Cream Cheese Lemon Bars

If you love bright, spring flavors, these Zesty Lemon Cheesecake Bars are hands-down one of my favorite treats to make! Fresh lemon juice and plenty of finely grated zest give the bars their tangy, citrus flavor, while the cream cheese base creates an ultra-smooth, creamy texture that sets beautifully every time. They’re easy to make, consistently delicious, and the kind of recipe your family will ask for long after spring is over.

The lemon cheesecake bars are laid out on parchment paper.

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Why You'll Love These Lemon Cheesecake Bars
Lemon Cheesecake Recipe Ingredients
How To Make Lemon Cheesecake Bars
Tips for Cream Cheese Lemon Bars
How to Store Lemon Cheesecake Bars
Lemon Cheesecake Bars Recipe FAQs
Other Recipes To Try!
📖 Recipe

Why You'll Love These Lemon Cheesecake Bars

They are a great make ahead dessert! These cheesecake bars get better as they sit in the refrigerator. So feel free to make them ahead of time and let them hang out and get cold.
They are baked to perfection in less than 30 minutes! No need to fight with a water bath, these bars are baked in the oven in an 8x8 baking pan.
You only need a few simple ingredients that you probably already have in your house. There's nothing in these that is strange or you wouldn't be able to get in the grocery store.

Lemon Cheesecake Recipe Ingredients

The lemon cheesecake bar ingredients are laid out and labeled.

Graham crackers- 1 package, or 10 crackers
Lemons- Juice and zest
Cream Cheese- Full fat, at room temperature
Egg- Room temperature. This will hold the cream cheese filling together.
Sugar- To sweeten these bars up!

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

How To Make Lemon Cheesecake Bars

The cream cheese mixture is mixed with a hand mixer. — **Step 1:** Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

In a large bowl, add the cream cheese, sugar, egg, lemon zest, and lemon juice. With an electric hand mixer or stand mixer, beat the mixture until completely combined and there are no more lumps.

The graham cracker crust is added to the baking dish. — **Step 2**: In a food processor, add the graham crackers. Pulse them until they are crumbs. Then add the melted butter and sugar and pulse until the mixture looks like wet sand.
Add parchment paper to an 8x8 baking dish. Press the graham cracker crumbs into the baking dish until it forms a layer on the bottom. Bake for 8 minutes. Take out the baking dish when it is done and let it cool.

The cheesecake mixture is added to the baking dish. — **Step 3:** Once the crust is slightly cooled, add the cream cheese filling to the pan. Spread it out so it is evenly distributed.
Bake for 25 minutes or until the bars are slightly browned and there is no wobble in the middle of the bars. Allow the bars to cool before cutting.

How Do I Know When The Cheesecake Is Baked Through?

Cheesecake can be tough to know when it is done because you can't stick a toothpick in and see if it comes out clean. The toothpick will always come out with a little cheesecake on it.

You want the bars to be slightly browned on top, and for there to be very little jiggle in the middle of the bars. They will continue to set as they cool, but a lot of jiggle means that the inside is still too liquid.

Tips for Cream Cheese Lemon Bars

In the grocery store, you can often find graham cracker crumbs. Use 1 ½ cups of those graham cracker crumbs instead of full graham cracker sheets.
The cream cheese and eggs should be at room temperature. This will prevent the cream cheese from getting lumpy. It will produce a smooth, cheesecake filling.
Make sure the oven is preheated. Just like any other baked dessert, it's important the oven is preheated fully so the cheesecake bars bake evenly.
Lining the baking pan with parchment paper allows the cheesecake bars to easily be lifted out of the pan.
Before cutting into the cheesecake bars, allow them to cool completely. If they are not cooled, they will likely fall apart.

A lemon wedge is on top of the lemon cheesecake bar.

How to Store Lemon Cheesecake Bars

These bars are a great make ahead dessert. Bake them and place them in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve them. They can stay in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Keep them in an airtight container in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve them.

These lemon cheesecake bars freeze wonderfully! Make sure the bars are cooled completely and then freeze them on a baking sheet. Once they are frozen, place the bars in a freezer safe container and freeze for up to 3 months.

Lemon Cheesecake Bars Recipe FAQs

How do you cut cheesecake bars cleanly?

Cheesecake filling tends to stick to the knife when you are cutting them. To get a clean cut, run your sharp knife under very hot water for about 2 minutes. Then dry the knife off and cut the cheesecake bars. After each cut, wipe off the cheesecake that is on the knife and run it under hot water for another minute. Continue this process until the bars are cut.

Can I use low fat cream cheese?

Full fat cream cheese is best. Low fat or fat free tends to be more watery than full fat and will change the texture and consistency of the cheesecake bars.

Other Recipes To Try!

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