Food and Recipes Desserts Cakes Cheesecake Key Lime Cheesecake Bars 5.0 (1) 1 Review A new way to enjoy an old favorite. By Amanda Holstein Amanda Holstein Amanda Holstein fell in love with baking at the age of 6, and continued growing her passion through culinary school and working in bakeries for over 10 years. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Published on March 23, 2023 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Morgan Hunt Glaze; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Stylist: Christine Keely Active Time: 25 mins Chill Time: 3 hrs Total Time: 5 hrs 10 mins Servings: 12 Key lime cheesecake bars are the tangy, sweet treat that brighten up a dessert table for any occasion. Cut larger pieces of these cheesecake bars for plated service (with plenty of whipped cream), or cut smaller ones for grab-and-go bites, perfect for a party—no plate required. Key Lime Cheesecake Bars Ingredients All ingredients for these Key lime cheesecake bars are widely available and easy to find at the grocery store. To make the white-chocolate graham cracker crust, you will need graham cracker crumbs, unsalted butter, sugar, white chocolate, salt, allspice, nutmeg, and cooking spray. For the cheesecake filling, you’ll need cream cheese, sour cream, butter, sugar, salt, eggs, Key lime juice (either fresh or bottled), and Key lime zest. For decoration and serving, you’ll also need Key lime slices and lightly sweetened whipped cream. 26 Adorable Mini Desserts for Hassle-Free Hosting What Do Key Lime Cheesecake Bars Taste Like? This dessert is super creamy with a tangy zing. The sweetness of the white chocolate in the crust balances the bite of the lime juice in the filling, which is bright and zesty. The Key lime flavor really shines through. The warm spices in the crust provide a perfect complement with the tangy filling; the white chocolate is subtle but it helps make this crust taste elevated and unique. 33 To-Die-For Cheesecake Recipes for Every Occasion How To Serve Key Lime Cheesecake Bars When cut into 12 pieces, these bars are substantial in size—just right to serve topped with whipped cream as a plated dessert for a seated group. If cut smaller, this recipe will yield more pieces and work better as a finger-food, grab-and-go-style dessert option. For another creative serving suggestion (and a delicious way to use any leftovers), cut cheesecake into small cubes, freeze them, and use the sweet pieces as a topping on your favorite ice cream flavor. Key Lime Cheesecake Bars Recipe Tips You can use fresh Key limes for juice in this recipe. But bottled Key lime juice works just fine too (and it’s much faster than squeezing tiny Key limes to make enough juice). Plus, Key lime juice is also available year round and a great solution when fresh Key limes aren’t available. Regular lime juice and zest also works in this recipe if Key limes are not available. Try using a water bath when baking to help stop the cheesecake from cracking and to promote even baking.When you’re ready to cut, get the cleanest slices each time by heating your knife under hot running water then wiping it dry. Repeat this step between every slice for the best results. Can You Freeze Key Lime Cheesecake Bars? These tangy and sweet bars freeze well (if there’s anything left over!). Just wrap them in plastic, and place them in a zip-locking bag. They’ll last up to a month in the freezer. More Cheesecake Bars Are these creamy bite-sized cheesecake squares your favorite kind of dessert? Try these next: Meyer Lemon Cheesecake Bars Banana Pudding Cheesecake Bars Red, White, and Blue Cheesecake Bars Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars Editorial contributions by Alesandra Dubin. Ingredients White Chocolate-Graham Cracker Crust Cooking spray 2 cups (6.8 oz.) graham cracker crumbs 1/2 cup (4 oz.) unsalted butter, melted 1/4 cup (1 3/4 oz.) granulated sugar 1/4 cup (1.4 oz.) finely chopped white chocolate (from 1 [4-oz.] bar), plus more shaved white chocolate for garnish 1/4 tsp. table salt 1/4 tsp. ground allspice 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg Cheesecake Filling 3 (8-oz.) pkg. cream cheese, at room temperature 3/4 cup (7 oz.) sour cream, at room temperature 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature 3/4 cup (5 1/4 oz.) granulated sugar 1/4 tsp. table salt 3 large eggs, at room temperature 1/2 cup fresh or bottled Key lime juice 2 Tbsp. grated Key lime zest (from 8 Key limes) 3 cups water Additional Ingredients Lightly sweetened whipped cream Key lime slices Directions Prepare baking pan: Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in lower third position. Line a 9- x 13-inch baking pan with aluminum foil, leaving a 2-inch overhang on the long sides. Lightly coat pan and foil with cooking spray. Prepare the White Chocolate-Graham Cracker Crust: Stir together graham cracker crumbs, butter, sugar, white chocolate, salt, allspice, and nutmeg in a large bowl until combined and evenly moistened. Morgan Hunt Glaze; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Stylist: Christine Keely Press mixture evenly into bottom of prepared pan. Morgan Hunt Glaze; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Stylist: Christine Keely Bake crust: Bake in preheated oven until light golden and fragrant, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool slightly, about 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 300°F. Morgan Hunt Glaze; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Stylist: Christine Keely Prepare the Cheesecake Filling: Beat cream cheese, sour cream, and butter in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium speed until fluffy and fully combined, 4 to 5 minutes. Morgan Hunt Glaze; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Stylist: Christine Keely Beat in sugar and salt on medium speed until combined, about 1 minute. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating on low speed just until combined after each addition and stopping to scrape down sides of bowl with a rubber spatula as needed, 1 to 2 minutes total. Morgan Hunt Glaze; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Stylist: Christine Keely Add Key lime juice and zest; beat on low speed just until combined, about 45 seconds. Morgan Hunt Glaze; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Stylist: Christine Keely Add filling to crust, bake: Pour Cheesecake Filling into cooled Crust. Place baking pan into a large roasting pan, and place in preheated oven. Pour water into roasting pan, and bake at 300°F until cheesecake is set, 35 to 40 minutes. Morgan Hunt Glaze; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Stylist: Christine Keely Cool in oven: Turn off oven, and leave oven door cracked open 7 to 8 inches; let cheesecake cool in oven 30 minutes. Remove pans from oven, and carefully remove cheesecake from water bath. Let cool in pan at room temperature 30 minutes, then cover and refrigerate until completely chilled, at least 3 hours or up to overnight. Morgan Hunt Glaze; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Stylist: Christine Keely Cut into bars: Using foil overhang as handles, lift cheesecake out of pan, and place onto a cutting board. Cut into 12 (3- x 2 1/2-inch) rectangles. Garnish with whipped cream, white chocolate shavings, and key lime slices. Morgan Hunt Glaze; Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Stylist: Christine Keely Rate it Print Additional reporting by Alesandra Dubin