These lemon cheesecake bars are a tangy, and sweet treat. With a buttery graham cracker crust, and a creamy lemon cheesecake, topped with whipped cream. They’re perfect for a spring or summer dessert.
Summer is almost over, but I want to hang on to summery foods a little longer. How about you? Are you ready to move on to all things apples, and pumpkin? Or do you want to stick with lemon and berries a little longer like I do?
These lemon cheesecake bars are so light, and creamy, with the perfect lemony taste in every bite. The lemon flavor of the cheesecake has the perfect tanginess which pairs perfectly with the buttery sweet graham cracker crust. I love them topped with a little fresh whipped cream too.
The cheesecake bars would be so yummy topped with a few fresh berries too, like some strawberries, blueberries, or blackberries.
Cheesecake bars are less stressful to make than an actual cheesecake because you don’t have to worry about a water bath, and they’re thinner, and less likely to crack.
Although cheesecake usually has a little bit of lemon to give it a little tanginess, these cheesecake bars have extra lemon juice and lemon zest to give them that real lemon taste throughout.
How to make Lemon Cheesecake Bars?
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Crush your graham crackers into a fine crumb. You can crush them in a ziplock bag with a rolling pin, or a kitchen mallet. Or pulse them in a food processor or blender. Mix together the graham cracker crumbs, butter, and sugar. Press the mixture into the bottom of a prepared 9×9 pan. Bake in the preheated oven for about 5 minutes.
Allow the crust to cool while you make the lemon cheesecake. In a large bowl beat your cream cheese till it’s nice and creamy. Add in the egg, flour, lemon juice, lemon zest and sugar. Mix for about 2 minutes, until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Scoop the mixture over the graham cracker crust and spread the top evenly.
Bake the bars in the oven for about 25 minutes, until the center of the bars are just a little jiggly but the rest is set. Allow the bars to set at room temperature for about 30 minutes, then cover the pan and cool them in the fridge for at least three hours, up to overnight.
Serve the bars topped with whipped cream, and fresh berries if you want too.
These lemon cheesecake bars would be so delicious served up at a summer potluck or bbq. They’re light and creamy, and so delicious!
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Lemon Cheesecake Bars
Ingredients
For the Crust:
- 8 graham cracker sheets (or 16 squares)
- 2 TBS sugar
- 3 TBS butter (melted)
For the Lemon Cheesecake Filling:
- 16 oz cream cheese (softened)
- 1 large egg
- 1 TBS flour
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1/2 cup sugar
Equipment
- Large Mixing Bowl
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Press aluminum foil into a 9 inch square pan, and spray it lightly with nonstick spray.
- Crush your graham crackers using a food processor (or in a ziplock bag and pound with a mallet or rolling pin) till a fine crumb is formed.
- In a small bowl, combine your graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter. Stir together till the mixture is like wet sand.
- Press the graham cracker crumbs into the prepared baking pan.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 5 minutes.
- Allow to cool, while preparing the filling.
For the lemon cheesecake
- In a large bowl, beat your cream cheese until smooth, for about 1 minute (a stand mixer, or hand mixer works great).
- Add in the egg, flour, lemon juice, lemon zest and sugar. (Add 1 to 2 drops of yellow food coloring if you want yellow colored bars).
- Mix for 2-3 minutes until mixture is completely smooth.
- Pour mixture over crust and bake in oven for about 25-30 minutes until the middle inch or two is no longer jiggly.
- Allow to set at room temperature for 30 minutes. Cover and place in fridge for 3 hours, or overnight before slicing and serving.
- Top with whipped cream and fresh berries if desired.
Nutrition
These lemon cheesecake bars were first posted on June 20, 2016. Photos updated on August 5, 2020.
10 Mehndi says
These look amazing!!! I love anything lemon and cheesecake together! 😍
Sydney Andersen says
These totally scream summer to me too! I can’t believe how easy they are to make… They look like something I’d buy in a bakery! Definitely going to have to try these soon.
Megan - The Emotional Baker says
I’m obsessed with lemon treats and I’m sure the same would be true with these awesome bars!
Thanks so much for celebrating with me! Your glorious treats inspire me to be a better blogger 🙂
Sophie says
Wow they look professionally made. Love the use of lemon shavings to decorate. What berries do you recommend, there is a bit of a wide range. I am thinking raspberries.
Aimee Berrett says
I especially love lemon with blueberries or blackberries, but I think raspberries would be fabulous too!
marcie says
I absolutely love cheesecake with citrus, and these bars look like perfection!
Natalie says
Yum, I can’t think of a better combo. These bars look delicious!
Vanessa @ VanessaBaked says
These would be the star of any Summer BBQ or potluck! They look great!
Gayle @ Pumpkin 'N Spice says
These cheesecake bars look so pretty! I’ve been craving cheesecake non-stop lately, and lemon is the perfect flavor for the summer. Love this!