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 325°F 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. 🙂
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 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 ingredients to make these lemon bars. The lemon curd filling is extra thick and creamy and sits on an irresistible 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 325°F (163°C). Line the bottom and sides of a 9×13-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, 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
I made these last night and they got over so quickly! They’re the perfect balance of sweet and tangy and they’re so good. The shortbread crust is DELICIOUS!! This is going to be a staple in my house now!! Thank you for this recipe Sally!!!
Made these last night but used 9×9 glass pan and made the full shortbread recipe but only 1/2 was used in my pan. I did use the full recipe for lemon which made them extra thick amd luscious! I extended the bake time to 30 minutes and kept a close eye on them. Omgosh they turned out AMAZING! I have picture if I can figure out if I can attach.
Hi Sally,
I love all your recipes and have been cooking myself for 30+ years. I’ve made lemon bars before and had great success. I followed your recipe to a tee – the oddest thing happened, the lemon curd ended up under the crust? Did I let the crust cool too long? I got a little sidetracked by the kids. Can’t think of what else would have caused this to happen. They still taste delicious but they are basically upside down?? Please advise
Hi Jackie, I’m so glad that you enjoyed these lemon bars! I’ve had this happen to me before as well and it’s usually because I either over-baked the crust or let it cool for too long. I have, however, found an easy trick to help prevent this. If you ever want to try this recipe again, use a fork to poke holes into the warm crust after you take it out of the oven. This helps the topping stick to it and holds the crust in place (below the filling). I hope this is helpful.
I have use 3 different lemon bar recipes, this one beats them all! I followed exactly to the T. It came out fabulous, the crust is to die for, very tasty, so delicious!!! I swear it didn’t even make the table, everyone started eating them in the kitchen. This will definitely be my only lemon bar recipe to use from now on!!! Thank you Sally
My first time making Lemon Bars, and these are fabulous. Love your detailed instructions and ‘tricks and tips’. I will definitely make these again!
Actually the best lemon bars I’ve ever eaten. I used stevia instead of real sugar so that way it’s technically sugar free!
I had some extra lemons to get through so I did what I always do – an ingredient search on your site. After reading through the comments I knew I’d have to bake the shortbread for a little longer than the time specified in the recipe, but then everything came out perfectly! The shortbread base is delicious, and I’d actually love to eat that alone. The bars are great – really sweet, but that doesn’t bother me at all. It’s how a lemon bar should be, to balance the tartness, in my humble opinion 🙂
Can I use light brown sugar instead of granulated? Thanks!
Hi Brooklyn, Some readers have with success, but I haven’t personally tested it.
These were soooo good and pretty easy too. I followed the recipe exactly except I only got 3/4 C lemon juice out of 6 lemons so added 1/4 lime juice. They were so tasty.
I’ve never made lemon bars before and these were so easy and turned out great! I made mine dairy free using coconut oil instead of butter (my daughter is allergic to dairy and soy) and the crust was still delicious! I think the slight coconut flavor pairs really well with the lemon. Just wanted to let anyone know that the substitution worked well for me!
Sally I’m going to make this with your graham cracker crust… should I just pre bake the crust fully first ?
Hi Sue! For a graham cracker crust- follow the directions for my Nutella swirl cheesecake bars recipe (but double it for a 9×13 pan per the recipe notes) 🙂
I did that and they were wonderful !! So glad I found your site Sally – you ROCK !
Looking forward to trying these bars for a little dinner party tomorrow night with a few ladies. They look yummy! Do you think I could make this in a tart pan w/removable bottom? Thanks.
Hi Nancy! That should be OK. I’m unsure of the best bake time. If you’re using a 9-inch pan, you’ll have enough for 2 thin tarts.
These are by far the best lemon bars I have ever HAD!! I made them for Mother’s Day and my parents agreed. I will be recommending this recipe to everyone I know. Thank you so much!!
This was my first time making lemons bars and this recipe was so easy to follow! I used the half portion and still had a lot to share. So delicious, great crust and perfect tangy-ness !
I tried this recipe for Mother’s Day and did it exactly as instructed, and the entire thing stuck to the wax paper. I couldn’t even peel it off without it ripping. It may still be salvageable if I take the time to peel it off, but I don’t get why it happened.
I am a tough critic and do not consider myself a baker… these were EASY and the best lemon bars I have ever tasted. The texture, the taste, just perfect. They lasted over a week in the fridge and we devoured every single one. I will definitely be making these again as my go-to crowd pleaser!!! The Meyer Lemons were extra tasty if you have them around like we do in California, but these would be just as tasty with regular, tart lemons.
I have made this with both lemons, key limes, and lemons with blueberries and it was a crowd pleaser every time. This recipe is perfect!!!
Hello, I’ve made this recipe about 5 times.. for just myself.. needless to say it’s heckin awesome. I am making this again today because why not and also my husband doesn’t like fruity desserts sooo I guess I have to eat them all by myself.. again. Good job with this recipe .
Can I try to substitute lemon juice for different berry jams or juices for a berry bar?
Made it with raspberry curd and was delicious! Used a biscoff crust
Absolutely love this. Lemon Bar perfection!
However, I was curious if you might have some guidance in adding a fruit combination. I’m hoping to make some Strawberry Lemonade bars and wanted to know how to go about added strawberries this already prefect recipe. Look forward to your reply.
Hi Monica, I have not tried adding a fruit layer to this recipe. I do have a recipe for Lemon Strawberry Crumb Bars that you might be interested in.
Another 5 Star recipe from Sally! I’ve made this recipe 4 times now and I love it. Pre-quarantine they were a big hit at potlucks. Today I made them just because I need a little lemony sunshine in my life : )
A note on the crust: I usually need to bake about 3-4 minutes longer to get the browned edges, no biggie. I also use a smooth jelly sized jar as a kind of rolling pin to flatten out the crust in the pan. Hope this helps!
Delicious as written! Followed it exactly. So glad I found this recipe. Will try the regular lemon curd with your biscuits next. We made your artisan bread last week. It was also a hit. Thank you for all the dependable recipes.
SO delicious. I love that the lemon curd is still soft, I’ve tried other recipes where it just dries up. This will now be my go-to lemon bar recipe! It was just as simple as described and is so so so satisfyingly tangy! Thank you so much!
My daughter and I tried these today. They were great. Love the recipe!
I did it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
They were so perfectly awesome!
These come out perfect every time. I love them.
Quick question. We love the shortbread crust. Can we use the same recipe for the crust to make shortbread cookies. If not, what would be different?
Definitely! Just make sure you bake it a little longer since you are only pre-baking it before adding the lemon filling.
I have made these twice and contrary to everyone else here, neither turned out well. Both times, it was very difficult to press the shortbread into the pan, both because of the thick texture (which is a warning in the recipe) but mostly because there seemed to be so little batter that I couldn’t spread it evenly at all. The second time I made it, the lemon seeped in and between the shortbread (see above for why I think that might be the case). Another thought is that I’ve been weighing all the ingredients that have weights, thinking that would be more accurate, but would it be better just to use your cup measurements instead?
Hi Joce, thanks so much for trying this recipe. I’m glad to help troubleshoot. Did you use a larger baking pan? For the floating crust, this can be an issue if the shortbread wasn’t cooked long enough. If you decide to try the recipe again, pre-bake the crust for a few extra minutes.
Try putting the dough between parchment and roll between the parchment to the size of your pan. Also, use a fork to poke holes every inch or so. This will keep the crust from rising. I waited 5 mins before pouring the batter
I have made these twice now and they’ve turned out delicious each time! Lemon bars are one of my favorite desserts so I can safely say that this receipt really is the best. Easy and fun to make. Will be making them again soon!
This was my first time baking or eating from-scratch lemon bars and they turned out AMAZING! Seriously one of the best desserts I’ve ever eaten (chocolate is ok, but fruit desserts are really where it’s at for me)! I don’t think I can ever look at the box-mix lemon bars the same way again. Thank you for sharing 🙂
Very tasty. Is it common for the top to not have that lemon curd shine? I was surprised
at the dullness of the top.