Sopapilla Cheesecake Bars are an easy layered dessert with cinnamon-sugar, flaky crescent dough, and a creamy cheesecake filling. You’ll love this twist of a traditional Mexican pastry and it tastes like a filled churro.

Want more Mexican recipes? Check out my horchata recipe, strawberry agua fresca, tres leches cake, and Mexican corn salad.

Stack of sopapilla cheesecake bars on a plate with cinnamon sticks.

What is a sopapilla?

Sopapillas (also known as sopaipillas) are a pillowy pieces of fried dough that are dusted with sugar; sometimes with ground cinnamon added in. They are often served with honey drizzled on top.

Spatula removing a piece of sopapilla cheesecake bars from a pan.

Sopapilla Cheesecake Bars

These easy sopapilla cheesecake bars mimic the puffy dough of sopapillas by using crescent dough.

Instead of being fried, the dough is baked inside of a pan with cinnamon-sugar. Cheesecake filling is added between the layers to make this dessert even more delicious.

{Think filled churros, but in bar form.} They taste as good as they look/sound and are the perfect dessert for Cinco de Mayo!

You don’t even have to worry about a water bath or cracks in your cheesecake, since it’s sandwiched between two crusts. This is basically the easiest cheesecake you will ever make.

Fork-full removed from a sopapilla cheesecake bar on a plate.

Ingredients

You only need six ingredients to make these sopapilla cheesecake bars:

Ingredients to make sopapilla cheesecake bars.
  • Ground Cinnamon
  • Granulated Sugar
  • Cream Cheese
  • Egg
  • Vanilla Extract
  • Crescent Dough Sheets OR Crescent Rolls

NOTE: Exact measurements and instructions can be found in the recipe card below.

Prepare the Fillings

Combine the cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl. Set aside.

Preparing cinnamon-sugar and cheesecake filling.
  • Beat the cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the sugar, egg, and vanilla.
  • Beat until smooth and creamy, scraping the bowl as needed.

Layer the Dessert

Lightly grease a 13×9-inch pan with non-stick spray. (Lining the pan with parchment paper overhanging is optional, but nice to lift the dessert out of the pan for easy cutting.)

Assembling Sopapilla Cheesecake Bars in a pan before baking.
  1. Sprinkle the bottom of the pan evenly with half of the cinnamon-sugar mixture.
  2. Unroll one of the crescent dough sheets and set it on top of the cinnamon-sugar. Arrange the dough to fit the pan. Pinch together any tears in the dough.
  3. Spread the cheesecake filling evenly over the dough.
  4. Unroll the second can of dough and place it over the cheesecake filling.
  5. Sprinkle the remaining cinnamon-sugar mixture on top of the dough.

Baking and Serving

Stack of churro cheesecake bars on a plate with cinnamon sticks.

Bake the sopapilla cheesecake bars at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 30 minutes until dough is baked and cheesecake seems set when gently shaken.

Allow the dessert to cool for 30 minutes to allow the cheesecake to firm up before cutting and serving it. Then you may cover and chill the dessert in the fridge for 1-2 hours, if desired. It’s great warm or cold.

Cover and store leftovers in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. Freezing is not recommended, as the crescent dough may be a bit soggy once thawed.

Spatula removing a piece of churro cheesecake bars from a pan.

Tips for Best Results

  • If using crescent ROLLS instead of SHEETS: Place the second can of dough onto a lightly floured piece of parchment paper to press the perforations together. Then carefully turn the dough over on top of the cream cheese filling, peeling the parchment away.
  • Flatten/stretch crescent sheets minimally. The sheets should fit the pan almost entirely without needing to flatten or stretch the dough much. If you have to use crescent rolls and press the seems together, you may need to trim or fold any excess dough.
  • Use a pan with square corners. This helps the dough fit seamlessly. I love and recommend this 13×9-inch USA pan (affiliate link) as shown in the photos.
Fork-full removed from a churro cheesecake bar on a plate.

More Cinnamon Desserts

If You Make This Recipe, Please Rate and Review it in the Comments Below. THANKS!

Stack of churro cheesecake bars on a plate with cinnamon sticks.

Sopapilla Cheesecake Bars

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Rest Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Yield: 15 servings

Sopapilla Cheesecake Bars are an easy layered dessert with cinnamon-sugar, flaky crescent dough, and a creamy cheesecake filling. 

Ingredients

Cinnamon-Sugar Mixture:

  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 Tbsp ground cinnamon

Cheesecake Filling:

  • 2 (8oz) packages cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg, room temperature
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Crust:

  • 2 cans Pillsbury crescent dough sheets

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Combine the cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl. Set aside.
  2. Beat the cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the sugar, egg, and vanilla. Beat until smooth and creamy, scraping the bowl as needed. Set aside.
  3. Lightly grease a 13×9-inch pan with non-stick spray. (Lining the pan with parchment paper overhanging is optional, but nice to lift the dessert out of the pan for easy cutting.)
  4. Sprinkle the bottom of the pan evenly with half of the cinnamon-sugar mixture.
  5. Unroll one of the crescent dough sheets and set it on top of the cinnamon-sugar. Arrange the dough to fit the pan. Pinch together any tears in the dough.
  6. Spread the cheesecake filling evenly over the dough.
  7. Unroll the second can of dough and place it over the cheesecake filling.
  8. Sprinkle the remaining cinnamon-sugar mixture on top of the dough.
  9. Bake at 350˚F for about 30 minutes until dough is baked and cheesecake seems set when gently shaken.
  10. Allow the dessert to cool for 30 minutes to allow the cheesecake to firm up before cutting and serving it. You may cover and chill the dessert in the fridge for 1-2 hours, if desired. It’s great warm or cold.

Notes

  • If using crescent ROLLS instead of SHEETS: Place the second can of dough onto a lightly floured piece of parchment paper to press the perforations together. Then carefully turn the dough over on top of the cream cheese filling, peeling the parchment away.
  • Flatten/stretch crescent sheets minimally. The sheets should fit the pan almost entirely without needing to flatten or stretch the dough much. If you have to use crescent rolls and press the seems together, you may need to trim or fold any excess dough.
  • Cover and store leftovers in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. Freezing is not recommended, as the crescent dough may be a bit soggy once thawed.
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    Nutrition Information:
    Yield: 15 Serving Size: 1
    Amount Per Serving: Calories: 174Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 32mgSodium: 135mgCarbohydrates: 26gFiber: 1gSugar: 16gProtein: 3g

    This data was provided and calculated by Nutritionix, and is an estimation only.