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Sopapilla Cheesecake is the easiest crowd dessert ever, with two layers of flaky crescent dough hugging a creamy cheesecake center under a crackly cinnamon sugar crust. I bring a pan to every potluck, and there is never a crumb left. If you love an easy bar dessert, you will want this right next to our maple cheesecake bars.
Refrigerated crescent dough does all the work, sandwiching a simple cream cheese filling that bakes up under a buttery cinnamon sugar topping.
Sopapilla Cheesecake Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 15 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 30 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 45 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 12 bars
- ⚡ Calories: 299kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Creamy, flaky, buttery, and cinnamon sugar sweet
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, on par with our lemon bars
Quick Answer
Press one sheet of crescent dough into the bottom of a greased baking dish. Beat cream cheese with sugar and vanilla until smooth and spread it over the dough. Layer the second crescent sheet on top, then spread a mixture of melted butter, sugar, and cinnamon over the surface. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes until golden and bubbly. Cool, then chill before slicing into bars.
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Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- Crescent dough is the ultimate shortcut. Two sheets of refrigerated crescent dough replace a from scratch sopapilla pastry, so this comes together in minutes.
- A simple cheesecake filling. Just cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla beaten smooth gives you a rich, creamy center with no water bath or fuss.
- Cinnamon sugar crust on top. Brushing butter and cinnamon sugar over the top layer bakes into the signature crackly, sweet sopapilla crust.
- It bakes in one dish. Layer, top, and bake. There is no rolling, frying, or special equipment needed.
- Better after chilling. A few hours in the fridge lets the cheesecake set so the bars slice cleanly and taste even better cold.
- Feeds a crowd. One pan cuts into a dozen bars, making it perfect for potlucks, parties, and holidays.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It tastes like fancy fried sopapillas but is made with easy refrigerated crescent dough.
- The creamy cheesecake center and crackly cinnamon sugar top are an irresistible combination.
- It feeds a crowd from one pan, just like our better than sex cake.
Key Ingredients
Here is what makes this sopapilla cheesecake so creamy and easy. See the recipe card below for the exact amounts.
- Crescent dough: Two sheets of refrigerated crescent dough form the flaky top and bottom layers. The sheet style has no perforations to seal.
- Cream cheese: Softened block style cream cheese is the base of the creamy filling. Let it come to room temperature.
- Sugar and vanilla: Sweeten the cheesecake filling and add warm flavor.
- Butter and cinnamon: Melted butter and cinnamon sugar brushed on top bake into the signature crackly crust.
- Honey: An optional drizzle over the finished bars adds that classic sopapilla touch.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
Here are a few easy ways to make this sopapilla cheesecake your own.
- Drizzle the cooled bars with honey or a simple vanilla glaze for extra sweetness.
- Add a layer of fruit pie filling, like apple or cherry, over the cheesecake before the top crust.
- Serve them warm with a scoop of ice cream for a dessert as decadent as our better than sex cake.
- Use a pinch of nutmeg or pumpkin pie spice with the cinnamon for a cozy fall version.
How to Make Sopapilla Cheesecake
- Beat the softened cream cheese with the sugar and vanilla until completely smooth and creamy.
- Press one sheet of crescent dough into the bottom of a greased baking dish.
- Spread the cream cheese filling evenly over the bottom crescent layer.
- Layer the second sheet of crescent dough over the filling, stretching it to cover.
- Mix the melted butter, sugar, and cinnamon together into a cinnamon sugar topping.
- Spread the cinnamon sugar mixture evenly over the top crescent layer.
- Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes until golden and bubbly. Cool, then chill before slicing.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Use block cream cheese, not spreadable, and soften it so the filling beats up smooth and lump free.
- Buy crescent dough sheets if you can, since they have no perforations to pinch closed.
- Spread the filling to the edges so every bar has a creamy center.
- Let it cool, then chill for a few hours so the bars set and slice cleanly.
- Wipe the knife between cuts for neat, bakery style squares.
- Drizzle with honey just before serving for the classic sopapilla finish, like the glaze on our lemon bars.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
Sopapilla cheesecake is a perfect make ahead dessert for a crowd. Cut it into bars and serve them chilled or at room temperature, drizzled with a little honey.
They are a hit on any dessert table. Set them out alongside our maple cheesecake bars and double chocolate cookie bars for a spread of easy handheld treats.
For an extra special dessert, serve the bars slightly warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a dusting of extra cinnamon sugar. Leftovers keep beautifully in the fridge for several days.
Sopapilla Cheesecake FAQs
Sopapilla cheesecake is an easy bar dessert made with two layers of crescent dough sandwiching a creamy cheesecake filling, topped with cinnamon sugar. It is inspired by sopapillas, the fried Mexican pastry dusted in cinnamon sugar, but baked in a dish for a no fry shortcut.
Chilling is highly recommended. While you can eat sopapilla cheesecake slightly warm, a few hours in the fridge lets the cream cheese filling set so the bars hold their shape and slice cleanly into neat squares.
Crescent dough sheets work best because they have no perforations to pinch closed. If you can only find regular crescent rolls, just press the seams together firmly to seal them into a solid sheet for each layer.
Store sopapilla cheesecake bars covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Because of the cream cheese filling, they should be kept chilled. Let them sit out for a few minutes before serving if you prefer them less cold.
Yes. Cool and chill the bars completely, then wrap them well and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw them overnight in the fridge before serving. The texture stays creamy and the crust stays sweet.
Absolutely. It is a great make ahead dessert. Bake it a day in advance, chill it overnight, and slice it just before serving. The flavor and texture are even better after resting in the fridge.
Looking for more easy desserts? Try our maple cheesecake bars next, then come back and tell us how your sopapilla cheesecake turned out.
Sopapilla Cheesecake
Ingredients
- 16 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1 & 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 8 ounce cans crescent dough sheets
For the topping:
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- honey for serving optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray, set aside.
- In a large bowl with an electric hand mixer whip together the packages of cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon until smooth, set aside.
- Unroll one of the crescent roll dough sheets and press into the bottom of the pan.
- Top the dough with the cream cheese mixture and spread it out evenly.
- Unroll the second can of dough and lay it on top of the cream cheese layer, gently press it down.
- For the cinnamon mixture topping, in a medium bowl mix together the butter, sugar, and cinnamon. Dollop this buttery cinnamon sugar all over the top of the dough and spread it out evenly.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes until golden brown on top and puffed up. It may jiggle very slightly in the center, that’s okay. Let cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes before serving, then cut into bars. Serve each piece with a drizzle of honey if using.
Notes
- Tons of custom flavor options, see my tips above on that.
- Great for a make-ahead dessert as it can sit in the fridge and it great served warm or cold.
- This freezes well, see my tips above on how to store.
- Skip the honey drizzle if not desired.
- Use regular canned crescent rolls if you can’t find the sheets, pinch the seams together well.
Nutrition
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