strawberry rhubarb bars

Strawberry rhubarb bars are sweet, tart, creamy, and full of spring flavor! Their buttery crust, jammy fruit layer, and cheesecake topping make every bite shine.

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Three cheers for springtime and also for these triple-layered strawberry rhubarb bars! A shortbread-like crust is topped with a sweet-tart strawberry rhubarb filling and finished with a creamy cheesecake for a truly decadent dessert that celebrates all the flavors of spring.

If the idea of cheesecake freaks you out a bit — the cheesecake layer on top is thin but dense and basically foolproof, so don’t worry about it cracking or needing to make a water bath or anything fussy like that. 

These bars are just begging to be a part of your Easter brunch table with some hot crossed buns. Aside from baking, rhubarb is also great pickled — I love this easy pickled rhubarb recipe for savory pairings! Or keep it sweet with these mini lemon rhubarb bundt cakes. Happy Spring!

Professional Tips

• Don’t skimp on the chill time. I know it can be challenging to wait 4 to 8 hours for the bars to set, but it will be harder if you don’t wait long enough, cut into them, and they fall apart. Be sure you set aside some time for them to chill!
• Be sure to let the filling boil. For the thickest filling, allow the filling time to boil on the stove. This activates the cornstarch and cooks out the starch flavor.
• Use an offset spatula for your cheesecake topping. Spread your cheesecake topping evenly over the filling to the edges of the pan with an offset. It’ll bake like a dream!

Ingredients

• Strawberries: Choose in-season strawberries that smell fragrant and are red. Time for a trip to the farmers’ market! Out of season berries will have less flavor and more water.
• Rhubarb: Choose rhubarb stalks that are stiff (not limp), and, ideally, are a deep pink to red color. The best, in-season, rhubarb is a dark, almost magenta red. Yes, you can use frozen rhubarb. Don’t worry, it’s all still incredibly tart! Get extra for a strawberry rhubarb pie!
• Cornstarch: Cornstarch is the main thickener in these bars. It will become clear and tasteless as long as you allow it to boil for at least a minute.
• Granulated Sugar: Sugar absorbs moisture as the filling bakes, which results in a thicker fruit filling. For a deeper caramel flavor, swap half the granulated sugar with brown sugar in the fruit filling.
• All-Purpose Flour: I use all-purpose flour for this recipe, but you could use cake flour. The resulting texture will be light and more like cake. To make this recipe gluten-free, substitute your favorite 1-to-1 gluten-free flour or experiment with coconut flour!
• Unsalted Butter: The butter can be substituted coconut oil if you would like. The texture of the crust will come together differently. 
• Cream Cheese: I find the brick-style full fat cream cheese to be best in cheesecakes and frostings. Low fat or whipped become too loose.
• Vanilla Extract: Vanilla extract adds a beautiful flavor itself but it also boosts the flavor of other ingredients around it.
• Lemon Zest and Juice
• Kosher Salt
• Baking Soda
• Eggs
• Powdered Sugar

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

Variations

• Mix up the fruit! Rhubarb tastes great with more than just strawberries! I like to pair it with other naturally sweet fruits such as cherries, peaches, or raspberries like I did in this raspberry rhubarb crumble. Depending on the fruit, you might want to add lemon juice.
• Add mix-ins to the cheesecake layer! These bars would be nice with chopped walnuts, pecans or macadamia nuts, or make them more decadent with chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, or butterscotch chips.
• Want to add texture? Fold a few tablespoons of quick oats into the crust. For strawberry rhubarb crumb bars, try adding a crumble topping instead! You could steal the one from my raspberry crumble bars. You could also scatter any remaining crumb mixture from the crust over the cheesecake layer before baking for texture.

How to Make Strawberry Rhubarb Bars

Further details and measurements can be found in the recipe instructions card below!

Step 1: Heat oven to 350°F. Spray bottom and sides of a 13×9-inch baking pan with cooking spray. 

Line your pan with parchment paper for easier removal and cleaner slices.

Step 2: In a large bowl, whisk flour, powdered sugar, baking soda and 1/4 teaspoon salt until well combined. 

Step 3: Cut in cold butter with a pastry blender or two knives until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. 

Step 4: Press mixture evenly in bottom of prepared baking pan (the mixture will seem loose, but it hardens as it bakes and cools). Bake for 15-20 minutes until the crust is a light golden brown. Transfer to a cooling rack while you prepare the filling.

The crust won’t look done after the first bake, because it’s not!

Step 5: Slice both rhubarb and strawberries into ¼ inch pieces. If the rhubarb is still green, peel with a vegetable peeler.

Step 6: In a medium saucepan, stir together 3/4 cup granulated sugar, cornstarch and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Stir in rhubarb and 6 ounces strawberries. Let stand for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

Step 7: Bring mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low; simmer 3-5 minutes, stirring constantly, until thickened. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla and remaining 6 ounces strawberries.

Step 8: In a medium bowl using an electric hand mixer, beat cream cheese and 3/4 cup granulated sugar on medium speed until smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a silicone spatula.

Step 9: Beat in eggs one at a time, then beat in lemon zest and juice.

Step 10: Spread strawberry-rhubarb filling over crust in baking pan. Carefully spread cheesecake topping over strawberry-rhubarb filling to edges of pan. Bake at 350 degrees F 25-30 minutes until cheesecake topping is just set. The center will have a slight jiggle, like jell-o. 

Step 11: Cool on cooling rack 1 hour; cover and chill 4-8 hours.

Let the bars cool for at least 4 hours before cutting into squares. The bars cut best chilled.

Frequently Asked Questions

Before You Go

I hope you enjoyed this professional chef-tested recipe. Check out our other delicious, chef-developed brownie and bar recipes, or get inspired by more spring pie recipes!