Creamy cheesecake bars on a simple graham cracker crust with a thick Nutella swirl.
Calling all cheesecake lovers… and Nutella lovers. This sinful recipe was made with YOU in mind. And umm… me too. I had a serious craving for Nutella last week and rather than smearing some on a banana, I swirled it into some cheesecake. I don’t know if I should apologize in advance or not. You’re absolutely going to fall in love with these and your pants are not going to get any looser. Umm, so worth it. Tis the season.
These Nutella cheesecake bars are sinful. So good that they should come with a warning label. They’re creamy, thick, cheesecakey, chocolate-y, and smooth. A perfect ending to a holiday meal. The ideal home-baked gift for all cheesecake lovers. Heck, they’re perfect for ANY dessert lover.
And the best part? They’re so simple! Much, much easier than making an entire cheesecake from scratch. All the work is done in the oven as the bars bake and then in the refrigerator as the bars chill. Super simple, just like peanut butter pretzel cheesecake bars. We all have enough going on this time of year (and well, any time of year) that a simple hassle-free dessert is always welcome!
You Need Only 8 Ingredients
You’re only going to need a few easy ingredients: graham crackers, butter, cream cheese, sugar, egg, vanilla extract, nutella. Yeah, that’s it. 8 ingredients total!
The base of these creamy cheesecake bars is the same graham cracker crust used in my s’mores brownie pie and strawberry cheesecake bars. Grind up some graham crackers, mix them with melted butter and sugar. Press this mixture tightly into a pan and then top with the cheesecake batter.
Swirling Nutella Is Easier Than You Think
The hardest part about today’s recipe is swirling the Nutella. Which is, in fact, quite effortless. If you’ve ever eaten Nutella, you know that it is quite hard to work with. So sticky! So thick! And gooey!
Those are all positive things, people. To make the Nutella easy to swirl, you may do one of two things. (1) Simply measure 1/3 cup of it into a small bowl and microwave for about 15 seconds. (2) Alternatively, you can sit the entire jar of Nutella in a large bowl of warm water for about 15 minutes.
The Nutella will be much thinner and easier to swirl using either option. Use a knife to drag it through the batter, just like we do when making these raspberry cheesecake brownies.
The cheesecake bars take about 30โ35 minutes to bake. Be sure not to over-bake them. The bars will be very puffy and the edges will be brown.
Let the bars cool at room temperature on a wire rack; the bars will sink back down as they cool. Putting the bars onto a wire rack will allow air to circulate to the bottom of the pan. Once slightly cooled (about 30 minutes) transfer to the refrigerator to cool completely, for at least 3โ4 hours (or overnight).
A Great Make-Ahead Recipe
Make these Nutella swirl cheesecake bars ahead of time because they need to chill for at least 3 hours. You need them to be sufficiently chilled all the way through the center in order for the bars to cut neatly. As well as taste the best!
It is an enormous test of your self control to leave the Nutella cheesecake bars alone in the refrigerator as they chill. But trust me, the end result is sooo worth it. And while you’re waiting, you can make a batch of shortbread cookies. They don’t require any chilling and are ready in just under an hour!
When the mood strikes you for a creamy, cheesecake-y, Nutella treatโbecause let’s face it, that’s oftenโthese cheesecake bars are your answer. I have a feeling this simple, 8-ingredient recipe will be in heavy rotation for the next couple of weeks. I have about 100 occasions to bake for, and I know Nutella will always be a crowd pleaser.
Plus, look how pretty they are!ย โฅย Cheesecake may just be my new favorite way to eat Nutella.
Use Leftover Nutella For:
- Nutella Brownies
- Chocolate Hazelnut Crunch Truffles
- Nutella Babka
- Lace Cookies
- Nutella Tart
- Nutella Crinkle Cookies
Nutella Swirl Cheesecake Bars
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 4 hours, 50 minutes
- Yield: 16 bars
- Category: Bars
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Creamy cheesecake bars on a simple graham cracker crust with a thick Nutella swirl.
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 and 1/2 cups (180g) graham cracker crumbs (12 full-sheet graham crackers)
- 6 Tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter, melted
- 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
Filling
- 16 ounces (452g) full-fat brick cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup (100g) Nutella, slightly warmed*
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ยฐF (177ยฐC). Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil with enough overhang on the sides. Set aside.
- Make the crust: Using a food processor or blender, grind the graham crackers into a fine crumb. Pour into a medium bowl and mix with melted butter and sugar. Press into the lined pan. Bake for 5 minutes. Allow to cool as you prepare the filling.
- Make the filling: Beat cream cheese, egg, sugar, and vanilla extract together with a hand or stand mixer until smooth and creamy, about 3 full minutes. Spoon filling onto the crust. Drop large spoonfuls of Nutella on top of filling and swirl gently with a knife.
- Bake for 30โ35 minutes, or until the cheesecake has set up and the edges are lightly browned. The bars will be very puffy, but will sink slightly down as they cool. Allow to cool for 30 minutes at room temperature on a wire rack and then chill in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours. Lift the foil out of the pan and cut into squares.
- Store bars in a covered container for up to 5 days in the refrigerator.
Notes
- Special Toolsย (affiliate links): 8-inch Square Baking Pan | Food Processor (for graham crackers) | Glass Mixing Bowl | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Cooling Rack
- Nutella: To make the Nutella easy to swirl, try this: (1) Simply measure 1/3 cup of it into a small bowl and microwave for about 15 seconds. (2) Alternatively, you can sit the entire jar of Nutella into a large bowl of warm water for about 15 minutes.
- Double Batch: Recipe can easily be doubled and baked in a 9×13-inch pan; baking time will varyโabout 45โ55 minutes.
- Non-US Readers: Don’t have graham crackers where you live? Use 200g ground digestive biscuits instead (about 13โ14 biscuits), the same amount of butter, and add a bit more sugar (about 1/3 cup, or 67g). You may need to add a few extra minutes to the pre-baking time, as digestive biscuits are not quite as crispy-crunchy as graham crackers. And from what I understand, spreadable cream cheese sold in a tub in countries outside of the US is a little different from the spreadable cream cheese in the US. It’s thicker, sturdier, and more solid and should be OK to make cheesecake. I have no experience with it, but this is what I’ve heard from other non-US readers.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Hi! Instead of nutella, could you tell me the ingredients/instructions to substitute chocolate? Thank you!
Hi Sal, we haven’t tested this recipe with chocolate, so are unsure of the result.
Just curious, your step 4 says to cook on a wire rack, then later you say to take out of the pan. Are we suppose to cool the pan on the wire rack or take them out and put them back in?
Hi Joe, you can allow the whole pan to cool on the wire rack.
Regularly bake from the site! Love it! In fact, Iโm trying to make the strawberry chocolate chip cheesecake bars that are linked at the start of this post. However, both from this postโs link and from an online search, I end up at this recipe. The strawberry chocolate chip cheesecake bars have been a big hit with my coworkers so Iโm hoping I can get to it so I can brighten next week with some baking!
Kathy – I agree with you! I made these for an event this time last year and everyone was obsessed. I came back to my saved page to make them again, and it linked me here. Please re-post the ingredients to the strawberry and chocolate chip mix-ins! Thank you!
Hi Scott! We were no longer satisfied with the outcome of that older recipe, so we unpublished it. We still have it, so send us an email and we can forward it to you.
sally@sallysbakingaddiction.com
Love the recipe! Are we able to freeze the bars for later?
Yes! You can freeze the bars for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.