No-Bake Margarita Cheesecake Bars
A tangy, tequila-infused cheesecake filling sits on a salty-sweet graham cracker crust. It's the ultimate, easy dessert for any celebration. They're a breeze to make with no oven required!
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust
- 10 graham cracker sheets finely crushed
- 1/4 cup powered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1/2 cup (or 1 stick) unsalted butter melted
Margarita Cheesecake
- 2 cups (16 ounces or two blocks) cream cheese room temperature
- 1 cup powered sugar
- 3 tablespoons premium silver tequila
- 2 tbsps fresh lime juice
- 1+ tbsp lime zest
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt (plus extra for sprinkling on top, optional)
Instructions
Graham Cracker Crust
- In a ziplock (or using a food processor), crush the graham crackers finely.
- In a large bowl, combine graham crackers, 1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar, salt, and melted butter, stirring until the mixture is the texture of wet sand.
- Dump the graham cracker mixture into a 9×9-inch baking dish lined with parchment paper.
- Press the mixture down with your hands (or using the back of a measuring cup) to create an even layer.
- Freeze for 15 minutes.
Cheesecake filling
- In a separate bowl, combine cream cheese, 1 cup confectioner’s sugar, tequila, lime juice, lime zest and vanilla, stirring until smooth.
- Spread the cream cheese mixture evenly on top of the graham cracker crust. Sprinkle salt on top of the cheesecake.
- Freeze for one hour.
- Transfer the frozen cheesecake onto a cutting board, peeling away the parchment paper. With a sharp knife, slice horizontally, then vertically. You can choose to make these smaller (~1-inch) and have them be 'bite-sized' bites, or make them bigger for more 'bar' size.
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer. Serve chilled!
Notes
I love vibrant, rich, tangy flavors. So I went with the full 3 tablespoons of tequila (alternatively you can use only 2 tablespoons), and LOTS of lime zest, probably closer to 2 tablespoons. By adding more lime zest, you don't mess with the liquid ratios.
I freeze these for at least an hour before serving. I've found after sitting out at room temperature for a few hour they do begin getting soft, making them a bit messier to eat. So I recommend making sure they've had plenty of time in the freezer if you're going to set them out for a couple hours, or leaving them in there until shortly before serving.