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
Is there any particular reason that you don’t use lemon zest in the filling? Thank you.
Hi Regina, we prefer super smooth lemon bars here, but you definitely can add zest. We recommend 1-2 Tablespoons of lemon zest.
Love this recipe! Wondering if I can add meringue to the top pre bake?
Hi Eliza, we haven’t tested it, but you could try adding a meringue topping! Cover them completely and then broil very briefly on the day you want to serve the bars. Hope you enjoy!
Hello! I’ve made your lemon curd recipe, and I love it so so much! I’m wondering if there’s a way that I could use the already prepared lemon curd to bake this onto the shortbread of the crust or if I’m best off starting from scratch (or if there are additional baking options for ways to use my lemon curd?). Loving all of the lemons life is giving me these days 🙂
Hi Paula! Lemon curd won’t set up quite enough for these bars, we don’t recommend using it here. Best to stick with the recipe as written!
These are AMAZING! I’ve made them several times and my friends and family LOVE them. Thank you!
Could you use corn starch in place of flour in filling
We recommend sticking with the recipe as written.
So good!! Can I PLEASE request a recipe for “Derby pie” bars???? Walnut, chocolate pie bars???? Or a straight up “Derby Pie?” With or without the bourbon. I do like vanilla…. PLEASE????
Hi Sally, Have you tried a 50:50 blend of sugar & Splenda? Typically l can sub Splenda with no issues in other recipes, just doesn’t brown as much and lemon bars don’t need to be brown! Thanks for your input.
Hi MJ, we haven’t tested this recipe that way, so are unsure of the results. If you try it, please report back!
I have a gluten free guest can I substitute all purpose flour with almond flour
Hi Janet, We don’t recommend almond flour as it has very different baking properties and is not always a 1:1 swap. We haven’t tested it, but you might have success experimenting with a gluten-free all-purpose flour like Bob’s Red Mill or Cup4Cup. If you give anything a try, we’d love to know how it goes for you!
For other readers experimenting with gluten free- I just tried substituting the shortbread crust with a pre-made GF graham crust (Mi-Del brand) and 1:2 cornstarch: flour in the filling. it’s… not aesthetically appetizing- the graham crust floats into the lemon filling. the filling still tastes good and set well. I’m not going to attempt this again, but I wonder if an egg wash over the graham crust when I pre-baked it would’ve had a better outcome.
Try using Kings 1 to 1 flour. Add just a little more liquid maybe just a tablespoon or so, then let it sit for about half an hour for the flour to absorb the extra liquid. Coming from a GF mama.
This recipe worked great for me. May I swap the lemon juice and try key lime juice? I don’t care for the cream cheese key lime recipe and I don’t care for graham cracker crumbs. Or would it be too sour?.
Hi Heather, You can definitely use limes instead!
I’m sorry I saw that you already explained that after I sent my note . My greedy eyes were too busy thinking about eating these. I used joes key lime juice they came out great
Thanks
Great recipe. Totally has a zing! I used 1 2/3 cup of sugar for filling since it’s already scary. Also I do think it’s better to pack the flour a little bit for a more substantial base.
My teenage son said this was his favorite dessert ever. We both loved it. For any GF folks out there – I used King Arthur’s Measure for Measure GF flour, and it worked wonderfully. Thank you, Sally, for this delicious recipe!
Hi Sally. I’ve made this recipe several times and love it. I do cut back the sugar to 350g in the lemon layer – but I do that (25% to 35%) for every recipe I use! 🙂
Is there a particular reason that you add the eggs to the sugar/flour rather than the other way around?
I made these for a gathering and was told they were the best lemon bars ever! They are very tart, which I happen to love. Both the shortbread and custard had a great consistency. I didn’t think they were “eggy” at all, like others mentioned. I did have to bake them considerably longer than listed.
After having many successes with Sally’s recipes, especially cakes, and as an experienced baker, I was very upset with how these turned out. I don’t understand how so many others have been successful. The crust is too hard and chewy compared to the light and fluffy filling. I think I’m used to a true shortbread crust with other Lemon Bars I’ve made, that I get when I use cold butter as opposed to melted, but I don’t understand what the goal is. Is it to have a soft, “unbaked” type of crust or is it supposed to be thick, hard and chewy?
Hi Susie, sorry we completely missed your comment last month. The crust is not supposed to be hard. It’s supposed to be soft, thick, and buttery, but not crumbly. I wonder if you accidentally over or under-measured the flour? Or over-baked the crust when pre-baking?
Can these be made ahead of time then frozen?
You bet! See the last step of the recipe for details.
Trying these for faculty staff holiday party tomorrow. I ran out of sugar at 1.5 cups… used half cup of light brown sugar. Cant wait to see how it turns out! Also used new metal non stick pan,,, praying for great outcome! Baking now!
Really happy with how this came out. The texture is perfect, unlike another recipe I tried which unfortunately turned out nearly soupy. These are almost cakey, but still very recognizable as lemon bars. I like my bars almost painfully tart so I added extra lemon & may drop the sugar a smidge on my next batch, but for normal people like my family who like the balance of tart & sweet, these are perfect.
This recipe is a keeper. A lemony uplift on a gloomy November day the first time I made it yesterday.
I made half the recipe and found I needed longer than the recommended time for the filling, but then, each oven is different. I also grated the lemons before juicing, and added the rind to the filling. Very nice.
Hi Sally! Your recipes are my go-to for any and all desserts. I find them flawlessly executed based on your instruction and they always taste amazing! These lemon bars are one of my favorites that I have made countless times, and they always please a crowd! Question- lately my filling ends up appearing frothy or foamy after baked. The still taste great and the overall texture is to my liking, they just don’t appear as pretty. Do you have any tips or ideas? Thank you for all that you do. You’re so talented!
Hi Lauren, so glad you love these! If too much air is incorporated into the lemon filling mixture, there can be a layer of foamy film on top. 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.
Hi Sally! I love your recipes and very excited to try this one. I don’t have parchment paper and can’t get it easily where I’m at — is there any issue with greasing the pan rather than using paper?
That *should* work in a pinch. If you can order some parchment paper online, that would ensure the bars come out easily for cutting!
This recipe is excellent. Always turns out perfect. Easy!
I personally did not love this recipe. If you like eggy lemon bars, you will like them. It’s just not my preference. Thry were the perfect mix of tangy and sweet.
The shortbread crust was too hard which may have been my fault as it was pretty thick. Also, I woukd not recommend parchment paper. Just a greased glass pan with butter.
This was just my preference but many others seem to have loved this recipe!
I absolutely love this recipe! I followed the directions and put the bars in the refrigerator overnight. Next day, they were perfect! Crust firmed up nicely and so tasty! Thank you!
I judge the rating about the bar’s “acceptance “ from the knowledgeable recipients and I definitely give this recipe a five star! Some even asked for baggies to take home. Recipe easy to follow. Might emphasize to refrigerate overnight or at least several hours. Definitely 5 star!
I was so excited to try this recipe but I ended up with a raw gooey crust and super eggy filling :[
I’m not sure how I could’ve overcooked it with the crust still being raw? To be fair, the crust did sit for a while as I was juicing the lemons…
Hi Catherine, was the crust warm when you poured the filling on top? A warm crust (with pricks from a fork) will help the crust and filling to “stick” together for a cohesive bar. We find that when the bars taste slightly eggy, it means that they were slightly overbaked. A slightly shorter bake time should help for next time. Thank you for giving these a try!
My first time ever making lemon bars and they turned out perfectly. The crust was a touch too hard but I think that was my fault, I could have pulled it out of the oven 2 mins earlier. The consistency of the filling was exactly right, not at all eggy.
This one was a dud. Followed instructions precisely but the crust was a goopy mess. It needed longer in the oven than just “slightly” brown at the edges. The filling is tasty enough, but one star for the misleading instructions. Is a lot of ingredients to waste.
I followed this recipe to a tee but my filling always comes out runny. I’m so disappointed, what am I doing wrong?
Hi Pam, you can try to bake for a few more minutes. The center should still look a bit soft when they’re done. They will set up as they cool.
This came out exactly as predicted.Lovely crust and even topping.Offered as a gift!(My latest thing)!!
Brilliant recipe. I had 6 lemons sat in the fridge so decided to make these today and they have worked really well. Also an excellent simple recipe for letting children join in.
Hi Sally, I’m trying these today, but I want to brown my butter, would this affect anything?
Hi Alyssa, that should be great!
Lemon bars were my partner’s late father’s favorite dessert and I baked these in his honor for the one year anniversary of him passing. They were delicious and my partner appreciated them greatly. A delicious and not too complicated recipe!
Hi Anne, we’re so glad you could both enjoy these.
I made lemon bars for the first time today following your recipe. They turned out so great. Thank you so much.
When I am looking for something new, when I see a recipe by you, that is the recipe I pick. Because it is always excellent! These lemon bars were delicious. I have now been asked to make them frequently. I appreciate your clarity in the recipe and your notes. Thank you.
Hello can i sub in powdered sugar instead of granualted? Granualted doesnt mix well for a smooth texture
Hi Rishima, no, we do not recommend that swap. If your filling seems grainy, make sure everything is whisked well and incorporated before pouring into the crust.