Lightened-up creamy lemon goodness on a graham cracker crust! Should you love tart and tangy lemon taste and creamy, dreamy desserts, you’ll love these Greek yogurt lemon bars. With solely 8 substances, these bars are completely balanced—not too candy—permitting the intense, daring lemon taste to take middle stage.
I initially printed this recipe in 2016. I’ve since up to date it with new photographs, and adjusted the recipe to make a barely thicker, sturdier crust.
As we speak I’m sharing an up to date model of my recipe for tart and tangy Greek yogurt lemon bars. This recipe makes 12 servings, every full of 4.7g of protein. This can be a fabulous selection for those who’re craving actual, contemporary taste and like a lighter dessert choice.
One reader, Mary, commented: “I can’t preserve these on the tray!!! I’ll set them out, and the room often will get quiet as a result of everybody instantly shoves these of their faces. Even earlier than I reveal that they’re low fats, low sugar, low calorie, and low carb! And there’s all the time somebody who desires the recipe. Good factor I’ve it bookmarked! ★★★★★”
And one other reader, Turi, commented: “Wow!! I used to be completely hankering for lemony goodness—and in making these bars, it’s precisely what I bought! Yummy, full success, everybody cherished them, I particularly cherished the pure lemon taste and decrease sugar… Most lemon stuff, to me, is overpoweringly candy, and this was PERFECTO!! ★★★★★“
Right here’s Why You’ll Love Them, Too:
- A lightened-up dessert with solely 158 energy per serving, plus 4.7g of protein
- Excellent for lemon lovers who like their treats tart and never overly candy
- Made with simply 8 easy substances
- Further creamy from the Greek yogurt
- Makes use of contemporary lemon for taste, nothing synthetic. Swap the lemon for lime for those who’d choose!
- Nice make-ahead dessert: the bars have to relax after baking, so it is a nice recipe to make the day earlier than you intend to serve it
Recipe Snapshot
Taste: The very first thing to know is that these Greek yogurt lemon bars will not be tremendous candy. I lowered the sugar from my conventional lemon bar recipe to simply 1/3 cup + 1 Tablespoon for your entire pan. What you’ll actually style is that tart lemon taste and tangy Greek yogurt.
Texture: The feel of the lemon cream portion of those bars is creamier than typical lemon cheesecake bars. The cream cheese within the recipe serves to assist the bars arrange, nevertheless it’s not as sturdy or stable as cheesecake. We’re utilizing much less cream cheese and extra yogurt and egg right here, so the result’s a light-weight and creamy lemon filling that falls, on the dessert density scale, someplace between lemon pudding or yogurt and no-bake cheesecake.
Begin With an Straightforward 3-Ingredient Crust
Like a traditional graham cracker crust, however with much less butter and sugar. In consequence, the crust is a tiny bit crumblier, however you possibly can nonetheless simply maintain and chunk the bars!
I’ve made this crust with melted coconut oil and it’s nonetheless perfection. You need to make use of a fats that’s stable at room temperature as a result of it helps preserve the crust intact. So butter or coconut oil, your selection. Soften and blend with the graham cracker crumbs and a Tablespoon of sugar.
Some useful crust suggestions:
- Use a meals processor or blender to grind 8 full-sheet graham crackers into crumbs.
- Press into your lined pan simply till it’s now not crumbly. Don’t pack down too exhausting.
- Right here’s how I wish to line sq. baking pans. Really easy!
- Pre-bake the crust for 8 minutes to offer it a head begin earlier than topping with the filling.
Make the Creamy Lemon Filling
Let’s discuss that lusciously creamy lemon filling. It’s a complete breeze, created from solely 6 easy substances:
- Decreased-Fats Cream Cheese: The filling gained’t appropriately set with out brick-style cream cheese—the type that is available in a block, not the spreadable variety in a bath. I exploit reduced-fat cream cheese in these bars.
- Nonfat Greek Yogurt: Be sure to are utilizing plain Greek yogurt. You want thick yogurt for right this moment’s lemon bars, or, once more, the filling gained’t set. I all the time use nonfat Greek yogurt for these bars, and it’s loads creamy, however you should utilize 2% Greek yogurt if you want.
- Eggs + Further Yolk: These present the bars with crucial construction, in addition to some richness.
- Lemons: Zest the lemon earlier than juicing it—a lot simpler than the opposite method round!
- Sugar: Only a scant 1/3 cup of granulated sugar is required to take this tart lemon filling from mouth-puckering to mouth-watering. I don’t suggest honey, maple syrup, or different sugar alternate options. I haven’t had nice outcomes with coconut sugar, both. Be happy to check some issues out however, once more, common sugar is your best option for these.
- Vanilla: The opposite taste the filling wants to hold it into cheesecake/dessert territory.
A handheld or stand mixer makes fast work of bringing the filling collectively.
Anticipate a skinny filling batter—extra liquid-y than a typical cheesecake batter—since we’re utilizing much less cream cheese and extra yogurt and egg. Be sure to pour it over the crust whereas the crust remains to be heat. This may assist the filling adhere to the crust a bit higher.
You’ll probably see some air bubbles on the floor. The batter could be very skinny, in order that’s regular.
Bake till the center is now not tremendous wobbly. A bit of jiggle is okay, as a result of the Greek yogurt lemon bars will proceed to arrange as they chill within the fridge. So that you don’t have to bake them till the middle is totally stable! In truth, over-baking could cause the floor to crack.
Methods to Minimize Neat Squares
Like cheesecake, right this moment’s bars must be refrigerated earlier than slicing. Should you lower the bars into squares too early, they’ll utterly collapse. If I’m serving these at a celebration or occasion, I put together them the night time earlier than simply so I do know they’ll cool and chill lengthy sufficient to yield neat squares.
Raise the bars out of the pan by holding the sides of the parchment paper, and switch the entire thing to a reducing board. Use a pointy knife to slice the bars, and wipe the knife clear with a paper towel between every lower.
Serve plain or with some lemon slices and/or contemporary berries. They’d even be scrumptious topped with a drizzle of raspberry sauce!
And for those who like these bars, you’ll love this Greek yogurt fruit tart, too.
Greek Yogurt Lemon Bars
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Prepare dinner Time: 35 minutes
Complete Time: 4 hours, 55 minutes
Yield: 12 bars
Class: Dessert
Technique: Baking
Delicacies: American
Description
Should you love tart and tangy lemon taste and creamy, dreamy desserts, you’ll love these lightened-up Greek yogurt lemon bars. With solely 8 substances, these bars are completely balanced—not too candy—permitting the intense, daring lemon taste to take middle stage.
Directions
- Preheat oven to 300°F (149°C). Line the underside and sides of an 8-inch sq. baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on 2 sides to simply raise the bars out of the pan earlier than reducing. Put aside.
- Make the crust: In a medium bowl, whisk the graham cracker crumbs and sugar collectively. Add the melted butter and stir till mixed. Press evenly into the ready baking pan. Bake for 8 minutes. Take away from the oven and put aside to chill barely.
- Make the filling: In a big bowl utilizing a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the cream cheese on excessive pace till utterly clean, about 1 minute. Add yogurt and beat on medium-high pace till utterly mixed. Scrape down the perimeters and up the underside of the bowl with a silicone spatula and beat once more as wanted to mix. Beat within the eggs and egg yolk. As soon as mixed, add the sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla extract and beat till all the things is mixed and no lumps stay. Filling is skinny. Pour filling into the crust—it’s okay if the crust remains to be barely heat.
- Bake for 34–38 minutes or till the center is now not wobbly. A bit of jiggle is okay—the bars will proceed to arrange as they chill within the fridge, so that you don’t have to bake them till the middle is completely solidified. Don’t over-bake these bars, or the floor could crack.
- Set the pan on a cooling rack and funky for 1 hour, then switch to the fridge to relax for 3–4 hours and even in a single day.
- As soon as chilled, raise the bars out of the pan utilizing the parchment overhang on the perimeters and lower into bars. For neat bars, I exploit a really sharp knife and wipe it clear with a paper towel after every lower.
- Cowl and retailer leftover bars within the fridge for as much as 5 days.
Notes
- Make Forward & Freezing Directions: Put together the bars 1–3 days prematurely and retailer coated tightly within the fridge till able to serve. Bars may be frozen for as much as 3 months. Thaw in a single day within the fridge earlier than serving.
- Particular Instruments (affiliate hyperlinks): 8-inch Sq. Pan | Parchment Paper | Glass Mixing Bowl | Electrical Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Silicone Spatula | Cooling Rack | Citrus Juicer | Citrus Zester
- Eggs: You’ll need 2 giant eggs plus a further egg yolk.
- Lime Bars: As an alternative of lemon juice and lemon zest, attempt lime juice and lime zest for a tangy lime bar as an alternative.
- Room-Temperature Components: Room-temperature dairy and eggs combine simply and extra evenly. I all the time suggest room temperature, particularly cream cheese, when making a majority of these bars.
- Replace in 2025: To make sure the crust is substantial sufficient AND holds collectively, I barely elevated the graham cracker crumbs from 3/4 cup to 1 cup, and added 1 Tablespoon of sugar.
Diet
- Serving Measurement: 1 bar
- Energy: 158
- Sugar: 10.7 g
- Sodium: 136.1 mg
- Fats: 8.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 16.8 g
- Protein: 4.7 g
- Ldl cholesterol: 64 mg