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Coconut Cheesecake in easy bar form means a buttery coconut graham cracker crust under a silky cream cheese filling scented with coconut and vanilla, no springform pan or water bath required. I baked a pan on a lazy Sunday afternoon and Maddie called dibs on the corner piece before it even hit the fridge. If bar form cheesecake is your love language, my lemon cheesecake bars are the bright citrus sibling of this pan.
Coconut lives in every layer here, toasted into the crust, folded through the filling, and sprinkled on top.
Coconut Cheesecake Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 10 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 36 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 4 hours 46 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 9 servings
- ⚡ Calories: 289kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Sweet toasted coconut over tangy, creamy vanilla cheesecake
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, one bowl and one pan, simpler than my snickerdoodle cheesecake bars
Quick Answer
Mix graham cracker crumbs, coconut flakes, and melted butter, press the mixture into a lined 8×8 pan, and bake at 325 degrees F for 8 minutes. Whip softened cream cheese until smooth, then mix in the sour cream, egg, sugar, flour, vanilla extract, and coconut extract, and fold in the coconut flakes. Pour the filling over the baked crust, bake for 32 to 36 minutes until just slightly jiggly in the center, cool to room temperature, then chill for at least 4 hours. Cut into bars and garnish with whipped cream and toasted coconut.
Jump to:
Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- Coconut in the crust changes everything. Toasting coconut flakes right into the graham crust during the 8 minute pre bake adds a nutty depth that plain crusts never get.
- Sour cream is the secret to silk. A third cup loosens the cream cheese and adds tang, so the filling bakes creamy instead of dense.
- A little flour prevents cracks. Two tablespoons stabilize the filling as it bakes, which is why these bars come out smooth topped without a water bath.
- Double coconut, two textures. Extract flavors the filling evenly while whole flakes folded in give little chewy pockets in every bite.
- The jiggle test beats the clock. Pulling the pan when only the very center wobbles means the residual heat finishes the bake without overcooking the edges.
- A foil sling makes clean bars. Lining the pan lets the whole slab lift out, so you cut picture perfect squares on a board instead of digging in the pan.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- All the flavor of a coconut cream pie with the easy, sliceable convenience of a bar.
- No springform pan, no water bath, just one bowl and an 8×8 dish.
- It delivers big tropical flavor with less fuss than my pina colada cake.
Key Ingredients
Cheesecake staples plus a double dose of coconut.
- Cream Cheese: The creamy base. Soften it fully first so the filling whips completely smooth.
- Sweetened Coconut Flakes: The tropics, twice. They toast in the crust and fold through the filling for chewy coconut pockets.
- Coconut Extract: The flavor amplifier. A half teaspoon carries coconut through every bite without any artificial punch.
- Sour Cream: The tang and silk. It loosens the batter so the bars bake light and creamy.
- Graham Cracker Crumbs: The buttery floor. Pre baked with the coconut so the crust stays crisp under the filling.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
This little pan of bars is happy to play dress up.
- Toasted coconut top: Toast extra flakes in a dry skillet and press them over the chilled bars for crunch.
- Chocolate drizzle: A zigzag of melted dark chocolate turns them into candy bar territory.
- Pineapple layer: Spread well drained crushed pineapple over the crust before pouring the filling for a pina colada bar.
- Golden Oreo crust: Swap the graham crumbs for crushed Golden Oreos for an extra sweet base.
- Citrus swap: Trade the coconut extract for lime zest and juice for a key lime vibe, or just make my mini no bake key lime pie next.
How to Make Coconut Cheesecake
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F and line an 8×8 baking dish with foil or parchment, lightly sprayed. Mix the graham cracker crumbs, coconut flakes, and melted butter in a bowl until every crumb is coated.
- Press the crust evenly into the bottom of the pan and bake for 8 minutes until golden brown. Set aside while you make the filling.
- Whip the softened cream cheese until smooth, then mix in the sour cream, followed by the egg. Add the sugar, flour, vanilla extract, and coconut extract and mix until just combined, scraping the bowl as needed.
- Fold in the coconut flakes, then pour the cheesecake batter over the baked crust and spread it into an even layer.
- Bake for 32 to 36 minutes, until the edges are set and only the very center has a slight jiggle. Cool on the counter to room temperature.
- Cover and chill for at least 4 hours, up to overnight. Lift the slab out, cut into 9 bars, and garnish with whipped cream and toasted coconut before serving.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Soften the cream cheese completely. Thirty minutes on the counter saves you from lumps that never mix out.
- Mix on low after the egg goes in. Whipping air into the batter at this stage causes puffing and cracking in the oven.
- Pre bake the crust, always. Those 8 minutes keep the coconut graham base crisp instead of soggy under the filling.
- Watch the jiggle, not the timer. A quarter sized wobble in the center is exactly when to pull the pan.
- Chill the full 4 hours. Cutting early gives you delicious pudding, not clean bars.
- Wipe the knife between cuts. A hot, clean blade makes those bakery straight edges.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
These coconut cheesecake bars fit everywhere from Easter brunch to a summer cookout, because they chill in the fridge until the moment you need dessert. Set them on a dessert board with my mini cheesecakes for a cheesecake sampler moment.
A cheesecake sampler tray is always the first thing emptied at a party. My cherry cheesecake bars add a fruity red pop to the same tray. For the berry lovers, my no bake raspberry cheesecake bites need zero oven time.
Add a swirl of whipped cream, a sprinkle of toasted coconut, and serve them cold with coffee for the full coffee shop experience. And my white chocolate raspberry cheesecake is the full size stunner when you want to go big.
Coconut Cheesecake FAQs
Look for set edges and a slight jiggle in the very center, about the size of a quarter, at the 32 to 36 minute mark. The residual heat finishes cooking the middle as it cools, which keeps the texture creamy. If the whole pan wobbles, give it a few more minutes. If the top is puffed and fully firm, it is already past done, but a night in the fridge still saves it.
No, and that is the beauty of the bar format. The two tablespoons of flour in the filling stabilize the batter, and the shallow 8×8 pan bakes so evenly that cracks are rare. Even if a hairline crack appears, the whipped cream and toasted coconut garnish covers it completely. You get all the creamy texture of a classic coconut cheesecake with none of the foil wrapped stress.
Covered tightly, the bars keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, and honestly the coconut flavor is even better on day two. Store them in the pan or in an airtight container with parchment between layers. Add the whipped cream garnish just before serving so it stays fresh and fluffy rather than weeping into the bars.
Yes, they freeze beautifully. Chill the slab fully, cut it into bars, and freeze them on a tray until solid before wrapping each bar and storing in a freezer bag for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then garnish with whipped cream and toasted coconut. Do not freeze them with the garnish already piped on.
You can, with a small adjustment. The recipe is balanced for sweetened flaked coconut, so if you swap in unsweetened, add an extra tablespoon of sugar to the filling and expect a slightly chewier texture since unsweetened flakes are drier. The crust works fine either way, and toasting unsweetened coconut for the garnish actually gives a deeper, nuttier flavor.
Coconut cream pie is a cooked custard poured into a pie shell and set in the fridge, light and pudding like. Coconut cheesecake is a baked cream cheese filling, denser, tangier, and richer, sitting on a graham coconut crust. If you love the flavor of the pie but want a dessert that slices cleanly, travels well, and holds up on a party table, the cheesecake bar is your answer.
Made this coconut cheesecake? Leave a comment and a star rating below, and tell me if the corner piece is as contested at your house as it is at mine!
Coconut Cheesecake Bars
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 1 & ½ cups graham cracker crumbs
- ¼ cup flaked sweetened coconut
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
For the cheesecake filling:
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- ⅓ cup sour cream
- 1 large egg
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon coconut extract
- ¼ cup flaked sweetened coconut
- Whipped cream for garnish optional
- Toasted coconut for garnish optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line an 8×8 baking dish with foil or parchment paper, lightly spray with cooking spray and set aside.
- Mix the crust ingredients: graham crackers, coconut, and melted butter in a large mixing bowl until combined.
- Press the graham cracker crust into the bottom of the pan. Bake for 8 minutes until golden brown. Take out of the oven and set aside.
- While the crust is baking, place the softened cream cheese in a large bowl and whip until smooth using an electric mixer.
- Add the sour cream and mix until smooth.
- Add the egg and mix until thoroughly combined.
- Next, add the sugar, flour, vanilla extract, and coconut extract and mix until combined, and scrape down the sides as needed.
- Fold in the shredded coconut.
- Pour the cheesecake batter on top of the prepared crust, and spread it out in an even layer.
- Bake for 32-36 minutes. The very center of the cheesecake filling will be very slightly jiggly. Let cool on the counter to room temperature.
- Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 4 hours up to overnight to set. Cut and serve as is or with a garnish of whipped cream and toasted coconut flakes.
Notes
- This makes a large batch, but you can easily double it to feed more or halve the recipe. To double the recipe, bake in a 9×13 baking dish, cook time may vary.
- Great for a make-ahead dessert.
- This freezes well, see my tips above on how to store.
- Skip the whipped cream and toasted coconut garnishes if not desired.
Nutrition
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