Check out our easy, copycat version of the famed (and discontinued) Philadelphia Cheesecake Bars! A creamy cheesecake layer is baked on top of a buttery graham cracker crust. Using only a couple ingredients and a few minutes to throw together, this is a perfect snack to whip up for parties, pitch ins, potlucks or bake sales!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

We’ve said it before. We are ALL ABOUT simple, easy recipes using ingredients that you probably already have in your kitchen. Nothing crazy here, so let’s get baking this super easy dessert!

And we really love that you get that creamy, classic cheesecake flavor and texture without all the work! No springform pans or water baths here!

And these are just small, tiny cheesecake bites that are perfect for a little snack if you don’t want to commit to a whole slice of cheesecake. This makes them easy to share as well! We cut these into smaller triangles because we thought that would be fun. But you can cut them into any shape you’d like.

We kept our recipe simple with no toppings or mix ins. But we’ve given you a blank canvas to add anything to this recipe that sounds good to you or fits your occasion. Read below for some ideas!

Philadelphia Cheesecake Bars

Does anyone else remember those Philadelphia Cheesecake Snack Bars? You used to be able to buy them at the store and they were DELICIOUS! No anymore. Can someone please tell me why Philadelphia Cheesecake Snack Bars were discontinued? For some reason, about 17 years ago, they discontinued them. Since then, there has been a lot of outcry and so many fans eagerly awaiting and petitioning to bring them back! In fact, this petition on change.org has almost 40,000 signatures! Hopefully, someday, they will bring them back. But, until then, we’ve come up with this easy, simple copycat version so that you can enjoy them whenever you want!

For step-by-step instructions, check out the recipe card below. But here is what you’ll need to get started:

GRAHAM CRACKERS – Any brand will do. This is what we will use for our crust. If you want, you can sometimes find them already crushed. Or, you can use a food processor.
WHITE SUGAR – You’ll be mixing this in with your crushed graham crackers to make that delicious, buttery crust.
BUTTER – Melted butter to make the crust. You can use salted or unsalted.
CREAM CHEESE – Any brand, you don’t need to use Philadelphia Cream Cheese. We haven’t tried using reduced fat cream cheese with this recipe, and when making any sort of cheesecake, you probably want to stick with the original. Any reduction of fat will make these less creamy. Also, make sure you are using room temperature cream cheese. It makes it a lot easier to work with.
WHITE SUGAR – To blend in with the cheesecake layer.
VANILLA – While we like to cut corners and costs a lot on this blog, we are firm believers in using quality vanilla when baking. It’s worth it!
EGGS – Take your eggs out about an hour before using them to bring them closer to room temperature.

Storage and Freezing

These Philadelphia Cheesecake Bars can be kept in an airtight container in your refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Cheesecake snack bars do freeze well, but I’d freeze them without any toppings on them. First let them freeze on their baking sheet. Once firm, you can separate them into freezer bags so you just can thaw out what you need. Thaw in the refrigerator.

Toppings For Philadelphia Cheesecake Bars

The most popular flavor of the original Philadelphia Cheesecake Snack Bars is their Strawberry with white chocolate drizzle! As I mentioned above, we left these plain so you can choose what you want to top them with! Or, you can just leave them plain as well! Here are some ideas for toppings!

FRUIT TOPPING – Strawberry, blueberry, raspberry would all be perfect! Either fresh fruit, preserves or pie filling. I love fresh strawberry on my cheesecake!
CARAMEL DRIZZLE
CHOCOLATE DRIZZLE – Regular or white chocolate. Or dark chocolate. Yum!
CANDY BARS – Chop up some frozen candy bars on top. Snickers or Heath would be perfect.
CHOCOLATE CHIPS – Regular Chocolate Chips or White Chocolate Chips would work. You can sprinkle them on top (or on top of some whipped cream!) or mix them in with your cheesecake layer before baking.
ADD NUTS – Top with pecans, almonds or walnuts!

We hope you enjoy this recipe for Philadelphia Cheesecake Bars. Please let us know how it turns out in the comment section below or if you have any other fun ideas on how to use them!

LOOKING FOR MORE FUN CHEESECAKE RECIPES? CHECK OUT:

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Philadelphia Cheesecake Bars

Course Dessert

Servings triangles

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 35

Ingredients

1 sleeve 9 whole, graham crackers
2 tablespoons white sugar
1/4 cup butter melted
2 packages cream cheese softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Add graham crackers to a food processor and process for 10 seconds until you have fine crumbs.
Add 2 tablespoons white sugar and process for 5 seconds to mix well. Add melted butter and mix well.
Press mixture into an 8x8 square baking dish to create the crust. Spray the baking pan with cooking spray or coat with butter before adding the crust.
Add cream cheese and 1/2 cup sugar to a large bowl and beat well until smooth. You can use a mixer if needed.
Add vanilla and eggs and beat until combined. Pour on top of crust.
Bake for 35-40 minutes or until edges are set and center is a tad jiggly. Remove from oven and let cool completely. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight. Slice into 9 squares and cut each square into a triangle.