These Coconut Key Lime Cheesecake Bars are the best treat! Decadently creamy, loaded on a homemade coconut graham cracker crust – these are tart, sweet and so luscious!
I feel like everytime I start out a blog post I begin it by saying how much I have wanted to make this recipe forever. And for these Coconut Key Lime Cheesecake Bars, it’s once again TRUE!
I’ve always been a lover of key lime pie – there is something about how creamy it is, yet not overly sweet and perfectly tart that makes it a dream dessert.
But let’s be honest, ya girl isn’t in the business (most of the time, save for special occasions) for making homemade cheesecakes.
So why not make these super simple bars instead?! They require only a handful of ingredients and yield the most amazing dessert you could ever dream of!
Why You’ll Love These Bars:
These bars taste like you’re enjoying a day out at the beach. Which, considering the state of the world we are in, sounds pretty good right? Ha, all jokes aside, I do love how tropical these bars taste!
Instead of normal lime juice, I used key lime juice which I was able to find easily at my local grocery store. It gave it this incredible punch of flavor that was beachy and just perfect.
I love how creamy these bars are as well! You bite into them and they are SO luscious and ultra decadent. The coconut graham cracker crust holds its shape and has the perfect balanced texture to the creaminess of the middle of the bars.
And of course, you can’t ever have TOO much creaminess so why not add in a dollop of homemade whipped cream on top?! Would it really be key lime pie without whipped cream? I think not.
So, is your mouth watering yet? Let’s get into how to make them!
Ingredients You Need:
- Graham crackers
- Shredded coconut
- Salted butter
- Cream cheese
- Sweetened condensed milk
- Egg yolks
- Key lime juice
- Coconut white balsamic vinegar
- Lime zest
How to Make Bars:
Preheat the oven to 350, y’all! These aren’t no-bake so make sure your oven is heated well 🙂
First off, take an entire sleeve of honey graham crackers and add them to a food processor. Next, add in the shredded coconut – you can use either unsweetened or sweetened, depending on what your preferred sweetness level is!
Pulse them up until they are fully combined and are fully crumbs. If you don’t have a food processor, you can add these ingredients to a ziploc bag and crush them that way – although they really do come together better in the food processor.
Melt up some salted butter in a medium size bowl and then add in the crust crumbs and mix until combined. You’re going to want to eat a bite. But resist! Lol.
Grab an 8×8 glass baking pan and either add parchment paper or spray generously with non-stick baking spray. Add the graham cracker crumb mixture into the bottom and press it down firmly and EVENLY to form a crust!
Bake the crust for about 8 minutes or so. In the meantime, whip up the cream cheese – make sure it’s ROOM temperature and whip it until it’s light and fluffy – about 30 seconds or so. Add in the condensed milk and egg yolks next and mix until combined. Lastly, add in the key lime juice and the coconut white balsamic vinegar. Mix one more time until fully combined – making sure it has hardly any lumps in it!
Add that lusciously smooth creamy mixture into the pan on top of the graham cracker crumbs and make sure it’s spread out evenly.
Bake it for about 20-22 minutes and then let it cool. Once cool, chill it in the fridge for at LEAST 2 hours to let the bars fully set. Once they’re fully chilled, slice them, garnish and enjoy!
Also, if you are making these for the next day, you can definitely let them chill overnight 🙂
Bar Garnishes:
You can definitely eat these bars as is when they’re all chilled BUT if you want to take it up a notch, be sure to top them with:
- Lightly whipped cream
- Graham cracker crumbs
- Wedge of lime for cuteness
However you top them, I just truly hope you enjoy them 🙂 I know I did! XO – Haylie
Did you enjoy this recipe? Here are a few others you might like:
Vegan Blueberry Coconut Cheesecake Bars
Whole Wheat Peach Cobbler Bars
Thank you so much for following along here, friends! Want to see more? Be sure to follow ourbalancedbowl on Instagram and tag me with your photo if you end up making a recipe! You can also post a photo of your recipe to the Our Balanced Bowl Facebook page! Like a recipe that you saw? Follow me on Pinterest here! I always love to see your re-creations! If you do make a recipe, it would make my whole day if you were to rate and comment so I can get your feedback! Lots of love! – Haylie
Coconut Key Lime Cheesecake Bars
These Coconut Key Lime Cheesecake Bars are the best treat! Decadently creamy, loaded on a homemade coconut graham cracker crust - these are tart, sweet and so luscious!
Ingredients
Homemade Crust
- 1 cup graham cracker crumbs (about 1 sleeve)
- 1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
- 4 tbsp salted butter, melted
Cheesecake Filling
- 8 oz room temperature cream cheese
- 1/2 (7 oz.) can of sweetened condensed milk
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1/2 cup key lime juice
- 1 tbsp lime zest
- 2 tbsp coconut balsamic vinegar (omit if you don't have it!)
- homemade or store-bought whipped cream to garnish
- lime wedges to garnish
Instructions
Making the Crust
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Add graham cracker pieces (an entire sleeve worth) and the coconut shreds into a food processor. Pulse until they are combined and are crumbs.
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Melt the butter in a medium size bowl. Add the graham cracker coconut crumbs in that and mix until combined.
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Add parchment paper or spray non-sticking cooking spray to a 8x8 pan and then add in the graham cracker crust, pressing firmly down to form a crust. Bake at 350 for 8 minutes.
Cheesecake Filling
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Using a handheld mixer, whip the cream cheese until light and fluffy. Next, add in the condensed milk and egg yolks. Mix until combined. Lastly, add in the key lime juice and the balsamic vinegar. Beat until combined. It should have little to no lumps. Add this on top of the pre-baked crust.
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Bake for 20-22 minutes. Let cool and then chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours, you can also leave it overnight!
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Once fully chilled and set, slice into squares and garnish with graham cracker pieces, whipped cream and a lime wedge if desired.
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Store leftovers in a tightly sealed container in the fridge - can last up to 2 days!
Recipe Notes
To make homemade whipped cream, just add the heavy whipping cream to a mixing bowl and mix with a hand mixer until stiff peaks form. You can add sugar if you want but I like mine with no sugar.