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
Looking to make these next week. How many lemons do I need? Or rather, how much lemon juice?
You need 1 cup lemon juice, about 4 large lemons.
I make these more often than I care to admit they are just so good! They are more tart than sweet which is perfect for me and the crust is to die for. The crust to filling ratio is perfect! The flavour develops over time and they store really well, if kept in the fridge.
These will continue to be a staple in my home for a sweet little after dinner treat for as long S I can bake them! ❤️
I always go back to this recipe for lemon squares! And they are always delicious, but for some reason when I pour the lemon topping on the crust it seems to be cloudy/fine froth almost on top. They still taste great but look cloudy. Is there a way to avoid that?
Hi Kimberly, 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’ve been drowning in lemons from my tree- this is perfect- made it 2 weeks in a row for gatherings. Added a bit of zest to the filling
I usually LOVE your recipes and have no problems with them but these lemon bars don’t work for me and I’m a baker. I’ve tried baking them twice now and every time the shortbread crust is never baked completely it has a raw bottom and I baked it longer than the recipe says. I’ve tried asking you if it’s normal to have a really buttery dough and I got no response. I’m just disappointed this recipe fell short
Hi Maria! I’m so sorry if I’ve missed your question before. Yes, it’s a shortbread-type crust and very buttery. You can try to add a touch more flour to help soak up the butter, or bake the crust for a little longer to help it “dry” up a bit.
These are amazing! Super simple, few ingredients, and two bowls. Delicious
Bless your heart to include how to store leftovers. Lol
Love this recipe as-is (with lemons). I tried the blood oranges for something fun and they are pretty tasteless :\ just not a tart enough fruit, so the flavor gets lost. Oh well, least I only experimented with a half batch version. I’d recommend sticking to the lemons and maybe tossing in some raspberries if you want to jazz it up!
My crust came out really buttery is it supposed to be like that?
Did this recipe change? I made these last year and they were amazing. Made them last week. Completely underdone. Had to throw away. Made them again today. Left them in the oven max time. And the crust is still completely underdone. It was golden on the initial bake. I have no idea how I did this twice.
Hi Jem, we haven’t made any changes to this recipe. Did you bake them in a different size pan by chance? Or a different oven? 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!
I made those for a Mother’s Day brunch… an hour before I was set to go I cut them. Come to realize all of the curd ended up under the shortbread cookie crust. They tasted good but were a total mess and wound up in the trash. The only thing I can think of that I did was poke the holes in the cookie crust too deep.
I was wondering if this can be frozen whole
Hi June, you could, but you’ll want to make sure they are wrapped tightly to the top so that they do not form any condensation. You’ll have to wait for the entire pan to thaw before cutting.
I was very excited to try this recipe, especially because it didn’t have a ton of ingredients. It was very easy to make. The only reason I rated it four stars instead of five is because I did the maximum time for the crust and for the filling and did the test to make sure it didn’t jiggle it didn’t and after cooling them at room temperature and the fridge I went to try one and they weren’t done. The crust was not completely cooked and the inside was not done either. I took them out of the fridge and ended up, baking them for about 10 more minutes total. They taste absolutely delicious, but I’m glad I checked before serving to company. Not sure why it needed all the extra time when I followed all the steps and had the oven to the correct temperature. I still make these again because they’re delicious. I would just cook them longer to ensure they were done.
I’ve made this recipe a few times now and they’re always a huge hit! My boyfriend and his friends RAVE about them!! They’re now the summer dessert request.
I made lemon bars this weekend for the first time following your recipe and tips. I weighed sugar & flour, made sure my eggs were room temp, used parchment and pyrex, and poured the filling over the warm pricked shortbread. I ended up baking the shortbread 2 minutes longer, but bars with filling were done after 20 minutes.. I added 1 TBSP lemon zest to the filling and subbed 1tsp fiori di sicilia for 1 of the tsp of vanilla in the shortbread. It all turned out great. Thanks again for a great recipe!
Can the shortbread crust for this recipe be used as an alternative to traditional pie crust for a banana cream pie or coconut cream pie? Would the crust need to bake longer than the prebake time of 20-22 minutes do you think? Thank you! Love your recipes!
Hi Jenny, I’m sure that would work here. Let us know if you try it!
Great recipe, they turned out so well. I halved the sugar in both the base and filling and they are perfect.
I use this recipe whenever I have to make lemon bars, I do make a small sub 🙂 2 parts lemon to 1 part limoncello and I add the zest of the lemons. This is usually about 3 lemons and a 1/3 C of limoncello. Then you bake a few min longer. But O…M…Geee! So good.
This recipe made me a hero in my home and my neighborhood! They are all amazed by the flavor and texture. I can’t make enough. Thank you for a truly great recipe and instructions.
Loved these bars! I needed about six fresh lemons to get the one cup of juice. I will say, I had to add a little more flour to make the crust. I had fluffed the flour before doing the scoop/level and the 2 cups + 2 T didn’t give me anything even resembling a dough; it was more soupy than anything. I probably added another 1/2 cup of flour or a little more and got it to the proper soft consistency for pressing into the dish. I mention this just so that others know not to give up on the recipe if they experience the same; just add a bit more flour until you get the dough to where it should be. Other than that, it went off without a hitch. I’ve tried a few of Sally’s other recipes (beginner pizza crust – delicious! as well as some bread recipes) and they all turn out quite well.
Can I make it in a sheet pan?
Hi Deb, you could try doubling the recipe for a sheet pan. We’re unsure of the exact bake time.
I love this recipe!
Wondering if adding blueberries to the curd should I do it before bake or mid-bake?
Hi Dallas, 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.
I’ve made this recipe for ages. Adding a pint or two of blueberries works great! Raspberries are also a nice touch. Just plop them in after pouring the lemon mixture into the pan, no need to mix them in. Helps get a better distribution. It tastes great
We love this recipe!!! I added lime juice and lime zest so I could use one up and it is sooo good
Can aluminum foil be substituted for parchment paper?
Hi Pam! You really want non stick parchment here. Additionally, aluminum foil can react with the acidic lemon, giving the bars an unpleasant taste.
love the recipe, but i’m not sure where i went wrong.. the shortbread crust was all mushy even after 1hr of chilling, even though i baked for about 23-24 min 🙁 every oven is different, maybe i made some mistake? the lemon filling is so good, next time i’ll try to adjust the shortbread– when it was prebaked, it felt like light bread, foccacia-ey almost? maybe i got the batter wrong.. either way, next time i’ll get it right 🙂
Looks like an incredible recipe, if I wanted to do it vegan what would you use to substitute for the eggs? TY!
This was my first time making lemon bars. I messed up. I followed all your instructions but it looks like the shortbread foundation rose up and it doesn’t have the layers. When I poured the filling onto the warm crust I saw the crust rise up so I gently pushed it back down after baking it’s just not what it suppose to be. Im very sad please tell
Me what I could have done wrong.
Hi Desiray, 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!
Is this a more tart lemon bar recipe? I love lemon bars but recently have been trying to make them and all the recipes I’m using are super sweet with very little tang or tartness.
Hi Rachel, these are definitely tart!
This is a great recipe! I only had store bought lemon juice on hand, so I added 1 teaspoon of lemon extract to intensify the taste the second time I made them. I also used 20 grams less butter this time.
I baked the lemon bars for my family and they tasted wonderful. Thank you for sharing your baking expertise!
Best lemon squares. Great recipe and great crust. I added 2 tbsp of lemon zest but otherwise followed this to the T. My clients words were “more than divine”. Thank you for having a baking addiction so I can cheat and use your fantastic baking recipes. My husband found you via your Oatmeal, peanut butter, chocolate chip cookies (which we’re addicted to) and I now consider you a main baking source.
Thank you so much for making and trusting our recipes, Heather!
I am a home baker so felt very comfortable with this recipe for Lemon Bars. I followed it very closely and read and reread the tips. (Thank you Sally for the tips-very helpful). The bars turned out quite perfect; the shortbread crust was delicious (moist and tender) and the lemon custard had no cracks and laid perfectly on top of the crust. The whole process was easy and well explained. I have put a few bars in my freezer as I want to see how they hold up. This recipe is going in my Paprika Recipe Box as a winner. Thank you Sally.