These Peach Cheesecake Bars are rich and creamy with that brilliant flavor of peaches shining through. If there’s one summer dessert that has everyone in my family asking for more, it has to be these peach bars.
They’ve got that crumbly, buttery graham cracker crust, that rich and tangy cheesecake flavor beautifully balanced with the subtle sweetness and fruitiness of the peaches. They’re an absolute treat for your taste buds.
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I have to admit, I’m slowly turning into a cheesecake lover. Over the last few months, I have been experimenting with a lot of different cheesecake recipes! From creamy cheesecake bars like lemon cheesecake bars, Caramel Cheesecake Bars and blueberry cheesecake bars to unique recipes like strawberry cheesecake fudge!
And this time, when I found a can of peaches waiting to be put to use, I was inspired to try a simple cheesecake bar recipe using them!
Why You’ll Love This Peach Cheesecake Bars Recipe
- Versatile and adaptable: The recipe can be adapted to suit your personal preference.
- Simple ingredients: No fancy ingredients are needed to make this peach dessert. Just some canned peaches and a few pantry staples.
- Simple and easy: Making these peaches and cream cheese bars is actually easy. You may need just a bit of extra kitchen time, but I promise it's totally worth it!
- Summer favorite: The bright, fruity flavors of peaches and the rich, fluffy cream cheese come together to make this beautiful summery sweet treat.
Ingredients
- Graham crackers: These will form the base of the cheesecake bars.
- Flour: I used regular all purpose flour. You’ll need this too, to help give the crust a bit more structure. Using only graham crackers will cause the bars to fall apart.
- Sugar: To sweeten the crust, the filling, and the topping. I used granulated white sugar.
- Butter: For the base. I used unsalted butter.
- Eggs: They add a lot of richness and moisture to the filling, and also help hold the cream cheese filling in place.
- Cream cheese: Just your classic classic cream cheese. I wouldn’t recommend a low-fat version here.
- Vanilla: Just a bit, for that flavor and to mask the egginess of the filling.
- Canned peaches: Feel free to use your choice of brand here.
- Sour cream: Adds more creaminess the peaches and the cream cheese filling.
See the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts, nutritional information, and detailed instructions.
Variations
- Make it nutty: For a bit of extra texture, you can also add some chopped nuts like almonds and walnuts into the topping mix.
- Spice it up: Add a pinch of nutmeg or cinnamon powder to the filling to make some nice fall-inspired cheesecake bars.
- Change the fruit: Try other stone fruits such as plums or nectarines. You can also use berries too!
How to Make Peach Cheesecake Bars
To make these peaches and cream cheesecake bars, start by preheating your oven at 300 degrees and getting your 13 by 9-inch baking pan ready by lining it with kitchen foil and leaving a bit of an overhang on the two sides. You’ll also want to grease it with some cooking oil spray.
Step 1: Crush graham crackers. In a food processor, combine the graham crackers and sugar and blitz until smooth.
Step 2: Add other ingredients. Then add in the flour, salt and butter.
Step 3: Make the crust. Blitz this until you get a slightly coarse crust mixture.
Step 4: Bake the crust. Press the mixture into your prepared baking pan using your spatula or the back of a spoon. Bake for around 20 minutes or until the crust is slightly golden brown.
Step 5: Prepare cheesecake filling. Blitz the cream cheese and sugar in the food processor until you get a smooth mixture. Add the eggs in one at a time, followed by the vanilla, and process again until the mixture is nice and fluffy.
Step 6: Add second layer and bake. Pour this onto the cooled crust and spread it out evenly. Pop it back into the oven and bake for about 45 minutes.
Step 7: Make the topping. In a food processor jar, add the peaches and sugar and blitz until smooth. Then add the sour cream and process again until you get a uniform mixture.
Step 8: Final layer and bake. Pour this mixture over the baked cheesecake layer and pop it back into the oven for a final bake for around 15 minutes. Remove it from the oven and allow it to cool down for up to 2 hours on a wire rack, refrigerate for no less than 4 hours and then cut them up and serve!
If you love peach dessert recipes like this one, you may also enjoy this cast iron peach cobbler.
Storage Directions
- Storing: Just like most other cheesecake bars, these can be refrigerated for up to 5 days in an airtight container.
- Freezing: For longer storage, freeze the bars separated on a parchment lined baking tray. Once frozen, wrap each square up in plastic wrap, transfer them to a freezer-safe bag or container, and freeze them for up to 3 months.
Serving Suggestions
Make these cheesecake bars anytime you’re looking for some cream cheese desserts to make for a crowd. Top the cheesecake squares with some whipped cream and some peach slices on the side.
I’m so excited to make them this upcoming summer and team them up along with some of my other summer favorites like this creamy shrimp pasta salad, this sausage sheet pan dinner, or my easy garlic shrimp pasta. They’re sure to be a total crowd pleaser!
Expert Tips
- Start right: Make sure you start with room temperature eggs and softened cream cheese to get the perfect texture in every single bite.
- Don’t overbake: Avoid overbaking these cheesecake bars, especially after you add the cheesecake filling, or they’ll turn out to be too dry and crumbly.
- Refrigeration matters: You may be tempted to devour these right away, but resist! Refrigeration truly makes a difference in the texture and the flavor of these peach cheesecake bars.
Recipe FAQs
Check the cheesecake filling at the 40-45 minute mark. If the center is just a bit jiggly but the rest of it looks firm and done, it’s time to remove it from the oven.
I haven’t tried making these bars with fresh peaches. I think you can but you want to make sure they are very ripe. Less ripe peachs can be quite firm, and may need a lot more time to get to the soft texture that canned peaches usually have.
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More Delicious Cheesecake Recipes
Do you like cheesecake desserts? Here are some recipes you may also like to try!
Ready to get cooking? Remember that you can print this recipe if you would like.
Peaches and Cream Dessert Bars
Ingredients
Base
- 9 whole graham crackers broken into pieces
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup all purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
Filling
- 3 8-ounce bricks cream cheese
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Topping
- 1 28- ounce can canned peaches diced and drained VERY well
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 cups sour cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
- Make foil sling for 13 by 9-inch baking pan by folding 2 long sheets of aluminum foil; first sheet should be 13 inches wide and second sheet should be 9 inches wide. Lay sheets of foil in pan perpendicular to each other, with extra foil hanging over edges of pan. Push foil into corners and up sides of pan, smoothing foil flush to pan. Spray with vegetable oil spray.
Base
- Process cracker pieces and sugar in food processor until finely ground, about 30 seconds. Add flour and salt and pulse to combine, about 2 pulses. Add melted butter and pulse until crumbs are evenly moistened, about 10 pulses.
- Using your hands, press crumb mixture evenly into bottom of prepared pan. Using bottom of dry measuring cup, firmly pack crust into pan.
- Bake until fragrant and beginning to brown around edges, about 20 minutes. Allow to cool completely.
Filling
- In clean, dry processor bowl, process cream cheese and sugar until smooth, about 3 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary.
- With processor running, add eggs, one at a time, until just incorporated, about 30 seconds total. Scrape down sides of bowl.
- Add vanilla and process to combine, about 10 seconds.
- Pour cream cheese mixture over cooled base.
- Bake until center is almost set but still jiggles slightly when pan is shaken, about 45 minutes.
Topping
- Meanwhile, in clean, dry processor bowl, process peaches and ¼ cup sugar until pureed, about 30 seconds.
- Stir puree and sour cream in bowl until blended.
- Remove cheesecake from oven. Pour peach mixture over cheesecake so it is completely covered.
- Return pan to oven and bake until topping is just set, about 15 minutes.
- Transfer pan to wire rack and allow cheesecake cool completely, about 2 hours.
- Refrigerate until cold and set, at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours.
- Using foil overhang, lift cheesecake out of pan and cut into 24 squares.
Notes
- Start right: Make sure you start with room temperature eggs and softened cream cheese to get the perfect texture in every single bite.
- Don’t overbake: Avoid overbaking these cheesecake bars, especially after you add the cheesecake filling, or they’ll turn out to be too dry and crumbly.
- Refrigeration matters: You may be tempted to devour these right away, but resist! Refrigeration truly makes a difference in the texture and the flavor of these peach cheesecake bars.
Nutrition
This post was originally published in November 2017. It's been updated with new content, images, and an updated recipe.
Colleen says
outstanding....versatile recipe that can be used for other types of cheesecake recipes.
Karin and Ken says
We love it too! Thank you for taking the time to let me know! All the best. Karin