 pinch (1 pinch) salt
Lemon Cheesecake Filling
- ½ tablespoon (1 tablespoon) lemon zest
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 16 ounces (453.59 g) cream cheese brick style, room temperature
- 4 teaspoons (8 g) all purpose flour
- ¼ cup (57.5 g) sour cream full fat, room temperature
- 3 (3) large eggs room temperature
- 1 tablespoons (1½ tablespoons) lemon juice
- 1¼ teaspoons (1¼ teaspoons) vanilla extract
- 1 pinch (1 pinch) salt
Raspberry Curd
- 5 ounces (150 g) raspberries about 1 cup plus 3 tablespoons, 150 grams, fresh or frozen (if using frozen, do not thaw)
- ½ (½) lemon zest and juice from 1/2 a medium lemon
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- 1 (1) large egg
- 1 (1) large egg yolk
- ⅛ teaspoon (0.75 g) salt
- ¼ cup (56.75 g) unsalted butter cold, cubed
Instructions
Graham Cracker Crust
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly butter then line an 8×8" square pan with parchment paper. Leave some excess parchment paper hanging over at least two sides to make it easier to remove the bars once baked and cooled.
- Place the graham crackers into a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Pulse graham crackers into fine crumbs. If you don't have a food processor, you can place graham crackers in a large zip lock bag and crush them with a rolling pin. Make sure to break up any large pieces so that you're left with only fine crumbs.
- In a medium sized mixing bowl, stir together the graham cracker crumbs, sugar and salt. Stir in the melted butter til thick, sandy and well combined.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared 8 inch pan. Use your hands or the bottom of a 1/4 measuring cup to press the mixture into the bottom and slightly (about 1 inch) up the sides of the prepared pan. Press with medium pressure but do not press down too hard. Press til the mixture is compact.
- Bake for 10 minutes, until set. Remove from oven and allow to cool while you prepare the lemon cheesecake filling. Reduce oven to 325 F.
Lemon Cheesecake Filling
- In a medium sized mixing bowl or the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the lemon zest and sugar briefly til zest is incorporated into the sugar. Add the cream cheese, flour, and salt and beat on medium speed for 1 minute, til smooth.
- Turn the mixer to low speed and mix in the eggs one at a time, followed by the sour cream, vanilla, and lemon juice and beat until just combined, about 1 minute. Do not overmix.
- Pour the batter over the cooled or slightly cooled graham cracker crust. Bake at 325 F for 38-43 minutes, until the filling is set but still a little bit jiggly in the middle. Avoid overbaking since the cheesecake will continue cooking while it cools.
- Set pan on a wire rack to cool at room temperature for 45 minutes then place in the fridge to cool for at least 4 hours or overnight. Make the rapsberry curd while the cheesecake bars cool.
- Use the parchment paper to lift the bars out of the pan. Spread as much curd over the cheesecake bars. Slice with a long, sharp knife. Alternatively, instead of spreading curd on bars, you can spoon the raspberry curd over individual cheesecake bars. Enjoy!
Raspberry Curd
- In a medium sized heavy bottom non-reactive saucepan such as stainless steel or copper, combine the sugar and lemon zest. Rub the zest into the sugar with your fingertips. Rubbing the zest into the sugar is optional. It will help release the oils of the zest and enhance the lemon flavor.
- Add the egg, egg yolk, and salt to the saucepan and whisk with a silicone whisk til smooth.
- Stir in the raspberries and lemon juice. Stir constantly with a rubber spatula or silicone whisk over medium-low heat til mixture comes to a simmer then thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, should take around 10 minutes.
- Set a large fine mesh sieve over a large non-metal bowl. Strain the curd through the sieve, pushing it through the sieve with a spatula to remove the seeds. Discard the seeds.
- Stir in the cold, chopped butter til melted. Gently press a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the curd. Set the bowl in the refrigerator to cool and thicken for at least 2 hours.
Notes
Nutrition
Please note that nutritional values are created by an online calculator and should only be used as an estimate.
Nicole
Hi! I’ve made this recipe so many times now and I love it more every time. It has sort of become a staple in my baking, and now I’ve gotten a special request to bake this for summer vacation but it needs to be gluten and dairy free!!! I know there are a lot of things that need to be replaced in the recipe to achieve this, but I’m wondering if you have had any experience substituting ingredients (not only for this cheesecake but in general! I’ve never done it before!) and if you do any tips would be helpful!
Natalie
Hi Nicole! Aww thanks so much for making this recipe and for your kind words!! I’m thrilled that you love the recipe and love to hear you got a special request for it. Unfortunately I’ve never made this recipe gluten and dairy free, so I can’t say exactly how it’d turn out without testing it. That said, many readers have had good luck making my recipes gluten and dairy free. I’d suggest testing it out at least once ahead of time so that you know how it’ll turn out. I think you could swap in gluten graham cracker crumbs and vegan butter for the crust and curd. For the filling, I’m not sure how it’d turn out, but I would try it with vegan/dairy free ingredients. I’m sorry I couldn’t be more helpful with this. Please let me know if you try it or if I can help with any other questions. Have a great day and vacation!
Ariana
Hello, can these be made as mini cheesecakes in a cupcake pan? Would it affect baking time? Thanks!
Natalie
Hi Ariana, Hmmm great question! Unfortunately I haven’t tried making this recipe as mini cheesecakes in a cupcake pan yet, so I can’t say for sure how they’d turn out. I think they would bake up faster than the bars, so I’d start checking them much earlier than the bars. Sorry I couldn’t be more helpful. I do have a mini chocolate cheesecakes recipe on the blog you might enjoy and I will try to work on a mini cheesecake recipe as well! Have a great day!
Jameen
Could I use mascarpone instead of generic cream cheese?
Natalie
Hi Jameen! I haven’t tested this recipe with mascarpone, so unfortunately I’m not sure how it’d work in place of cream cheese here. Please let me know if you have any other questions and have a great day 🙂 -Natalie
Maddy
I forgot to add the butter to my raspberry curd will that affect the taste and consistency?
Natalie
Hi Maddy, Leaving out the butter will affect it since butter does help give the curd its silky texture, adds a rich flavor and it also helps it thicken up. That said, I think your curd will likely still be yummy even without the butter! 🙂 Please let me know if you have any other questions and hope you enjoy these bars! 🙂
Olivia
I have everything to make this except the raspberries 🙁 Could I use strawberries instead or will it not turn out right?
Natalie
Hi Olivia, I haven’t tried this recipe with strawberries yet, so unfortunately I can’t say for sure. I did hear from a reader who said they used strawberries and said it turned out great though. Please let me know if you give it a try or if you have any other questions 🙂
Maddy
THE BEST cheesecake I have ever had! It was so delicious, a perfect blend of lemon and raspberry. I will be making this again!
Natalie
YAY! Thanks so much for making this recipe Maddy! So happy you loved them. Your comment made my day!
Lindsay
Thank you for this recipe! This cheesecake came out so delicious. Perfect with a cup of coffee
Natalie
My pleasure Lindsay!! So happy you enjoyed these cheesecake bars. Thanks for making them and have a great rest of your week!
Ben
Hello!
I used frozen raspberries for the curd, and it turned out more of a puce color (a color I recently learned about!). But it doesn’t look as lovely as your curd does. I have the time to make another batch, but maybe it’d be worth mentioning to thaw the raspberries first or not use frozen if you want the nice, bright raspberry color? Looking forward to the end result though!!!
Natalie
Hi Ben, Thanks for making these cheesecake bars and for your comment. Hmm that puce color could have something to do with the acid in the recipe reacting to something metal like the pan, spatula or spoon. Try not to use anything copper or aluminum. I recommend using a non-reactive pan like stainless steel or copper and using a silicone whisk. Also, make sure not to add too many raspberries that could also affect the outcome. Also, no need to thaw the raspberries first, just add them as is (just added that note to the recipe card, thanks). Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you get that nice, bright non-puce color! 🙂
Tina J
Thank you for yet another amazing recipe! Love your site.
Natalie
Thanks Tina! So happy you enjoyed these cheesecake bars and that you love my site! I really appreciate that. Have a great weekend 🙂 -Natalie
Mike Platz
Is it necessary to bake the cheesecake in a water filled pan? Thanks
Natalie
Hi Mike, no-these cheesecake bars don’t need to be baked in a water filled pan. You can place the pan directly on the oven rack. Please let me know if you have any other questions 🙂
Candice
Hi, I Haven’t tried the recipe yet, I’m wondering before I try it. If the sour cream can be substituted for anything else? It looks great, i’m excited to try it.
Natalie
Hi Candice! I’m excited for you to try these cheesecake bars too! Unfortunately I haven’t tried anything as a substitute for the sour cream in this recipe, so I can’t suggest anything as a sub at this time. Sorry about that. Please let me know if you have any other questions. Hope you enjoy these and have a wonderful week!
Tracey
1/2 lemon juice and zest in the curd. Do you mean 1/2 lemon squeezed or is it 1/2 cup. Looks amazing can’t wait to make. Such a great combo of flavours.
Natalie
Hi Tracey! For the lemon curd, it’s the zest and juice of 1/2 a medium lemon. (So it’s roughly 1/2 tablespoon of zest and about 1.5 to 2 tablespoon of juice). Please let me know if you have any other questions and can’t wait for you to try these! 🙂
Juno
So glad I found this website! This is such a great recipe, it was so easy to follow and it came out absolutely delicious! Will definitely be making this again!
Natalie
I’m so happy you enjoyed these cheesecake bars! Thanks so much for making them and for your comment! Have a fantastic day 🙂
Melissa Demas
Hello! This recipe sounds amazing! Question: do you add the sugar to the graham crackers before adding the butter? Thanks!
Natalie
Hi Melissa! Thank you for asking. Yes-add the sugar with the salt and graham crackers before adding the butter. I just updated the instructions. Please let me know if you have any other questions and excited for you to try these!