New York-Style Lemon Cheesecake Bars from the Essential Jewish Baking Cookbook

New York–Style lemon cheesecake bars are so easy to make! This recipe is in my first cookbook: The Essential Jewish Baking Cookbook: 50 Traditional Recipes for Any Occasion. Enjoy this luscious treat anytime you need an easy, make-ahead dessert option.

For a fun alternative, try the sister recipe to these bars -- my mini cheesecake bites!

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Why you'll love this recipe

What's not to love about cheesecake? (Can't you just hear one of my aunts saying that?) But really, these lemon cheesecake bars have all the flavor and texture of a classic round New York-style cheesecake -- the dense (in a good way) texture lightened by the lemon flavor and that classic crunchy graham cracker crust.

But no need for a water bath. Just make the crust, fill it, bake and chill! Then cut them into squares and serve. Top as desired.

My inspiration was a mini-cheesecake recipe I created for a temple Shavuot cooking class I presented online during the pandemic. It was so easy to make a delicious bite of cheesecake!

Can I claim these as specifically a Jewish cheesecake? Well I would say the New York-style cheesecake is the one many of us remember eating growing up, especially if you were brought up on the East Coast. For so many Jews, it is part of our taste memories for sure!

Ingredients you'll need

The ingredients for these lemon cheesecake bars are pretty basic but the end result is anything but ordinary.

Crust ingredients:

• Graham crackers: Any brand will do and if you eat gluten-free, one of my testers made the bars with a gluten-free cracker and was very happy with the results.
• Butter: I always use unsalted butter but this is a case where salted could work nicely - just leave out the extra salt called for in the crust recipe.
• Brown sugar: Light or dark is fine.

Filling ingredients:

• Cream cheese: Be sure you use regular cream cheese and not whipped cream cheese and let it soften as directed.
• Greek yogurt or sour cream: Either works well for this recipe but I use yogurt because it seems to get along with lactose intolerance better. And I like the flavor.
• Lemon juice and zest: I have a meyer lemon tree so I use meyers which are less acidic and sour than regular lemons. Regular lemons will work just fine.

How to make this recipe

1. Prep and preheat: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8-by-8-inch pan with aluminum foil.

2. Make the crust: Use a food processor or a rolling pin and a plastic bag to crush the graham crackers to a fine crumb. Mix crumbs with melted butter, brown sugar, and salt.

3. Bake the crust: Transfer the graham cracker crust to the foil-lined pan and press down firmly with your fingers. Bake for 8 minutes. Remove from the oven to cool slightly before adding the filling.

4. Make the filling: In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the cream cheese and sugar on medium speed for about 1 minute, until well combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the eggs, yogurt, vanilla, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, and flour. Mix well. Pour the filling into the cooled crust.

5. Bake the cheesecake: Bake for 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool for 30 minutes and refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight. To serve, use the foil overhang to lift it out of the pan onto a cutting board. Slice into squares, wiping the knife clean in between each cut.

Expert Tips

1. Be sure to mix the cream cheese mixture enough to break up the cream cheese and fully incorporate the ingredients to a smooth texture.
2. If you are gluten-free or want to change up the flavor of the crust, you can sub in a different graham cracker or even another cookie flavor.
3. Sour cream or yogurt will work. If you've never baked with yogurt, give it a try! You might like it!
4. Once these lemon cheesecake bars are fully chilled, you can cut them. Be sure to use a serrated knife and clean it in between each cut!

Toppings for New York-style cheesecake bars

Strawberry Raspberry Jam with Rosé Wine

Apricot Raspberry Jam

Fruit Compote

For ease of browsing, here are all my baking and dessert recipes. And find all my Jewish recipes here! And be sure to buy a copy of my Essential Jewish Baking cookbook!

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