Lemon cheesecake bars are creamy, tangy squares of lemon cheesecake on a buttery graham cracker crust, with fresh lemon juice and zest in every bite. They are a make-ahead dessert for Easter, a baby shower, a potluck or any spring gathering, and one small pan cuts into 16 bars.
How to make lemon cheesecake bars: Press a graham cracker crust into a foil-lined 8×8-inch pan and bake it at 350°F for 10 minutes. Beat cream cheese with sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice and vanilla, then fold in an egg. Pour over the crust and bake at 300°F for 30 to 35 minutes. Cool, then chill for at least 8 hours before slicing.
Why You’ll Love It
- Fresh lemon flavor. A tablespoon of zest and a third of a cup of juice go into the filling.
- Cheesecake without the springform pan. It bakes in a square pan and cuts into bars.
- Made the day before. The bars have to chill overnight, so dessert is done ahead.
- Easy to serve. Lift the whole slab out by the foil and cut it into squares.
Ingredient Notes
Graham cracker crumbs. One and a half cups for the crust.
Unsalted butter. Five tablespoons, melted.
Granulated sugar. A 1/3 cup for the crust and 3/4 cup for the filling.
Cream cheese. Sixteen ounces, softened to room temperature so it beats smooth.
Lemon. One tablespoon of zest and 1/3 cup of fresh juice. Zest the lemons before you juice them.
Vanilla extract. One teaspoon.
Egg. One large egg, at room temperature and lightly beaten.
Confectioners’ sugar. Optional, for dusting the finished bars.
Ingredients
For the crust
- 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
For the lemon cheesecake filling
- 16 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1/3 cup lemon juice, fresh
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 egg, large, at room temperature and lightly beaten
- Nonstick cooking spray, for the foil
- Confectioners’ sugar, optional, for dusting
How to Make Lemon Cheesecake Bars
1. Prepare the pan. Heat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8×8-inch baking pan with aluminum foil and lightly coat it with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Bake the crust. Stir the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter and 1/3 cup granulated sugar until the mixture resembles wet sand. Press into the bottom of the pan and bake for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool while you make the filling.
3. Lower the heat. Reduce the oven temperature to 300°F.
4. Mix the filling. Beat the cream cheese until smooth and creamy, then beat in the remaining 3/4 cup granulated sugar. Beat in the lemon zest, lemon juice and vanilla. Gently fold in the lightly beaten egg with a silicone spatula until fully incorporated.
5. Bake the bars. Pour the filling over the crust. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the edges feel firm but the center remains jiggly.
6. Cool and chill. Cool the cheesecake in its pan, refrigerating it within 2 hours of baking. Chill for at least 8 hours.
7. Slice. Lift out the cheesecake using the foil and cut it into squares. Dust with confectioners’ sugar if you like.
When Can You Slice Lemon Cheesecake Bars?
Not the day you bake them, unless you bake first thing in the morning. The prep and baking add up to about 55 minutes, but that number is not when the bars are ready. They have to cool in the pan and then chill for at least 8 hours before they are firm enough to cut.
| Stage | What to look for | How long |
|---|---|---|
| Out of the oven | Edges feel firm, center still jiggles | After 30 to 35 minutes at 300°F |
| Cooling in the pan | No longer hot | Into the refrigerator within 2 hours |
| Chilling | Firm all the way through | At least 8 hours |
| Slicing | Lift out by the foil, cut into squares | After the chill |
The jiggly center is right. Do not keep baking until the middle is firm. The filling finishes setting as it cools and chills.
The easy plan is to bake the bars the evening before you need them and slice them the next day.
Tips for Success
What should the center look like when the cheesecake comes out of the oven?
It should still jiggle when you nudge the pan, while the edges feel firm to the touch.
How long can the baked bars cool before they must be refrigerated?
No more than 2 hours. Get the pan into the refrigerator within 2 hours of baking, even if it is still slightly warm.
Why fold in the egg by hand?
The recipe beats everything else with a mixer, then folds the lightly beaten egg in gently with a silicone spatula until it is fully mixed in.
Why line the pan with foil?
So you can lift the whole chilled cheesecake out of the pan in one piece and cut clean squares on a board.
Why does the oven temperature change?
The crust bakes at 350°F for 10 minutes. The oven is then turned down to 300°F for the filling.
Variations
Powdered sugar top. Dust the cut bars with confectioners’ sugar right before serving.
Other styles. Lemon cheesecake bars are also made with a shortbread crust, a cake-mix crust or a layer of lemon curd. Those are separate recipes with their own bake and chill times.
Storage & Reheating
These bars are served cold and are never reheated. Keep them in the refrigerator, covered or in an airtight container. USDA FSIS gives 3 to 4 days for refrigerated leftovers. Put the tray back in the refrigerator after serving. Cheesecake should not sit out for more than 2 hours.
What to Serve With It
For more lemon desserts, try 3-ingredient lemon bars, 2-ingredient lemon bars, the lemon meringue cheesecake, the lemon blueberry cake or the lemon poke cake with soaking syrup. For another cheesecake bar, bake pecan cheesecake bars.
Frequently Asked Questions
When are the bars ready to slice if the listed total time excludes chilling?
After they have chilled for at least 8 hours. The 55 minutes covers only prep and baking.
What should the center look like when the cheesecake comes out of the oven?
Still jiggly, with firm edges.
How long can the baked bars cool before they must be refrigerated?
Up to 2 hours.
How many bars does this make?
Sixteen squares from one 8×8-inch pan.
Final Notes
I bake these after dinner, chill them overnight and cut them the next day, because they slice cleanly only when they are fully cold. If you make them, leave a comment to tell me how they turned out or ask a question.
Lemon Cheesecake Bars
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Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs for the crust
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter melted; for the crust
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar for the crust
- 16 ounces cream cheese softened to room temperature
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar for the filling
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1/3 cup lemon juice fresh
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 egg large, at room temperature and lightly beaten
- nonstick cooking spray to lightly coat the foil
- confectioners’ sugar optional, for dusting
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8x8-inch baking pan with aluminum foil and lightly coat it with nonstick cooking spray.
- Stir the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter and 1/3 cup granulated sugar until the mixture resembles wet sand. Press into the bottom of the pan and bake for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool while you make the filling.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 300°F.
- Beat the cream cheese until smooth and creamy, then beat in the remaining 3/4 cup granulated sugar. Beat in the lemon zest, lemon juice and vanilla. Gently fold in the lightly beaten egg with a silicone spatula until fully incorporated.
- Pour the filling over the crust. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the edges feel firm but the center remains jiggly.
- Cool the cheesecake in its pan, refrigerating it within 2 hours of baking. Chill for at least 8 hours.
- Lift out the cheesecake using the foil and cut it into squares. Dust with confectioners' sugar if you like.
