Lemon Cream Cheese Bars are tangy, sweet, soft, chewy, and perfectly delicious. These tasty treats are always a crowd pleaser!
Lemon Cream Cheese Bars
Lemon Cream Cheese Bars are a true family favorite. My mom made these for years when we were growing up and we all loved them. The luscious, creamy bar cookies took center stage at every family reunion, every picnic, and every weekend lake trip and they were always the first thing to be devoured. I like them more than a traditional lemon bar recipe because they’re much creamier and more like cheesecake. The buttery crust and crumble on top complement the light, fluffy lemony filling too. They’re so yummy; you will absolutely love this recipe.
Tips for the Perfect Lemon Cream Cheese Bars
- These bars taste delicious cold. When we were little, our mom would pack them in a cooler and bring them to the lake. I also love them right out of the refrigerator. They are a bit more chewy when they’re cold, which I love!
- You can get fancy and top these with raspberries or strawberries too. So delicious!
- Store Lemon Cream Cheese Bars covered in the refrigerator for up to five days. Serve at room temperature by allowing them to rest on the counter for about thirty minutes.
- When mixing the filling, make sure your cream cheese is at room temperature! Cream cheese at room temperature mixes up light and fluffy with absolutely no lumps.
More Favorite Bar Recipes
Love this Lemon Cream Cheese Bars recipe? Here are a few of our most favorite bar cookie recipes.
- Oatmeal Raspberry Crumb Bars: Soft and chewy oatmeal bars with a raspberry filling. What’s not to love?
- Salted Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars: Like eating a caramel apple.. but better!
- Caribbean Coconut Fudge Bars: Pretty much HEAVEN in bar form. This is a recipe that was inspired by an actual dessert in the Caribbean.
- Coconut Lime Cheesecake Bars: Another one of our most popular “bar” recipes. Like a cross between key lime pie and coconut cream pie– in bar form. Trust me, they taste as good as they sound!
- Lemon Square Bars: A more traditional lemon bar recipe. Tart, tangy, oh so yummy!
How to Make Lemon Cream Cheese Bars

Lemon Cream Cheese Bars
Equipment
- Conventional Oven
- 9 X 13 inch Pan
Ingredients
- 1 lemon cake mix
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 1 egg
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 egg
- 1 cup sugar
Instructions
- Combine dry cake mix, vegetable oil, and 1 egg until crumbly.
- Reserve one cup of crumble mixture and set aside.
- Spread remainder of crumbs in a 9x13 pan and pat down to form a crust.
- Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes or until crust is lightly golden brown.
- Place remaining ingredients in a bowl; whip until fluffy and light. Spread over baked crumb mixture and crumble the reserved cup of crumbs over the top.
- Return to oven and bake at 350 for 25 minutes. Cool and cut. Delicious!
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Nutrition Information
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Oh my gosh these bars were so delicious. The lemon flavor was so tart and sweet. We loved him!
These Lemon Bars did not last long at our house! They were AMAZING!! I will be making these again and again! Thank you!
So easy and so yummy thank you for sharing , took to potluck and I received many compliments !!
Can you add a glaze to the top of these lemon bars
We haven’t tried putting a glaze on top – but I bet it would be delicious!
I’m making them tonight and trying a glaze 🤤 😋 hoping it turns out great!
Very easy to make and are delicious!
Thank you so much!!
Could I make these two and a half days prior to serving?
What about one and a half days?
Will the quality suffer a lot?
Refrigerate or not?
Yes, you can make them ahead and keep them covered with plastic wrap in the fridge for a few days. The quality and taste will not suffer. Thanks for asking!
I’ve made this recipe for years. It’s always wonderful. Always requested. Try them…you’ll love them!!
I made these for a pot luck party I attended and they were an epic fail for me. They tasted okay but I didn’t feel they cooked up properly – just too gooey for my liking. Once I saw how gooey they were, I did cook longer than the recipe called for. I won’t be making these again but wish others the best of luck with them!
Made these for a company bake sale. They sold them out first. Lol. Making again today for me and my team as a pick my up for a rough few days! Thank you!
I do add lemon zest to the filling and the base for extra lemon flavor. Don’t want to waste lemon!
Woohoo! It is always nice to be the “hot” item at bake sales haha. So glad that you (and your company) like them!
These sound delicious. I would like to know the nutritional information first. My husband is diabetic and this would be very helpful for us. Thanks
At this time we are unable to provide nutritional information but you can plug the recipe in a nutritional calculator like livestrong.com and you will be able to find the nutritional info!