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.
Absolutely great, but was wondering if anyone has tried switching out the lemon juice for raspberry juice?
I bet that would be delicious!
I am extremely disappointed. I followed this recipe to the letter, chilled the lemon bars overnight just to be safe, and when I pulled them out in the morning to serve, the middle is purely liquid. Now I have a 9×13 pan full of liquid lemon that I can’t do anything with
Same issue for me, although the flavor was on point. IF you try again, just freeze instead of refrigerate. Next time I try this, I’ll squeeze the 3/4 cup lemon juice, but pour as needed until the consistency is where I want it. Either that, OR add a bit more flour. Also, on the baking front, I’ll add maybe another 10-15 minutes.
The actual quantities of ingredients are only listed at the bottom. Then under the filling section you mention 1/4 cup flour but don’t mention anything in the prep instructions.
Loved the flavour of this recipe!! I did find that the ratio of crust to filling was too much and think I might try halfing the crust recipe so it’s not so thick. Loved it though!!
I read your comment before making this for the first time, so I did half the crust recipe. I also added some lemon zest into the crust. I made it yesterday for my daughter’s birthday, and it was delicious!! We both agreed that the crust was perfect, but it would definitely be too much if I had used the full recipe.
I will be making this again, for sure.
I haven’t tried this recipe, but with cream cheese and lemon…. well, you can’t go wrong. I do have a question though. Two sticks of butter is actually half a cup of butter. As I read your recipe it would seem that 1 cup of butter would be just too much for 2 cups of flour when making the bottom. Please confirm. Then to be sure I am going to try this recipe. Thank you so much.
The recipe’s measurements are correct.
Thanks a bunch for replying. I’m making it at this moment. 😀
A full stick of butter absolutely is 1/2 cup.
Be sure you aren’t using the little “half sticks” of butter that are popular these days because they are equivalent to 1/4 cup each.
I’d like to try making this with bottled lemon juice. Do you think it would still be good?
It would probably be ok, but I do recommend using fresh if possible.
I made these and loved them. They are so light and delicious. Then I wanted to make lemon bars and couldn’t find this recipe so I used another from a Google search, and they were a disappointment–so sweet they’d send you into diabetic shock. And heavy. I was happy that I had sent this recipe to my kids so I was able to retrieve it. I won’t make any other from now on!
As the seasoned Baker I was very dubious of this recipe. Batter for filling was very thin and I didn’t think it would ever thicken to the correct consistency. I followed the recipe exactly and after 30 minutes of baking removed it from the oven and then cooled and put them in the fridge This morning when I went to slice them they were perfect I was very surprised I also thought the 3/4 cup of lemon juice was over the top but my husband commented that they could even be more lemony .This recipe is definitely a keeper thank you very much.
The filling is still very jiggly at the end of 30 minutes baking. Will it set up at room temp, or should I keep baking until it is firmer?
Recipe is so easy. I couldn’t believe how good it came out and everyone loved them. I’ve made them a couple of time since. Thank you!❤