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Lemon zest and fresh lemon juice bring summery flavor to these easy layered Lemon Cheesecake Bars!
When I think of my favorite fruity desserts, everything that first comes to mind has some sort of buttery crumb topping. Whether it’s my quick & easy Cherry Dump Cake, an Apple Crumb Pie (ahhhhh YUM!) or the fan favorite Blueberry Cream Cheese Bars, there’s just something extra delicious about a crumb topping.
As much as I love classic lemon bars (any my new Pineapple Bars!!), these new Lemon Cheesecake Bars juuuuuust might take the cake when it comes to lemon desserts!! It’s the perfect combination of tangy lemon, smooth cream cheese and buttery crust and topping.
Ingredients Needed
Crumb Mixture
- Butter – I prefer salted butter.
- White Sugar
- Lemon Zest
- Salt
- All-Purpose Flour
- Oats – I use quick oats in this recipe.
Lemon Cheesecake Filling
- Cream Cheese
- Sweetened Condensed Milk – Don’t get this confused with evaporated milk!!!
- Lemon Juice – I highly recommend using freshly squeezed lemon juice in this recipe, however bottled lemon juice will work okay too.
- Lemon Zest
- Egg Yolk
- All-Purpose Flour
How to Make Lemon Cheesecake Bars
There are two components to these easy cheesecake bars. There’s the buttery oat mixture and the creamy cheesecake filling full of lemon flavor. Before mixing any ingredients, I like to get the oven preheated and line my pan with parchment paper.
Make the Crumb Crust/Topping
In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the butter, sugar and lemon zest. Mix on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the salt, flour and oats and stir until combined.
Press about half of the mixture into the bottom of the pan. It doesn’t need to be exactly 1/2 …just eyeball it!
Bake the crust for 12 minutes. While that bakes, make the filling.
Make the Cream Cheese Filling
Place cream cheese in a medium bowl (or in a food processor) and mix until nice and smooth. Add the sweetened condensed milk, lemon juice, lemon zest, yolk and flour and mix until well-combined.
Pour over the baked crust and smooth out with the back of a spoon.
Sprinkle the remaining crumb topping over the cream cheese mixture and bake until they’re a light golden brown.
Let the bars cool completely (they’ll set up nicely) before cutting into bars.
Yes. These bars will last much longer in the fridge and (in my opinion) taste better chilled! Store them in an airtight container or in a resealable plastic bag.
If you make cheesecake often, you know that having a water bath is essential! However, with this easy dessert, a water bath is unnecessary!
Yes, however, they won’t have the classic acidic lemon taste. Therefore, if you’re looking for a more sweet, mild lemon flavor, using Meyer lemons would be a good option.
Yes!! You’ll simply just halve the ingredients and follow the recipe as stated. I do recommend shaving a couple minutes off the baking time as they may cook a bit a bit quicker!
I like serving these cold. They’re easy to gussy up with a dollop of whipped cream, lemon slices and a few fresh berries! These bars would make a delicious fresh lemon dessert for bridal showers, baby showers, potlucks and more!
Nicely Cut Bars
It’s so satisfying to see a plate of bars with beautiful, clean edges. To do so, start by lining the pan with parchment paper! Then, be sure to let the bars cool completely before cutting as they’ll set up quite a bit. Use a sharp knife to cut the bars into squares, cleaning the knife, as needed, between cuts.
Other Easy Recipes with Lemon
Lemon Cheesecake Bars
Ingredients
Buttery Oat Layer
- 3/4 cup butter softened
- 1 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/3 cup flour
- 1 1/3 cup quick oats
Cheesecake Filling
- One 8-ounce package cream cheese softened
- One 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
- 1/2 cup lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 tablespoons flour
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line a 9×13" baking pan with parchment paper.
- Add the butter, sugar and lemon zest to a large bowl; mix until light and fluffy.
- Add the salt, flour and oats and stir until combined.
- Press about half of the mixture into the bottom of the pan and bake for 12 minutes. While the crust is baking, make the cream cheese filling.
- Place cream cheese in a bowl and mix until nice and smooth.
- Add the sweetened condensed milk, lemon juice, lemon zest, yolk and flour and mix until well-combined.
- Pour over the baked crust and smooth out with the back of a spoon.
- Sprinkle the remaining crumb topping over the cream cheese mixture and bake for 20-25 minutes or until they're a light golden brown around the edges.
- Let cool for 2+ hours in the fridge, then cut into bars and enjoy!
Thank You For SHARING 👍🏼♥️It LOOKS Awesome😋And Refreshing ❗️G-d♥️Bless
These were amazing! I halved the recipe and did it in an 8″ pan and they were perfect. Thanks for this!
Soooo good!!! It was a big hit in a potluck dinner I went to. Every body said they never had lemon bars with toppings. It was the very first to go & everyone was wishing there were some more. I was made to swear Ill make & bring this again on our next potluck but double the amount. Ha ha! Thank you, this is how I’m going to make this every time. ❤️
So glad you enjoyed it along with everyone else!!! 🙂 ~Kelsey
Absolutely incredibly delicious!
Glad you enjoyed it! 🙂 ~Kelsey