Greek Yogurt Lemon Bars
These low-calorie Greek Yogurt Lemon Bars are the perfect guilt free dessert to add a pop of color to your day!
Servings: 12
Ingredients
Crust
- 3/4 cup Gluten-Free Graham Cracker Crumps (about 5-6 full sheet graham crackers)
- 2 tbsp Unsalted Butter melted (or melted coconut oil)
Filling
- 6 oz brick-style light Cream Cheese softened to room temp.
- 3/4 cup plan nonfat or low fat Greek Yogurt at room temp.
- 2 large Eggs at room temp.*
- 1 large Egg Yolk at room temp.*
- 1/3 cup Granulated Coconut Sugar
- 1/3 cup fresh Lemon Juice about 2 lemons*
- 1 tbsp Lemon Zest
- 1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
Optional: top with fresh fruit when serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300°F (149°C). Line the bottom and sides of an 8 or 9-inch square baking pan with aluminum foil or parchment, leaving an overhang on all sides to easily lift the bars out of the pan before cutting. Set aside.
- Make the crust: Mix the graham cracker crumbs and melted butter together in a medium bowl until combined. Evenly press crust into the prepared baking pan. Bake for 8 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.
- Make the filling: In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the cream cheese on high speed until completely smooth, about 1 minute. On medium-high speed, beat in yogurt until completely combined. Then beat in the eggs and egg yolk until combined. Finally, beat in the sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla extract until everything is combined and no lumps remain.
- Pour filling onto the crust. Bake for 28-32 minutes or until the center of the bars no longer jiggles (remove from the oven and gently wiggle the pan to check). Allow the bars to cool at room temperature set on a wire rack for 30 minutes, then transfer to the refrigerator to chill for 3-4 hours or even overnight.
- Once chilled, lift the foil out of the pan using the overhang on the sides and cut into squares. For neat squares, I use a very sharp knife and wipe it clean with a paper towel after each cut. Leftovers keep well in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: Prepare the bars 1-3 days in advance and store covered tightly in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Bars can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
- Eggs: You will need 2 large eggs plus an additional egg yolk making a total of 3 egg yolks and 2 egg whites.
- Lime Bars: Instead of lemon juice and lemon zest, try lime juice and lime zest for a tangy lime bar instead.
- Room Temperature Ingredients: Room temperature dairy and eggs mix easily and more evenly into one another. I always recommend room temperature, especially cream cheese, when making these types of bars.
- Nutrition Information: These bars come out to 130 calories, 6g fat, 13g carbs, 4g protein each. This is using Philadelphia light cream cheese, FAGE nonfat plain Greek yogurt, and Nabisco graham crackers.