These Creamy Lemon Bars combine a buttery graham cracker crust, velvety smooth cheesecake, and perfectly tart lemon filling. They’re the perfect warm weather dessert for any occasion.
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Graham Cracker Crust Lemon Bars with Cream Cheese
If you are a lemon-lover, it doesn’t get much better than these Creamy Lemon Bars. They’re made with a buttery graham cracker crust that’s filled with a layer of rich and creamy cheesecake and topped with lemon filling made from fresh lemons.
They are melt-in-your-mouth delicious and only require a few extra ingredients than our regular Lemon Bars. My favorite way to serve these Creamy Lemon Bars is with a dusting of powdered sugar while they are still chilled from the fridge. They’re great for showers, birthday parties, backyard BBQs or for any time you want to enjoy a simple homemade dessert at home.
Ingredients in Creamy Lemon Bars
Graham Cracker Shortbread Crust
- Graham Cracker Crumbs - you can either purchase this as crumbs, or use a rolling pin to crush graham crackers between two pieces of parchment paper.
- Flour - we use all-purpose flour for this shortbread crust.
- Sugar - you’ll need white granulated sugar for the crust.
- Salt - either sea salt or kosher salt.
- Butter - you’ll want your butter to be room temperature so that you can cut it into the dry ingredients more easily.
Cheesecake Filling for Creamy Lemon Squares
- Cream Cheese - full fat cream cheese is best for this recipe, especially if you plan on freezing these. It needs to be at room temperature so either pull it out ahead of time, or warm in the microwave for about 10 seconds at a time until softened.
- Sugar - this recipe calls for granulated sugar.
- Egg - any large egg will work.
- Vanilla Extract - pure vanilla extract tastes best.
Lemon Filling
- Lemon Juice - make sure to use fresh lemon juice for the best lemon flavor.
- Zest from Lemons - it’s best to zest the lemons before cutting and juicing them. You’ll need zest from about 3-4 lemons for a single batch of this recipe.
- Sugar - this recipe calls for white granulated sugar.
- Flour - all-purpose flour works great and helps to bind the custard together.
- Eggs - any type of large eggs will work well.
How to Make Creamy Lemon Bars with Graham Cracker Crust
- Make the graham cracker shortbread crust. Line a 9" x 9" baking dish with parchment paper, making sure the paper hangs over about 1" on each side. Spray lightly with cooking spray and set aside. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, flour, sugar, and salt and whisk together. Add the room temperature butter and mix with a pastry cutter (or your fingers) until the mixture is combined and slightly crumbly. Pat the graham cracker shortbread dough into the prepared baking dish.
- Bake the crust. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 8 minutes, or until lightly golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool for a minute before adding the cream cheese layer.
- Make the cheesecake layer. While the crust is baking, add the room temperature cream cheese and sugar to a large mixing bowl. Beat together using a handheld mixer until light and fluffy, or about 3 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla, then mix again on low speed until smooth. Spoon the cream cheese mixture over the warm crust and spread even using an offset spatula.
- Make the lemon filling. In a large bowl, combine the lemon juice, lemon zest, sugar, and eggs. Whisk to combine, then add the flour. Whisk again gently, making sure it's combined and there are no lumps. Pour the lemon filling over the cream cheese layer.
- Bake. Bake in the oven again for 35-40 minutes, or until the lemon custard is set and the edges are slightly golden brown. (Note: the cream cheese layer will rise to the top)
- Cool. Once baked, remove the lemon bars from the oven and allow to cool completely at room temperature. Once cooled, transfer to the fridge for at least 1 hour before cutting into bars or squares.
- Serve. To serve, pull from the fridge and dust with powdered sugar. They are best served chilled. Enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
While lemon bars are supposed to be a little gooey, they shouldn’t be runny. If you find your Creamy Lemon Bars are so gooey that you can barely hold them, they probably are either still too warm or were not baked long enough. Make sure that they are no longer runny before pulling from the oven.
The easiest way to check if your Creamy Lemon Bars are done baking is to lightly jiggle the pan. If the custard in the center isn’t runny, they are finished. Keep in mind that they will firm up quite a bit once chilled. The edges should also be lightly browned. If the custard is still runny, though, keep baking and check again in about 5 minutes.
Yes! Make sure they are completely set up and cut into squares, place the entire baking dish into the freezer for about 30 minutes, then remove and wrap each lemon bar in aluminum foil. Transfer to a freezer bag and store for up to 2 months frozen.
Storing and Freezing
- Refrigerator: store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.
- Freezer: place the baking sheet or baking pans in the freezer for about 30 minutes, then remove and wrap each Creamy Lemon Bar in aluminum foil. Transfer to freezer bags and store frozen for up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge for a few hours, or eat slightly frozen.
Creamy Lemon Bars Recipe
Ingredients
Lemon Custard for Lemon Bars
- ½ cup Lemon Juice fresh
- 1 ½ Tablespoons Lemon Zest from 3-4 large lemons
- 1 ½ cups Sugar
- ¼ cup All-Purpose Flour
- 4 large Eggs
Cream Cheese Layer
- 8 oz Cream Cheese room temperature
- ½ cup Sugar
- 1 large Egg
- ½ teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Graham Cracker Shortbread Crust
- 1 cup All-Purpose Flour
- ½ cup Graham Cracker Crumbs crushed
- ½ cup Sugar
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ½ cup Butter room temperature
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Line a 9" x 9" baking dish with parchment paper so that it hangs over the edges by about 1". Spray with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
Graham Cracker Shortbread Crust
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, flour, sugar, and salt and whisk together. Add the room temperature butter and mix with a pastry cutter (or your fingers) until the mixture is combined and slightly crumbly. Pat the graham cracker shortbread dough into the bottom of the prepared baking dish.
- Bake in a preheated oven for about 8 minutes, or until lightly golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool for a minute before adding the cream cheese layer.
Cream Cheese Layer
- While the crust is baking, add the room temperature cream cheese and sugar to a large mixing bowl. Beat together using a handheld mixer until light and fluffy, or about 3 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla, then mix again on low speed until smooth.
- Spoon the cream cheese mixture over the warm crust and spread even using an offset spatula.
Lemon Filling
- In a large bowl, combine the lemon juice, lemon zest, sugar, and eggs. Whisk to combine, then add the flour. Whisk again gently, making sure it's combined and there are no lumps.
- Pour the lemon filling over the cream cheese layer and place back in the oven for 35-40 minutes, or until the lemon custard is set and the edges are slightly golden brown. (Note: the cream cheese layer will rise to the top)
- Once baked, remove the lemon bars from the oven and allow to cool completely at room temperature. Once cooled, transfer to the fridge for at least 1 hour before cutting into bars or squares.
- To serve, pull from the fridge and dust with powdered sugar. They are best served chilled. Enjoy!
Nutrition
More of the Best Lemon Recipes
- Lemon Blueberry Buttermilk Cake
- Lemon Sweet Rolls
- Easy Lemon Cooler Cookies
- Lemon Poppyseed Bundt Cake
- Lemon Meltaway Cookies
- Glazed Lemon Cookies
- Lemon Pound Cake Recipe
- Lemon Curd
- Lemon Raspberry Parfait
- More Easy Dessert Recipes
- More Dessert Bars
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This Cream Cheese Lemon Bar recipe is the perfect warm weather dessert that always impresses. They've got a graham cracker crust, a layer of creamy cheesecake, and a layer of sweet and tart lemon filling.
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