Guava Cheesecake Bars (No-Bake)
Guava Cheesecake Bars for when you need something cool, sweet and no-bake with a little tropical flair.
Ever since I happened upon an industrial-sized jar of Bonne Maman guava jam at Costco, I’ve been a little obsessed with it and now always have a jar on hand. I’ve tried it in cold foam, made jam puff pastry tarts with it and my mom made a delish icebox cake with it, too. But honestly, even just a little of the stuff spread on a piece of Ezekiel bread with butter tastes like a Porto’s pastry. And that’s how I decided guava cheesecake bars was the only natural next step. Porto’s makes a guava cheese pastry that is so darn good–I knew it would be the perfect combo. Let’s make them!
Ingredient notes and thoughts on no-bake cheesecake
A lot of no-bake cheesecakes are made with sweetened condensed milk, I have one too! And while they are still delicious, they do end up being fairly soft, even after resting in the fridge for an extended period of time. For a cheesecake bar, we need the cheesecake to set up firmly. So we are going to skip the condensed milk trick.
These bars are made with cream cheese, whipped cream, sour cream, powdered sugar and granulated sugar. This combination helps the bars set up in the fridge and produce the perfect guava cheesecake.
You will also need some lemon juice, vanilla and of course–guava jam. I have found the bonne maman jam at Costco and Target. And found out Trader Joe’s also carries a guava jam. They sell some varieties on Amazon too but I haven’t tried them yet.
For the graham cracker crust you will need: butter, graham crackers and brown sugar.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- It’s no-bake! Translation: it’s foolproof. Unlike baked cheesecake where you have the variables of different ovens, overbaking and such, no-bake cheesecakes are pretty foolproof.
- It’s perfect for summer. Not only does guava bring the tropical vibes we crave during summertime, its a cold dessert!
- It’s easy! This is a simple recipe that I think anyone can make.
Guava Cheesecake Bars (No-Bake)
Guava Cheesecake Bars for when you need something cool, sweet and no-bake with a little tropical flair.
- Prep Time: 30
- Chill time: 8 hours
- Total Time: 8 hours 30 minutes
- Yield: 9–12 bars 1x
Ingredients
- 2 sleeves graham crackers (2 cups)
- 1/2 cup butter (1 stick), melted
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1, 8 oz brick cream cheese, full-fat + room-temperature
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 tbsp sour cream
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup guava jam
- 1 1/2 tsp water
Instructions
- Chill beaters and bowl you plan to use for making the whipped cream in the freezer.
- Pulse graham crackers in a blender until fine. Measure out 2 cups and add to a small bowl with melted butter and brown sugar. Mix until fully moistened.
- Line an 8×8 inch baking dish with parchment then press the graham cracker mixture firmly into the bottom of the dish and up the sides slightly. Place the crust in the fridge while you prep the filling.
- In a small saucepan, heat guava jam and water over medium heat just until smooth and spreadable. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
- Add the whipping cream to your chilled bowl and beat until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Then add powdered sugar, granulated sugar, sour cream, lemon juice and vanilla. Beat again until smooth.
- Fold in the whipped cream using a rubber spatula until combined. Be gentle.
- Remove the crust from the fridge and spread the cheesecake filling over the crust in an even layer.
- Make sure the guava jam mixture is cooled, then spread gently across the top of the cheesecake in an even layer.
- Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.
- It’s easiest to use the parchment paper to lift the cheesecake out of the dish so you can cut into slices/bars on a flat surface, then serve.
Tried this recipe?
If you try this recipe, please leave a star rating below and let me know how it went. I’d love to hear from you! You can also find me on Pinterest!
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