Exceptionally quicker and easier than a full cheesecake, these white chocolate raspberry cheesecake bars are luxuriously creamy, perfectly sweet, and swirled with layers of homemade fresh raspberry sauce. Baked in a 9-inch square pan, they sit on a buttery sweet Oreo cookie crust and are filled with real white chocolate.
This recipe started as a full cheesecake that went horribly wrong. I’m chalking it up to poor decisions in the recipe creation process, but it (1) was too thick (2) overflowed and (3) burned around the edges (from the sugar in the white chocolate I believe?). It tasted fine, but I knew I could do better especially since this classic cheesecake recipe is top-notch.
I didn’t really have an occasion for a full cheesecake coming up, nor did I want to waste another 2 lbs of cream cheese and raspberries, so I tossed the whole idea and opted for white chocolate raspberry cheesecake bars instead. I always appreciate cheesecake I can eat with my hands, plus these are easier to serve to a crowd.
Why You’ll Love These White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake Bars:
- Easier than a full cheesecake
- No messing with a water bath
- Quicker to bake & chill than a full cheesecake
- Portable
- Hand-held individual servings
- Exceptionally creamy
- Made with real white chocolate & raspberries
- Buttery Oreo cookie crust
Behind the Recipe
The starting point for my white chocolate raspberry cheesecake bars was my lemon blueberry cheesecake bars. To this base, you’ll add real melted white chocolate, an extra egg to help stabilize that white chocolate, and a Tablespoon of flour to help soak up the extra liquid. Pour this on an Oreo cookie crust and swirl with layers of raspberry sauce.
3 Parts to This Recipe:
- Raspberry Swirl
- Oreo Cookie Crust
- White Chocolate Cheesecake Filling
Raspberry Swirl
The raspberry swirl is not quite as thick as our raspberry cake filling. It’s more similar in consistency to our raspberry sauce recipe. I recommend preparing it first. Made from real raspberries, this homemade sauce must cool down completely before swirling into the white chocolate cheesecake filling. I usually stick it in the refrigerator for 1 hour to speed up the cooling process. Or you can make the raspberry sauce the night before.
- Mix some water and cornstarch together.
- Cook fresh or frozen raspberries, sugar, and more water together on the stovetop.
- Add cornstarch mixture.
- Once slightly thickened, remove from heat.
- Press raspberries through a fine mesh strainer to rid the seeds. Discard the seeds.
- Let the seedless sauce cool completely before using.
Oreo Cookie Crust
This is my standard Oreo cookie crust recipe that I use for many other desserts, too. You need 22 Oreo cookies and 5 Tablespoons of melted butter. I’ve gotten away with 18 Oreos and 4 Tablespoons of butter (as seen in my salted caramel chocolate chip cheesecakes), but I like this slightly thicker crust for bars.
- Using a food processor or blender, pulse the Oreos (the whole Oreo—cookie AND filling) into crumbs.
- Mix with melted butter.
- Press into a lined 9-inch square baking pan.
- Pre-bake for 8 minutes as you prepare the filling.
Or you could use a Biscoff pie crust instead if you’d like.
White Chocolate Cheesecake Filling
Let’s make the cheesecake filling, then bring each component of this recipe together before baking.
- Chop and melt pure white chocolate. Don’t use white chocolate chips/morsels. Instead, pick up two 4-ounce white chocolate baking bars from the baking aisle; I prefer Ghirardelli or Baker’s brands sold right next to the chocolate chips. You need 6 ounces for this recipe. Cool the white chocolate as you make the batter.
- As the white chocolate cools, beat 16 ounces of brick-style cream cheese with some sugar.
- Add flour, lemon juice to brighten up the otherwise flat flavor (don’t worry, it won’t taste like lemon cheesecake), vanilla extract, and salt.
- Beat in 2 eggs.
- Add melted/cooled white chocolate.
Bring It All Together
- Pour 1/2 of the cheesecake filling onto warm pre-baked Oreo cookie crust.
- Drizzle with 1/2 of the cooled raspberry sauce.
- Pour remaining 1/2 of the cheesecake filling on top.
- Drizzle with remaining raspberry sauce.
- Swirl everything together with a toothpick.
- Bake! No water bath required. The bars take about 32–36 minutes in the oven. They’ll puff up as they bake, then settle back down as they cool.
After cooling the bars at room temperature, place them in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours until sufficiently chilled. Cold cheesecake bars not only taste better, but they cut much easier too. For neat slices, wipe your sharp knife clean between each cut.
This recipe yields 16 perfect squares. For a 9×13-inch pan of white chocolate raspberry cheesecake bars, see my recipe note below.
3 Success Tips for White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake Bars
- Read Through the Recipe: Included in my 10 Best Baking Tips is this crucial piece of baking advice: read the recipe before you begin. Have everything in place so you don’t miss an important ingredient or step.
- Take Your Time: Work on each component one at a time. This isn’t a recipe you can rush because the raspberry sauce and white chocolate must cool down before using.
- Chill the Cheesecake Bars: Like a full cheesecake, these bars must cool down and chill in the refrigerator before slicing. Unlike regular cheesecake, though, you don’t need to cool them in the cooling oven. And since they’re thinner, they take about half the time to cool down as a full cheesecake. That’s always a nice bonus!
PS: You can turn these into individual mini cheesecakes. See my recipe note below.
PPS: If you love these flavors together, try my raspberry cheesecake brownies next.
Print
White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake Bars
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 5 hours, 5 minutes (includes chilling)
- Yield: 16 squares
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Exceptionally quicker and easier than a full cheesecake, these white chocolate raspberry cheesecake bars are luxuriously creamy, perfectly sweet, and swirled with layers of homemade fresh raspberry sauce.
Ingredients
Raspberry Sauce
- 2 teaspoons room-temperature water, divided
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 and 1/2 cups (205g) fresh or frozen raspberries (do not thaw)
- 2 Tablespoons (25g) granulated sugar
Crust
- 22 regular Oreo cookies (not Double-Stuf)
- 5 Tablespoons (71g) unsalted butter, melted
Filling
- 6 ounces (170g) white chocolate, finely chopped
- 16 ounces (452g) full-fat brick cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1/3 cup (65g) granulated sugar
- 1 Tablespoon (8g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
Instructions
- Make & cool the raspberry sauce: The raspberry sauce must cool down completely before using, so I recommend making it first. Mix 1 teaspoon water with 1 teaspoon cornstarch in a very small bowl. Set aside. Combine raspberries, granulated sugar, and remaining 1 teaspoon of water together in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir the mixture as it begins to cook, breaking up some of the raspberries as you stir. Once simmering, add the cornstarch mixture. Continue to stir and allow to simmer for 3 minutes. Remove the pan from heat and press through a fine mesh strainer to remove the seeds. Allow the thin raspberry sauce to cool completely before using. Cover and store for up to 1 week in the refrigerator.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line the bottom and sides of a 9-inch square baking pan (8-inch is too small) with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the sides to lift the finished bars out (makes cutting easier!). Set aside.
- Make the crust: In a food processor or blender, pulse 22 Oreos (including the cream filling) into a fine crumb. You should have about 2 cups (packed) crumbs, or 250g. Pour crumbs into a large bowl. Add the melted butter and stir to combine. The mixture will be thick and quite wet. Try to smash/break up any large chunks. Pour the mixture into prepared pan. With medium pressure using your hand, pat the crumbs down into the bottom to make a compact, thick crust. Bake for 8 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside. Leave oven on.
- For the filling: Melt the chopped white chocolate in a double boiler or the microwave. If using the microwave: place the white chocolate in a medium heat-proof bowl. Melt in 20 second increments in the microwave, stirring after each increment until completely melted and smooth. Let the warm chocolate cool as you work on the other cheesecake filling ingredients. You can place it in the refrigerator, but just don’t let it solidify!
- Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and granulated sugar together on medium-high speed in a large bowl until the mixture is smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the flour, lemon juice, vanilla extract, and salt, then beat until fully combined. On medium speed, add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition until just blended. After the 2nd egg is incorporated into the batter, stop mixing. A few small lumps can remain. Pour in the cooled (but still liquid) white chocolate. Beat on low speed just until combined.
- Pour half of the cheesecake filling onto the crust. It’s ok if the crust is still slightly warm. Drizzle half of the raspberry sauce all over the top. Spread remaining cheesecake filling on top. (It’s ok if the raspberry sauce has spread to the sides or slightly incorporates into the top layer of cheesecake.) Drizzle remaining raspberry sauce on top, then use a toothpick or knife to gently swirl everything together.
- Bake for 32–36 minutes or until the cheesecake appears set on top and the edges are lightly browned. The bars will be puffy, but will sink slightly down as they cool. Place pan on a wire rack. Cool for 45 minutes at room temperature, then chill in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours (and up to 1 day) before slicing. If you plan to chill the bars for longer, loosely cover with aluminum foil after 3 hours of chilling.
- To slice, lift the bars out of the pan as a whole using the parchment overhang on the sides. Cut into squares with a sharp knife. For extra neat squares, wipe the knife clean between each cut.
- Cover and store leftover cheesecake bars in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Make-Ahead & Freezing Instructions: Prepare the raspberry sauce up to 1 week in advance. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. Prepare recipe through step 6 up to 2 days in advance. Cover unbaked cheesecake bars and store in the refrigerator until ready to bake. Continue with step 7. Since they’re cold, bars will take a few extra minutes to bake. To freeze: cool, chill, and slice bars as instructed. Freeze bars between layers of parchment paper for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Fine Mesh Strainer | 9-inch Square Baking Pan | Parchment Paper | Food Processor | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Glass Mixing Bowl | Cooling Rack
- Oreo Cookies: You need about 22 whole Oreos, which pulse down into about 2 packed cups of crumbs (250g).
- Graham Cracker Crust Instead: If you want to use graham crackers instead of Oreos, use this graham cracker crust recipe. Same pre-bake time.
- White Chocolate: Use 6 ounces of “baking chocolate” bars, found in the baking aisle. They’re sold in 4-ounce bars, so you’ll need 2. (You’ll have 2 ounces leftover for another use.) I prefer Bakers or Ghirardelli brands. Do not use candy melts, white chocolate dipping wafers, or white chocolate chips; all contain stabilizers or added ingredients preventing them from combining evenly with the cheesecake filling.
- Lemon Juice: This recipe does not taste like lemon. The 1 teaspoon of lemon juice brightens up the otherwise flat white chocolate flavor.
- Raspberry Jam: You can try using raspberry jam instead of the homemade sauce. I recommend 3 Tablespoons for each layer (6 Tbsp total).
- 9×13-inch or Full Cheesecake: For a 9×13-inch pan, you can double the filling recipe. Do not double the raspberry sauce or crust ingredients. For the sauce, use 3 teaspoons of water (1.5 teaspoons with the cornstarch, 1.5 teaspoons with the raspberries & sugar), 2 cups fresh or frozen raspberries, and 3 Tablespoons of sugar. For the crust, use 30 Oreos and 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp) of melted butter. Bake time is closer to 45–50 minutes. Cool for 1 hour at room temperature, then chill for at least 4–5 hours before slicing. Use these same amounts for a full cheesecake in a 10-inch springform pan (no smaller). I recommend following the baking and cooling instructions, including using a water bath, as found in my regular cheesecake recipe. I found the edges rose up and burned quickly, so tent with aluminum foil after about 30 minutes. (I found the cheesecake then stuck to the foil, creating a bit of a mess on top.) For these reasons, I strongly recommend using this recipe for bars instead of a full cheesecake.
- Mini Individual Cheesecakes: Use the baking and cooling instructions found in my mini cheesecakes and use this recipe as written. Recipe makes about 2 dozen cheesecakes in a muffin pan. Line 2 12-count muffin pans with liners. Firmly press 1.5 Tablespoons of crust mixture into each. Pre-bake for 5 minutes. Pour filling on top, about 1 Tbsp filling for each. Drizzle each with raspberry sauce. Swirl with a toothpick. Again, use the baking and cooling instructions found in my mini cheesecakes. Feel free to top cooled mini cheesecakes with whipped cream.
More Cheesecake
- No-Bake Cheesecake Jars
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake Bars
- Blueberry Swirl Cheesecake
- No-Bake Cheesecake
- Small Batch Cheesecake (so fun—bake in a loaf pan)
Reader Comments and Reviews
Hi! I haven’t made this recipe before but was wondering if I could use vanilla Oreos? I’m not a huge fan of the original chocolate Oreos.
I was also wondering if I’d be able to make this with blueberries?
It should be fine to use vanilla Oreos, but we haven’t tested it ourselves. You can use blueberries in place of the raspberries. Enjoy!
I made this a 9×13 pan and my crust kept peeling up and sticking to the cream-cheese-chocolate filling. is there something I did wrong? otherwise a great recipe, thank you
Hi Dylan, was your crust packed firmly enough into the pan? If it’s too loose, it can cause it to stick to the cheesecake batter and pull away. Glad you enjoyed it!
I made this as a 9×13 and have a question on thr crust. My crust seemed to come out very flat and very hard. I used proportions from your comments. Any idea on what I did wrong? Otherwise the flavors are amazing and the swirled raspberry on top is beautiful.
Hi Tracey, Try slightly reducing the butter. The butter is solidifying which could be creating an overly hard crust. Or try skipping the pre-bake crust step. Either should help for next time
Hey Sally! I am making this for an event and I am planning to freeze the baked bars. The last time I did that, the jelly seemed to have lost its color and it didnt look or taste as good. This was within a month .
I am wondering if I should keep them refridgerated for 2 weeks to avoid this issue or if there’s a specific way to freeze them? Please advise!
Hi Safa, we only recommend storing in the refrigerator for up to 1 week, so if you need longer than that we would freeze them. We wonder if the bars weren’t sealed tightly enough, which allowed too much moisture to enter and cause issues with the jam swirl? You can either wrap them individually in plastic wrap and then store in an air-tight container or bag, or you can gently stack the bars with parchment paper between the layers in an air-tight container. We hope this helps!
I only have an 8″square pan. Does the recipe need to be scaled down?
Hi Rosemary, some readers have baked these bars in an 8-inch square baking pan, but we found it was too small when we tested it.
Hi! If making the raspberry sauce ahead of time: should I allow it to come to a cool room temp before adding to the batter or is ice cold, straight from the fridge, ideal?
Hi Kathleen, you can use the raspberry sauce right from the refrigerator. Enjoy!
Hi sally!! I love your recipes so much and this one sounds so great but I really hate white chocolate and was wondering if there was an alternative?
Hi Amyra, you can simply swap the white chocolate with 6 ounces of semi-sweet or bittersweet baking chocolate.
For making the mini cheesecakes in the standard muffin tins, the recipe note says to use only 1 tablespoon of cheesecake filling per tin? That seems like a very small amount. I couldn’t find a specific amount per tin in the mini cheesecake recipe either though, just “fill to the top”. Is 1 tablespoon cheesecake filling per tin really enough? Also for the mini cheesecakes, should I layer each tin with the raspberry swirl like this recipe calls for (so crust, cheesecake, raspberry, cheesecake, raspberry, swirl together) or just do a single layer of each (crust, cheesecake, raspberry, swirl)? Thanks so much!
Hi Lindsay, the 1 Tablespoon of filling is correct. We do crust, cheesecake filling, raspberry, and then swirl. We hope you enjoy them!
Hi,
I live in Denmark and I am not able to find full fat cream cheese. There is the spreadable kind in the tub from Philadelphia. I tried this recipe with this, and the cream cheese didn´t setup properly. Do you have any suggestions of how I can modify the recipe to make it work?
Hi Cheryl, Yes, we know this is an issue and it’s very frustrating! Look for a soft white cheese with around 33% fat content. Not sure how easy it is to get, but you could try this one, or look for something similar: https://longleyfarm.com/collections/cream-cheese. We haven’t tested it personally, so aren’t sure of the result. Also, some people have reported that they strain off excess liquid from the tub type of cream cheese before using. And we’ve also had UK readers report that they’ve had success subbing half mascarpone for half the cream cheese. If you try any of these, please let us know how it turns out!
Hi! Would anything need to be changed if this recipe was scaled up to a 9in normal cheesecake?
Hi Charlie, see recipe Notes for details on baking as a full cheesecake. Enjoy!
Nice recipe!
I must say though, I adapted this to the mini cheesecake recipe as was talked about in the notes and it yielded only one-dozen cheesecakes rather than two-dozen, assuming you fill the cupcake liners all the way to the top like in the regular mini cheesecakes. Although perhaps I messed up the measurements somewhere? Not sure! I am curious about other people’s experiences. I’ll have to try again someday B)
Did you have to bake them longer? I currently have some in the oven. I followed the recipe for the mini but didn’t notice the instructions that it would make 2 dozen until after they were in the oven.
Hi, is this the exact same recipe as the old white chocolate raspberry cheesecake? I used to make it all the time but it got deleted when I got a new phone and now I can’t find it online. Thank you!
Hi S, this recipe hasn’t changed!
Can you omit the white chocolate? (Allergy)
Hi Jo! You can leave out the white chocolate. If doing so, leave out the flour as well. The bake time will be similar.
These turned out beautifully. I added a swirl of homemade whipped cream and a fresh raspberry to the top of each one
I love to make these with the pretzel crust from Sally’s peanut butter cheesecake bars!
Hey! Do you know if I can make this recipe and store the finished product in my fridge for about 3 days?
Hi Maaneha, yes, you can store the bars in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. Enjoy!
Hi Sally! I enjoyed this recipe a lot! Last time I made this, my oreo crust was fairly difficult to cut through and it was hard (not in a good way), I was wondering if there is a way to solve this issue?
I would also like to ask if there is any other alternatives to the crust instead of oreos?
Thank you!!!
Hi Uri, Try slightly reducing the butter. The butter is solidifying which could be creating an overly hard crust. Or try skipping the pre-bake crust step. Either should help for next time.
Hi, thank you for the recipe! Do you think I could sub the raspberries for strawberries as they are in season right now? Thank you!
Hi May! You can use strawberries here. They will take longer to cook down.
Hi. Love all your recipes. Could this swirl work to go with another cheesecake recipe? Thank you so much.
Hi Catherine, yes, many readers have used this swirl in our classic cheesecake recipe!
Hi Sally can I use store bought raspberry jam for this recipe instead of making the raspberry sauce from scratch?
Hi Lili, You can try using raspberry jam instead of the homemade sauce. We recommend 3 Tablespoons for each layer (6 Tbsp total).
I used some frozen passionfruit puree in place of raspberries and made the crust with Nilla wafers. Everything else I did exactly as the recipe says. So rich, so creamy, and I’m shocked at how fast everything came together. The title made the recipe seem like a whole day’s project and it took barely any time to put the batter together. And the best part is that the bars are the perfect size for when you just want one little sweet treat.
I’ve made this recipe before following it to a t and it was a hit. I am making it again for a different occasion this time and might not have consistent access to refrigeration. After the bars are baked, refrigerated, and cut, how long can they hang out at room temperature?
Hi Colleen, we would say up to two hours before you have to worry about bacteria growth, but the bars will be softer. Always use your best judgement! These are best served cold. Maybe a cooler/ice chest could be used to keep them cold without access to a refrigerator?
Hey Sally,
This is the best recipe hands down! I love it and I have made the squares with different berries multiple times with success! So thank you for that. Question: I want to make both oreo and graham cracker crust, as mini cheesecake. The serving size for this recipe yields 2 dozen which is exactly how much I want but divided. Can you recommend the measuring info for oreos and graham crackers? Thanks in advance!
Hi Safa, you can halve the crust recipe here for your dozen Oreo portion, then use the graham cracker crust measurements from these mini margarita cheesecakes for your dozen graham cracker portion. Hope this helps!
Hi Sally
I loved all your recipes hence was wondering if you have NO bake white chocolate raspberry cheesecake. TIA
Hi Tee! We haven’t tested a version like that, but you could try adding a layer of white chocolate ganache on top of the set no bake cheesecake, or on top of the crust before you add the cheesecake filling. Follow the instructions from this how to make chocolate ganache post. You could also try a raspberry swirl like we do for these white chocolate raspberry cheesecake bars. Let us know if you do any experimenting!
Can you use a mini-Cheesecake pan instead of the 9 x 13 pan?
Hi Tamara, this recipe uses a 9 inch square pan. We recommend sticking with that size. You can find details on making a larger batch or mini cheesecakes in the Notes after the recipe.
This recipe was gobbled up at the bake sale we had today. However, I didn’t have 3 hours prior to let it cool in the refrigerator. So, I took it out of the refrigerator after 1 hour and placed it in the freezer for 30 mins. It was not frozen and it was ready to cut!
I used seedless raspberry jam that I softened in the microwave until smooth. Turned out delicious everyone loved them.
Can I use gluten free oreos for the crust?
Hi Uzma, we haven’t tested the recipe with gluten free Oreos, but a few readers have tried and reported success. We’d love to know how they turn out if you give it a try!
I want to try this one, however I’m in the UK and I cannot find ”brick cream cheese” anywhere in any store… is there any alternative to using this? I honestly don’t think the UK has something like this anymore (apparently it used to be a thing but now it is nowhere to be found!)
Please let me know what I can use as an alternative. Thank you
Hi Amy, From what we 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 use in baking and frostings. We have no experience with it, but this is what we’ve heard from other non-US readers. If you try it, let us know how it turns out!
Easy to get philadelphia cream cheese in the UK. I use it all the time for hicheesecake. Same as the US product.
Hi, I live in Spain and use spreadable cream cheese for all of Sally’s recipes that call for it. Everything turns out fine!
I make a lot of cheesecakes and wanted to do something simpler inbetween all the cheesecakes and pies for the holidays. This was a big hit.
Question can I use blueberries in place of the raspberries, would everything else for the sauce be the same?
Hi Paul, yes, you can use blueberries in place of the raspberries. Enjoy!