Cream Cheese Lemon Bars
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Lemon desserts have always had my heart, and cream cheese isn’t far behind. Putting the two together in these Cream Cheese Lemon Bars just made sense! They’re bright, creamy, and exactly the kind of dessert I crave all year round.
For more quick desserts, try my recipes for Apple Slab Pie, Easy Lemon Tart, Salted Caramel Pecan Pie Bars, and Cream Cheese Lemon Crumb Cake.
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Why This Recipe Works
My two favorite dessert flavors in one bar. I’m a longtime lemon dessert lover and an equally big cream cheese fan, so combining the two makes these into the best lemon bars recipe ever! These cream cheese lemon bars have that bright, citrusy flavor I crave, balanced by a creamy richness that makes them feel extra indulgent without being heavy.
Classic flavor with a creamy twist. This recipe keeps everything people love about lemon bars, but adds cream cheese for a smoother, more luxurious texture. The result is lemon bars with cream cheese that are tangy, silky, and perfectly balanced from the first bite to the last.
A buttery shortbread-style crust that holds up. The crust bakes up tender yet sturdy, giving you true lemon bars with shortbread crust that slice cleanly and hold their shape. Pre-baking the crust ensures every bite has that buttery base without turning soggy under the filling.
Easy, make-ahead, and made for sharing. This is an easy lemon bars recipe that uses mostly pantry and fridge staples, which makes it perfect for casual gatherings and last-minute plans. Since homemade lemon bars need time to chill and set, they’re ideal for making ahead and serving straight from the fridge!
Ingredients:
For the Crust
- All-purpose flour: Forms the base of the shortbread crust!
- Granulated sugar: Lightly sweetens the crust without overpowering the filling.
- Salt: Balances out the sweetness!
- Butter: Cold butter creates a tender, crumbly crust texture.
For the Filling
- Cream cheese: Adds richness and a smooth, creamy texture. Make sure it is softened to room temperature!
- Granulated sugar: Sweetens the filling while balancing the lemon.
- Flour: Helps the filling set without becoming dense.
- Fresh lemon juice: Provides bright, tangy lemon flavor. I recommend using fresh lemon juice as opposed to bottled lemon juice here.
- Powdered sugar: Adds sweetness and a silky finish to the filling.
- Eggs: Give structure and a custardy texture.
- Vanilla extract: Adds a depth of flavor!
Variations & Substitutions
- Lemon Juice: Swap lemon juice for lime or Meyer lemon juice.
- Zest: Add lemon zest to the filling for even more lemon flavor.
- Gluten Free: Use a gluten-free all-purpose flour blend for a gluten-free version.
Here’s How You Make It
Did I mention these lemon bars are so easy to make?
- First thing you need to do is preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a 9 x13-inch pan with foil or parchment paper. Leave plenty of overhang around the edges so that you can lift the bars out of the pan before cutting.
- Make the Crust: Prepare the crust by combining flour, sugars, salt, and butter cubes in a food processor or blender. Cover and pulse until fine crumbs form. (You can also do this with a pastry cutter, fork, or with your fingers in a large bowl.)
- Bake Crust: Press crust into prepared pan and bake for 10 minutes while you prepare the filling.
- Make the Cream Cheese Filling: Prepare the filling by combining cream cheese and sugar in a large bowl. Cream together until smooth. Mix in flour, powdered sugar, lemon juice, eggs, and vanilla until completely incorporated.
- Bake Again: Pour filling over crust and return to oven for 30 minutes.
- Cool & Enjoy: Allow to cool for about 20 minutes, then cover and transfer chill in the fridge 4 hours or overnight. Lift the foil edges to remove the bars from the pan, slice into squares, sprinkle with additional powdered sugar, and serve.
Expert Tips
- Use room temperature cream cheese. Softened cream cheese blends smoothly into the filling and prevents lumps. Cold cream cheese can leave pockets that won’t fully mix in.
- Don’t skip pre-baking the crust. Baking the crust first ensures it stays firm and buttery under the creamy filling. This step prevents a soggy bottom!
- Fresh lemon juice matters. Bottled juice won’t give you the same bright, fresh flavor. Fresh-squeezed lemon juice really makes these bars shine.
- Chill before slicing. Refrigerating the bars allows the filling to fully set. You’ll get cleaner slices and a better texture overall.
FAQs
Yes, because of the cream cheese and eggs, these bars should be stored in the refrigerator. Keep them covered, and they’ll stay fresh for up to 4–5 days.
Yes, they freeze well. Slice them, wrap tightly, and freeze for up to 2 months; thaw overnight in the fridge before serving.
Lemon juice adds brightness and acidity to cream cheese, balancing its richness and enhancing the overall flavor. It also slightly softens the texture, helping create a smoother, more creamy filling in desserts like lemon bars.
More Recipes to Try
- Banana Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting – soft, cake-like banana bars topped with the dreamiest tangy frosting.
- Cream Cheese Brownies – rich, fudgy brownies with swirls of creamy cheesecake!
- Caramel Cookie Bars – buttery cookie layers with gooey caramel tucked right in the middle.
- Easy Lemon Tart – silky lemon filling in a simple crust that feels fancy with minimal effort.
- Cream Cheese Carrot Cake Bars – all the cozy spice of carrot cake in bar form!
When you make this recipe, snap a photo and tag me on social – I love connecting with you and seeing what you’re up to in the kitchen!
Cream Cheese Lemon Bars
Ingredients
For the Crust
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, chilled and cut into small cubes
For the Filling
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- ¼ cup flour
- ¾ cups fresh-squeezed lemon juice
- ⅓ cup powdered sugar, plus more for topping
- 6 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a 9×13 inch pan with foil or parchment with plenty of overhang around the edges to lift the bars out of the pan before cutting.
- Prepare the crust by combining flour, sugar, salt, and butter cubes in a food processor or blender. Cover and pulse until fine crumbs form. (You can also do this with a pastry cutter, fork, or with your fingers in a large bowl.)
- Press crust into prepared pan and bake for 10 minutes while you prepare the filling.
- Prepare the filling by combining cream cheese and sugar in a large bowl. Cream together until smooth. Mix in flour, powdered sugar, lemon juice, eggs, and vanilla until completely incorporated.
- Pour filling over crust and return to oven for 30 minutes.
- Allow to cool for about 20 minutes, then cover and transfer chill in the fridge 4 hours or overnight. Lift the foil edges to remove the bars from the pan, slice into squares, sprinkle with additional powdered sugar, and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Im making this today. Is the 1/3 c powdered sugar just for sprinkling on the tOp?
Yep!
Please correct the recipe to indicate powdered sugar is just for the top, cause it says 1/3 cup plus more for sprinkling on top, thanks.
Hi Michele, Sorry for any confusion – the recipe calls for 1/3 cup of powdered sugar in the filling. Once the bars are finished, cooled, and ready to serve, you sprinkle additional powdered sugar (as much or as little as you’d like) on top. Hope this clarifies!
I put the powered sugar in the filling, like it said. Bars are in the fridge right now, so I hope they’re good. After reading thru comments, I see that the sugar was for the top after cooling. Lots of sugar…
Ther recipe turned out well. I did add some lemon zest for more flavor.
To have the pretty lemon slices on top, like your pictures, did you put the lemon on after you baked or before? Can’t wait to try thEse.
I add them afterwards but if you actually want to eat the lemon slices you could add them before so that they become tender in the oven. I place mine on top afterwards for aesthetics and people just pull them off before they dig in. 🙂
Candied lemon slices would be both beautiful and edible
No substitutions, easy recipe, excellent!
Thanks for your great feedback, Lisa!
I baked it for 30 mins and it was still liquidy. I folLowed the recipe to the letter, I don’t know what happEned
Hi Alvi, These bars should be cooled completely before serving. Did you let them cool completely in the fridge? They should be solid at that point! 🙂
This was amazing! I was a little low on cream cheese and eggS, so REDUCED the filling recipe by 1/4 and still so good. Also out Of vanilla.
Happy to hear they turned out well for you!
DO you include the pOwdered sugar in with the cream cheese? Or just dust bars withit.
You dust the bars with powdered sugar when ready to serve!
The instructions says to “spread” the filling over the crust. after i prepared the filling, it was the consistency of a thin milkshake. there is no way you could spread this. i checked the ingredients again to be sure i did it right. then i checked other recipes similar to this, they all call for about 1/4 of the sugar and a lot less eggs. i added a second 8 oz. package of cream cheese and it was still super runny. did i do something wrong?
Hi Victoria, I would love to help you out! Did you bake the bars and have issues with the end results? I think you made a good point that “pour” would be a better verb here as “spread” might lead you to think the filling should be very thick – it is actually quite thin but the eggs, sugar, and cream cheese work together to create a nice, thick, creamy filling once baked and cooled. 🙂
Do u prefer these cold or room temp? I made them today for tomOrrow and put in fridge, wondering if i should let them come to room temp before serVing?
I love them both ways – but I prefer them chilled!
Hi tiffany, when i made these, after creaming together the sugar and cream cheese i added the lemon juice, eggs, ect and the liquid seemed Excessive. I went ahead and poured it over the crust, but it definitely wasn’t spreadable. i wanted to check if the amount of lemon juice and eggs were correct? Thanks, Samantha
Hi Samantha, you and another reader made a great point – “pour” would be a better choice of verb here in the instructions since “spread” might imply a thicker consistency, so I’ve updated that, thank you! The bars should still come out creamy and beautiful though, the eggs, sugar, and cream cheese work together to make a delicious filling once baked!