Coconut Key Lime Cheesecake Bars
These Coconut Key Lime Cheesecake Bars are a heavenly mix of lime and cheesecake, spread onto a coconut-graham cracker crust. It’s a beautiful (green and purple) 9×13 pan of cheesecake bars, with a silky creaminess, better than any pie ever could be!
Whip up a pan of our heavenly Coconut Key Lime Cheesecake Bars, an easy way of turning key lime pie (and cheesecake) into cheesecake squares! It is paired with a coconut graham cracker crust, that holds its shape, and adds the perfect balanced texture to the creaminess of the cheesecake layer (flavored with key lime juice).
Why I love Coconut Key Lime Cheesecake Bars
This Coconut Lime Cheesecake recipe is heavenly! I love the mix of lime and coconut and the tart and sweet taste you get in every bite! We love these luscious and ultra decadent bars, a hit at every party. Be warned, there is no way you can eat just one! It’s an amazing dessert for spring and summer holidays, and we also love it for Cinco de Mayo (hello limes!)
What are coconut key lime cheesecake bars?
Key lime is an iconic summer flavor. Yes, the classic pie is great, but a creamy cheesecake is even better! Cheesecake fuses the tang from lime and silky creaminess of cream cheese together. These bars can be made with regular lime, but I encourage you to find fresh key limes if they are accessible to you and in season. Useing ube, you get the purple color. Using pandan, you get the green. Make it in a 9×13 baking dish!
What is pandas and ube?
The flavors of this dessert are inspired by Southeast Asia—pandan extract and ube, pairing beautifully in both flavor and color. Pandan provides a subtle vanilla flavor, as well as a natural, vibrant green color, while ube adds a warm, subtle nutty flavor, imparting a stunning purple color.
What you need to make Coconut Key Lime Cheesecake Bars
For the cheesecake:
- Cream cheese
- Sweetened condensed milk
- Crème fraîche
- Eggs
- Key lime juice—you will need about 21 limes + zest + limes to garnish
- Pandan extract (other potential substitutes include 2 tsp vanilla extract)
- Kosher salt
- Toasted coconut to garnish
For the graham cracker crust:
Gather graham crackers, toasted coconut, salt, butter, coconut oil and dark brown sugar.
For the whipped cream:
Gather heavy whipping cream, confectioner’s sugar, salt, and ube extract to get the purple color (or vanilla extract). Read below for tips on buying “ube.”
How do you make Coconut Key Lime Cheesecake?
Whip the cream (purple):
- Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, combine the cream, sugar and salt. Whip until soft peaks form. If you plan to use Ube extract (or purple coloring) and want to swirl purple and white whipped cream together, remove about 1/3 cup of whipped cream before mixing in the purple ube extract.
- Refrigerate until ready to use.
Bake the graham cracker crust:
- Preheat oven to 375 and grease a 9×13 baking dish with butter.
- In a food processor, combine the crackers, sugar, and coconut. Pulse together until finely ground—about 45 seconds. Pulse in the butter and coconut oil until the crust resembles wet sand and, when squeezed together in your fist, holds its shape, but still crumbles around the edges.
- Sprinkle the loose crust around the edges of the pan. Using a measuring cup, press the crust into the edges of the pan and up the sides 1-2 inches. Fill in the center with the remaining crust, and press until the bottom of the dish is covered.
- Bake crust for 5-8 minutes, then remove and allow to cool completely before adding the filling.
Make the creamy key lime filling (green):
- Lower the oven to 325 degrees.
- With a stand mixer, beat together the cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk, crème fraîche, eggs, pandan extract, vanilla salt, lime juice, and zest. Mix until smooth, scraping down the sides 2-3 times to ensure all the cream cheese is mixed in. Pour the filling into the cooled crust and transfer to oven. Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until the edges of the cake are firm and set, but the center of the cake has a slight jiggle. Remove from the oven and allow to cool at least 12 hours (preferable overnight) before serving.
- Final Step: Dollop the purple whipped cream into the center of the cake. Use the back of a large spoon to swirl and push the whipped cream towards the edges, making sure to leave a 3’’ border between the whipped cream and the edge of the pan. Dollop on the white, and swirl it into the purple. Garnish with the sliced lime, sprinkle with toasted coconut, and serve chilled.
Sandy’s tips and substitutions:
Rememember, making any cheesecake takes time! This recipe is well-worth the time that you’ll put into it, with amazing flavor in each bite!
- Is ube a yam or a sweet potato? First of all, ube is a purple yam and you pronounce it “ooh-bae.” It is a staple in Filipino desserts. Ube has a dark, purple skin and is vibrant purple inside. I looked it up and ube grows above ground on vines (while sweet potatoes grow underground, like a potato).
- What does ube taste like? Ube has a nutty, vanilla-like flavor—on the nuttier side. It’s creamy and pairs well with coconut.
- Buy pandan, HERE. [affiliate link]
- Buy ube, HERE. [affiliate link]
- Zest the limes before you juice them.
- Don’t have pandan? Pandan adds beautiful green color and vanilla flavor. If you don’t have pandan, simply add 2 tsp vanilla extract.
- Don’t have ube? If you don’t hav ube, you can use purple coloring, or skip the coloring all together.
- Making sure the ingredients are room temperature is key to achieving a smooth mixture with no lumps.
- The bars get better as they sit, so making them the day before is highly recommended.
Serving
To finish off the squares, top them with whipped cream, toasted coconut, and a lime wedge. They are tasty and look beautiful.
We love this dessert serve for a Mexican Fiesta, with Easy Fish Tacos, Chili Cornbread Salad, Mexican Cabbage Salsa.
Storage
Store any leftovers in airtight container (or well covered) in the refrigerator for up to 5 days!
More cheesecake recipes to try:
- Mini Margarita Cheesecakes
- Light Lemon Cheesecake Mousse
- No-Bake Berry Cream Cheese Bars
- Red Velvet Cheesecake
Get the Recipe:
Coconut Key Lime Cheesecake Bars
Ingredients
Coconut Graham Cracker Crust:
- 10 crushed graham crackers
- ½ c toasted coconut
- ¼ tsp salt
- 4 Tbsp butter, cut into cubes and chilled plus 1 Tbsp room temperature for greasing
- 2 ½ Tbsp coconut oil
- ¼ c dark brown sugar
Creamy Cheesecake Filling:
- 16 oz cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
- 8 oz crème fraîche, room temperature
- 5 eggs, room temperature
- ½ c key lime juice, about 21 limes
- 1 Tbsp pandan extract
- 1 tsp vanilla extract, or 2 tsp if not using pandan
- 2 tsp key lime zest
- ½ tsp kosher salt
Whipped Cream (purple):
- ¾ c whipped cream
- ¼ c confectioners sugar
- Pinch of salt
- 1 tsp ube extract, or purple food coloring, or simply vanilla extract optional
Garnish:
- 1-2 limes to garnish, cut into rounds, half moons, and quarters
- 2 Tbsp toasted coconut, sprinkle for garnish
Equipment
Instructions
Whip the cream (purple):
- Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, combine the cream, sugar and salt. Whip the cream until soft peaks form. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- NOTE: If you plan to use Ube extract (or purple coloring) and want to swirl purple and white whipped cream together, remove about ⅓ cup of whipped cream before mixing in the purple ube extract.
Make the coconut-graham cracker crust:
- Preheat oven to 375 and grease a 9×13 baking dish with butter. Set aside.
- In a food processor, combine the crackers, sugar, and coconut. Pulse together until finely ground—about 45 seconds. Pulse in the butter and coconut oil until the crust resembles wet sand and, when squeezed together in your fist, holds its shape, but still crumbles around the edges.
- Sprinkle the loose crust around the edges of the pan. Using a measuring cup, press the crust into the edges of the pan and up the sides 1-2 inches. Fill in the center with the remaining crust, and press until the bottom of the dish is covered.
- Bake crust for 5-8 minutes, then remove and allow to cool completely before adding the filling.
Make the cheesecake mixture (green):
- Lower the oven to 325 degrees.
- With a stand mixer, beat together the cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk, crème fraîche, eggs, pandan extract, vanilla salt, lime juice, and zest. Mix until smooth, scraping down the sides 2-3 times to ensure all the cream cheese is mixed in.
- Pour the filling into the cooled crust and transfer to oven. Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until the edges of the cake are firm and set, but the center of the cake has a slight jiggle. Remove from the oven and allow to cool at least 12 hours (preferable overnight) before serving.
Assemble the Coconut Key Lime Cheesecake Bars:
- To assemble, dollop the purple whipped cream into the center of the cake. Use the back of a large spoon to swirl and push the whipped cream towards the edges, making sure to leave a 3’’ border between the whipped cream and the edge of the pan.
- Dollop on the white, and swirl it into the purple.
- Cut the bars into 12 pieces. Garnish with the sliced lime, sprinkle with toasted coconut, and serve chilled.
Notes
- Is ube a yam or a sweet potato? First of all, ube is a purple yam and you pronounce it “ooh-bae.” It is a staple in Filipino desserts. Ube has a dark, purple skin and is vibrant purple inside. I looked it up and ube grows above ground on vines (while sweet potatoes grow underground, like a potato).
- What does ube taste like? Ube has a nutty, vanilla-like flavor—on the nuttier side. It’s creamy and pairs well with coconut.
- Buy panda, HERE. [affiliate link]
- Buy ube, HERE. [affiliate link]
- Zest the limes before you juice them.
- Don’t have pandan? Pandan adds beautiful green color and vanilla flavor. If you don’t have pandan, simply add 2 tsp vanilla extract.
- Don’t have ube? If you don’t hav ube, you can use purple coloring, or skip the coloring all together.
- Making sure the ingredients are room temperature is key to achieving a smooth mixture with no lumps.
- The bars get better as they sit, so making them the day before is highly recommended.
Hello and welcome to my home and table!
I’m Sandy—lover of food, family, cooking, THE BIG BOARD, travel, and bringing people together. Through great recipes and connection around the table, we become better, stronger, and more courageous people. Feasting on Life is real, and every time we do it, we grow a little more. Read more...
I made these and they are delicious. However, the color of mine is way more saturated than yours. I reread the recipe 3 times to make sure I measured correctly and I did. It looks very “Mardi Grau”ish I did order different brands of Pandan and Ube then your link. Do you think that could be the issue?
Possibly! I can’t think of anything else … :)