Lemon Cheesecake Bars

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Also known as lemon cheesecake squares, these easy lemon cheesecake bars have a shortbread crust and are creamy, zesty, and delicious!

Do you love all things lemon? Then give these lemon cheesecake bars a try – they won’t disappoint! The lemon cheesecake filling is rich, thick, creamy, and bursting with lemon flavor.

Similar to these strawberry lemon blondies, these dessert bars are so bright and citrusy, perfect for summer! Adapted from the Philadelphia Double Lemon Cheesecake Bars recipe, they are surprisingly simple to make.

The recipe has a shortbread crust, a lemon cheesecake layer, and a creamy lemon curd like topping. These lemon cheesecake squares are fun dessert that is sure to be hit at your next holiday party, potluck dinner, or summer BBQ.

Ingredients

Cookies: While a graham cracker crust is most common for cheesecake, this recipe uses shortbread cookies for a shortbread crust. But, you can use graham crackers, animal crackers, vanilla wafers, gingersnaps, lemon shortbread cookies, etc. They’ll all be delicious!
Cream Cheese: For best results, use full-fat brick cream cheese such as Philadelphia brand.
All-Purpose Flour: a tablespoon of all purpose flour help prevent the bars from cracker. This especially helps since these are not cooked in a water bath like a traditional cheesecake. But, you can omit the flour if desired.
Butter: both unsalted butter and salted butter work fine for this recipe.

How to Make

These fun cheesecake bars are so simple to make! With only a few steps and a 20 minute prep time, you can have a delicious and crowd pleasing lemon dessert.

Step 1: Make Crust

Crush Cookies: The first step is to finely crush the cookies. You can use a food processor or place them in a bag and smash them with a rolling pin or other heavy object.

Add Butter: When they’re crushed, mix in 2 tablespoons of melted butter.

Add to Baking Pan: Pour the crushed cookie mixture into the bottom of an 8×8 inch baking dish that has been lined with parchment paper and sprayed with cooking spray. Using your hands, or the bottom of a flat glass or measuring cup, gently press the cookie bits in an even layer on the bottom of the baking dish.

Bake: Bake the cookie crust in a 325 ℉ preheated oven for 8-10 minutes, or until it starts to get golden brown. Remove the shortbread crust from the oven and let cool while assembling the cheesecake filling.

Step 2: Make Cheesecake

Mix All Ingredients (minus eggs): Using a standing mixer with a beater attachment, or a large bowl with a hand held mixer, add the softened cream cheese, granulated sugar, flour, salt, vanilla extract, fresh lemon juice and lemon zest. Mix until very well combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula as needed.

Add Eggs: Beat in the eggs and mix until smooth. Add to the baking pan and gently tap to remove any air bubbles and smooth out the surface.

Bake: Bake in the pre-heated oven for 35-40 minutes, until the edges start to puff up but the cheesecake remains giggly in the center. Remove from oven and let cool at room temperature until no longer warm, about 45-60 minutes.

Chill: Lightly cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.

Step 3: Make Lemon Topping

Add Ingredients to Saucepan: This lemon curd topping is really simple to make. Mix the sugar, large egg, cornstarch, water, lemon juice, and lemon zest, in a saucepan.

Cook: Cook over medium heat for 3-5 minutes, being sure to continuously stir the mixture so the eggs don’t over cook. You’re looking to activate the cornstarch, so you want to make sure to bring the mixture to a boil for 30-60 seconds. The mixture will go from a milky yellow color to a deeper and slightly translucent yellow.

Once the colors turns and the mixture comes to a boil, turn down the heat. If you continue boiling the cornstarch can lose its thickening ability.

Continue to another minute or so until it is your desired thickness. It should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

Strain (optional): Remove from heat and strain the mixture using a fine mesh strainer if desired. While this is optional, it will remove the lemon zest pieces and any possible pieces of over cooked egg, and make for a totally smooth topping.

Add to Cheesecake: Immediately pour onto the chilled lemon bars and spread evenly using an offset spatula or knife. The, slice, and enjoy!

lemon cheesecake squares sliced on cutting board.

Tips and Tricks

The flour is optional, but can help prevent the cheesecake from cracking since we are not cooking the cheesecake bars in a water bath.
Try to only zest the yellow parts of the lemon. The white part can be bitter.
Try using blueberry, strawberry, or raspberry coulis instead of, or in addition to the lemon topping.
This recipe can easily be doubled and baked in a 9 x13 inch pan.

FAQ

Can I use a 9×9 inch pan instead of an 8×8?

Yes, you can make these in a 9×9 inch pan but they will be thinner and you’ll need to adjust the baking time accordingly. I recommend starting to check after 25 minutes.

Why are there bits of white in my lemon curd?

That means that the lemon curd was cooked at too high a temperature. It’s not a problem though! You can use a fine mesh strainer to strain out any overcooked egg for a perfectly smooth lemon topping.

Can I freeze these cheesecake lemon bars?

Yes, this recipe is freezer friendly. Wrap tightly or store in an airtight container for 1-2 months. Let defrost in the refrigerator before serving.

Storing and Making Ahead

These lemon bars can be stored tightly covered in the pan or in an airtight container for 2-3 days.

These are a great made ahead dessert! The lemon cheesecake bars can be made and baked 1-2 days in advance. Leftovers can be stored in a freezer for 1-2 months.