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Piece of lemon cheesecake bar on plate.
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No-Bake Lemon Cheesecake Bars

These perfectly creamy no-bake lemon cheesecake bars have the perfect pop of citrus flavor! Super simple 20-minute prep, a touch of ginger in the graham cracker crust to give the flavor a pop, and topped with a tart lemon whipped cream--this easy dessert is a lemon lover's dream! No baking required makes these a perfect summer treat but can be a great option any time of year!
Prep Time20 minutes
Chill6 hours
Total Time6 hours 20 minutes
Servings: 10
Author: Lorie Yarro

Ingredients

GRAHAM CRACKER CRUST

  • 14 sheets of graham crackers approx. 1 ¾ – 2 cups crumbs
  • 7 Tbsp unsalted butter melted
  • ⅓ cup sugar
  • ½ tsp vanilla
  • ¼-½ tsp of ground ginger optional
  • pinch of sea salt

LEMON CHEESECAKE

  • 24. oz. block cream cheese softened to room temperature (3, 8 oz. blocks)
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 Tbsp lemon juice fresh
  • 1 Tbsp packed lemon zest
  • ⅓ cup confectioners sugar
  • ½ cup sour cream room temperature
  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream very cold

Optional Lemon Whipped Cream

Instructions

  • Prepare the Crust: Process the graham crackers in a food processor until fine. (You can do this in a plastic bag with a heavy wood spoon or rolling pin if you don't have a food processor.)
  • Mix the graham cracker crumbs with the melted butter, vanilla, ginger, salt and sugar until combined and crumbly. Press VERY FIRMLY into a parchment lined 9x9 inch pan. Freeze for about 15 minutes while making the cheesecake filling.
  • Prepare the Cheesecake Filling: In a medium bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the softened cream cheese and sugar until smooth and creamy. Add in sour cream, vanilla, lemon juice and zest, and powdered sugar. Beat until smooth.
  • In a separate bowl, add the very cold whipping cream and beat on high until stiff peaks begin to form. Gently fold the whipped cream into the lemon cream cheese mixture until fully combined.
  • Transfer the cheesecake mixture to chilled crust. Spread evenly until smooth. Chill for at least 8 hours to set—I let it set overnight for easiest slicing.
  • Serving: Before serving, you can make optional lemon whipped cream by beating the heavy cream in a small bowl, slowly adding in the powdered sugar, vanilla extract and lastly the lemon juice. This is a subtle lemon whipped cream flavor—for stronger flavor, fold in about 1 tsp very finely zested lemon zest (some people won’t want that texture.
  • Slice and pipe a bit of the whipped cream on each square and a small slice of lemon. Serve!