photo of sliced ube cheesecake bars on gold wire rack

About These Ube Cheesecake Bars

These ube cheesecake bars are made with smooth and creamy cheesecake filling laced with vibrant purple ube cheesecake swirls. The ube cheesecake is made with ube halaya jam, a jam made from a Filipino yam with a sweet and mild flavor. It tastes like a cross between vanilla and pistachio and brings a wonderful nutty flavor to complement the tangy cheesecake.

For even more ube recipes, check out these ube crinkle cookies (one of the most popular recipes on this site), ube mochi donuts, and a round-up of ube dessert recipes on Hummingbird High!

@hummingbirdhigh #ube all day baby #desserttiktok #bakingtiktok ♬ Lavender Haze – Taylor Swift

Why You Should Make The Recipe

Here are all the reasons to make these vibrant purple ube cheesecake bars:

The New York Times recently released its predictions for what we will eat in 2023, and included ube!

If you’re unfamilar with ube, check out this blog post in which I deep-dive into this popular Filipino ingredient often used in Asian desserts. I answer frequently asked questions like “What does ube taste like?” and “Where do I buy ube?” As a Filipino, I’ve been eating ube all my life and am excited to see it become more commonplace!

The recipe makes cheesecake bars, which are easier to bring together than traditional cheesecake.

Most traditional cheesecake recipes instruct you to bake traditional 9- or 10-inch round cheesecakes in a water bath (also known as a bain-marie) for many reasons. The water bath helps the cheesecake bake evenly, ensuring that the outside edges bake at the same time as the center. Doing so prevents the cheesecake from puffing up around the edges, as well as cracking and/or sinking in the middle.

But because we’re making cheesecake BARS with less filling than traditional cheesecake, the bars don’t need to be baked for as long. You don’t need to take any extra steps to prevent uneven baking or overcooking. That means you can skip the water bath! 

The ube cheesecake bars store well.

Ube can be a pretty subtle flavor. But because these cheesecake bars need to be chilled overnight, I found that the ube flavors in them developed in intensity and became more pronounced. You can really taste ube’s subtle pistachio and vanilla flavors in these bars!

The best part? The cheesecake bars store well. I say you can refrigerate them for up to 3 days, but realistically, they last a lot longer than that. And the longer they sit, the more flavorful they become.

photo of hand reaching for an ube cheesecake bar showing off creamy crumb

Ingredients and Substitutions

Now that I’ve convinced you to make these ube cheesecake bars, here’s everything you need to make them:

Shopping List For Ube Cheesecake Bars

  • graham crackers
  • granulated sugar
  • kosher salt
  • unsalted butter
  • cream cheese
  • large eggs
  • sour cream
  • ube halaya jam
  • ube extract

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

Common Ingredient Substitutions For The Recipe

  • Graham Crackers. You can substitute the graham cracker crumbs with other cookie crumbs made from Nilla vanilla wafers, Oreos, or my personal favorite, speculoos cookies from Trader Joe’s. You can also use gluten free graham crackers to make these ube cheesecake bars gluten free.

  • Kosher Salt. No kosher salt? No problem. Replace the kosher salt with a generous pinch of table salt.

  • Unsalted 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 crème fraîche.

  • Ube Halaya Jam and Extract. Check out my post on where to buy ube halaya jam and extract. I’ve also included instructions on how to make ube halaya jam at home if you can’t find it/want to make it from scratch!
photo of ube cheesecake bar with a bite taken out of it on a small white plate

How To Make Ube Cheesecake Bars

Here are the basic steps to make the ube cheesecake bars from scratch:

First, prep the ingredients.

  1. Prep the ingredients for the graham cracker crust and cheesecake filling. (Prep Time: 10 minutes)
    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.

Next, make the graham cracker crust.

  1. Make the graham cracker crust. (Work Time: <5 minutes)

  2. Assemble the graham cracker crust. (Work Time: 5 minutes)
    The recipe instructs you to press the graham cracker mixture into the pan to make the cheesecake crust. Use a tart tamper (or, in a pinch, the bottom of a coffee mug or a heavy glass) to pound the crumbs in place. You want to apply some pressure here so the crust holds its shape!

  3. Bake the graham cracker crust. (Bake Time: 15 minutes)
    When the graham cracker crust is done, place it on a wire rack to let it cool slightly before filling it with the cheesecake filling. Make sure to leave the oven on—you’ll need it to bake the assembled cheesecake bars!

Then, make the cheesecake filling and ube swirl.

  1. While the graham cracker crust cools slightly, make the cheesecake filling. (Work Time: 5 minutes)
    Make sure that all your ingredients are at the temperatures specified in the recipe before starting any of its steps. Cold ingredients don’t mix together easily, creating a lumpy cheesecake batter prone to cracking.

  2. Make the ube cheesecake filling. (Work Time: 5 minutes)
    Ube halaya jam is naturally lumpy. If yours looks particularly lumpy, warm the ube extract in the microwave for 10 to 15 seconds, then whisk it vigorously into the ube halaya jam before mixing into the cheesecake filling. Doing so will help smoothen out some of those lumps!

  3. Assemble the ube cheesecake bars. (Work Time: 10 minutes)
    At this point, the graham cracker crust will still be slightly warm—that’s totally okay, I promise! The recipe instructs you to alternate spooning generous dollops of the two cheesecake batters over the crust before swirling them together. I used a 3-Tablespoon and a 4-Tablespoon cookie dough scoop to do so quickly and easily.

  4. Bake the ube cheesecake bars. (Bake Time: 40 minutes)
    Be careful not to overbake the cheesecake filling! When checking for doneness, the edges should be set. However, the center should still wobble ever-so-slightly!

Finally, cool and chill the ube cheesecake bars.

  1. Cool the ube cheesecake bars to room temperature completely before chilling. (Cool Time: 1 to 2 hours)
    The recipe instructs you to cool the bars slowly in the oven. How? By turning off the oven, opening its door slightly, and leaving the bars inside. Doing so will help prevent the cheesecake filling from cracking—learn more in the next section!

  2. Refrigerate the ube cheesecake bars before slicing and serving. (Chill Time: 4 hours+)

How To Make The Graham Cracker Crust (With Photos!)

When making the graham cracker crust, it’s important to apply pressure when pressing it into the pan. Doing so is what enables the crust to hold its shape.

At first, it will seem like there aren’t enough crumbs to spread across the bottom of the pan:

process shot of making the ube cheesecake bars showing the crust before it's pressed down into the pan

But as you press the crumbs into place, they will spread enough to fill the bottom of the pan. I used this tart tamper to help with the task, but you also use the bottom of a coffee mug or a heavy glass to pound the crumbs in place:

process shot of making the ube cheesecake bars showing the crust as it's being pressed into the pan

When done, the crust will look like the photo below. Some folks like to press the crumbs half way up the sides of the pan as well to create a crust for the bars’ sides, but I like to keep my crust at the bottom of the bars. But it’s up to you if you want to customize the bars!

process shot showing the ube cheesecake bars crust after it's been pressed into the pan tightly

How To Swirl The Cheesecake Filling (With Photos!)

The recipe instructs you to alternate spooning generous dollops of the two cheesecake batters over the prepared crust—the photo below shows what this step looks like. Don’t worry if you get drops of cheesecake into the ube filling, and vice versa. It all gets swirled together in the end!

process shot showing how to fill the ube cheesecake bars with alternating dollops of cheesecake and ube cheesecake filling

After you’ve filled the pan in this way, take a butter knife and swirl the two fillings together. Be careful not to overmix! You want the two fillings to still be distinct from one another:

process shot showing how to swirl the cheesecake fillings with a butter knife
process shot showing the cheesecake filling after it's swirled before it's baked

Recipe Troubleshooting and FAQ

I don’t have a 9-inch square pan for these ube cheesecake bars. What can I use instead?

If you don’t have a 9-inch square pan, you can use the following instead:

  • An 8-inch square pan. You’ll likely need to increase the Bake Time of the recipe by 5 to 10 minutes.

  • A 9 x 13-inch pan. You can double the recipe quantities and bake the cheesecake in a 9 x 13-inch pan. You’ll end up with twice as many cheesecake bars. Bake Time should stay the same.

Most cheesecake recipes instruct me to bake the cake in a water bath. So why don’t I need a water bath for cheesecake bars?

Recipes instruct you to bake traditional 9- or 10-inch round cheesecakes in a water bath (also known as a bain-marie) for many reasons. The water bath helps the cheesecake bake evenly, ensuring that the outside edges bake at the same time as the center. Doing so prevents the cheesecake from puffing up around the edges, as well as cracking and/or sinking in the middle.

But because cheesecake bars are thinner and contain less batter than traditional cheesecakes, they bake faster and more evenly even without a water bath.

My cheesecake bars cracked! What did I do wrong?

Cheesecake bars can still crack for the the following reasons:

  • You didn’t use room temperature ingredients. Ingredients like cream cheese, eggs, and cream mix together better when they’re at room temperature. This is especially important for cheesecake—you don’t want any lumps of unmixed cream cheese or eggs in the batter. These lumps could potentially cause cracks in the cheesecake. So make sure that all your ingredients are at the temperature listed in the recipe before beginning any of the recipe steps.

  • You overmixed the cheesecake filling. Incorporating too much air into cheesecake batter also causes cracks in the cheesecake. If using a KitchenAid stand mixer, only mix the cheesecake batter on speed “2” or lower after adding the eggs to the batter. Doing so prevents overbeating and/or overmixing the cheesecake batter.

  • You didn’t cool it slowly after baking. Cheesecakes crack when they are exposed to sudden temperature changes. One of the most common causes of cracking comes from moving the hot cheesecake into a cold room. 

    If your house runs cold, you can still cool the cheesecake slowly by leaving it in the oven after it’s done baking. Turn off the oven, crack open the oven door so that warm air can escape, and leave the bars in the oven for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, open the oven door fully and allow the cheesecake to cool to room temperature completely before chilling.

Can you freeze ube cheesecake bars?

Yes! Ube cheesecake bars freeze wonderfully. You can freeze the cheesecake bars unsliced or sliced.

To do so, chill the cheesecake bars in the pan for at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight. Once chilled, lift the cheesecake bars using the parchment paper as handles.

If freezing unsliced, place the cheesecake on a plate, uncovered, and freeze until solid, 1 to 2 hours. If freezing sliced, slice the cheesecake bars now and freeze until the slices are solid.

Once solid, tightly wrap the cheesecake in two layers of plastic wrap. If storing long term (that is, for longer than 1 month), wrap in a layer of aluminum foil. The aluminum foil helps prevent the cake from absorbing flavors and odors in the freezer. Freeze for up to 6 months.

When ready to serve, transfer the cheesecake to the refrigerator to thaw overnight. Before serving, unwrap the cheesecake and thaw at room temperature for 30 minutes before slicing.

Best Recipe Tips

Tips About Ingredients

  • 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.

  • Make sure that all your ingredients are at the temperatures specified in the recipe before starting any of its steps. Cold ingredients don’t mix together easily, creating a lumpy cheesecake batter prone to cracking. Check out my article in Bon Appetit about how to bring baking ingredients to room temperature quickly!

Best Tip For Slicing And Serving The Bars

  • To get straight edges and smooth sides when you slice the cheesecake, use a hot serrated knife. Fill a tall, heatproof glass with VERY hot water. Place the blade of the serrated knife in the water for 20 seconds. Use a kitchen towel to dry the knife. Use it to slice the cheesecake, dipping the knife into the water and drying it ever so often, especially if the filling starts sticking to the blade.

More Ube Recipes

More Cheesecake Recipes

Get the Recipe: Ube Cheesecake Bars Recipe

These creamy and colorful ube cheesecake bars are made with two types of cheesecake fillings swirled together: tangy sour cream cheesecake and ube flavored cheesecake!
(5 stars) 12 reviews
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Ingredients

For The Graham Cracker Crust

  • 2 cups (7 ounces or 198 grams) graham cracker crumbs
  • ½ cup (1 stick or 4 ounces or 113 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
  • 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt

For The Cheesecake Filling

  • 3 (8-ounce) boxes cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 1 cup (7 ounces or 198 grams) granulated sugar
  • 3 large eggs, at room temperature
  • ½ cup (4 ounces or 113 grams) sour cream, at room temperature

For The Ube Cheesecake Filling

Equipment

  • A food processor
  • 1 (9-inch) square pan (preferably metal)
  • a tart tamper

Instructions
 

  • Prep the oven and pan. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 325°F.
    Line a 9-inch square cake pan with parchment paper, leaving at least a 2-inch overhang on two opposite sides. Layer a second sheet of parchment paper on top, perpendicular to the first, leaving a 2-inch overhang on the remaining sides.
  • Make the graham cracker crust. In a medium bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, sugar, and salt. Mix with a rubber spatula until the mixture looks like wet sand.
    Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and use a tart tamper or your hands to press it evenly over the bottom of the pan, all the way to the edges. (You can also use the bottom of a coffee mug or a heavy glass to pound the crumbs in place—you want to apply some pressure here so the crust holds its shape.)
  • Bake the graham cracker crust. Bake for 15 minutes. The crust will look underbaked and feel soft to the touch when you remove it from the oven, but will firm up as it cools.
    Cool the crust on a wire rack while you make the cheesecake fillings—be sure to keep the oven on!
  • Make the cheesecake filling. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese on medium-low until soft, about 1 minute.
    Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 1 minute, using a rubber spatula to scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl as necessary.
    Reduce the mixer to low and add the eggs one at a time, adding the next egg only after the previous one is fully incorporated, scraping down the bottom and sides of the bowl after each addition.
    With the mixer on low, add the sour cream all at once and beat until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl once more, and beat on medium-high for an additional 30 seconds.
  • Make the ube cheesecake swirl. Pour 1 ½ cups (12 ounces or 340 grams) of the cheesecake filling into a medium bowl. Add the ube halaya jam and ube extract, and whisk until just combined.
  • Assemble the ube cheesecake bars. Alternate spooning generous dollops of the two cheesecake batters over the prepared crust. Then, use a butter knife to combine the two—be careful not to overmix! Tap the pan on the counter 1 to 2 times to smooth the filling top.
  • Bake the ube cheesecake bars. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until the edges are set but the center still wobbles slightly.
  • Cool the ube cheesecake bars. Once the bars are done, turn off the oven's heat. Open the oven door just a crack, propping it open with a heatproof cooking utensil like a wooden spoon. Leave the bars in the oven for 30 minutes.
    After 30 minutes, remove the bars from the oven and place on a wire rack. Run a butter knife or offset spatula around the edge of the pan to loosen the cheesecake.
    Cool the bars completely in the pan on the wire rack.
  • Chill the ube cheesecake bars. When the bars are cool, cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate until the filling is firm, at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.
  • Serve and store. Run a butter knife or offset spatula along the edges of the pan. Use the overhanging parchment paper as handles to lift the bars out of the pan and onto a cutting board. Use a hot knife to slice 2.25-inch squares and serve.
    The cheesecake bars can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Notes

  • 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.
  • Make sure that all your ingredients are at the temperatures specified in the recipe before starting any of its steps. Cold ingredients don’t mix together easily, creating a lumpy cheesecake batter prone to cracking. Check out my article in Bon Appetit about how to bring baking ingredients to room temperature quickly!
  • To get straight edges and smooth sides when you slice the cheesecake, use a hot serrated knife. Fill a tall, heatproof glass with VERY hot water. Place the blade of the serrated knife in the water for 20 seconds. Use a kitchen towel to dry the knife. Use it to slice the cheesecake, dipping the knife into the water and drying it ever so often, especially if the filling starts sticking to the blade.
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Weeknight Baking:
Recipes to Fit your Schedule

Over the past several years of running Hummingbird High, I kept a crucial aspect of my life hidden from my readers: I had a full-time, extremely demanding job in the tech world. In my debut cookbook, Weeknight Baking, I finally reveal the secrets to baking delicious desserts on a tight schedule.