Small Batch No Bake Cheesecake Bars

These small batch no bake cheesecake bars are the perfect summer treat! The cheesecake bars start with a crunchy, addicting graham cracker crust that is topped with a light and creamy cheese cake filling. The filling is made with lots of whipped cream, cream cheese, and just a touch of sour cream. Because its so light and airy, it almost tastes like cream cheese mousse! Top it off with your favorite seasonal fruits for a refreshing summer time snack.

Why You Should Make The Recipe

In addition to being extremely delicious, here are all the reasons why you should make this no bake cheesecake bar recipe:

**The recipe is very small batch.**

Most cheesecake bar recipes instruct you to bake them in either a 9 x 13-inch cake pan, or a 8-inch square cake pan. However, since many of us are still avoiding large gatherings, I decided to make a very small batch version of a traditional no bake cheesecake bar recipe. What does that mean? These no bake cheesecake bars are made in a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan, resulting in a serving size approximately a quarter of the size of other recipes. That means 8 petite servings (or 2 generous ones). It’s the perfect amount for a small household!

This recipe is “no bake” and doesn’t require you to turn on your oven.

I don’t know about you guys, but it takes a LOT to convince me to turn on my oven in the middle of a scorching summer. Luckily, there’s no need to do so with this cheesecake bar recipe. The recipe is “no bake”! All you need to do are chill the cheesecake bars in the refrigerator. It’s the perfect summer time treat.

The recipe comes together really, quickly.

Because you don’t need to bake the cheesecake bars, they come together in a flash. It takes about 15 minutes to make both the crust and the cheesecake filling. The most time-consuming part is waiting for the cheesecake bars to set in the refrigerator.

The recipe is easily customizable.

These no bake cheesecake bars are made with ingredients that are easily substitutable. Not a fan of graham crackers? Replace them with speculoos or Oreo cookies instead. No sour cream in the house? No problem! Use crème fraîche or Greek yogurt instead. The fun part? You can customize the bars with different flavors like vanilla and lemon, and top them with the fresh, seasonal fruit of your choice. You do you.

Ingredients and Substitutions

Now that I’ve convinced you to make these small batch no bake cheesecake bars, here’s everything you need to make the recipe:

Shopping List For Small Batch No Bake Cheesecake Bars Recipe

graham crackers
brown sugar
butter
heavy cream
cream cheese
granulated sugar
sour cream
confectioners’ sugar
pure vanilla extract
fresh fruit

And let’s talk about some key ingredients and potential substitutions:

Common Ingredient Substitutions For The Recipe

Brown Sugar. Either light or dark brown sugar works in the cheesecake recipe.
Butter. You can substitute the unsalted butter with salted butter without any noticeable difference in taste.
Sour Cream. Swap the sour cream for the same amount of unflavored yogurt (Greek or regular) or creme fraiche.

Best Recipe Tips

Tip About Making The Recipe Fit Your Schedule

Plan ahead for this one! Because these cheesecake bars are “no bake”, they need to chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight. Otherwise they’ll be too gloopy when you slice into them!

Best Ingredient Tips

To make graham cracker crumbs, use a digital scale to weigh out as many crackers as needed to match the weight listed in the recipe. Use a food processor to pulse the crackers into fine crumbs.
For the smoothest cheesecake filling, make sure that the cream cheese is at room temperature. If the cream cheese is too cold, your filling will end up lumpy!

Foolproof Recipe Techniques

I used a tiny pat of butter to grease the bottom of the loaf pan. Although I give you the option to use butter or oil, I recommend using oil in the recipe instead—oil is liquid even when chilled, make it easier to lift out the bars!
You’ll notice that the recipe instructs you to whip the cream to “firm peaks.” The best way to determine the cream’s texture is to do a test with a whisk. Dip the tip of a whisk (or the whisk attachment) into the whipped cream, remove it, and quickly turn it upside down. If the cream is too soft, it will slide off the whisk, and you’ll need to keep whisking. If the cream has a cloudlike structure, with peaks that lose their shape, you’re at the “soft peaks” stage. Continue whisking, then test again. If, the next time you turn the whisk upside down, the peaks hold, you’re at the “firm peaks” stage. If you find that the whipped cream starts to clump significantly, you’ve accidentally made butter. Add a few Tablespoons of heavy cream and use a rubber spatula to mix until the cream returns to the “firm peaks” stage.

Best Serving Tips

To get straight edges and smooth sides when slicing cream bars, you’ll need to use a hot serrated knife. Fill a tall heatproof glass with VERY hot water and place a serrated knife in the water, blade side down, for about 20 seconds. Use a kitchen towel to dry the knife. Slice the bars, dipping the knife in the hot water and drying it every so often if the filling starts to stick to the blade.
After chilling the cheesecake bars, slice them and serve immediately while the bars are still cold. The longer they sit and warm, the gloopier they become. Don’t get me wrong—it’ll still be plenty tasty, but will be more like mousse or pudding than cheesecake bars, ya know?

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