These keto cheesecake bars are a lemon lover’s dream! A creamy lemon cheesecake filling baked on a tender almond flour crust. Sugar-free and grain-free but oh so delectable. Keto desserts don’t get more delicious than this.
I’ve just fallen in love with these keto lemon cheesecake bars all over again! I haven’t made them in years and years, but I got it in my head that it would be fun to re-make them and shoot a video. And then when I took a bite, I was forcefully reminded about how seriously delicious they are.
That tender shortbread crust! That creamy bright lemon filling! Oh my. They both just melt in your mouth. And the fact that they are keto-friendly and less than 4g total carbs?
Bring. It. On.
Trust me, keto bakeaholics, you’re going to be really happy I decided to re-visit this old recipe. Originally published in June 2013!
A Keto Cheesecake Obsession
I have Cheesecake on the brain. Fortunately, it’s not a serious affliction as there are far worse things to have on the brain than cheesecake. But there is only one known cure for this disease and that is to make, and then to eat, copious amounts of keto cheesecake.
Cheesecake-like things, such as keto cheesecake popsicles, cheesecake ice cream, and cheesecake bars are also acceptable forms of medication. This is still an experimental treatment, however, and the results are not guaranteed. There is a real danger that the cure will not assuage the symptoms, but instead exacerbate them, until one’s brain is so consumed with cheesecake, it’s all one can think or talk about.
This is when the real problem starts. Because who wants to spend time with someone who can talk about nothing but cheesecake? Well, I might. But I am strange like that.
And given the popularity of all of my keto cheesecake recipes, I think I can safely say that many of you also suffer from this obsessive cheesecake disorder.
How to make Keto Cheesecake Bars
There are so many great ways to make keto cheesecake that we have plenty of fuel for our collective obsession. Lemon cheesecake bars like these are easier to make than a full size cheesecake, and they’re so low carb, you can have two and still meet your macros for the day.
A few quick tips on how to make the best lemon cheesecake bars:
The shortbread crust:
This is my favourite keto crust recipe and I use it often. It’s so tender, with great flavor, and it holds together well. Be sure to bake it for 10 minutes, and then let it cool before adding the filling. It won’t be completely baked through but this firms it up enough to stand up to the cream cheese filling.
Soften that cream cheese properly!
You want to leave it at room temperature for at least a half an hour, and it should have plenty of give when you press a finger into it. If it’s not properly softened, your bars will end up with cream cheese lumps. Beat it well to smooth it out before you add any other ingredients.
Beat the eggs in last and don’t over-beat.
A little trick I learned when writing The Ultimate Guide to Keto Baking is to beat the eggs in at the last minute, and only until just combined. Many cheesecake fillings suffer from being over-beaten, which causes them to rise too much during baking and then fall and crack.
Don’t rush the chilling time
When you smell these coming out of the oven, the temptation will be to dig in right away. But you will end up with some lovely lemon cheesecake goo if you do so. Be sure to let them chill for at least 2 hours.
Truth be told, I had to rush the chilling time when shooting this video! My cheesecake was only barely set and some of the bars look a little worse for wear. So do as I say and not as I do!
Can you make Lemon Cheesecake Bars ahead?
If you’re making these keto cheesecake bars just for your family and you want to put some away, they should freeze well. Again, wrap them up in some plastic wrap to avoid freezer burn. You can do them as individual servings or simply wrap the whole piece at once.
Flash freezing is recommended if you want to store them in the freezer. Simply place the unwrapped bars on a cookie sheet for a few hours to firm them up. Then you can wrap them more easily without crushing or damaging them.
More delicious keto cheesecake bars
- Keto Salted Caramel Cheesecake Bars
- Keto Chocolate Chip Cookie Cheesecake Bars
- No Bake Peppermint Cheesecake Bars
- Keto Pecan Cheesecake Bars
- Keto Blackberry Cheesecake Bars
- Espresso Chocolate Cheesecake Bars
These keto cheesecake bars are a lemon lover's dream! A creamy lemon cheesecake filling baked on a tender almond flour crust. Sugar-free and grain-free but oh so delectable. Keto desserts don't get more delicious than this.
- 1 1/4 cups almond flour
- 1/4 cup Swerve Sweetener
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup butter melted
- 16 oz cream cheese softened
- 1/2 cup powdered Swerve Sweetener (more if you like it sweeter)
- 2 tsp lemon zest (about 1 large lemon)
- 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 2 tbsp heavy whipping cream
- 2 large eggs
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Preheat the oven to 350F. In a large bowl, whisk together almond flour, sweetener, and salt. Stir in the melted butter until well combined.
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Press evenly into the bottom of an 8-inch square pan and bake 10 minutes - it won't be cooked through. Set aside and let cool.
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Reduce the oven temperature to 275F.
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Beat the cream cheese in a large bowl until smooth. Beat in the sweetener, and then beat in the lemon zest, lemon juice, and cream until no lumps remain.
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Beat in the eggs until just combined - do not overbeat as this can cause cracking.
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Spread the filling over cooled crust and bake 35 to 45 minutes, or until filling is just set and the center barely jiggles when shaken.
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Let cool 30 minutes, then chill for at least 2 hours.
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Garnish with powdered sweetener and additional lemon zest, if desired.
Brian @ A Thought For Food says
Anything cheesecake is alright with me… but the lemon bar/cheesecake combo may just be the most brilliant thing I’ve ever heard of.
Mike says
After how good your brownie cheesecake recipe came out I am going to have to make this one soon too… do you have the nutritional information for fat and protein as well for this recipe? Thanks!
Kirsten says
Great Recipe with good tips.
Next time I’d definately cook the crust longer. Came out undercooked and doughy. I’d probably fully cook to brown. Coukd be because it was a dark nonstick pan – needed slightly higher temp or longer cook time.
Definitely would make again
I cooled it 30 min in the oven – then chilled. Did not crack and came out creamy!
Gina says
275 for 45 min- was still super jiggly so I increased heat to 325-
Jeanette says
Love the sound of lemony cheesecake Carolyn – I love making a lightened version using cottage cheese (it’s not as solid, more in a parfait form).
Carolyn says
Haha, Jeanette, you should know by now that I don’t make anything “light”. 🙂 At least when it comes to fat content. Light on carbs, yes.
DIANE says
Good thinking, Carolyn. Reduced-fat items usually have more carbs, & the fats you include in this recipe are good fats.
mellissa @ ibreatheimhungry says
Lemon desserts are one of my favorite things – when you add cheesecake, one of my other favorites, then it’s just not fair. Not only do these look delicious, but also dangerously easy to make – which means I could have them anytime. Which means I will have them ALL the time. Uh oh…. 😉
The Mom Chef ~ Taking on Magazines One Recipe at a Time says
Yeah, I’ve had cheesecake on the brain for decades and I’ve just come to embrace my chronic illness for what it is. While I can’t say I ever get tired of full on cheesecake, I wouldn’t turn this stuff down. I love citrus….anything. I think your bars would go fantastic with my morning coffee.
Nout says
YAY! I am so excited for this recipe! Do you think it would work with limes? Limes are like 10 for a $1 right now in my neck of the woods.
Carolyn says
Yes, it would work perfectly with limes, although you’d need probably the juice of the whole lime.
Heather from Canada says
Hi Carolyn, do you think these would freeze well? I need to stock my freezer again and these sound great!
Carolyn says
I think the consistency of the cheesecake would change a bit by being frozen. But you could certainly try! They would still taste good.
Susan says
I think that serving/eating them still partly frozen might solve the texture issue. or at least it might not be as noticeable. And who has the will power to wait anyway?!
Mr. & Mrs. P says
Just love lemony desserts!!! They are so refreshing and perfect for summer!!!
Sarah G says
I only have powdered stevia on hand. I hope that can be used in place of the
Iiquid because these are making me so hungry. I’ve been craving lemon desserts!
Carolyn says
Yup, use it in place of the liquid. Not sure how strong it is…my liquid version is about 1/4 tsp = 1/4 cup sugar. Aim for that amount of sweetness.
Sarah G says
Thanks Carolyn! I will do that!
Katrina @ In Katrina's Kitchen says
Shortbread crust = genius
Misty says
I made these today. YUM!! So delicious. I had to use what I had on hand so they were key lime rather than lemon. I used powdered erythritol, liquid sucralose and left out the xanthan gum. This recipe is a keeper. Thanks so much!
Carolyn says
Your version sounds good to me!
Martha Borisova says
Can I use monk fruit sweetener instead of Swerve?
Carolyn says
I need to know what KIND of monk fruit sweetener…
Mercy W. says
Omg I just ate one, these are soooo delicious!
Carolyn says
Yay, glad to hear it!
Sylvie @ Gourmande in the Kitchen says
Nothing wrong with having cheesecake on the brain, especially when it results in delicious recipes like this one!
buttoni says
These look soooo good, Carolyn. I haven’t made a cheesecake (or anything remotely close) in so long. I’d love to try these soon. Girl, how do you bake all these delicious desserts and not gain weight. I just can’t eat sweets very often or I do just that.
Carolyn says
I give a lot of it to my husband and kids! 🙂
Christina Reed says
Oh my goodness these look so delicious! I have everything but the stevia, how much sugar sub would I use instead? (My sugar sub of choice measures like regular sugar if that helps 🙂
Carolyn says
My stevia extract is about 1/4 tsp = 1/4 cup sugar, so use your sugar sub in that amount.
Brenda @Sugar-Free Mom says
These look so fresh and light! Love the filling and the crust looks fantastic too! Now I’ve got cheesecake on the brain, thanks for that, 😉
[email protected] says
These look so beautiful! And I am dying for some lemon!
RavieNomNoms says
Holy mother of lemon! These look so insanely good…wow
Arthur in the Garden! says
Yummy!
DIANE says
Your recipe sounds yummy. Thank you for using real butter, heavy cream & cream cheese. The low-fat substitutes are not as healthy & low-fat foods do not “satisfy” the appetite. I’d never sub cottage cheese for cream cheese. I do use stevia, as it’s natural, but I don’t use any artificial sweeteners including erythritol or Swerve. How much real sugar would I substitute for the Swerve? Is it a 1-for-1 replacement?
Carolyn says
FYI, erythritol is not an artificial sweetener. It’s a naturally occurring substance found in fruits and fermented foods. But if you’d prefer to use sugar, use it in the same amount and sweeten the rest with Stevia.
DIANE says
Thanks, Carolyn.
Georgia @ The Comfort of Cooking says
These bars are so beautiful and summery, Carolyn! You are such a little low-carb, gluten-free wizard with baking… I’m always stunned!
Joan says
Thanks for another outstanding recipe!
This really isn’t about the recipe but about the formatting you use. I am wondering if you changed it in the past several weeks?
I copy your recipes from the website and put into an office document and save to a folder in dropbox, so I can access it from my phone, iPad, computer, etc., when I travel, as I don’t always have ability to go online.
Up until a few weeks ago it copied and pasted perfectly. Now however all the text runs together with no spacing. In other words there is no new line for each ingredient or directions. I need to go through and re-do it so I can read it. I am happy to do this to get the recipe, but I am wondering if you did change the way you encode it if it would be possible to return to the prior method?
Or maybe it’s my computer, it recently updated to the newest OXS 10.8 and I have had some problems with other programs.
Thanks for feedback!
JBS
Carolyn says
Hi there. I think it may actually be a Ziplist coding thing that they’ve updated to help deter people from “stealing” recipes. You should also get a little note at the bottom with the link to the recipe and a “read more at…”. Copyright is a HUGE issue online and many many times, people find their entire recipe posted on another blog/website with no credit given. So I am guessing that’s an update they did on their end.
I know it makes it more complicated for you and I am sorry. I have no issues with you saving recipes into word docs at home, but the Ziplist format (which has its own recipe saving tool, by the way) is useful for me and makes it easy for people who want to save recipes in one place online. In fact, I have requests to go back and do all my old recipes through Ziplist! If I could ever find the time…
Carolyn says
Hi Joan,
I just made a discovery for you. If you hit the Print button at the top of the recipe, you can copy and paste from there, without actually printing, and it will stay in proper format. Hope that helps! 🙂
Joan says
THANK YOU! now more time to cook and eat!
Carolyn says
🙂
Kristyl says
I made these before work so they would chill all day and be ready tonight after dinner. They are delicious! Always keep the ingredients on hand. You’ll be glad you did.
Anna says
how are these so low carb with all the Swerve? That’s 5g/tsp.
Carolyn says
That’s 5g of “carbs” that have zero effect on one’s blood sugar. The FDA requires that they are labeled as carbs, but as they produce no insulin response, they don’t count as carbs. May I suggest you check out the Swerve website for more information?
Courtney says
Oh, I can’t wait to make this heavenly, sinless sweet! Any idea on calorie count per serving?
Sarah W says
I am wondering what brand of granulated erythritol you would recommend. For some reason my taste bud rejected Swerve. All I find is powdered granulated erythritol on Amazon. thanks for the great recipes.
Julie M. says
Go to http://www.xylitolcanada.com
Click on xylitol store (bottom, right)
down the side bar, you’ll find erythritol, click on that and order from there.
Don’t recommend xylitol. Erythritol is better.
Roberta in Alberta says
Sing “YUMMM”, then smile. These are deliciously lemony, Caroline. I am taking them camping this weekend with my soon-to-be-converted in-laws. Thanks for another hit!
Erin @ Texanerin Baking says
Love this! And I’ll have to try that crust. Looks great and I love my almond flour. 🙂
I love cheesecake too but after eating half of one the other day and then feeling sick… I’m over cheesecake for the moment. 😉
dgidaho says
Oh. my. goodness! This was absolutely fantastic! I just had two servings…. 🙂 I knew it would be good even before it baked as I tasted the beaters, then had to fight the urge to stick my face in the bowl to lick it clean! This is a brilliant recipe—and I’m so happy you shared!
Carolyn says
Thank you!
Gail says
Made these yesterday and we had a little piece for dessert last night – OMG – so very yummy!!! In my sugar eating days I loved lemon bars – totally satisfied that. Thanks for another winner recipe Carolyn!!!!
Margaret says
Hi Carolyn,
Really enjoying your website. Thanks so much for sharing all of your wonderful recipes with us. I made this recipe yesterday and they turned out so delicious. I always get my husband to rate things on a 1-5 scale. He gave them a “6” and wanted to know where I was hiding the rest of them! He also made the comment “these are sugar-free???”, he couldn’t believe how good they were for a sugar free/low carb/wheat free dessert! Keep up the great work, you have one of the best websites out there!
Carolyn says
Awesome! That’s what I like to hear!
Linda Lee says
Would liquid sucralose work for the liquid stevia?
Carolyn says
I think so, yes.
Marilyn says
I should never tune in to your site. Love your cheery description of your food adventures and I want to make absolutely everything you develop. How you do it is a mystery to me with your have 3 young children. If I were ever down in the dumps I would hastily go to your web site and cheer myself in a flash.
Carolyn says
Aw, Marilyn. What a sweet, sweet thing to say!
Liz says
These were absolutely delicious! I have a massive load of almond flour that I don’t particularly like, but it worked perfectly in this recipe. Thank you from Japan!
Mary Kate says
I’ve made a lot of low carb things, but this is DEFINITELY the best I’ve tried. I used almond meal instead of flour and the only thing was that the crust was a little crumbly and it kind of fell apart. But I just sprinkled it on top, delicious. Alot of the things I’ve tried to make low carb have been failures (compared to this) but I wouldn’t hesitate to make this for my friends or family (non low-carbers). Great recipe 🙂
Jeanette says
I wanted to let you know how much I/we enjoyed these! Love the texture and taste minus the following. The only problem my family and I seem to be having is with the “cooling” taste of the Swerve in recipes. I did use the powdered form of Swerve. Is there any way to lessen this effect? If we drink water with it our water taste sweet. Any ideas?
Carolyn says
Hi Jeanette. Swerve usually has a lot less of the cooling effect than other erythritol based sweeteners. But some people are hyper-sensitive to it. I do not get any with it. Sounds like you might be one of those who is very sensitive.
Jeanette says
Thank you Carolyn. I will continue to make these because they are just that good even with the cooling effect! I will also continue my search for a way to “soften” this reaction for my family. I have read a little about possibly adding polydextrose or inulin to help with this but know very little. Any thoughts? It would make this way of eating a bit easier during the holidays if I could find a sweetener that I/we could tolerate better.
Carolyn says
I haven’t heard about either of those, but I have heard that Just Like Sugar is good. I haven’t used it myself. It’s made from chicory.
Ann Forti says
How much is the zest of one lemon? Is that just grating the outside of a lemon or can store bought “lemon” Peel sub for it?
Carolyn says
It’s just the grating from the outside of the lemon. Peel usually contains a lot of the white pith, which doesn’t taste very good. One lemon is about 1 1/2 tbsp of zest.
Diane N - Philzendia says
You had me at cheesecake! I would have to swap out the erythritol though becasue it hurts my tummy!
Carolyn says
What can you use that doesn’t hurt your tummy?
cassie says
Is there anything I could use instead of the stevia extract?
Carolyn says
More Swerve or erythritol if you’d like.
cassie says
Okay, thank you! I wasn’t sure if there would be a huge difference in texture by not using the drops.
Misty says
I made these last night and they were amazing. I have had such success with your recipes. Thank you so much for opening my low carb eyes to foods other than meat!
LeDawn says
Oh Yum! I can’t wait to try these!
Dawnab says
Awesome! Shared them at work with a few skeptics, those that tried them were sold. I want to try this crust for quiche too.
Anna says
Made these tongigjt and they were delicious! I’m always about a chocolate dessert so I wasn’t sure of these would satisfy my dessert obsession but they certainly did! It was hard to stop at eating just one, so I ate two. My husband ate four. Yeah these aren’t going to last long around here!
Sandy B says
I made the lemon cheesecake bars last night. They are wonderful. I did sub Splenda for the Stevia. Having a hard time eating just one serving. I baked them for the suggested 30 minutes and the topping was set but I think I would like it just a smidge more done so next time I’ll add another 5 minutes. I have the most inexpensive gas oven and I can never trust that the temp is consistent. Thanks for all the wonderful recipes!!
Melanie says
I absolutely love this dessert! In particular, I love the crust. Any thoughts on how I might make a cookie out of the crust (roll, slice, and bake maybe???)? Thanks!
Carolyn says
You might want to add some egg white to get it to hold together. Or make shortbread out of it by pressing into a pan and baking as is.
Monique Clock says
Hello…this looks really good. Do you think coconut sugar would work in this along with the stevia? Thanks
Carolyn says
For both the crust and the cheesecake? I think you’d need to powder it for the cheesecake part. And it will give everything a much darker colour.
Sabine says
You know, this is the second recipe from your website that I baked, and there’s one clear problem:
Your food is too good.
I can’t stop eating it!
Thank you so much for these recipes, I’ll definitely come back to your website – again and again!
Carolyn says
You’re very welcome!
Maggie says
I made these for the superbowl last night and no one even suspected they were low carb! Huge hit!!
sandra gillanders says
Dear Carolyn,
making these right nowas they are a favorite. Question: the crust was still damp on top after 10 min in oven, should I bake it longer Thanks.
Carolyn says
Damp on top before you added the cheesecake filling? Yes, it should be that way a little because they do get baked a second time round once the filling is on.
Mindy says
I figured out the NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION for each bar (recipe makes 16). 159 calories, 3.5 grams protein, 15.4 grams fat and 2.5 grams carbs. Perfect keto dessert! These were delicious
Emily says
I am seriously obsessed with these. Thank you!!
Jun says
Here’s a dumb question from a newbie baker… when you say “set aside and let cool”… how cool is cool? Till I can touch the pan without being burnt, or until the whole thing is room temperature?
Carolyn says
Room temperature. Cool completely!
Terri says
I made these but the crust was very dry and crumbly. Any suggestions?
Carolyn says
What kind of almond flour did you use? If anything, they are usually overly moist so I suspect you may have used almond meal and not really fine almond flour.
KarenM says
I’ve been on Keto for a few months now but just venturing into baking- it scares me with all the science required to bake! This was my second attempt at baking a keto dessert and it turned out really well! The more I practice baking, the more I will enjoy the fruits of my labor- thanks for a great and easy recipe!
Carolyn says
So glad you liked it. Cheesecake is one of the easiest things to make low carb.
Linda says
I’ve made this recipe many times and it always turns out wonderful! It’s even been my birthday cake and will be again soon.
I’m wondering though, if I increased the recipe by a half and baked it in a 9 by 13 pan do you think it would work OK? Or would I need to double the recipe? Any idea how much longer I’d need to bake it? Or do you think that wouldn’t be a good idea?
I just made your chocolate fudge crumb bars (absolutely delicious!) and they were baked in a 9 by 13 pan which gave me the idea to increase this recipe.
Any thoughts?
Carolyn says
I think you may have to double it to make it not too thin. 8×8 pans give you a surface area of 64 square inches and two of those comes to 128 square inches. 9×13 gives you 117 square inches so it’s much closer to a double of an 8×8 pan.
Linda says
I just made this, great! I am also a cheesecake glutton. I think I ate 1/2 a Costco cheesecake one Christmas when I was under a lot of stress….. 🙂
I used Truvia in the crust, otherwise as directex, but remembered I have powdered Swerve, so used that in the cheesecake and Yum! I did add a bit of Saigon cinnamon sprinkled over the crust. The Truvia seemed really strong and I was trying to diffuse the taste a bit.
The cheesecake is good, and a whipped cream topping is good on it…..I wonder if there is a way to add lemon to whip cream?
Carolyn says
I think Truvia is stronger than Swerve, more concentrated. Try doing only about half of it next time.
Sara says
This is so good! A friend gave me fresh Meyer lemons and I immediately came here to find something use them in. I love cheesecake and lemon bars and this is the best of both worlds. One tip I’ve found when making cheesecake is to use the vitamix blender to blend it up. You don’t need to soften the cream cheese, just throw all of the ingredients in. The blender mixes it perfectly and adds a nice fluffy texture.
Carolyn says
So glad you liked it. I may try that with my Blendtec!
AC says
This filling recipe would work fine as a crustless cheesecake, right? Baking directions would remain the same? Looking for a low-carb lemon cheesecake for a birthday, and always hit your site first.
Carolyn says
I think so but don’t bake in metal. Bake in ceramic! And grease the heck out of your pan first.
Deanna says
May I ask which Stevia extract you use? The few that I’ve tried have been horrible and I’m reluctant to purchase any more.
Carolyn says
I use NuNaturals. But since you say it’s so horrible, you may be one of the people who finds it super bitter no matter what brand. If that’s the case, leave it out of the crust entirely and add another 1/4 cup erythritol to the filling. If you can find powdered Swerve or another super fine erythritol, use that.
Jen says
Absolutely delicious. I make this as a cake rather than as bars and it works well. I took it to a party and it was a big hit, even with all the gluten and sugar-eating people there.
Robyn says
I know this is an older post but hoping you will still get this..can i use stevia products only?if so what types do i use such as powdered..liquid..etc?thankyou
Carolyn says
You can just do liquid. Try 1/2 tsp in the crust and 1/2 tsp in the filling.
Debbie says
So I made this today and can’t begin to put into words how amazing it is. Just the right amount of lemon taste and the crust is the perfect compliment to the cheesecake. Not too sweet, definitely just right. Carolyn, you continue to outdo yourself. Thank you so much!!
Lana says
Hi, I don’t have xanthum gum, was wondering if there is a comparable substitute and how much of it I would need!! Thank you so much!
Carolyn says
You can just skip it.
Wendy says
These are fantastic! I highly recommend them. Even my non-keto/low carb family loved them. Thank you Carolyn!
katy says
any way you can attach the calories?
Gayle Quinn says
OMG111 This is so good. I loved it and so did my family. Very lemony and creamy. Thanks for the recipe.
Jessica Shomo says
Absolutely perfect! My family has a lot of people with diabetes, but most diabetic friendly desserts don’t taste as good so I always wind up making two desserts. I’m always on the hunt for the perfect low carb dessert to please everyone. This is it! It’s lemony, creamy, and sweet without any aftertaste! I doubled the recipe and put it in a 9×13 pan so I had to cook it a little longer, but it turned out perfect! Tip for those unfamiliar with telling when cheesecake is done: when you can put a thermometer in about an inch from the edge and it reads 180-190 degrees it should be done! I also added some macerated blueberries on top for freshness and color and it was perfect!
Carolyn says
So glad to hear it!
Debbie says
The recipe instructions say “For the crust, preheat the oven to 350F. Combine almond flour, butter, erythritol, sweetener, and salt in a food processer” but the amounts for the erythritol are not included in the list of ingredients. Can I get an amount? Thank you.
Carolyn says
Well that’s very weird, it appears to have gone missing when I switched recipe plug ins! It should be 1/4 cup.
Casey says
Can I use coconut flour in place of almond flour?
Carolyn says
No, sorry that will not work.
Brenda says
Since diabetes diagnosis several years ago, this has become my VERY FAVORITE sugar free dessert. It tastes like cheesecake, has great texture, super crust and NO cooling effect after taste which is a deal breaker for me. I can’t stand that cooling thing. My family and friends who like cheesecake love this recipe, too. Thank you, Carolyn!
My daughter is visiting – I think I’ll make it right now!! I try to never be without ingredients for this dessert.
Carolyn says
Hooray!
Brenda says
forgot the rating 1
Brenda says
the 1 should be !!
Heidi says
WOW!! I made this recipe last night and it blew me away! It is one of the most delicious desserts I’ve ever made (Keto or not!) Thank you so much for sharing, I appreciate it!
Carolyn says
So happy to hear it!
Sarah says
Am I going crazy or did this recipe change some?? I’ve made it before and loved it, and could have sworn it was only 12 oz of cream cheese and 1 egg??
Carolyn says
Yep, I changed it to make them a little bigger and more satisfying. They were a bit thin before (albeit still delicious!). You can still make them that way. Everything else stays the same but the baking time is only 30 min or so.
Natalie says
Hi there! Absolutely love these, but I was so used to making the old version and now I can’t find it 😞 Any chance you could share that one again? I am an “if it isn’t broke don’t fix it ” type of girl 😂 thank you in advance!!!
Carolyn says
The only real difference was that it took 12 ounces cream cheese and one egg. And it takes less time to bake through completely.
Lee says
Oh my goodness! I made this earlier today and just had a piece. This is absolutely amazing!!! By far the best keto cheesecake I’ve made. I savored every single bite. Thank you!!!
Carolyn says
So delighted to hear it!
Karen says
Would Bocha Sweet work for the granulated sweetener in the crust? And, I’m assuming that I can’t sub Bocha for the powdered in the filling – would affect the texture, right?
Thanks!
Carolyn says
Hi Karen… you could actually use it in both, since this is baked and BS melts during baking. It would be fine. But they do have a powdered version if you can get your hands on that. It does tend to clump a bit and needs sifting.
Karen says
Thanks, Carolyn…I really like the taste of Bocha sweet but have been hesitant to swap it in because you’ve mentioned that it reacts a bit differently than Swerve. I’ll look for the powdered version, too.
Thanks!!
Carolyn says
It does tend to make things softer so these may take a bit longer to bake and/or set when they chill.
Myshel H says
I am going to spend the rest of my life dreaming of these Lemon Cheesecake Bars!! The crust is perfect. Before reading the comments, I did bake the crust a bit longer. I’m glad I did. These are perfect in every way!!! Thank you Carolyn!!!
Alice says
I am looking forward to trying these! I do have a quick question though. Are all your recipes gluten free, or just some of them?
Thanks!
Carolyn says
Except for a few back in 2012 and earlier, they are all gluten-free.
Lynn says
Absolutely delicious! With all that’s going on in the world I’m just glad I had all the ingredients. Thanks for the recipe Carolyn. This is definitely a keeper.
Carolyn says
So glad to hear it!
LoLo says
These were the best lemon cheesecake squares I’ve ever made and they fed a lot of people. Everyone that had them had seconds/thirds. And so freaking easy to make! Thank you for all your amazing recipes. I haven’t had one that has failed me yet.
Carolyn says
Delighted to hear it!
Tricia Lento says
So excited to see what looked like a delicious recipe with few carbs and ingredients I already had. Absolutely wonderful. I loved the lemon flavor. The bars had just the right amount of sweetness with no artificial taste. One question – I’m always a little unsure about how jiggly the centers of recipes like this should be and tend to overcook, (but not this time.) Is there a temperature we should aim for?
Carolyn says
I don’t test them by temperature, I’m afraid.
Stacy says
These were good. You need to prepare the pan if it is not nonstick, so crust doesn’t stick. The recipe didn’t state that, so I forgot. Crust stuck to glass.
Rosemarie Royce says
SECOND TIME, JUST AS WONDERFUL!!!! THANK YOU!!!
Made these for Easter this weekend. Made a pan for my parents (had to drop off because of the quarantine). This is now my GO TO CHEESECAKE!
My cousin has a Meyer lemon tree. She gave us a ton of lemons that my husband and I zested and squeezed this weekend. Lots of portion sizes in the freezer to make all of your lemon stuff.
Julie says
Made these and they came out amazing. My husband (who is not low carb) thought it tasted like “regular people” food (that’s a win!). I almost want to make a full sized cheesecake with this recipe. That’ll be next for me – thanks for the amazing recipe!
Carolyn says
“Regular people food”… maybe that needs to become my tagline! 😉
Matt says
We’ve made these multiple times and our favorite thing is to add some fresh blueberries to the mix before baking. Adds another lovely flavor. Everything we’ve made from Carolyn has been fantastic and all have been easy to make! Thank you for all of these amazing recipes.
Lennie says
This is BY FAR the best keto dessert I have tried. I’ve made it 3 times in the last 2 months (once with limes). Now I have fresh strawberries and am curious how I can add/substitute them in this same recipe. All the other strawberry cheesecake recipes I have found involve more complicated cooking instructions (I don’t own a springform pan). What are your thoughts? I don’t want to mess up a good thing, but would love a chance to make this cheesecake with strawberries.
Tracey Tirrell says
I read the instructions for making these squares, it does not say powdered swerve in the ingredients at all, nor does it say anything about greasing the pan. After following the instructions, I saw the video for this recipe, and it says to use powdered swerve, and grease the pan of using a pan which is not non stick. Doing a keto diet is not cheap, and shame on you for not putting on the acurate instructions.
Carolyn says
Shame on you for not reading the recipe more carefully, as it does INDEED say to use powdered Swerve Sweetener in the cheesecake filling.
Pamela Romero says
In honor of my mom who passed 3 years ago,(she LOVED lemon) I made another lemon bar recipe and it was a disaster! It cracked and didnt taste like lemon bars at all. So I made your Lemon Cheesecake bars up in one last effort and what a hit!!! I should have known to go to your recipes FIRST. They are always reliable and delicious! Thanks again Carolyn for a winner! Mom would have loved them!
Carolyn says
Aw, I am so glad they turned out and would be mom-approved. <3
Virginie says
Made this yesterday and it is absolutely divine! I had to bake it about 10 minutes longer as mine was way too wiggly after only 40 minutes. It came out perfect, no a crack, and sooo creamy!
Thank you for yet another wonderful low-carb recipe!
stacy marsiglio says
This is my third time making this and I absolutely love it! My family who is not Keto also loves to eat them.
Naomi says
These are incredible. I have made these at least 3 times and am about to make them a 4th. They are so lemony yet so rich and filling. They are so satisfying and easy to make to boot. I would highly recommend anyone to at least make these once – you won’t be sorry. I figured I should finally write a review for them since they are my favorite keto dessert to date!
Carolyn says
Glad to hear it!
Megan says
I have made these bars three times now. I’ve made a LOT of keto cheesecakes, and this is my favorite recipe. I double the lemon because I prefer a stronger lemony punch, but otherwise, I follow the recipe exactly. I love how the crust does a good job of staying together and I also like the thinness of the bars. I don’t know why, I just prefer the crust to cheesecake ratio of bars more than a traditional cheesecake slice. I have brought them to two functions and three separate non-ketoers asked me for the recipe. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe. It really is a winner in my opinion.
Carolyn says
Thanks for your kind words, Megan!
Martina says
Super! Thank you 🙂
Isis says
This lemon cheesecake bar recipe was the first of your recipes I ever made. It was also the first time I ever tried Swerve or almond flour. That was in 2013…wow! I am hoping you can tell me what the original recipe was. I made it quite a few times over the years and came up with a method for it I liked; I doubled it and baked it in a springform pan. Other than that I only remember it required 24 ounces of cream cheese. I am unsure if you changed the ratios for the other ingredients…I don’t remember how many eggs or how much cream or Swerve. I have a bad habit of not writing down what I did when I find a recipe that works (shame on me, ergg!). I really loved it the way I was making it and would like to know if I’m “doing it right” or not when I make it this time around. Thank you!
Carolyn says
Hi Isis… the only thing I really did here differently was do 16 ounces of cream cheese, a bit more sweetener, more lemon, and an extra egg. So you could do 12 ounces cream cheese, less sweetener, less lemon, and one egg. It would bake faster too, so watch them!
Carole says
Hello
By what kind of seeds can I substitute almond flour (allergy) for lemon bars ?
Thank you
Carolyn says
Please search my blog for sunflower seed flour. It will guide you on how to make your own and how to sub for almond flour.
Jeannette says
Hi – In the crust recipe it says “1/4 cup swerve sweetener” and links to the granulated swerve. In the video I you say “powdered swerve” (confectioners) when you make the crust. Can you please confirm which to use in the crust? I’ve read if you use the wrong one it can really have a terrible result. Thank you!
Carolyn says
Either works, because this is a baked crust.
Jeannette says
Thank you – will make tomorrow!!
Debbie says
Hi Carolyn, the lemon bars look amazing! I’m wondering if you can help me… Every single time I use powdered swerve in cream cheese it doesn’t blend right and it comes out gritty like chewing sand! Even when I have the cream cheese at room temperature and I beat it well. This doesn’t happen when I’m using it in heavy cream to make whipped cream. I’m excited to try these, as I love cheesecake and I love lemon! Thank you so much!
Carolyn says
Did it happen with these bars? Sometimes Swerve (or any erythritol) recrystallizes after baking but I have not found that to be true in most cheesecake recipes.
Susan says
Delicious lemon cheesecake bars! Also tried them with sliced strawberries and whipped cream on top and tastes a lot like strawberry shortcake! Thanks for the recipe.
Rachel says
Made these tonight for my non-keto friends and they both went for a second helping. Excellent! Replaced Swerve with Lakanto due to preference.
Jeffrey says
I watched the video and the recipe was easy to follow. Really enjoyed the video and the cheesecake turned out fantastic. I replaced one tbls of lemon juice with key lime juice which was just enough to get the flavor without overpowering things.
Heather Hill says
My kids always ask “is it keto good or really good” and this one they fully agreed that this is just plain good. Now I have to try and keep them from eating them all. So yummy!!! Thank you
Sherri says
I made these bars and we found the lemon overpowering although they were good. The next batch I used lime and cut back on the amount of lime juice and zest. WOW! Just like key lime cheesecake and delicious!! My husband is a diabetic and now he can have something for the old sweet tooth. Theses bars did not have an impact on his blood sugar at all. I also used a ceramic dish and there was no need to grease it as they came out perfectly. With ceramic I lowered the oven by 25 degrees and added 10 minutes to the baking time. Thank you for this wonderful recipe, it will be a regular in our home!
Carrie says
Today I made your lemon cheesecake Bars, also I boiled down some frozen blueberries with some swerve and zantham, put a spoonful of that on top of the bars added some homemade whipped heavy cream and…oh…my…so delicious! My husband said it should be illegal, 😂😂
Thank you! ❤️
Annette says
This recipe is the best I have found to date! My husband and I absolutely love it! Also, guests can never tell it’s low carb until I tell them afterwards. (; The only thing I changed, I use brown sugar Swerve for the crust and regular, granulated Swerve for the filling.
Carolyn says
So happy to hear that!
Helen says
Really enjoyed this recipe. Really delicious. Thank you. I cooked the base for too long, but it worked well as it ended up very crunchy and biscuity. I think I will add some walnuts to the base next time. I used erythritol sugar for top and bottom. I used the same quantities as the swerve, maybe a small amount less. Best Keto dessert ever!
Leila says
I tried today to make these bars and they are delicious! Thank you for wonderful recipe,I am thinking it will become frequent desert in our house .
Rita says
These bars are totally awesome! How do you cut them so neatly into bars? I did not cut into them until after a whole day in the refrigerator. I read somewhere that to dip the knife into hot water, but that didn’t help. I then boiled water and that helped somewhat. What is your trick to have such beautifully cut treats?
Carolyn says
First, I have a bench knife like this one: https://amzn.to/37t7kOB They are super useful because you can cut straight up and down in a pan, so you don’t drag the knife through the cheesecake bars. Secondly, I heat mine up over the flame of my gas stove for 3 or 4 seconds.
Keisha says
Hello All Day I Dream About Food:
I’m on Keto and was looking for new recipes to add to my menu rotation. I came across this recipe and tried it today (New Year’s 2021). This recipe is very delicious and easy to make. This is definitely a great start to a new year. I’m so excited to try more of your recipes.
Jennifer says
I don’t have heavy whipping cream..is there something else I can replace this with?
Carolyn says
Well you need some sort of thick liquid or sour cream to get the right consistency.
Pam says
These are absolutely delicious and came out perfectly. I added one additional tablespoon of lemon juice because I didn’t have any zest. The only problem is that my husband and I can’t stick to one piece at a time. Thank you so much Carolyn for a wonderful recipe!
Larisa says
Could I use 8 oz of cream cheese and 8 oz of mascarpone instead of the 16 oz of cream cheese?
Carolyn says
Sure, why not?
Jillann says
I made these today as 8 individual servings as I simply did not have enough cream cheese to make the bars. I cooked for 22 minutes in cupcake pan and chilled outside as I simply couldn’t wait two hours to dive in. These are amazing! I topped with a few berries and whip cream. This is a keeper for sure! Thank you.
Carolyn says
Sounds great!
Pam says
I have made these about 3-4 times now. I even added key lime juice instead of regular lemon juice. These are so fantastic and my husband and I love them. Thank you!
Daphne says
This looks like an amazing recipe! Would I be able to do this in cupcake liners instead? What would you recommend for baking time and temperature?
Carolyn says
I am sure you can but I can’t guide you on the time as I haven’t tried it. Just keep a close eye on them!
Igina says
I should be sleep, but I’m finising up these bars. Carolyn! Friend! SIS!! You are all these titles in my head! These bars are so good! Thanks for a great recipe! All of your recipes always are on point! Looking forward to trying many more!!
Carolyn says
LOL, thank you!
Annette Grable says
These are amazing! I️ could, but won’t, eat the whole pan myself! By accident I️ bake the crust about five minutes too long. Distractions and not setting a timer! But, it didn’t burn and I️ actually like it better than a regular cheesecake crust, which is usually a little mushy. This turned out like a cookie and had good crunch.