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 components, these bars are completely balanced—not too candy—permitting the brilliant, daring lemon taste to take heart stage.
I initially revealed 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.
At the moment 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 filled with 4.7g of protein. This can be a fabulous alternative if you happen to’re craving actual, recent taste and like a lighter dessert choice.
One reader, Mary, commented: “I can’t maintain 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 received! Yummy, full success, everybody beloved them, I particularly beloved 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 components
- Additional creamy from the Greek yogurt
- Makes use of recent lemon for taste, nothing synthetic. Swap the lemon for lime if you happen to’d choose!
- Nice make-ahead dessert: the bars have to relax after baking, so this can be a nice recipe to make the day earlier than you propose to serve it
Recipe Snapshot
Taste: The very first thing to know is that these Greek yogurt lemon bars are usually not tremendous candy. I diminished the sugar from my conventional lemon bar recipe to only 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 lightweight and creamy lemon filling that falls, on the dessert density scale, someplace between lemon pudding or yogurt and no-bake cheesecake.
Begin With an Simple 3-Ingredient Crust
Like a traditional graham cracker crust, however with much less butter and sugar. Consequently, the crust is a tiny bit crumblier, however you’ll be able to nonetheless simply maintain and chew 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 maintain the crust intact. So butter or coconut oil, your alternative. Soften and blend with the graham cracker crumbs and a Tablespoon of sugar.
Some useful crust ideas:
- Use a meals processor or blender to grind 8 full-sheet graham crackers into crumbs.
- Press into your lined pan simply till it’s not crumbly. Don’t pack down too arduous.
- Right here’s how I prefer to line sq. baking pans. Really easy!
- Pre-bake the crust for 8 minutes to provide it a head begin earlier than topping with the filling.
Make the Creamy Lemon Filling
Let’s speak about that lusciously creamy lemon filling. It’s a complete breeze, comprised of solely 6 easy components:
- Diminished-Fats Cream Cheese: The filling gained’t appropriately set with out brick-style cream cheese—the sort that is available in a block, not the spreadable sort in a bathtub. I take advantage of reduced-fat cream cheese in these bars.
- Nonfat Greek Yogurt: Be sure you are utilizing plain Greek yogurt. You want thick yogurt for as we speak’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 a lot creamy, however you need to use 2% Greek yogurt if you want.
- Eggs + Additional Yolk: These present the bars with vital construction, in addition to some richness.
- Lemons: Zest the lemon earlier than juicing it—a lot simpler than the opposite manner 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 advocate honey, maple syrup, or different sugar options. I haven’t had nice outcomes with coconut sugar, both. Be at liberty 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 you pour it over the crust whereas the crust remains to be heat. This can assist the filling adhere to the crust a little bit higher.
You’ll possible see some air bubbles on the floor. The batter may be very skinny, in order that’s regular.
Bake till the center is not tremendous wobbly. Just a little 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 must bake them till the middle is totally stable! The truth is, over-baking may cause the floor to crack.
The way to Reduce Neat Squares
Like cheesecake, as we speak’s bars have to be refrigerated earlier than slicing. Should you lower the bars into squares too early, they’ll utterly crumble. 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 chopping 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 recent berries. They’d even be scrumptious topped with a drizzle of raspberry sauce!
And if you happen to 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
Whole 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 components, these bars are completely balanced—not too candy—permitting the brilliant, daring lemon taste to take heart 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 elevate the bars out of the pan earlier than chopping. 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 velocity till utterly clean, about 1 minute. Add yogurt and beat on medium-high velocity till utterly mixed. Scrape down the edges 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 every part 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 not wobbly. Just a little jiggle is okay—the bars will proceed to arrange as they chill within the fridge, so that you don’t must bake them till the middle is completely solidified. Don’t over-bake these bars, or the floor might 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, elevate the bars out of the pan utilizing the parchment overhang on the edges and lower into bars. For neat bars, I take advantage of 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 might 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 will have 2 massive eggs plus an extra egg yolk.
- Lime Bars: As a substitute of lemon juice and lemon zest, attempt lime juice and lime zest for a tangy lime bar as a substitute.
- Room-Temperature Elements: Room-temperature dairy and eggs combine simply and extra evenly. I all the time advocate room temperature, particularly cream cheese, when making these kind of 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.
Vitamin
- Serving Dimension: 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