Description
If you love tart and tangy lemon flavor and creamy, dreamy desserts, you will love these lightened-up Greek yogurt lemon bars. With only 8 ingredients, these bars are perfectly balanced—not too sweet—allowing the bright, bold lemon flavor to take center stage.
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 cup (120g) graham cracker crumbs (about 8 full-sheet graham crackers)
- 1 Tablespoon (12g) granulated sugar
- 3 Tablespoons (43g) unsalted butter, melted (or melted coconut oil)
Filling
- 6 ounces (170g) brick cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 3/4 cup (181g) plain nonfat or low-fat Greek yogurt, at room temperature
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature*
- 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature*
- 1/3 cup (67g) granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup (80ml) fresh lemon juice (about 2-3 lemons)*
- 1 Tablespoon lemon zest*
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- optional for garnish: lemon slices and fresh blueberries
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300°F (149°C). Line the bottom and sides of an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on 2 sides to easily lift the bars out of the pan before cutting. Set aside.
- Make the crust: In a medium bowl, whisk the graham cracker crumbs and sugar together. Add the melted butter and stir until combined. Press evenly into the prepared baking pan. Bake for 8 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool slightly.
- Make the filling: In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the cream cheese on high speed until completely smooth, about 1 minute. Add yogurt and beat on medium-high speed until completely combined. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a silicone spatula and beat again as needed to combine. Beat in the eggs and egg yolk. Once combined, add the sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla extract and beat until everything is combined and no lumps remain. Filling is thin. Pour filling into the crust—it’s ok if the crust is still slightly warm.
- Bake for 34–38 minutes or until the middle is no longer wobbly. A little jiggle is ok—the bars will continue to set up as they chill in the refrigerator, so you don’t need to bake them until the center is perfectly solidified. Don’t over-bake these bars, or the surface may crack.
- Set the pan on a cooling rack and cool for 1 hour, then transfer to the refrigerator to chill for 3–4 hours or even overnight.
- Once chilled, lift the bars out of the pan using the parchment overhang on the sides and cut into bars. For neat bars, I use a very sharp knife and wipe it clean with a paper towel after each cut.
- Cover and store leftover bars in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: Prepare the bars 1–3 days in advance and store covered tightly in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Bars can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 8-inch Square Pan | Parchment Paper | Glass Mixing Bowl | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Silicone Spatula | Cooling Rack | Citrus Juicer | Citrus Zester
- Eggs: You will need 2 large eggs plus an additional egg yolk.
- Lime Bars: Instead of lemon juice and lemon zest, try lime juice and lime zest for a tangy lime bar instead.
- Room-Temperature Ingredients: Room-temperature dairy and eggs mix easily and more evenly. I always recommend room temperature, especially cream cheese, when making these types of bars.
- Update in 2025: To ensure the crust is substantial enough AND holds together, I slightly increased the graham cracker crumbs from 3/4 cup to 1 cup, and added 1 Tablespoon of sugar.