Pistachio cheesecake bars are creamy and rich with a buttery crumb crust and chocolate topping. Really simple to make and a complete crowdpleaser!
What’s so good about these pistachio cheesecake bars?
The cheesecake mixture comes together so quickly, it’s egg free but still so smooth and creamy.
Pistachios are such a rich nut they work perfectly with the cream cheese and the chocolate topping.
Making bars is easier than making a regular cheesecake, with no worries about the cheesecake cracking. It’s better portion control too, because you can have a little bar when a craving hits.
These prep so well in advance, and taste really good even days after making them.
Ingredients you need to make these bars:
For the simple biscuit crust: graham crackers or digestive biscuits, melted butter, and a pinch of cinnamon.
For the cheesecake filling: cream cheese (I often use Kiri cream cheese squares, but Philadelphia works great), condensed milk to sweeten, thick cream (known as table cream in the US), pistachio powder.
For the finishing: Milk chocolate, or chocolate of choice, and crushed or sliced pistachios for decoration.
This is actually an egg free pistachio cheesecake, so it could work great for anyone with allergies!
How to make chocolate pistachio cheesecake bars:
- Make the crust by mixing together the biscuit crumbs, melted butter and cinnamon. It’s a no bake crust so you can just press it firmly into a parchment paper lined pan and refrigerate for 10 minutes.
- Using a food processor or blender for an extra creamy cheesecake, add all the ingredients for the cheesecake filling. This would be the cream cheese, cream, pistachio powder and condensed milk. Blend until smooth and creamy.
- Pour the cheesecake mixture into the crust and bake until set, it won’t take too long because it’s not a very thick layer. Probably 15-20 minutes, the edges will be well set but the center the slightest bit jiggly. Cool at room temperature then refrigerate for 4-5 hours.
- Once cheesecake has set in the fridge, prepare the chocolate topping. Melt the milk chocolate by melting gently in the microwave, stirring every 10 seconds, then pouring this on top of the cheesecake. Before the chocolate hardens, sprinkle on the pistachios for garnish.
Tips and tricks for cheesecake success:
- Make sure the cream cheese is at room temperature before using. This will ensure a lump free cheesecake, in addition to making sure you blend it well in the food processor. You don’t need to worry about over mixing too much since there is no eggs in the cheesecake batter.
- Taste the batter after mixing- again no eggs, so you can do this safely. If you feel like you need more sweetness, drizzle in additional sweetened condensed milk.
- Bake until set around the edges with the slightest jiggle in the center. This will give you the creamiest cheesecake texture. The cheesecake will continue to set as it cools and in the fridge. Over baking can cause the texture to become curdled.
- Use any chocolate topping you like. You can omit it entirely, bit it does add an extra layer of flavor!
Storing leftover cheesecake:
Leftover cheesecake keeps well (making it easy to prepare in advance). Leftovers last 4-5 days tightly covered in the fridge, and can be frozen for up to 2 months. To thaw frozen cheesecake, just keep in the fridge for a few hours.
If you liked this recipe, you might like:
Pistachio Cheesecake Bars
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 2 cups digestive biscuit or graham cracker crumbs 8 oz, 250 g
- 1/2 cup butter, melted 115g
- pinch cinnamon powder
For the pistachio cheesecake filling:
- 1 cup pistachio powder 140 g (just finely ground pistachios)
- 7 oz softened cream cheese 215 g
- 8 oz thick cream or table cream 250 g
- 7 oz sweetened condensed milk 200 g, more if you like it sweeter, about 1/2 a full size can
For the chocolate topping:
- 1 cup milk chocolate chunks or coverture 170g
- handful sliced or crushed pistachios to garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F (180C). Grease and line a 8×8 inch pan with parchment paper with extra paper hanging over the sides so you can easily lift out the bars.
- Mix biscuit crumbs with melted butter and cinnamon. Press this firmly into the base of the pan. Refrigerate for 10 minutes.
- In a food processor, add the pistachio powder, cream cheese, table (thick) cream, and condensed milk. Blend until well combined and smooth.
- Pour this mixture into the crust base and bake for 15-20 minutes until set but center is still a little jiggly. Let cool at room temperature for 1 hour then refrigerate for several hours.
- Melt the milk chocolate gently in the microwave, in 10 second bursts, stirring after each increment. Once smooth and melted, spread over the top of the cheesecake, garnish with extra pistachios, and refrigerate until set. Enjoy!.
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