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
Like one giant butter glob. I weighed my ingredients in grams as I’m in Europe. The crust layer had a pool of butter on top after baking and the final product is a flabby slab of something greasy. I think that European butter doesn’t work well with this recipe. Disappointed.
Hi Sally, I am a little bit confused, the recipe says 6 tablespoons (46g), but I thought 46g is roughly 3 tablespoons? I am in the UK so a little unsure if US tablespoons are the same as UK tablespoons? Sorry if I am being silly, just want to be sure I get it right 🙂
Not silly at all! 1 Tablespoon of liquid is 15ml, but the gram measurements will differ between ingredients because different ingredients weigh different amounts. For example, 1 Tablespoon of butter weighs more than 1 Tablespoon of flour. You need 46g flour for this filling.
Hi! I just made a batch for my aunt and was wondering if I could freeze some of the finished product (She loves this recipe and wants to pace herself with enjoying!)? I’d love to hear some recommendations on the best way to package the lemon bars for freezing.
Hi Kristin, so glad you aunt loves these! Check out the last instruction for tips on freezing these lemon bars!
How much ahead of time can you make this recipe and would you just store in refrigerator until event?
Hi Sav, lemon bars can be stored in the fridge for up to 1 week or frozen 3-4 months ahead of time – see steps 5 and 6 for details!
Hi Sally – my family LOVES this recipe, even when it doesn’t turn out just right! For some reason, every time I’ve made them after the first time (which is at least 10), my filling mixture always gets pretty foamy on top, so it doesn’t get that pretty yellow color and look like your photos. I’ve even tried making the filling and letting it set out for a bit to see if it subsides, but no luck. They’re still delicious, just not pretty and the top has a weird texture as the foam kind of stays there and bakes. Any tips?
Hi Lauren! That’s completely normal. See “White Air Bubbles on Top of Baked Lemon Bars” above. A dusting of powdered sugar will cover those right up. So glad you enjoy the lemon bars!
I followed the instructions exactly and baked for an additional 7 minutes but the filling was still so runny and wet. I cooled them as suggested as well but they were just so wet and unappetizing looking.
Hello i used a 8×8 pan but forgot to half the recipe!!! Hope it still works!
These came out great. However I was wondering if you have tried to make these with Graham cracker crust. How much Graham cracker would I need to substitute?
Hi Star, for a graham cracker crust- follow the directions for our Nutella swirl cheesecake bars recipe (but double it for a 9×13 pan per the recipe notes)
Thanks so much for your response! When doubling the amount of crust, do you also double the baking time?
Just wondering if you can freeze them. Please let me know. Thank you.
Hi Danielle! See step 6 for detailed freezing instructions.
I am really excited to try this recipe! I am making it for a friend who is sensitive to dairy. Any advice on subbing the butter with coconut oil?
Hi Elizabeth, coconut oil (same amount) would be the best option for replacing the butter in the crust. Taste will be slightly different. Let us know if you give it a try!
Great recipe, but I greased the pan before I lined it with parchment to get the parchment to stay in place. Worked great.
Great recipe. I add more lemon juice for a bar that is quite tart.
I have three questions:
1) How do I keep my crust soft? The taste comes out great but they are a bit crunchy. I would like it soft like a warm cookie.
2) Do you ever use powdered sugar in either the crust or the filling? I am not sure, but I think the added corn starch might help the crust stay soft and might thicken the filling a bit.
3) Do you ever add lemon zest? If so, does the lemon zest add more flavor or make it more tart?
Thank you so much.
Hi Jason, glad to help. (1) You can reduce the pre-bake time for the crust which will help it maintain a softer texture. (2) I haven’t tested it. Though replacing some flour with a little cornstarch in the crust could help give you a softer texture as well– see my shortbread cookies as an example. (3) Yes, sometimes I add it! But it’s not necessary. It will make the bars a little more tart.
Love love love!!! I was a little bit short of lemon juice ( my 4 lemons only made 3/4 cup) so I made up the difference with tangelo juice. I love them frozen!
Can I make these the day before, keeping them in the fridge until ready to serve?
Definitely! Wait to dust with confectioners’ sugar and cut into squares until just before serving.
I just made this recipe for the first time, I’m excited for everyone to try them. They are in the refrigerator chilling. I used Meyer lemons, should I of reduced the sugar in the filling?
Hi Nicole, You can definitely use Meyer lemons here. We don’t recommend changing the amount of sugar because it helps the curd set up properly.
My family loved these lemon bars! They cracked a little in the middle, so I will be sure to not overcook next time. I plan to make these with other citrus as well, but have a bunch of passion fruit on hand. Could I use the passion fruit (pureed with seeds removed) if I reduce the sugar as listed in the notes? Thank you!
Hi C, We have made these with many types of citrus, but have never tried passion fruit. Let us know if you try it!
These taste awesome. My filling cracked, so not all of them look perfect, but I don’t care. I may have erred on the overcooked side to make sure it would set properly. With adequate chilling, they are nice to cut and handle and taste fantastic.
Making these yet again for our bake sale fundraiser for Ukraine! I cannot wait to see how fast they sell out.
Best lemon bars EVER! I’ve made these bars 6 times now and every time they turn out AMAZING! They are always requested by coworkers when we have a party. I follow instructions exactly as written and your website is my trusted go to for any new recipes I try. I used to always try a new recipe out before I share with family and friends, but now I know if I’m getting it from Sally’s Baking Addiction, it will be GREAT ! No need for “test” batches. Thank you so much!
i have a question- i’ve made these bars 3 times, and although the flavor was the same, 2 of those times they had a pale yellow color instead of the vibrant yellow i got the other time. I’m guessing it has to do with a reaction between the eggs & acidity from the lemon juice, because i heard a fizzing when i added the juice to the filling mixture. is there a way to avoid this? i seem to have avoided it the second time around but i’m not sure how. besides the color, they were delicious every time.
Hi April, We are not sure about that specific reaction. However, most of the color in these lemon bars is coming from the egg yolks, which do have natural variations. So it’s very possible that the yolks were just a more pale color. If the taste was still the same then it’s nothing to be concerned about.
I haven’t tasted them yet but they look delicious. There are small craters on top where bubbles popped. How can I avoid this the next time? I’m always happy the results whenever I use your recipes.
Hi Patrice, air bubbles are normal, see “White Air Bubbles on Top of Baked Lemon Bars” above. Hope you love these!
I made these with gluten free flour and loved them! However I did have to tweak a few things, my crust seemed really greasy, so I added about 3 tablespoons more of flour and that seemed to help. I also had to bake the crust for about 6 minutes longer. I used fresh lemon juice and the curd turned out amazing, not too sour and not too sweet. Oh and in case anyone wants to know, I used the Bobs Red Mill 1 to 1 baking flour! 🙂
Thank you for your review using gluten free flour. I was wondering that myself and will have to try it. The recipe as written was wonderful but we have gatherings with family that are strictly gluten free so I plan on making these gluten-free for the next get together.
Huge hit in our family. We loved the tangy sweet bars. Very easy instructions to follow
Hi! I’m interested in doing this recipe in a 9 in circular cake pan. Any thoughts and recommendations on how to modify the recipe to fit in that size? Thank you!
Hi Jane! Are your cake pans metal? We don’t recommend metal pans for this recipe – you can always detect a slight metallic flavor in the lemon bars when baked in metal pans.
Unfortunately, I am not at my home kitchen and don’t have as many pans available. So if possible, I would love comments on modifying this recipe!
Hi Jane, you can use a 9 inch round pan for a half batch of this recipe. The bars will be slightly thicker.
Delicious! Just wondering why the filling is still a bit runny even after I baked for about 29 minutes. They’ve been in the fridge for over 4 hrs, too ♀️. Regardless, the taste is amazing!
Has anyone tried this using a sugar free substitute like Lokanto Monk Fruit Sweetener? Wondering if it would turn out ok or not as the lokanto monk fruit sweetener often doesn’t mix smoothly sometimes and can be more granular.
Hi Kelly, We’d love to help but we are not trained in baking with sugar substitutes. For best taste and texture (and so you don’t waste your time trying to adapt this recipe since it may not work properly), it may be more useful to find a recipe that is specifically formulated for sugar substitutes. Thank you!
I just made these using monk fruit instead of sugar. The flavor is still amazing! But the filling did not set. I baked it for over 45 minutes and there was still some significant liquidity. I’m going to adjust how I mix the ingredients for the filling and see if that helps.
I did a no no !!! I used tangerines instead of lemon. It seems to not want to set. I’ve cooked for 24 minutes and it was still runny. It’s cooking for 5 more minutes. I was going for an orange themed party……oh well. I tried
Hi Peggy, see recipe notes about substituting flavors – tangerine juice should work just fine if you didn’t make any other changes. They may just need more time in the oven!
I use lemon zest in the crust for my lemon bars. To pump up the flavor of the filling, use more lemon zest, lemon emulsion (available at Michael’s or on line from Olive Nation) as well as a smidge, less than 1/4 t of lemon oil. I cannot understand using vanilla in a lemon-based dessert???
A huge hit with family and friends. Tangy, sweet, refreshing, not too rich. The crust appeared a bit greasy before baking. I added two extra tablespoons of AP flour. It turned out fine, but did shrink up a bit. I think next time I will have the crust rest in the fridge before baking, to allow gluten to relax and flour absorb everything. Easy to put together though, which is always a plus. I did add two tablespoons of zest.
Love these delicious lemon bars! The recipe is so easy you can make the filling while the crust is pre-baking to save time. I took them to a summer picnic and they were finished quickly. I reduced the butter to 200g and the crust still came out great. If you want to add lemon zest I noticed that this causes more bubbles on the filling surface. This is a great and easy recipe that gives good quantity perfect for serving a large crowd
These lemon bars are fantastic! I’ve made them many times.
These lemon bars are fantastic. My household has not been able to stop eating them. I will definitely make these again aoon!
Sally I’m about to make your lemon bars but I have no vanilla extract all I have is cake batter vanilla, orange and almond extract what should I do
Hi Lynn! You can leave the vanilla out of the crust – we wouldn’t substitute it with any of those other extracts.