Easy Lemon Cheesecake Bars

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These Lemon Cheesecake bars are the perfect treat to welcome spring and warmer weather. The perfect balance of sweet and sour, these creamy lemon bars basically taste like they were made in a bakery.

Lemon Cheesecake Bars with lemons and lemon slices on a blue speckled background.

Given my love of cheesecake and lemon, the only thing surprising about these bars is how long it took me to come up with them.

I simply cannot get enough of sweet cheesecake – I love it in all forms and flavors. My key lime cheesecake pie, my butterfinger cheesecake, this no bake snickers cheesecake bars and even classic mini cheesecakes – I love them all.

And, if you have spent anytime on my website this spring, you know that in addition to loving cheesecake, I love lemon. I just can’t get enough of the bright, citrusy, tangy flavor, especially during the spring.

Today’s recipe is no exception. It’s wonderfully light, creamy, tangy, and the perfect amount of sweet. If you loved my lemony lemon bars, you will certainly adore these lemon cheesecake bars!

I took the recipe for the best cheesecake and adapted it to form these bars. I added lemon juice and lemon zest for tons of bright flavor.

The melt in your mouth creamy texture comes from the use of cream cheese and eggs. Only a small amount of lemon juice is used so it’s tart but not overpowering. Top the lemon cheesecake bars with a light dusting of powdered sugar and enjoy.

These easy lemon cheesecake bars are just the thing you need during a warm spring day. It rests over a thick, buttery graham cracker crust and will become your absolute favorite lemon cheesecake!

Here is a little hint – the crust will actually fit a 9-inch pie pan so you can easily turn this recipe into a pie!

Be sure to use fresh lemon juice for these bars. It yields the best flavor and is not too sour. This is one lemon treat that everyone is sure to enjoy!


Recipe Snapshot

  • TASTE: Bright citrusy lemon
  • TEXTURE: Creamy
  • EASE: Easy
  • TIME: Under an hour of cooking time, 8 hours of chilling time

What You’ll Need

Simple ingredients come together to create these bright, creamy and decadent lemon cheesecake bars.

Ingredients

  • Graham cracker crumbs – Premade or crush your own, either one works!
  • Unsalted butter – Melted, holds the crust together
  • Sugar – White granulated sugar is used in the crust and in the filling, and confectioners’ sugar is used for dusting the bars.
  • Cream cheese – Full fat, softened. This is the base of the cheesecake filling.
  • Lemon – Fresh lemon juice and lemon zest add the lemon flavor to the sauce.
  • Vanilla extract – Use the highest quality extract you can find.
  • Egg – The egg adds richness and creaminess to the filling
Easy lemon cheesecake bars dusted with powdered sugar.

How to Make Lemon Cheesecake Bars

These lemon cheesecake bars are creamy and delicious. They come together quickly, but do need a decent amount of chilling time, so plan ahead. To start, preheat the oven to 350 and line an 8×8 baking pan with aluminum foil and spray lightly with nonstick spray. Set aside

Be sure to check out the full recipe and ingredient list below

  1. Make the crust. Combine the graham cracker crumbs, butter, and sugar in a medium bowl. Stir until the mixture resembles wet sand. Press it into the bottom of the prepared pan and bake for 5 minutes. Reduce oven to 300 degrees. Cool completely while making the filling.
  2. Make the cheesecake layer. Beat cream cheese in a mixing bowl until smooth and creamy. Beat in the sugar until well combined. Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla. Beat until combined. Using a silicone spatula, gently fold the egg into the batter until fully incorporated. 
  3. Bake the bars. Pour the lemon layer over the prepared crust and bake for 30-35 minutes or until the edges of the filling feels firm but the center remains jiggly. Leave cheesecake in the baking dish to cool completely then refrigerate for at least 8 hours. 
  4. Cut and serve. Lift the foil out of the pan and cut the cheesecake into squares. Dust with confectioner’s sugar if desired.

Handy tip:

Make sure the cheesecake bars chill completely in the fridge before you try to cut them. Otherwise they’ll break apart and be hard to manage.

Tips For Success

  • It is crucial to the flavor of these lemon bars that you use fresh squeezed lemon juice, from real lemons, not from a plastic yellow squeeze bottle.
  • Dust with confectioners sugar for garnish if desired
Homemade lemon cheesecake bars dusted with powdered sugar on a blue speckled background.

Storage & Freezing

The bars will keep for up to 5 days stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. The bars can be frozen for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.

Lemon Cheesecake Bars with lemons and lemon slices on a blue speckled background.
4.48 from 36 votes

Easy Lemon Cheesecake Bars

These Lemon Cheesecake bars are the perfect treat to welcome spring and warmer weather. The perfect balance of sweet and sour, these creamy lemon bars will taste like they were made in a bakery. The melt in your mouth creamy texture comes from the use of cream cheese and eggs. Only a small amount of lemon juice is used so it’s not overpowering. Top the lemon cheesecake bars with a light dusting of powdered sugar and enjoy. This is one lemon treat that everyone is sure to enjoy!
Prep Time :20 minutes
Cook Time :35 minutes
Total Time :55 minutes
Servings :16
Author :Jen Sobjack

Ingredients

For the crust

  • 1 ½ cups (204 g) graham cracker crumbs
  • 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • cup (66 g) granulated sugar

For the filling

  • 16 ounces (453 g) cream cheese, softened
  • ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon lemon zest
  • cup (80 ml) fresh lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 large egg, lightly beaten
  • confectioners’ sugar for dusting, optional

Instructions
 

Make the crust

  • Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line an 8×8 baking pan with aluminum foil and spray lightly with nonstick spray. Set aside.
  • Combine the graham cracker crumbs, butter, and sugar in a medium bowl. Stir until the mixture resembles wet sand. Press it into the bottom of the prepared pan and bake for 5 minutes. Cool completely while making the filling.

Make the filling

  • Reduce the oven temperature to 300ºF.
  • Beat cream cheese in a mixing bowl until smooth and creamy. Beat in the sugar until well combined. Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla. Beat until combined. Using a silicone spatula, gently fold the egg into the batter until fully incorporated. 
  • Pour over prepared crust and bake for 30-35 minutes or until the edges of the filling feels firm but the center remains jiggly. Leave cheesecake in pan to cool completely then refrigerate for at least 8 hours. 
  • Lift the foil out of the pan and cut the cheesecake into squares. Dust with confectioner’s sugar if desired.
  • The bars will keep for up to 5 days stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. The bars can be frozen for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.

Nutrition

Serving: 1barCalories: 223kcalCarbohydrates: 22gProtein: 3gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 50mgSodium: 146mgPotassium: 63mgFiber: 0.3gSugar: 17gVitamin A: 507IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 37mgIron: 0.4mg
*Nutrition Disclaimer
Course :Dessert
Cuisine :American
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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Recipe Rating




12 Comments

  1. Jennifer Doerr says:

    i love this stuff

  2. 5 stars
    These bars are amazing! Made them for super bowl and they were a big hit. I’ll definitely make them again

  3. 5 stars
    These bars are amazing! Made them for super bowl and they were a big hit. I’ll definitely make them again

  4. Can you freeze these bars?

    1. Jen Sobjack says:

      Yes, they can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.

  5. 5 stars
    These bars were amazing! I used a little less sugar, more lemon zest and whipped cream cheese. Truly a delectable dessert! They also froze well, and were delicious to eat frozen.

  6. 5 stars
    These bars were amazing! I used a little less sugar, more lemon zest and whipped cream cheese. Truly a delectable dessert! They also froze well, and were delicious to eat frozen.

  7. 4 stars
    The components are all there for a delicious cheesecake bar, however if you bake in an 8×8 pan as stated there will be too thick of crust and cook time will be an extra 20-25 minutes extra than stated. I thought something must be off so used 3/4 of the crust but still poured filling in 8×8 and it’s a lot of filling. next time will try in 7×11 or even 9×13

  8. 5 stars
    Mmmm, this looks so yummy and easy to make. All my favorite ingredients, can’t wait to give it a try.

  9. 5 stars
    Mmmm, this looks so yummy and easy to make. All my favorite ingredients, can’t wait to give it a try.