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
These bars are truly my favorite!! I have a question about the confectioner’s sugar on top. Is there a secret to not having the sugar dissolve on top of the bars. I love how they look with the dusting, but it doesn’t last more than a few hours.
Hi ML! Because of the moisture in these bars, that’s bound to happen. We recommend dusting with sugar just before serving for the prettiest bars!
These are so good and I didn’t even think I liked lemon bars.
I replaced the lemon juice with blitzed preserved lemon. It was great. I chose this recipe because of the simplicity and that it used a lot of lemon juice (I had a lot of lemons) it is amazing.
Flavor is great but I need to work on technique- unfortunately much of the filling ended up under the crust, so I won’t be bringing them to a gathering today. The taste is wonderful, so I will need to figure out how to prevent this mishap from happening again.
Any adjustments for using Yazu? Asian tart citrus
I love this recipe! Do you know if I can make this with pineapple?
Hi Clara, We have never tested these bars with pineapple and it would take additional recipe testing for us to give you a good answer. You can see how we made pineapple curd for this Pineapple Coconut Cake so you can use the notes in that recipe as a starting place if you’d like to experiment. Let us know if you try it!
gotcha, I will try it out! Let me know if I’m understanding this right — curd is slightly different than the filling, in that for filling for the bars, we need flour?
I baked my bars late at night and then left them in the fridge overnight, when I cut them and taste them this morning, they tasted kind of eggy. Is it okay to put them back in the oven?
Hi Arianna, if the lemon bars taste eggy, they were likely over baked so we wouldn’t recommend putting them back in the oven. If you decide to make them again, we’d recommend slightly decreasing the bake time. Thank you for giving this recipe a try!
This is my go to recipe for lemon bars, they are always sublime! I’m wondering if I wanted to make the crust a little bit thicker (maybe a quarter larger overall), would each of the dry ingredients (plus the vanilla and butter) be whatever their measurement is PLUS .25 of that? To me, the crust is the best part and I always hope for a little more.
Hi Kathleen, that approach should work for thickening the crust proportionally. Keep in mind that a thicker crust will need a slightly longer bake time. Let us know how it goes!
This recipe turned out great. I made them today but cut the recipe in half. They’re a big hit with my family. Definitely a keeper.
Hello! I have made this recipe 3 times now the 1st time they turned out GREAT the 2nd and 3rd times that I made them they turned out TERRIBLE they wouldn’t set and I had to freeze them to at least
keep them from pouring out when I cut into them, I was quite disappointed because I love all of your other recipes. If you have any tips I would LOVE to hear them THANK YOU!!!!!!
Hi Audrey, so sorry to hear they didn’t turn out well the second and third times you made them! We are happy to help troubleshoot. Did you change anything about the recipe or bake them in a different size pan? Were they cooled and chilled completely before you cut them? Be sure you are using conventional heat settings (not convection/fan heat) and if they are taking longer to bake in the center you can loosely cover the top with aluminum foil to prevent the top from browning before the center is cooked. They should be a little soft when they come out of the oven, but then continue to set up after that.
Thank you for this recipe! It was very easy! I have always made box lemon bars before (never again). I did use 6 lemons and I did zest a lemon as well. Back story as to why I made lemon bars by daughter is pregnant and texted me asking for lemon bars found this and she said they were fabulous !
Hi,
I just made this recipe, and they are wonderful! Question: I’m taking them to a Celebration of Life event today and was hoping it will be o.k. to have them on the dessert table? Won’t be chilled all day, is this o,k?
Hi Elise, we recommend serving these bars cold. The filling may become a bit loose if left at room temperature.
Keep in cooler over ice next time you need to serve! I took mine to an outdoor picnic last summer and this worked out perfectly (expect less people ate them… but more for me! Haha)
This recipe didn’t work out…I’m a experienced baker and my ovens are calibrated. It took much longer to bake the crust, than suggested, and the crust was very dense. The filling also took much longer to set and then large cracks opened up when it cooled. The lemon flavor was too strong, yes real lemons were used, and the filling slipped off the crust, even after the bars were refrigerated. Think 325* is too low for the oven setting.
Paula, I just finished the crust which took about 7 minutes more to see the edges browning. Just put the bars back in the oven with th curd. Based on your issues I’ll keep a close look on that!
Was just wondering if you live at higher altitude!?
I had the same issue with the crust. I have another recipe with same ingredients for the crust and it says to bake it at 350 for the exact same amount of time and it comes out perfect. I didn’t have an issue with the topping so the next time I think I’ll cook the crust at 350 and then switch it to 325 for the topping
i loved this recipe 🙂
just have a quea]stion,how to make the two color?
(i saw you picture,you made the Blood orange bars)
thanks
Hi Nancy, see recipe notes for blood orange and other citrus versions!
This is a great recipe (the shortbread crust is perfect), but I and others found the filling way too sweet, like tooth achingly sweet. I even added extra lemon juice after tasting the filling before it went into the oven bc I figured 2 cups was a bit much. Next time I’ll cut it down to 1.5 c. Maybe add some lemon zest also.
Hi Mary, thank you so much for giving this recipe a try! You can try reducing the sugar in your next batch, but we recommend no less than 1 and 2/3 cup granulated sugar in the filling as it’s needed for structure. Let us know what you try!
I noticed there was no lemon zest in the ingredient list. Can I add it for more flavor?
Hi Kathryn, It’s absolutely optional! A couple teaspoons would be great.
Your lemon bar recipe by far is the best ever! You make your directions so clear and easy to follow, not to mention how fantastic your videos are! The lemon bars are such a hit with everyone who eats them!
Thank you for taking the time and care to teach us!
Thank you so much for your kind feedback, Paula — we’re thrilled you loved these lemon bars!
Hi I made this recipe this weekend for Mothers day. Turned out delicious. I made 2 batches. One with lemon and one with blood orange.
I baked for twice the recommended time but I
still couldn’t get the curd to solidify. Any advice?
Hi Andrey, we’re so glad these bars were a hit! Did you change anything about the recipe (besides the citrus) or bake them in a different size pan? Were they cooled and chilled completely before you cut them? Be sure you are using conventional heat settings (not convection/fan heat) and if they are taking longer to bake in the center you can loosely cover the top with aluminum foil to prevent the top from browning before the center is cooked. Hope this helps for next time!
Omg they are fantastic, everyone was asking for more. Thank you
I forgot to leave a comment after Easter, where I served them at the first big event my boyfriend’s family invited me to. Even among all the other desserts there, they were an absolute hit and the whole batch was all but demolished by the end of the night! So beginner friendly for my barely-baking boyfriend, so delicious, and definitely a good way to make an excellent first impression on a bunch of intimidating folk!
I’m a sucker for lemon desserts in general but these are incredible! I definitely just shamelessly ate 2 in a row. Mine were a mix of perfect layers and shortbread in the middle of the custard filling. I didn’t do the parchment layer well though so I’m trying again tomorrow to see if they come out better. Another winning recipe!
These were absolutely delicious! The short bread crust was very tasty. I’m glad the lemon curd wasn’t overly sweet as it often is with lemon desserts.
I’ve made several of Sally’s recipes and they’ve all turned out great. What I particularly like are her instructions and notes. It’s good to understand the why in addition to the how. For example, I’ve been baking for a long time and never really understood the definition of room temperature butter.
One note, I suggest buying extra lemons. The recipe calls for 4 but I just barely had enough juice with 6. You never know how juicy a lemon is just looking at it.
I highly recommend. It will be a huge crowd pleaser. Oh, and I forgot to mention, it’s a very easy recipe.
Hi looks amazing! Cant wait to try 🙂
what can i substitute for butter to make these dairy free?
Hi Sarah! Melted 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!
I’ve made this recipe many times and love it each time! I don’t have a 9×9 pan so I usually use a bigger one when I make this recipe. Today I went against my better judgement and used a shorter and smaller ceramic pan. The crust took at least 35 minutes to brown and I baked the entire dish with the filling for about an hour. The top is white (I don’t know why) and when I moved the pan it didn’t jiggle so I thought it was done but, when I cut into the bars they are very much still gooey. Should I cook them more? If so, how much longer? I feel like these aren’t as set as I’m use to/should be when fully cooked. I don’t want to give anyone (or myself) salmonella so any ideas are appreciated!
Hi Kay, Thank you so much for trying this recipe – we are glad you love it! The top turning white is completely normal. See “White Air Bubbles on Top of Baked Lemon Bars” above. A dusting of powdered sugar will cover those right up! Ceramic pans do usually take longer to bake because the actual ceramic is so thick. Also, using a smaller pan means your bars will be much thicker and need longer to bake through. If you are ever concerned about eggs not being fully cooked you can use an instant read thermometer. When eggs reach 160 degrees they are safe to eat!
Anyone else’s lemon bars get a big crack down the middle once they started to cool? I’m sure they’ll taste fine but mine don’t look so good 🙂
Hi Dee, Lemon bars are an egg-heavy dessert, like cheesecake, so they’re prone to cracking. They’re either cracking because the eggs are over-mixed (more air is whipped into the filling, then deflates causing the cracking) or they’re over-baked. One easy way to help guarantee no cracks, though, is to cool the lemon bars inside the oven. If you make them again, turn the oven off 1-2 minutes before the lemon bars have finished cooking. Crack open the oven door and let the lemon bars cool inside the cooling oven for 1 hour. Then remove from the oven and cool at room temperature. The slow cooling will help prevent cracks. Hope this helps!
These were amazing! I made these for hubby and me and lasted several days as we only ate small servings (very rich and tasty!). The last 2 days, instead of powdered sugar, I drizzled caramel sauce and it really took these over the top! Thank you so much for the great recipe!
Great recipe – they came out great and were delicious.
The only thing is: the lemon topping went straight through the crust and they came out upside down!!! Perfect but upside down. Using the parchment paper I took them out and flipped them over onto another piece of parchment and they were perfect.
I think I did everything right – what happened?
Hi Jim, so glad you enjoy these! Prick the warm crust with a fork before pouring the filling on top. Steam needs to escape and doing this will hold the crust in place.
Did you use self-rising flour by mistake?
These have become a signature bar in my business! They are the perfect tart to sweet to shortbread ratio. I have tweaked it to be my own, doing softened butter(i felt it keeps my crust flaker), using half lemon juice and real lemons, and also mixing my flour in with my lemon juice keeps the film from forming on top when baked. Also making sure the filling is really mixed before pouring it in the crust helps as well. If the sugar is settled to the bottom it’ll make it grainy.
Ps, trying out a recipe where i sub strawberry purée into the juice still figuring up measurements to make it the perfect balance of lemon to strawberry! Currently half and half, but make end up doing 3:1 ratio to make it more strawberry than lemon Happy Baking!
Have you figured out the strawberry lemon bars? I’m thinking about trying that!
I absolutely loved how easy and quick this recipe is! The outcome was delicious and fresh lemon juice really does the trick! My only concern was a metallic flavor in the lemon bars which was strange since I used a glass pan but other that I loved these, definitely making them again!!!
I make this recipe all the time, and everyone loves it sooooo much!! Recommend it for anyone!! Thank you, Sally ❤️
Haven’t had lemon bars in years but thought they would make a great dessert for Easter. This recipe didn’t disappoint, and a plus is that it is easy to make! Followed the recipe exactly, and these turned out perfectly – very tart but with a nice sweet crust to balance the acidity.
I’ve made these many times and they are a huge hit! I need to take a gluten free dessert to an upcoming event. Could GF flour be substituted? If so, would it be a 1 to 1 ratio?
Hi Kelley, I haven’t tested it so I can’t say for certain. However, 1:1 gluten free flours are typically just fine as a replacement in most simple baking recipes. Let us know how it goes.
This recipe was great, but my friend made it before I did and I tasted it. It tastes like egg and the lemon wasn’t coming through. So when I made it at home, I decided to add the zest of 2 lemons, a pinch of salt to counteract the sweetness of the sugar, and a little bit of vanilla (about 1/2 tsp) to the filling, and if turned out AMAZING. Those were the missing ingredients; the lemon is so prominent now, and I would highly, HIGHLY recommend adding those ingredients.
I just made this recipe with Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 GF flour instead of all-purpose, and it worked perfectly!