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
Keto Lemon Cheesecake Bars
Ingredients
Crust:
- 1 1/4 cups (140 g) almond flour
- 1/4 cup (45.5 g) Swerve Sweetener
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup (56.75 g) butter, melted
Cheesecake Filling:
- 16 oz (453.59 g) cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup (91 g) 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
Instructions
Crust:
- Preheat the oven to 350F. In a large bowl, whisk together almond flour, sweetener, and salt. Stir in the melted butter until well combined.
- 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.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 275F.
Lemon Cheesecake Filling:
- 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.
- Beat in the eggs until just combined - do not overbeat as this can cause cracking.
- 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.
- Let cool 30 minutes, then chill for at least 2 hours.
- Garnish with powdered sweetener and additional lemon zest, if desired.
Video
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.
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Would liquid sucralose work for the liquid stevia?
I think so, yes.
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!
Awesome! That’s what I like to hear!
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!!!!
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!
Thank you!
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. 😉
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!
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.
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.
Oh, I can’t wait to make this heavenly, sinless sweet! Any idea on calorie count per serving?
how are these so low carb with all the Swerve? That’s 5g/tsp.
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?
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.
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
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…
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! 🙂
THANK YOU! now more time to cook and eat!
🙂
These bars are so beautiful and summery, Carolyn! You are such a little low-carb, gluten-free wizard with baking… I’m always stunned!
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?
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.
Thanks, Carolyn.
Yummy!
Holy mother of lemon! These look so insanely good…wow
These look so beautiful! And I am dying for some lemon!