These Strawberry Cheesecake Bars bring you the flavors of cheesecake in a no-fuss bar form! This creamy cheesecake dessert is fruit forward with a strawberry ribbon is perfect year round.
This cheesecake recipe is ideal for spring celebrations, parties, family birthdays and cheesecake lovers! If you love cheesecake desserts then check out my Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake Bars, The Best Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake and Berry Cheesecake Galette!
A Quick Glance At The Recipe
- ✅Done in: 4 hours 20 minutes - this includes chilling time!
- 🛒Ingredients: 11, including salt.
- 🍽️Serves: 9 servings but can also be cut into smaller pieces or larger pieces to yield more or less.
- 💪Difficulty: Easy - Perfect for all your spring & summer weekends, parties and family desserts.
- 👩🍳Cook Method: Bake
- ⏰Make Ahead Friendly: Yes! Strawberry Cheesecake Bars with Oreo Crust can be made up to 3 days in advance, stored in the fridge in an airtight container.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Creamy cheesecake base swirled with vibrant strawberry sauce!
- Made with Oreo crust for a rich-chocolatey crunch.
- No fancy equipment or water bath needed. (Krista-tested & Mom approved!)
- Make ahead friendly! Making Oreo crust cheesecake bars or banana pudding cheesecake bars ahead saves time for family parties and school lunches.
- Strawberry Cheesecake Bars can be made year round! If fresh strawberries aren't in season then you can use frozen.
Jump to:
Recipe Ingredients
- Oreos: Use regular Oreos or Gluten Free Oreos to make this recipe gluten free.
- Cream Cheese: Always use full-fat for the absolute best texture in the finished cheesecake.
- Sour Cream: Using sour cream makes the bars extra creamy.
- Strawberries: I use frozen strawberries during off peak strawberry season and fresh strawberries during strawberry season. The same rule applies when making strawberry compote.
- Cornstarch: Cornstarch will help thicken the strawberry sauce slightly so it's not runny. Always be sure to mix cornstarch with cold water before adding it to a sauce and bring the sauce to a boil otherwise, the cornstarch slurry will not reach full thickening potential.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Substitutions & Variations
- Golden Oreos or graham cracker crumbs can be substituted for Oreos to give a vanilla cookie crust or classic graham cracker crust.
- Use raspberries, cherries or blueberries instead of strawberries in these Oreo crust cheesecake bars.
This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions or variations. If you replace or add any ingredients, please let us know how it turned out in the comments below!
How to Make Strawberry Cheesecake Bars
Step 1: Crush cookies in a food processor.
Step 2: Mix with butter and salt until crumbly.
Step 3: Press into prepared pan and bake.
Step 4: Blend strawberry sauce ingredients, then cook and cool.
Step 5: Whip cheesecake filling ingredients.
Step 6: Pour cheesecake on baked and cooled Oreo cookie crust.
Step 7: Dollop cooled strawberry sauce over cheesecake.
Step 8: Swirl with a knife and bake until set. Cool strawberry swirl cheesecake bars before serving.
Expert Baking Tips
- Allow cream cheese, eggs and sour cream to come to room temperature before beginning the recipe. This ensures a lump-free, smooth cheesecake. This goes for Apple Pie Stuffed Cheesecake and any other cheesecake recipe as well.
- Bake until sides are set and center is slightly jiggly. This prevents overbaking and cracking.
- Chill the Oreo strawberry cheesecake bars completely before removing them and cutting into them. This allows the cheesecake to set and hold together when sliced.
- Use a food processor or immersion blender to blend the strawberry sauce with ease.
🧁Krista's Food Truck & Mom POV
As a chef running a food truck and mom to two very busy young girls, sometimes you need a dessert that comes together quick and easily. Lucky for me, I usually have a batch of strawberry compote, sauce or jam on hand to make this recipe.
Of course as a mom I typically have Oreos on hand too LOL. That makes these Strawberry Cheesecake Bars (or my Banana Coffee Cake) easy to bake one night and serve the next day or the day after.
Great for school events, the girls' dance practice snacks or when your friend asks you to make a dessert for their kids birthday party!
Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can use fresh strawberries for the strawberry sauce! This recipe is made with frozen strawberries so you can enjoy it all year round but fresh work great when in season.
You most certainly can. Strawberry Swirl Cheesecake Bars can be made up to 5 days in advance and stored in the fridge in an airtight container or tightly wrapped in plastic wrap. They also freeze well for up to 2 months. I like to wrap them in plastic wrap and heavy duty aluminum foil then place them in an airtight container in the freezer. Allow them to defrost in the fridge overnight before eating.
I specifically developed this recipe to have a gluten-free dessert for my brother. Many cheesecake fillings contain flour, but not this one. I tested using gluten-free Oreos for the crust and they were perfect! You can absolutely use any sort of cookie for the crust, no matter the flavor or if it is wheat or gluten-free.
Be sure to fully chill Strawberry Cheesecake Bars before slicing. Use a pitcher of hot water to dip your chef knife in then wipe it dry with a cloth and make your slice. Stick the knife back in the hot water and wipe between each slice you make. This provides a nice clean picture perfect cut.
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📖Recipe
Strawberry Cheesecake Bars with Strawberry Swirl & Oreo Crust
Equipment
- 1 oven
- 1 8x8 baking pan
Ingredients
Oreo Crust
- 28 Oreos regular or gluten free
- 8 tablespoon unsalted butter melted
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Strawberry Sauce
- 16 oz strawberries fresh or frozen (thaw first if using frozen)
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
Cheesecake Filling
- 16 oz cream cheese room temp
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅛ tsp kosher salt
- ⅔ cup sour cream
- 2 eggs room temp
Instructions
Making the Oreo Crust
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray an 8x8 pan with non stick cooking spray then line it with parchment paper leaving a 2 inch overhang. Spray the parchment paper with non stick cooking spray
- Blend the Oreos, melted butter and salt in a food processor until you have a fine crumb. Spread the crumb evenly in the 8x8 pan then press down firmly
- Bake the Oreo crust for 10 minutes then set it aside to cool
Making the Strawberry Sauce
- Turn the oven down to 325°F
- Blend the strawberries, sugar and cornstarch in a food processor or blender until smooth
- Heat the strawberry mix in a small sauce pot over medium heat until it comes to a low boil, stirring frequently
- Remove the sauce from the heat and cool. Pour it into a bowl and chill in the fridge to speed up the process
Making the Cheesecake Filling
- Beat the softened cream cheese in a bowl with an electric hand mixer for 1 minute on low
- Add the granulated sugar, vanilla, salt and sour cream then beat on low for 30 seconds
- Mix in the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides in between each addition
Baking the Strawberry Cheesecake Bars
- Pour the cheesecake mix over the cooled Oreo crust
- Dollop the cooled strawberry sauce on top of the cheesecake batter
- Swirl the strawberry sauce into the cheesecake batter with a butter knife
- Bake at 325°F for 45 minutes until the sides are slightly puffed but now brown. The center will be a little jiggly still but will set once cooled
- Cool the bars on a cooling rack on the counter for 2-3 hours before transferring to the fridge to chill the rest of the way. Chill in fridge for 5-6 hours
- Once the Strawberry Cheesecake Bars are fully chilled, slice and enjoy!
Notes
- For best results, don't over beat the cheesecake mixture
- Make the strawberry sauce with either fresh or frozen strawberries. I use frozen unless it's peak strawberry season
- Make the Strawberry Cheesecake Bars gluten free! Just sub gluten free Oreos for the regular Oreos
- Let the Cheesecake Bars cool for 2-3 hours on a cooling rack on the counter before chilling them in the fridge to help avoid cracking
- Chill the bars completely before removing them and cutting into them. They will hold together when fully chilled
- Cool the strawberry sauce to room temp or slightly warmer before adding it to the cheesecake mixture to bake
- Use a butter knife to swirl the strawberry into the cheesecake mix. Just swirl back and forth in the pan going up and down then side to side then a few hearts or half circles. It doesn't need to be perfect
- Make this easy dessert ahead of time! These dessert bars can be made 1-2 days ahead of serving time
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