You only need 7 ingredientsย to make these lemon bars. The lemon curd filling is extra thick and creamy and sits on an irresistibleย buttery shortbread crust. Always bake lemon bars at a lower temperature to avoid over-baking. Theyโre simply the best lemon bars and are perfect for picnics, bake sales, spring brunches, baby showers, and bridal showers.
Today Iโm teaching you how to make lemon bars. I love this lemon dessert recipe so much that I published it in my 1st cookbook, Sallyโs Baking Addiction. These are theย best lemon bars and I donโt use that statement lightly. After 1 taste, Iโm confident youโll agree. Everyone needs this recipe.
The process is pretty simple and Iโm walking you through each step in the video tutorial below.ย Pick up some fresh citrus and letโs 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 thatโs 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 itโs 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 9ร13-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:ย 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. Theyโre wonderful cold and with a dusting of confectionersโ 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 theyโre the perfect balance of tangy and sweet. In fact, I made them for my friendโs baby shower last weekend and they were the first dessert to disappear. And thatโs 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. Iย always detect a slight metallic flavor in the lemon bars when baked in metal pans.
- Use fresh juice.ย 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? Thatโs completely normal. Itโs the air from the eggs rising to the surface. Some batches have it, some donโt. Regardless, the lemon bars taste the same and a dusting of confectionersโ 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? Youโll 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 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. Theyโre 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: confectionersโ 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 confectionersโ 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 confectionersโ 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 confectionersโ sugar before serving.
Notes
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 9ร13-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 doesnโt fully incorporate into the lemon filling unless itโs sifted with the sugar. As directed in the recipe, sift the two together before adding the eggs and lemon juice. I donโt always do this (and didnโt even do it in the video above!) but itโs preferred to avoid any flour lumps. If you have a sifter, itโs worth using. If you forget, itโs not a huge deal. Here is my favorite sifter. You use it again to dust the lemon bars with confectionersโ sugar.
- Lemon Juice: For exceptional taste, I highly recommend fresh lemon juice. Here is a wonderful inexpensive juicer if you donโt 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 itโs 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
Do you have any recommendations for making this in an 8ร8โ pan? I worry that halving it wouldnโt be the right ratio. If no, Iโll just wait to make it until I next have a gathering of more than just me and my partnerโฆ
Hi Natasha, you should be able to halve the recipe for an 8ร8.
I donโt want to go 5 stars because this is only like, the 4th time Iโve baked anything. As an absolute beginner it was fairly easy. Watch those tablespoons and teaspoons. I accidentally added double vanilla to the crust but it was still REALLY good. Crust is challenging to spread right from a newbieโs perspective but otherwise it was easy as pie. . . I mean, lemon bars. Still waiting for them to set but the bites Iโve snuck have been GREAT. Iโd definitely recommend this to beginners for taste and ease of use. Definitely gonna read more carefully next time, though.
I just took these out of the over and it looks like there is almost an egg- crust on top? Is that right? It looks so weird, I donโt know where I went wrong? It looks like a cakes sort of egg layer
Hi Bella, 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.
I baked the bars for 25 min and they are still very liquid?
Hi Toni! Did you make any changes? Did you use the correct pan size? We would just keep baking until theyโre done!
Mine took 35 minutes. Iโm still waiting for them to cool to see how they turned out
I wish I could read all the comments to be sure my question isnโt already addressed โ but way too many!!
I have read that I can use almond extract instead of vanilla for someone who canโt have vanilla. Would that work well for this recipe? Or do you have a different substitution recommendation?
Thank you!
Hi Val, you could try almond extract, but the taste will, of course, be different.