You only need 7 ingredients to make these lemon bars. The lemon curd filling is extra thick and creamy and sits on an irresistible buttery shortbread crust. Always bake lemon bars at a lower temperature to avoid over-baking. They’re simply the best lemon bars and are perfect for picnics, bake sales, spring brunches, baby showers, and bridal showers.
Today I’m teaching you how to make lemon bars. I love this lemon dessert recipe so much that I published it in my 1st cookbook, Sally’s Baking Addiction. These are the best lemon bars and I don’t use that statement lightly. After 1 taste, I’m confident you’ll agree. Everyone needs this recipe.
The process is pretty simple and I’m walking you through each step in the video tutorial below. Pick up some fresh citrus and let’s get baking. Spring is in the air!
Video Tutorial: Lemon Bars
These are classic lemon bars featuring a soft butter shortbread crust and a tangy sweet lemon curd filling that’s baked to the perfect consistency. The lemon layer is thick and substantial, not thin or flimsy like most other lemon bar recipes.
Only 7 Ingredients in these Lemon Bars
- Butter: Melted butter is the base of the shortbread crust.
- Sugar: Sugar sweetens the crust and lemon curd filling layers. Not only this, it works with the eggs to set up the lemon filling. If reduced, the filling will be too wet.
- Flour: Flour is also used in both layers. Like sugar, it gives structure to the lemon filling. These days, I add slightly more flour to the shortbread crust compared to my cookbook version. You can get away with 2 cups, but an extra 2 Tablespoons really helps solidify the foundation of the lemon bars.
- Vanilla Extract: I use 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract in the shortbread crust. Not many lemon bar recipes call for vanilla extract and I promise you it’s my best kept secret.
- Salt: Without salt, the crust would be too sweet.
- Eggs: Eggs are most of the structure. Without them, you have lemon soup!
- Lemon Juice: I highly recommend using lemon juice squeezed from fresh lemons. You can also use another citrus like blood orange, grapefruit, or lime juice. For extra flavor, add some fresh zest as well.
How to Make Lemon Bars in 5 Steps
- Prepare the crust: Mix all of the shortbread crust ingredients together, then press firmly into a 9×13-inch baking pan. Interested in a smaller batch? See my recipe note.
- Pre-bake: Pre-baking the crust guarantees it will hold up under the lemon layer.
- Prepare the filling: Whisk all of the filling ingredients together. No cooking on the stove!
- Bake: Pour the filling on the warm pre-baked crust, then bake for around 20 minutes or until the center is just about set. I slightly increased the baking temperature from my cookbook version. Either temperatures work, but 325ยฐF is preferred.
- Cool: I usually cool the lemon bars for about 1 hour at room temperature, then stick the whole pan in the refrigerator for 1-2 more hours until relatively chilled. They’re wonderful cold and with a dusting of confectioners’ sugar on top!
Prepared in only 2 bowls and a baking pan, clean up is a breeze. These lemon bars win 1st place every time because they’re the perfect balance of tangy and sweet. In fact, I made them for my friend’s baby shower last weekend and they were the first dessert to disappear. And that’s saying a lot considering the competition: homemade chewy fudgy frosted brownies and adorable mini animal cracker cookies. ๐
2 Guaranteed Tricks to Make the Best Lemon Bars
- Use a glass pan. Ceramic is fine, but glass is best. Do not use metal. I always detect a slight metallic flavor in the lemon bars when baked in metal pans.
- Use fresh juice. Store-bought bottles are convenient, but you miss out on a lot of flavor. You will definitely taste the difference! I have a super old citrus juicer, but I recently purchased this juicer for my mom and she loves it. Highly recommended.
White Air Bubbles on Top of Baked Lemon Bars
Do you notice air bubbles, perhaps even a white layer of air bubbles, on top of your baked lemon bars? That’s completely normal. It’s the air from the eggs rising to the surface. Some batches have it, some don’t. Regardless, the lemon bars taste the same and a dusting of confectioners’ sugar covers it right up!
Blood orange bars! See my recipe note about substituting flavors.
Want to kick it up a notch? Here are my lemon meringue pie and lemon cheesecake recipes.
Craving lots of texture with your bars? You’ll love my oatmeal lemon crumble bars.
Plenty of lemon recipes to love on my site including these lemon crinkle cookies and lemon thumbprint cookies! Regardless of what you choose, lemon-y desserts are always a great choice when looking for springtime or Easter dessert recipes.
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Lemon Bars
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours, 50 minutes
- Yield: 24 bars
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
You only need 7 ingredientsย to make these lemon bars. The lemon curd filling is extra thick and creamy and sits on an irresistibleย butter shortbread crust. Always bake lemon bars at a lower temperature to avoid over-baking. See recipe notes for important tips. They’re simply the best lemon bars and are perfect for picnics, bake sales, spring brunches, baby showers, and bridal showers.
Ingredients
Shortbread Crust
- 1 cup (16 Tbsp; 226g) unsalted butter, melted
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups + 2 Tablespoons (265g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
Lemon Filling
- 2 cups (400g) granulated sugar
- 6 Tablespoons (46g) all-purpose flour
- 6 large eggs
- 1 cup (240ml) fresh lemon juice (about 4 lemons)
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon zest, optional
- optional: confectioners’ sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325ยฐF (163ยฐC).ย Line the bottom and sides of a 9ร13-inch glass baking pan (do not use metal) with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the sides to lift the finished bars out (makes cutting easier!). Set aside.
- Make the crust: Mix the melted butter, sugar, vanilla extract, and salt together in a medium bowl. Add the flour and stir to completely combine. The dough will be thick. Press firmly into prepared pan, making sure the layer of crust is nice and even. Bake for 20-22 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned. Remove from the oven. Using a fork, poke holes all over the top of the warm crust (not all the way through the crust). A new step I swear by, this helps the filling stick and holds the crust in place. Set aside until step 4.
- Make the filling: Sift the sugar and flour together in a large bowl. Whisk in the eggs, then the lemon juice and lemon zest (if using) until completely combined.
- Pour filling over warm crust. Bake the bars for 22-26 minutes or until the center is relatively set and no longer jiggles. (Give the pan a light tap with an oven mitt to test.) Remove bars from the oven and cool completely at room temperature. I usually cool them for about 2 hours at room temperature, then stick in the refrigerator for 1-2 more hours until pretty chilled. I recommend serving chilled.
- Once cool,ย lift the parchment paper out of the pan using the overhang on the sides. Dust with confectioners’ sugar and cut into squares before serving. For neat squares, wipe the knife clean between each cut. Cover and store leftover lemon bars in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
- Freezing Instructions: Lemon bars can be frozen for up to 3-4 months. Cut the cooled bars (without confectioners’ sugar topping) into squares, then place onto a baking sheet. Freeze for 1 hour. Individually wrap each bar in aluminum foil or plastic wrap and place into a large bag or freezer container to freeze. Thaw in the refrigerator, then dust with confectioners’ sugar before serving.
Notes
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 9×13-inch Glass Pan | Glass Mixing Bowls | Silicone Spatula | Silicone Whisk | Juicer | Fine Mesh Sieve
- Halve the Recipe: Halve each of the ingredients to yield around 12 squares in a 9-inch square baking pan. Same oven temperature. Bake the crust for 16-18 minutes and the bars for 20 minutes or until the center no longer jiggles.
- Sifting: More often than not, the flour doesn’t fully incorporate into the lemon filling unless it’s sifted with the sugar. As directed in the recipe, sift the two together before adding the eggs and lemon juice. I don’t always do this (and didn’t even do it in the video above!) but it’s preferred to avoid any flour lumps. If you have a sifter, it’s worth using. If you forget, it’s not a huge deal. Here is my favorite sifter. You use it again to dust the lemon bars with confectioners’ sugar.
- Lemon Juice: For exceptional taste, I highly recommend fresh lemon juice. Here is a wonderful inexpensive juicer if you don’t have one. Or use another fresh-squeezed citrus like grapefruit, blood orange, lime, or regular orange. You can slightly reduce the sugar if using a sweeter citrus. I recommend no less than 1 and 2/3 cup granulated sugar in the filling as it’s needed for structure.
- Room Temperature: Bringing the eggs and lemon juice to room temperature helps them mix easier into the flour and sugar. However, I never notice a taste or texture difference when using cold. Room temperature or cold, use whichever!
Reader Comments and Reviews
Hi there, I needed your help on a few things. When the crust was baking in the oven, I made the filling, and the filling sat there for about 15 minutes. When I took the crust out, I noticed my filling looked a little different, it was almost as though the lemon was starting to cook the egg. I mixed it again, and poured it onto the fresh-out-of-the-oven crust, and it sizzled, as if it were cooking the eggs in the filling. Can you tell me if this is normal? Was I supposed to let the crust itself cool first before adding the filling? The end result turned out great though- didn’t seem to be any issue with the filling even though I noticed the above mentioned things. ๐ 5/5 looking forward to making this again. Also a note for anyone else-> I used a square glass pan instead of rectangular and it made the bars much thicker. If you don’t want this, trust the recipe and use the 9×13 pan. I am enjoying the thicker crust though ๐
Hi Misa, you can pour the filling into the warm crust – glad they turned out for you!
These were the best lemon bars I have ever tasted. I shared this recipe with friends and family. I have one question. I used a stand up mixer to mix the eggs, lemon juice, and lemon juice. Then I added the flour and sugar. Is there any reason why the eggs are whisked into the flour mixture?
I also used the paddle attachment for mixing the crust. My crust took 30 minutes at 325. Is the crust supposed to be lightly brown and cooked?
Thanks.
Hi Ruth, if you had success adding the sifted flour and sugar that way, you can certainly do so. You should pre-bake the crust until the edges are just lightly browned. So glad you enjoyed these!
Absolutely perfect!!
By the way for those looking for the non-melting powdered sugar-King Arthur Flour sells it on their website!
What are your thoughts to adding a blueberry sauce on top instead of the powdered sugar? I want to make these for a church function and have them look pretty, powdered sugar won’t last long enough.
Hi AC, a blueberry sauce may be quite messy but could work!
Hi thanks love your recipes.
I want to make your 7 ingredient lemon bars but a smaller portion. Can you suggest quantities for 8 x8 or smaller please.
Hi Claire! You should be able to halve the recipe for an 8ร8 pan.
I did research and decided on this recipe because it looked the best. My boyfriend loves lemon bars so I want to make some for him. I did everything as per instructions and the video. But I feel like mine came out more jello/pudding like. Not sure why. I also had to cook mine longer. By about 8 minutes so the filling wasn’t jiggling. I want to know how to form mine more and have solid pieces. Other than that I was pleased with this recipe. Thank you.
Hi Courtney, Nothing to worry about. Ovens and pans vary and yours may need a little longer. Continue to bake until the center is just about set, which it sounds like you did! The lemon bars will be soft but set.
I love these bars but family members say that the bars were too tangy. Any thoughts to mellow them out a bit?
Were your lemons particularly sour/tart? That could be contributing to the taste. We donโt recommend adding more sugar or reducing the lemon juice, as the bars might not set properly. Thanks for giving this one a try!
Love this recipe! I do tweak it a tiny bit though. I always brown my butter to make it a deeper, richer flavor and skip adding vanilla to the crust. I donโt love the combination of Leon and vanilla, but it out the vanilla the brown butter shines through and the lemon flavor pops even more!
I was looking for a way to use the sour oranges from my tree other than marinades and decided to try making a sour orange bar by swapping the lemon juice out. These were delicious! Sally’s recipes have never led me astray and this one was no different. If there are any other Floridians out there looking for a recipe to use up your sour oranges, look no further!
Hello – Iโm wondering if I can use Trader Joeโs prepared lemon curd in this recipe – do you think that would work?
Hi Jeanne, lemon curd (store bought or homemade) is too thin and wonโt bake up properly. Best to follow the recipe as written for best results!
What if little air bubbles are on the surface after baking for 22 minutes?
Hi Janet, if too much air is incorporated into the lemon filling mixture, there can be a layer of foamy film on top. Be careful not to over-mix or whip the filling when combining and be careful not to over-bake the bars. These tips should help! Some air bubbles are normal, see โWhite Air Bubbles on Top of Baked Lemon Barsโ above.
Hi Sally,
I made these the other night and they were a hit with everyone. I added the zest from the lemons and found that it added the perfect balance to the bars. That said, I cooled them for 16 hours, then tried dusting with powdered sugar, however the sugar dissolved within about 20 minutes. I’ve heard you can use non-melting powdered sugar. How do you recommend avoiding this from occurring? Is there anywhere you’d recommend purchasing the non-melting powdered sugar in Canada?
Hi Melanie! We recommend dusting with sugar shortly before serving. We are not sure the best place to buy non-melting powdered sugar but let us know if you find some!
I have made made many different lemon bar recipes, and this is by far my favorite and that of everyone who has tried my bars! I use Meyer lemons, which I believe have the best flavor, and I add the zest of one or two lemons to this recipe, and everyone raves about them! Thank you Sally!
These lemon bars are fantastic! My family loves them!!