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
Wow! I used 1/3 whole wheat flour in the shortbread. I used 1/4 whole earth sweetener in the filling to cut the sugar without affecting taste. We only had a bit more than 1/2 cup lemon juice from 4.5 smallish lemons, so got to a cup with some fresh lime juice & fresh orange juice. I was skeptical when the filling was so liquidy when 1st poured on the shortbread & again when they came out of the oven and the lemon filling & crust almost looked like 1 unit. But they set up beautifully in the fridge & looked like Sally’s photos. Woohoo. Thanks for another great recipe!
hi, im making the bars and when i poured the lemon mixture over the crust, the crust bubbled up and its now all lumpy. any suggestions?
Hi Emma, when you say the crust bubbled up, did it seem to invert? (With the crust on top and the lemon layer on the bottom?) Usually when the bars end up inverted it’s because we either over-baked the crust, or let it cool for too long. Did you prick the crust with a fork (see the end of step 2)? This should help prevent this issue. Hope this helps!
Like the Titanic rising from the deep…so did my entire crust through the lemon. I followed the recipe and am cooking it now, but this may be a new tatse sensation once ot os done: Upsidedown Lemon Bars. Lol. Hope they taste good. Can only assume that 22 minutes of cooking the crust wasn’t enough.
Hi Kenda, Usually when the bars end up inverted it’s because we either over-baked the crust, or let it cool for too long. Did you prick the crust with a fork (see the end of step 2)? This should help prevent this issue. Hope this helps!
I forgot to say I’ve made other of your recipes, but couldn’t review them because I couldn’t remember where I got them. I now put your name on the recipes so I can review them. Have always been super pleased with those I’ve used. Oh, I have already reviewed the Creamy Chicken Noodle soup. I froze 2 servings. Thawed one the other day & it was just as good as fresh out of the pan.
I had intended to make the Soft & Fluffy Lemon Sweet Rolls, but just wasn’t up to it yesterday. So I made the lemon bars. WOW! I followed the recipe except my 4 lemons only made 3/4 c juice so I finished off the cup with bottled juice. I did not have unsalted butter. Salted butter seemed to make no difference. Also, I’ve always used a metal pan lined with parchment with no problem like aftertaste. I think I could have baked another 3-5 min as the center of the pan was a little gooey. Otherwise they were delicious. Took them to my Friday night Farkle game & everyone loved them. Our only male player had 3 pieces & asked for 2 to go. I’ll never use a boxed mix again, but I will get one of those juicer things as it was really had on my hands.
I do have one question…is possible to make bars or maybe cookies out of the shortbread crust? What would I have to do? That was my favorite part.
Hi Rose, we’re so glad you enjoyed these! You might also love our shortbread cookie recipe.
Hey Sally. I love your website and have made a bunch of your recipes that have been amazing! That being said this was the first time where a recipe needed quite a few adjustments to make it work. I found that 325 degrees was too low for the oven to bake the bars properly. When I finished initially baking at 325 for 26 minutes minutes it still was a soupy consistency so I turned up the oven to 350 and continued to let it bake and checked it twice till it was ready 16 minutes later. Once I let it refrigerate though the bars were great!
Hi, I was wondering if you have a no sugar added recipe (using Stevia) for this? Or if you have any recommendations for using Stevia for this recipe?
Hi Dani, 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 lemon bar recipe that is specifically formulated for sugar substitutes. Thank you!
Salley, could make a smaller version of this recipe.
Hi Kathleen, see recipe Notes for details on making a half recipe in a 9-inch square pan.
Soooo good! I only had 3 lemons, so used bottled lemon juice to make it to 1 cup. I did the final bake for 24 minutes, then shut the oven off with the pan inside until cooled. It baked perfectly and there were no cracks in the top. This was my first time making lemon bars, and they turned out perfectly!!
Hi! Can you use lemon juice from the bottle? No lemons in the house so just trying to figure out a substitute:)
Hi Carol, you can, but you’ll miss out on a lot of flavor. We strongly recommend fresh lemons for best results!
Wonderful lemon bars came out perfect! And that shortbread! So delicious
Made these a few days ago, they’re delish and so easy. Needed them to be non dairy, so used a butter substitute (not margarine)
Is it possible to substitute gluten free flour in this recipe? I loooooove lemon bars but need to find a gluten free recipe.
Hi Andrea, we haven’t tested this recipe with gluten free flour, so we’re unsure of the exact results. Let us know if you do give it a try.
I made it gluten free with Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 and it turned out delicious! Nobody could tel It was gluten free
Taste good but complete liquid. I baked at 325 for 30 min and they were still jiggly so I baked them 10 extra minutes at 350. They are just completely liquid and not set
We love lemon bars, but find that the crust can be hard even when the crust is lightly browned. This has occurred several times when I have baked the bars in a glass dish and watched the browning carefully. Suggestions?
Hi Marilyn, you can certainly try reducing the bake time ever so slightly so that the bars are not browned as much. You can also try moving them down a rack (away from the heating element), which should slow down the browning just a bit. Hope this helps for your next batch!
I’m not sure what happened to my bars. I followed recipe perfectly and my filling did not bake uniformly. The edges look nice but the entire middle looks like foam even though it is not jiggly. It is completely set.
Hi Gia, if too much air is incorporated into the lemon filling mixture, it will bake up more foamy/spongey. 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 “White Air Bubbles on Top of Baked Lemon Bars” above.
I’m loving this recipe and can’t wait to make it. One question, other recipes I’ve used tend to weep. Why does this happen?
I made these yesterday. I added the zest from one lemon and juice from 3 limes that I needed to use.
They baked perfectly with your times and they taste wonderful!
Wow! Just amazing. Beyond easy, my husband asked me to serve him half after trying a sliver. Will definitely make this my regular recipe. A lot of other recipes aren’t as well written. This one is a slam dunk! Thank you. This site has quickly become my go-to for delicious goods with well written recipes.
I have made several of your recipes and enjoyed them all. I made these lemon bars last night and baked until there was no jiggle. It cracked severely as it cooled. I thought it was because it was overbaked, but when I cut it this morning, the filling doesn’t even appear to be completed done. It tastes delicious though. Is it meant to have a softer center? Other lemon bars tend to have a more gelatin like center, so I am curious about what could have happened. Again, it is delicious!
Hi Shawnie, these lemon bars are quite gooey. 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. 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!
Question! I love lemon bars so much, but I always get an acidic aftertaste when I make them. I have looked it up and I found that it could be because of the white sugar. Any thoughts on preventing this from happening?
Hi Lauren! Does the aftertaste taste metallic? Make sure not to use a metal whisk or bowl when making the curd, and use a glass pan to bake (not metal) to avoid a metallic taste.
This recipe is so easy and I have so many people raving about how good they are. I made them for a bake sale for my local animal shelter recently and the community just raved and raved and raved. I tell everyone about how awesome Sally’s Baking Recipes are. Your website has never let me down. (Except where I don’t make a recipe because it seems too hard for me – like the red velvet cake, but that is just me being a novice baker and being too scared to try harder recipes.)
I know I shouldn’t ask, but can you please tell me how many calories there are in one bar? Thanks, they’re delicious.
Hi Dori, We don’t usually include nutrition information as it can vary between different brands of the same ingredients. Plus, many recipes have ingredient substitutions or optional ingredients listed. However, there are many handy online calculators where you can plug in and customize your exact ingredients/brands. Readers have found this one especially helpful: https://www.verywellfit.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4157076
I use MyFitnessPal app to track my macros. I entered this recipe using the generic ingredients in their search results and it came up to 294 calories, but I do 12 big bars instead of 24 bars when I make the 13×9 pan. I don’t have the patience to cut 24 bars. 😛
I made these and they were absolutely perfect! Thank you for all of the helpful tips and such a fabulous recipe.
Made these comes out perfect every time thank you. Also could I add blueberries to this? Would I have to do anything with them say like in muffins you roll the blueberries in a little flour so they won’t sink would this be the same case?
Hi Ari, we haven’t tested adding blueberries to these bars but let us know if you do! You may love these lemon blueberry cheesecake bars or this lemon blueberry tart.
can i swap out the shortbread for a graham cracker crust?
Hi Mia, 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).
Could I make this with canned pineapple juice
Hi Ali, we haven’t tested a pineapple version, 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!
Very good basic lemon bars! I used 5 lemons but only ended up with about 3/4 cup juice, so I added 1/4 cup water to make up for it – so the lemon flavor wasn’t as pronounced as it could have been. I also added the zest of one lemon. I accidentally overbaked by about 10 minutes but the filling was still super soft and the crust was tender.
This is the best lemon bar recipe. I kick it up a notch by adding lemon zest to the filling. Makes it even better.
I was worried that the filling would be too sweet, but it was just about right. All of it took quite a bit longer to back than your noted times. I baked the shortbread for 35 min at 330F to get the slight browning, and I baked the filling for about 40 min before it even began to set. When I sliced into it, the curd was still quite soft, so I put it back into a 330F oven for an additional 10 minutes to get it to set a bit more.
This happened to me too!! I am having to recook it because I cut into it and it was raw. So as I write this it’s back in the oven. I’m hoping I can fix it.