Cranberry cheesecake bars are the perfect holiday dessert recipe! These are literally the creamiest cheesecake bars you’ll ever taste. They’re so easy to make and the gingersnap cookie crust adds so much flavor. You can even make these up to 3 days ahead of time!

The Cheesecake Bars that My Guests Go Crazy For

I have never had more requests for a recipe than when I serve up these incredible cranberry cheesecake bars! The combination of the creamy, slightly tangy filling (thanks, sour cream!) with the tart cranberries and spiced gingersnaps is unparalleled. I’m no longer allowed to not making them during the holidays!

My husband’s favorite dessert ever is cheesecake, so I’m always testing cheesecake recipes that I know he’ll love. I find that traditional cheesecake is so fussy (spring form pan? water bath? cool in a cracked oven for an hour? NO THANKS), so my go-to move is to turn cheesecake into bar form! It’s much easier to tackle without all the extra steps and it’s just as delicious.

My favorite part? You can easily make these ahead of time! If I’m hosting a big holiday to-do, I love making these 2-3 days in advance to take a bit of a load off my plate for the day-of.

Helpful Cooking Tools

• Hand Mixer
• Food Processor
• Mixing Bowl
• 8×8″ Baking Pan
• Measuring Cups

Key Recipe Ingredients

full list of ingredients, quantities & method in the recipe card at the end of the page.

• Gingersnap cookies. You can swap in traditional graham crackers, but gingersnap cookies add the perfect complementary flavor.
• Sugar. You’ll need sugar for the crust, filling, and cranberry topping.
• Butter. Butter helps bind the cookie crust together.
• Cranberries. You can use fresh or frozen cranberries here.
• Grand Marnier. A hint of orange liqueur in the cranberries and cheesecake filling is so, so good.
• Cream cheese. Make sure to use full-fat brick-style cream cheese here.
• Sour Cream. I am always team sour cream in my cheesecake filling! I love the additional creaminess and tang. Make sure to use full-fat sour cream.
• Eggs. This cheesecake filling has fewer eggs than you’d imagine which keeps the filling from tasting overly eggy and makes it extra creamy.
• Vanilla bean paste. You could swap in vanilla extract, but the vanilla bean adds so much flavor to the filling.

How to Make Cranberry Cheesecake Bars

2. Beat the cream cheese and sugar. Use a hand mixer for ease! You want to beat the cream cheese and sugar until it’s smooth and fluffy and the sugar feels partially dissolved.
3. Add the remaining ingredients. Then, beat in the eggs, sour cream, vanilla bean paste, grand marnier, and salt until it’s very smooth. Make sure to scrape the sides of the bowl down so that you don’t have any lumps.

4. Pour the filling into the crust. The filling should be smooth and pourable, but make sure it sits in an even layer over the top of the crust. Feel free to use an offset spatula to smooth the top.
5. Swirl in the cranberry sauce. The easiest way to do this is to use a spoon to dollop the cranberry sauce over the top, then use a knife or toothpick to make pretty swirls on top.
6. Bake the cheesecake bars. The trick to having silky smooth cheesecake bars is to not over-bake them! The edges will be puffed, but the center will jiggle a bit. It’ll continue to set as it cools, so resist the urge to keep baking past that point!

Please take note that this recipe uses two different oven temperatures! You first bake the crust at 350 F and then lower the oven temperature to 300 F. Baking the cheesecake bars at a lower temperature keeps them super creamy so that the eggs don’t overcook and prevents them from cracking on top. No water bath necessary!

Tips for Making the Perfect Gingersnap Crust

Use the right cookies. Your gingersnap cookies should really have snap to them! Make sure they are crunchy and not chewy, otherwise you’ll end up with a soggy crust.

Make sure the crumbs are fine enough. I like to use a food processor here, but you could also use a rolling pin and smash the cookies in a ziplock until they’re really fine. Whatever method you use, make sure the crumbs are fine and even so that they hold together.

Use a measuring cup to tamp the crust down. This ensures that the crust holds together when you cut the bars. Use a flat-bottomed dry measuring cup to really pack the crust into the baking pan.

Make Ahead Instructions for Cranberry Cheesecake Bars

I love this recipe because you can easily make it ahead of time! You can also break up the work into stages. The cranberry topping can be made at least a day in advance and you can pulse your cookies to make cookie crumbs at any time. Just make sure to store them in an airtight container.

After baking, cranberry cheesecake bars can be stored in the fridge covered for 3 days. You can also wrap the cut or uncut bars really well in plastic wrap and freeze for up to 3 months. Just defrost in the fridge overnight before serving.

If you do give this recipe a try, I love hearing about it! Leave a comment with a star rating below. Be sure to subscribe to my weekly newsletter and never miss a new recipe! You can also snap a photo & tag @JENNYGOYCOCHEA on Instagram.

More Holiday Bar Desserts to Try

Christmas Sugar Cookie Bars
Pecan Pie Bars
Salted Caramel Pumpkin Pie Bars
Apple Cheesecake Bars
Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars

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Dessert

Cranberry Cheesecake Bars

5 from 19 votes

Cranberry cheesecake bars are the perfect, easy holiday dessert! They’re so creamy and light and can be made ahead of time for ease.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time: 30 minutes mins

Cook Time: 50 minutes mins

Total Time: 1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

Makes: 9 bars

Ingredients

Crust

• 1 1/2 cups gingersnap cookie crumbs
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
• Pinch of kosher salt

Cranberry Topping

• 3/4 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons Grand Marnier or orange liqueur
• 3 tablespoons water
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Filling

• 16 oz cream cheese, room temperature
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup sour cream, room temperature
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
• 1 tablespoon Grand Marnier or orange liqueur
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Instructions

Cranberry Topping

• In a small saucepan, combine all the ingredients and cook over low heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thick and the cranberries are very soft. Cool before using. You can make this up to 3 days in advance and store in an airtight container in the fridge. Bring to room temperature before using.

Crust

• Preheat an oven to 350 F. Grease and line an 8×8″ baking pan with parchment paper so that extra parchment hangs over the edges. This makes it easier to remove the cheesecake from the pan.
• To make the cookie crumbs, pulse 15-20 gingersnap cookies in a food processor until the crumbs are very fine. Combine with the other ingredients with a fork until the mixture looks like wet sand. Using a measuring cup, press the crust into the prepared pan in an even layer so that they’re packed tight.
• Bake for 10 minutes and cool to room temperature. REDUCE the oven to 300 F. 

Filling

• Combine the cream cheese and sugar in a mixing bowl. Using a hand mixer, beat until the cream cheese is very smooth and fluffy, about 4-5 minutes. Add the eggs, sour cream, vanilla, and Grand Marnier and mix until the filling is very smooth and all the ingredients are well combined.
• Pour the filling into the prepared crust and dollop the cranberry sauce on top. Use a toothpick or chopstick to gently swirl the filling. Bake for 40-50 minutes at 300 F, until the filling is set but jiggly.
• Cool to room temperature and then refrigerate covered for at least 4 hours before cutting and serving. Use the overhanging parchment paper to remove the cheesecake from the pan before cutting it into squares.

Nutrition

Serving: 1barCalories: 400kcalCarbohydrates: 32gProtein: 7gFat: 28gSaturated Fat: 17gCholesterol: 140mgSodium: 220mgSugar: 23g