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.
I followed this recipe to the letter. My filling did not set nor did my crust completely cook. Bummer.
Is there supposed to be flour in the cream cheese mix? The top part of the recipe doesn’t show flour in the cream cheese mix but when you “jump to recipe” there is flour in the mix and I’m not sure which is correct.
WOW. Best lemon bars I have ever had. Made the recipe to a tee and they came out absolutely perfect.
This recipe is definitely a keeper! I too baked my crust about 3-5 min longer (just keep checking it). I also added more cream cheese & lemon juice. Went over so well that I’m making another.😁
Made mine with Lime instead and it’s sooooo delicious 😋
I made these but the middle wasn’t setup after the 30 minutes it is that supposed to happen
My recommendation would be to make sure you’re measuring your flour properly (spoon and level) and your lemon juice properly (in a liquid measuring cup at eye level on flat surface). Also, you can continue to bake them longer if they haven’t set up, if the edges begin to brown too much and they haven’t set up, cover with foil and continue to bake in 5-minute increments until the center sets. (I added this to the recipe notes)
I made as is and it turned out well. Lots of lemon flavor and texture is good. I baked the crust for an extra 5 minutes. Next time, I’m going to try 20 minutes vs the recommended 10 minutes.
AMAZING!!!! I read the reviews and they still exceeded my expectations!
These were easy and awesome! Added the zest of the lemons I juiced to crust and filling other than that followed recipe exactly as directed. My new go to lemon bar recipe! Thanks for sharing!
This recipe is AMAZING! I loved the wonderful shortbread crust with the tart, creamy lemon curd. I followed the recipe exactly and made no changes. I made these twice in one week! So delicious.
I think there must be an error in the filling portion of this recipe. I prepared exactly as instructed but the filling did not set up. Tried baking an additional 10 minutes – still didnt so I let it sit as instructed and chilled overnight. Still not set. Looks like I wastw all these ingredients. Pretty frustrating.
I made this last night and it turned out great! Just the right amount of lemon flavor. Before making the bars I read through the comments to see what others were saying. I noticed 2 problems that many had, the crust needed more baking time and the filling not setting up.
I baked the crust an extra 5 minutes and when I mixed the filling I used self rising flour. When they came our of the oven they were already set in the middle, after cooling overnight they were perfect. Now, whether or not the S.R. flour had anything to do with this I don’t know, but since the recipe didn’t state S.R. or A.P. I just used the S.R.
The only other change was to add a heaping teaspoon of lemon zest to the filling.
Only thing I would do different is maybe add about another 4 Oz. of cream cheese next time. For me this recipe is a keeper!