Deliciously creamy cherry lime squares nestled in a graham cracker crust and full of fresh lime zest and cherries. You’re going to love this simpler dessert recipe all summer long.
If you’ve ever had a Cherry Limeaid Drink from Sonic then you already know how good that sweet and tangy flavor combination can be. This dessert is inspired by that drink. These yummy little squares are sweet and refreshing, and I adore the sliced cherries in them. They’re a fantastic summer dessert!
Cherry Lime Bars Recipe
This is one tasty dessert that tastes great any time of the year, but especially around summer because it’s best when served chilled. Cold, sweet, tangy, and delicious, these bars have got it all!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Minimal ingredients. To make this recipe, you only need a small handful of ingredients, and they’re all both cheap and easily locatable in your local grocery store. You may even have a few of them on hand already, making this even more convenient.
- Minimal effort. Making these bars only requires a little bit of effort and some patience, but it’s totally worth it in the end when you experience that first bite.
- Perfect for any occasion. These bars are just as great as a dessert to serve at parties and get-togethers but it’s equally as delicious at home with the family too. Keep them frozen and enjoy a late-night treat several times a week until they’re all gone and repeat the process again.
Creamy Lime Bars Ingredients
Pudding mix: Use a 5.1 ounce sized box of instant vanilla pudding mix. This is a larger sized box, and not the standard smaller ones. If you want an even more lime flavor, use lime pudding instead.
Condensed milk: You will need 1 14-ounce sized can of sweetened condensed milk to sweeten the filling.
Cool whip: Use 1 8-ounce sized container of thawed cool whip to make the cherry lime squares nice and creamy.
Limes: You will need 2 small limes so that you can get about 3-4 tablespoons of lime juice and 2 teaspoons of lime zest from them.
Cherries: 1 cup of cherries that have been halved and pitted will be needed for this recipe.
Graham crackers: Use 1 1/2 cups of finely blended graham cracker crumbs. This will be the base of this bar dessert.
Butter: You will need 1/2 cup (one stick) of melted butter to help bind the graham cracker crumbs together for a crust.
How To Make Creamy Cherry Lime Squares
Make Crust
Stir the graham cracker crumbs and melted butter together until well combined. Press firmly into the bottom of an 8×8 square glass dish. I like to put a baggie over my hand and press the cracker crumbs that way.
Place pan in freezer while you prepare the filling.
Make Filling
Pour the sweetened condensed milk into a medium sized bowl. Sprinkle the vanilla pudding on top and stir well to combine (Just stir this mixture for 2-3 minutes or so, to make sure the pudding has dissolved.)
Add in the container of Cool Whip and stir until it’s incorporated. Add in the lime juice and zest. The filling should be thickening up at this point.
Gently fold in the cherries.
Chill to Set
Remove glass dish from freezer and pour filling inside.
Return to freezer for at least 4-5 hours prior to serving.
Slice and serve.
How to Pit a Cherry- The Easy Way
Take a frosting piping tip (one with a standard sized hole, not too large and not too small) and place it on a cutting board so that the tip is facing up and the base is on the board. Take a washed cherry (without stems) and place them onto the frosting tip. Place it so that the indentation where the stem was, is on the frosting tip. Press down on the cherry and the seed will pop out the other side.
Enjoy!
Creamy Cherry Lime Squares
Ingredients
- 1 box vanilla pudding (5.1 oz)
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk (14 oz)
- 1 container Cool-Whip (8 oz)
- 3-4 tbsp lime juice
- 2-3 tsp lime zest
- 1 cup pitted halved cherries
- 1 1/2 cups finely blended graham cracker
- 1/2 cup melted butter
Instructions
Graham Cracker Crust
- Stir the graham cracker crumbs and melted butter together until well combined. Press firmly into the bottom of an 8×8 square glass dish. I like to put a baggie over my hand and press the cracker crumbs that way. Place pan in freezer while you prepare the filling.
Filling
- Pour the sweetened condensed milk into a medium sized bowl. Sprinkle the vanilla pudding on top and stir well to combine (Just stir this mixture for 2-3 minutes or so, to make sure the pudding has dissolved.)
- Add in the container of Cool Whip and stir until it’s incorporated. Add in the lime juice and zest. The filling should be thickening up at this point. Gently fold in the cherries.
Freeze
- Remove glass dish from freezer and pour filling inside. Return to freezer for at least 4-5 hours prior to serving. You can serve it frozen, or thaw on a counter top for 10-15 minutes, then serve it. I can’t decide which way I like it more! Even when you serve it thawed though the filling holds together well. (The filling was almost completely thawed when I took the photos.)
Notes
Nutrition
Do You Eat Cherry Lime Squares Thawed or Frozen?
You can serve it frozen, or thaw on a countertop for 10-15 minutes, then serve it. I can’t decide which way I like it more! Even when you serve it thawed though the filling holds together well.
How long are cherry limeade bars good for?
These bars can be left stored in a well covered or tightly sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 to 5 days, or you can keep them frozen (in the same manner) for up to 3 months.
For more Bar Recipes like these, check out these tasty suggestions
- BERRY LEMON BARS
- NO BAKE PEANUT BUTTER PRETZEL BARS
- BAKED S’MORES BARS
- PEANUT BUTTER BLONDIES
- OREO MAGIC COOKIE BARS
- LEMON BUTTER BARS
- PUMPKIN PIE BARS
- RASPBERRY OATMEAL BARS
- MILLIONAIRE CARAMEL BARS
- RED VELVET CHEESECAKE BROWNIES
- PUMPKIN BROWNIES
- STRAWBERRY BANANA BARS
With this creamy cherry lime squares recipe, you can always have a tasty dessert that’s perfectly chilled and reminiscent of your favorite Sonic drink. Perfect for summer and always easy to make, this dessert will soon find a place in your heart and home.
Leave a Reply