becky
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read the disclosure policy to learn more.
Thank you for supporting this blog!
A recipe for margarita lime cheesecake bars with a graham cracker crust on the bottom, and a creamy, no-bake lime cheesecake on top. Made with or without tequila, they’re the best margarita cheesecake bars for Cinco de Mayo parties or summertime celebrations.
Why Make These Margarita Lime Cheesecake Bars?
Featuring a homemade graham cracker crust (made from graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, sugar, and a pinch of sea salt), and a cream cheese, sweetened whipped cream, tequila, and fresh lime topping, these margarita lime cheesecake bars will fit right in at summer parties or Cinco de Mayo gatherings.
The crust bakes in about 10 minutes, and the cheesecake topping doesn’t require any baking at all—just mix, spread, and freeze! As a bonus, these margarita cheesecake bars are completely eggless. (Like my eggless chocolate cupcakes, they’re a good option for anyone experiencing egg shortages or price gouging.) You can make this recipe as written, add more tequila for boozier bars, or omit the alcohol for a family-friendly dessert.
These lime cheesecake bars hold up well in the freezer, so they’re easy to make ahead of time. Just prior to serving, garnish each bar with lime zest, a slice of lime, or a dollop of freshly whipped cream.
Ingredients for Making Lime Cheesecake Bars
To make these margarita lime cheesecake bars, start by gathering the following ingredients:
- Graham Crackers – You’ll need about 10 whole (2 1/4 x 5 1/4-inch) graham crackers, or 160 grams (1 3/4 cups) graham cracker crumbs. If you don’t have access to graham crackers, you can substitute another crunchy biscuit, like digestive biscuits or Lotus Biscoff.
- Unsalted Butter – I like to place my butter in an oven-safe ramekin and melt it in the pre-heating oven, but you can also melt your butter in the microwave, or in a small saucepan on the stovetop.
- Granulated Sugar – Granulated sugar sweetens the graham cracker crust.
- Fine Sea Salt – I’ve used unsalted butter and added a pinch of fine sea salt to my crust. Omit if using salted butter.
- Whipping Cream – To make the soft, creamy cheesecake crust, this recipe relies on a combination of real whipping cream (heavy cream, in the US) and cream cheese. Look for a milk fat percentage around 35-36%.
- Cream Cheese – You’ll need 450 grams, or 2 8-ounce packages, of American block-style cream cheese. I have not tested this recipe with spreadable cream cheese, or with British-style soft cheese.
- Lime – You’ll need the zest of 2 limes and the juice of 1 lime to make the cheesecake filling, plus more zest or lime slices to garnish the chilled bars. I recommend zesting the limes on a Microplane, not a box grater.
- Vanilla Bean Paste – To balance the lime flavor, I’ve added vanilla bean paste to the cheesecake base. You can substitute a good-quality vanilla extract, or the scrapings of 1 vanilla pod.
- Tequila – If you do not consume alcohol, you can omit the tequila and replace it with additional lime juice. Non-alcoholic tequlia may also work, although I have not tested this substitution.
Preparing the Graham Cracker Crust
To make the graham cracker crumbs, place whole graham crackers in a sealed food storage bag. Position bag on top of a folded kitchen towel (don’t work directly on the countertop, or you’ll avoid damaging the marble) and use a wooden kitchen mallet, rolling pin, or the back of a metal ladle to crush until the crackers resemble fine breadcrumbs. Alternatively, you can use a food processor to blitz the crackers, or purchase pre-crushed graham cracker crumbs instead.
At first, the butter-and-graham cracker mixture will feel sticky and clumpy. When pressing it into the prepared tin, dip your fingertips in water (and continue dampening as needed) to prevent the cracker crumbs from sticking.
When you remove the baked crust from the oven, you might notice that it looks rough or bumpy. To smooth, use a flat-bottomed drinking glass to gently press the crust down, flattening any bubbles:
Make-Ahead and Storage Suggestions
Pre-baking the crust. You can bake the graham cracker crust up to 24 hours in advance. Wrap tin tightly in clingfilm/plastic wrap, and refrigerate until ready to use.
Freezing the topping. After preparing and spreading the crust, you’ll need to allow at least 8-10 hours for cheesecake topping to freeze before slicing and serving. I recommend freezing the bars overnight.
Storing the leftovers. Cover leftover margarita lime cheesecake bars with foil and store in the freezer for up to 1 week. Allow frozen bars to stand at room temperature for 10 minutes prior to serving.
Other bar and blondie recipes you might enjoy:
Raspberry Crumble Bars
Nutella Brownies
Apple Date Bars
Raspberry Cheesecake Brownies
And if you do make these, or any of my recipes, don’t forget to tag me @bastecutfold or use the hashtag #bastecutfold on Instagram. I always love to see what you’re making!
Margarita Lime Cheesecake Bars
A recipe for Margarita lime cheesecake bars featuring a graham cracker crust on the bottom and a fluffy, no-bake lime cheesecake topping.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Chilling Time: 8 hours
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 8 hours 40 minutes
- Yield: 16 2-inch squares 1x
- Category: Brownies and Traybakes
- Method: Oven
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust:
160 grams graham crackers (about ten 2 1/4 x 5 1/4-inch graham cracker sheets, or 1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs)
90 grams unsalted butter, melted (6 tablespoons)
38 grams granulated sugar (3 tablespoons)
Pinch fine sea salt
Cheesecake Topping:
240 milliliters whipping cream (1cup)
450 grams full fat cream cheese (2 8-ounce packages), softened
200 grams granulated sugar (1 cup)
8 grams lime zest (2 tablespoons, or zest of 2 limes), plus more to garnish
45 milliliters tequila (3 tablespoons), or to taste
30 milliliters lime juice (2 tablespoons, or juice of 1 lime)
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste, or scrapings of 1 vanilla pod
Instructions
Graham Cracker Crust:
Preheat oven to 350° F / 176° C. Line an 8×8-inch square baking tin with parchment, allowing a 1-inch overhang on all sides. Set aside.
Seal the graham crackers in a large plastic food storage bag. With a kitchen mallet or wooden rolling pin, crush until a coarse, sandy texture forms.
In a large bowl, stir together graham cracker crumbs, granulated sugar, and fine sea salt.
Drizzle in the melted butter and stir until a wet, clumpy mixture forms.
With damp fingertips, press crust mixture into prepared tin.
Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes.
With the bottom of a drinking glass, gently press down the baked crust, flattening any bumps or bubbles.
Refrigerate while you prepare the filling.
Filling:
In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, whip cream on high speed until soft peaks form. Set aside.
In a separate mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, whip cream cheese until smooth and creamy.
Mix in the granulated sugar, vanilla bean paste, lime zest, lime juice, and tequila.
With a flexible rubber spatula, fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture in 2 additions.
With a small stepped palette knife, spread cream cheese mixture over cooled crust.
Cover tin with clingfilm/plastic wrap or aluminum foil. Freeze for at least 8-10 hours, or overnight.
To serve, use the parchment overhang to transfer slab to a cutting board. Allow to stand at room temperature for 10-15 minutes, or until soft enough to slice.
Run a sharp chef’s knife under hot water. Slice into 16 squares.
Serve immediately, accompanied by lime zest or lime slices to garnish.
Cover leftover margarita lime cheesecake bars with foil. Store in the freezer for up to 1 week. Allow frozen bars to stand at room temperature for 10 minutes prior to serving.
