Description
Super creamy pineapple bars made with protein-packed Greek yogurt & sweet pineapple juice. Only 130 calories per square. Don’t skip the chilling step—these bars need to properly set in the refrigerator like traditional cheesecake.
Ingredients
Crust
- 3/4 cup (85g) graham cracker crumbs (about 5–6 full sheet graham crackers)
- 2 Tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter, melted (or melted coconut oil)
Filling
- 6 ounces (168g) brick-style light 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
- 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup (80ml) pineapple juice
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract*
- optional: top with cherries and pineapple slices when serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300°F (149°C). Line the bottom and sides of an 8-inch square baking pan or 9-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on all sides to easily lift the bars out of the pan before cutting. Set aside.
- Make the crust: Mix the graham cracker crumbs and melted butter together in a medium bowl until combined. Evenly press crust into the prepared baking pan. Bake for 8 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.
- 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. On medium-high speed, beat in yogurt until completely combined. Then beat in the eggs and egg yolk until combined. Finally, beat in the sugar, pineapple juice, and vanilla extract until everything is combined and no lumps remain.
- Pour filling onto the crust. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the center of the bars no longer jiggles (remove from the oven and gently wiggle the pan to check). Allow the bars to cool at room temperature set on a wire rack for 30 minutes, then transfer to the refrigerator to chill for 3-4 hours or even overnight.
- Once chilled, lift the foil out of the pan using the overhang on the sides and cut into squares. For neat squares, I use a very sharp knife and wipe it clean with a paper towel after each cut.
- Leftovers keep well 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 Baking Pan or 9-inch Square Baking Pan | Glass Mixing Bowl | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Cooling Rack
- Eggs: You need 2 large eggs plus an additional egg yolk making a total of 3 egg yolks and 2 egg whites.
- Room Temperature Ingredients: Room temperature dairy and eggs mix easily and more evenly into one another. I always recommend room temperature, especially cream cheese, when making these types of bars.
- Pineapple Coconut Squares: Replace the vanilla extract with 1/2 teaspoon of coconut extract.
- Nutrition Information: Using SparkRecipes calculator, these bars come out to 129 calories, 6g fat, 13g carbs, 4g protein each. This is using Philadelphia light cream cheese, FAGE nonfat plain Greek yogurt, Dole 100% pineapple juice, and Nabisco graham crackers.