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’ve used this recipe on multiple occasions! I always keep the short bread and pan size the same but one and a half the lemon filling recipe for a thicker lemon bar. I also marble in some raspberry jam to add an additional flavor and it turns out great! It’s a hit every time I bring it to a party or a family function. (P.S. I am a professional baker/have been head baker at several bakeries and this is the best lemon bar recipe I have found to date) I use a lot of your recipes and they always turn out amazing.
I took this to a dinner gathering and they were a hit! All gone! I had lemons that had to be used so it was lemon pie or bars. (suggestion from Sally as I was reading her lemon pie recipe) These were just as good as pie and a lot easier. I had 7 lemons and just short of 1 cup of lemons juice. so I added just enough water to make a cup and added the zest of one lemon (finely zested). They were perfect. followed the rest of the recipe exactly.
Thank you, Sally!
I haven’t made lemon bars in ages. These looked so good that they inspired me to make some. What a great recipe. They turned out so delicious. Buttery crust and tangy filling. Thanks for the awesome recipe..
Should doubling this recipe for a 12x18x2 be successful? And do you have recommended bake time for that pan size?
Hi Tina, readers have done so with success, but we’re unsure of the exact bake time. Let us know how it goes!
I doubled the recipe and changed the flour in the filling to 1/2 cup (doubled was 1 cup). I only used a half cup of lemon juice because I had some aldis lemons, so 1 cup total. I used this recipe along with the TikTok most liked lemon bar video. But, I used the amount of salt you call for and added the vanilla. I had enough to make two very large pans. My guess is about ten by 18(?) and a small pan as well. Perfect for the steak fry dessert at our local American Legion. Thank you, for all your tips they really perfected the end result!
I doubled the recipe and changed the flour in the filling to 1/2 cup (doubled was 1 cup) I had enough to make two very large pans. My guess is about ten by 18(?) and a small pan as well. Perfect for the steak fry dessert at our local American Legion. Thank you, for all your tips they really perfected the end result!
This is my go-to recipe for lemon bars. There’s a YouTube channel I watch, Preppy Kitchen and I thought I would try his lemon bars today. He uses eight eggs and three cups of sugar to 1 cup of lemon juice. His shortbread crust has more flour than yours and less butter. He uses three tablespoons of lemon zest.
I like the lemon zest and I’ve done that before with your recipe. It is the one change I made from your recipe, I add a couple teaspoons to a tablespoon of lemon zest to the lemon juice. I’m juicing them, I might as well use the zest, it adds another dimension of flavor. But otherwise, your recipe is much, much better.
I didn’t even use the entire amount of sugar his recipe called for and it was sickly sweet. When I said I was going to make a different recipe I was asked “why mess with perfection?” and I answered that I wanted to try. It was a mistake on my part. I should have just stuck with this recipe and that’s what I’ll do in the future. Your shortbread crust is richer and lemon custard is much better.
I would definitely add the lemon zest though!
These are so, so good. I’ve made them several times, changing nothing, using fresh squeezed lemon juice. They are always raved about.
I really want to try lime bars.
The lemon filling was fantastic. My husband loved it. I did something wrong with the crust. I was skeptical when I was pressing it into pan because it felt greasy. It wasn’t cooked at 20 minutes. In the finished product it is still too moist and just doesn’t taste good.
I must have measured wrong. Not enough flour maybe?
Thanks!
Kathy
Hi Kathy, if the crust was a bit too greasy/doughy, it’s possible it was not baked long enough. If you wish to try again, leave it in the oven for a bit longer next time. Be sure to spoon and level (or use a scale) to measure your flour to ensure just the right amount to help soak up the wet ingredients. Thank you for trying this recipe!
I think I’ll make a batch of just the shortbread today. I suspect that it may have been a measurement issue.
I found my husband hovering in the kitchen last night . On the counter was the container of now very chilled bars. He excitedly offered me one as he declared that they tasted great. Thank you!
I am wondering if an 8 * 13 in pan would still work
I made your strawberry cake yesterday (which was incredible) and had leftover strawberries. So I made these bars with half strawberry puree/ half lemon juice and topped them with freeze-dried strawberry dust instead of sugar. They came out great.
Forgot to give it 5 stars
I adore this recipe. Would it be possible to make this with a non-citrus fruit? I really want to make strawberry bars..
Hi Sofi, we haven’t tried that but please let us know if you do! We do have a recipe for Lemon Strawberry Crumb Bars that you might be interested in.
Hi! Can I make these 2 days in advance? I don’t feel like freezing them because I don’t have room so can I just keep them in the fridge? Thanks!
Yes, absolutely! Wait to add the powdered sugar on top until just before serving. Enjoy!
These lemon bars are fabulous, better than the ones from a famous chef on Food Network. The texture was perfect and deliciously tart. I did add a couple of tablespoons of grated lemon peel.
Thank you so much
I made this recipe for a retro themed night and they were a hit! So so so delicious. The best lemon bars I’ve ever made. This recipe is definitely going into my arsenal. I’ve made lemon bars before, but there’s something special about the curd on these. Just so fancy and rich.
Not sure what happened for me, but somehow the crust rose to the top and the curd sunk to the bottom while they were baking! I’m a pastry chef and have worked in a number of restaurants and made countless desserts so this was rather humbling, haha! I usually have good results with recipes from this site too! Just made the Guinness Brownies and they were amazing. Better luck next time!
Mine did the exact same!! What causes this?
Usually when the bars end up inverted it’s because we either over-baked the crust, or let it cool for too long. We 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). Hope this is helpful!
I just made these this evening. I had my lemon curd mixture whipped up before I pulled the crust out of the oven. I literally pulled the crust out of the oven. Gently pricked it (not all the way through) all over, and poured the filling on top. I was a little afraid it was too hot but the bars came out absolutely perfect. Maybe try that?
This is great! I substituted the butter for ground beef, the flour for cumin, and the lemon for mung bean paste. These few subtle changes, and it was still a hit, thanks!
Because so many people I know are either diabetic or reducing carbs, I’ve been making these with Splenda. I also add a fair bit of zest to up the lemon flavor. Everyone really likes the shortbread crust as it’s less sweet than graham cracker and much tastier than plain pie. They’re so good my one upsman neighbor takes credit for me making them.
Is the baking time different if using a convection oven ?
Hi Stephanie, typically when using a convection oven, you’ll want to reduce the oven temperature down by 25°F. For these lemon bars specifically, you shouldn’t have to change the bake time when reducing the oven temperature. If you don’t reduce the oven temperature, the bake time should be a bit shorter.
We make these with 1:1 GF flours all the time they are amazing
how can I make this Gluten Free
Thanks so much
Hi Jacqueline, we haven’t tested it so 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!
I love this recipe. It’s simple, and works well. Delicious! One little modification I do that I think really bumps up the flavor is I zest the fresh fruit before squeezing the juice, and mix the zest into the shortbread crust. (A little in the filling is good, too.) You have the fruit in your hand, might as well use that wonderful zest.
Want to make these for a wedding reception. Can these be frozen, or do you have another bar that will hold up better? Need to make 8 pans all with no nuts.
Hi Paula, yes, lemon bars can be frozen for up to 3-4 months. See last step in the instructions for further freezing details.
Can I use premade crust??
Hi Alexis, you sure can!
These bars were a disaster, so disappointed. No obvious reason but very disappointing for an experienced baker!
I have used your recipes before too.
Best lemon bars. Turn out great every time. They are a frequent request from friends and families. And EASY. Only problem is sharing them before consuming too many!
If I wanted to add matcha to this to make them matcha lemon bars, how would you recommend adding it? Should I just add some, should I sub it for some of the flour?
Hi Angela, we haven’t tested a version of these bars with matcha. It may take some trial and error to find the best way to incorporate it. Or, try searching for a matcha lemon bar to get some ideas on how others have done so. Let us know what you try!
How come we don’t use the zest in your recipe?
Hi Jennifer, We prefer super smooth lemon bars here, but you definitely can add zest. We recommend 1-2 Tablespoons of lemon zest.
My lemon bars were delicious however how do you get that beautiful yellow colouring? Mine weren’t so beautiful
Hey Lexi, If you add the lemon zest to the sugar and put it in food processor it becomes smooth and you don’t lose anything while gaining extra flavor.
This is the one additional step that I found in another recipe that I incorporated. Using the lemon zest kicks it up a notch and adds another dimension of brightness and flavor. If you add it to the sugar and use a food processor you get the extra flavor without losing the smooth texture.
I usually just rub it into the sugar. I have a good zester, I’ve never noticed a loss of smoothness in the texture.
I always add the lemon zest. We are juicing lemons anyway, zest kicks it up a notch. What you can do if you want them to be very smooth is take the lemon zest and add it to the sugar and put it in a food processor and process until smooth. I don’t do that I just mix it in and rub the lemon zest into the sugar. But doing it in a food processor will make it very smooth and you’ll get the extra flavor without sacrificing any of the smoothness of the texture.
Hi! can I freeze these lemon bars?
Yes! See step 6 for details on freezing.
Can’t wait to make these. Do you think they’ll hold up well for a west coast to east coast journey? I’d love to take it for my family.
Hi Sam! These bars can be kept refrigerated for up to a week. They could make the trip if you can keep them cold! We would wait to sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar until you reach your destination. Hope they’re a hit!
Hi,
Quick question – I had some leftover lemon mixture (had to use a slighter smaller pan), so I put it in my fridge in a cup with cling film over it overnight. I had complications from my anaphylaxis so did not manage to move it to a airtight container.
Is it safe to use for another recipe idea? Its the next day.
My family loved this recipe btw – It is lovely. Was great for me too as I still have a slightly swollen throat. I love baking and making my own creations – I have tried several of your recipes (tweaked a few due to allergies) and we all loved them every time.
Thanks and Take care x
Hi Sam, yes, you could absolutely use the filling for another creation. Would be great as a “cupcake” of sorts with a graham cracker crust. Unsure of the exact bake time, but whenever the filling seems set. I understand this answer is a week after; I didn’t see this question until now!
Made this tonight…perfect. Thanks for sharing such a good, easy, recipe.