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
Hi Sally. I want to make these in a silicone mold specific to an event I’m hosting. The size of each is about 1.41 x 1.12 x 0.59 inches (3.6 x 2.85 x 1.5 cm). Can I do this with your recipe and would I need to change anything?
Hi Sabrina, we haven’t tested these bars in a silicone mold, but would love to hear how it goes if you do!
Sounds good. How long would you bake for?
I have been making these for a few years, they are a hit in our home! I make a few slight adjustments, I only add 350g of sugar because we like tart bars and I add the zest of 2 lemons. I cut the bars and freeze them so we always have a treat available.
My daughter is gluten intolerant, can i use GF flour for this recipe?
Thank you
Hi Deborah, 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!
Hi Michelle, I wanted to let you know that’s made these using gluten free flour and it worked perfectly. I will make them again with normal flour to see the difference. But definitely a winner
This is my umpteenth time making these delicious bars! Sally, I am taking them to a bridal shower tomorrow. It will be in an air conditioned house, but I’m still concerned. Are they ok sitting out for several hours?
Hi Tresh, they should be fine, just try to keep them chilled for as long as possible before putting them out to serve.
These were delicious and perfect for the hot summer we’ve had. I dis not have a glass panel and had to use a Wilton metal pans but they were still so good. I did add 1.5 tsp vanilla to the filling and added 1 extra TBSP of flour and I had to bake for 30 min after putting the filling on the crust. I think I actually should have baked a little bit longer just to firm up the filling a little bit more. I also added the zest of the lemons to the filling which made them very tart. I think next time I will not add all of the best, if any at all. Either way, these are till 5-star bars. Thank you!
Why won’t my lemon bars set??
Hi Liz! Did you make any changes to the recipe? Could they need longer to bake?
Pretty good and really easy to make! Although it was a bit sour but I have a huge sweet tooth!
I followed the recipe and my filling was quite loose. It all ran under the crust and my crust was not solid after baking.
The taste was great but the bars were very messy to eat.
Any suggestions for next time?
Hi Jayne, we’re so sorry you had troubles with this recipe. 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!
OMG THESE RULE. Completely delicious and addictive. They are best on the 3rd day after baking.
I made some alterations inspired by the Barefoot Contessa recipe:
— Added 2 tbsp. Lemon zest to the filling and sprinkled more on before baking
— Added 1 tsp. Vanilla extract to the filling
— Used 1/2 cup flour instead of 6 tbsp. Flour in the filling.
I was afraid I had done something wrong when I mixed the sugar and eggs and it was a gloopy texture, but it all baked perfectly.
Hi! When I made the shortbread cookie bottom my dough isn’t thick its very like not dough if you know what I mean what should I do next time?
Hi Teaghan! It’s a pretty loose dough, did it bake up well?
Wow perfect texture on the lemon curd, and pre-baking the crust worked like a charm
Mine took over 30 minutes, and cracked and sank a little in the middle. (I am in Colorado, over a mile high, and pretty dry) But after dusting with confectioners sugar and cutting into bars, they looked perfect.
This is my go-to lemon bar recipe! My sister requested I make this specific recipe as part of the dessert table at her wedding and they were such a hit! Thank you so much for this great recipe!!
The flavor and texture were perfect but I would have liked them thicker. Are there bake times for either double the filling or putting in a smaller 9×13 or similar size pan?
Hi Alaina, you could try making them in 2 8×8-inch pans for slightly thicker bars. We are unsure of the bake time, but it will be longer for thicker bars.
These are very easy to make and are delicious. I made them to take to an event but I may decide to take something else so I can keep them for myself!
I love your recipes and comprehensive notes!
For some reason my bars did not come out right. It looked as if there was a layer of baked egg on top. Do you have any guesses what went wrong?
Hi Elise, Thanks for trying this recipe! Was it 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!
Thank you for your response, Stephanie!
It wasn’t white bubbles, but looked as if the curd split into two layers. On top was a rubbery egg like crust with a creamy pale custard-like layer underneath.
I’m wondering what I did wrong to avoid it in the future . Perhaps it was under-mixed and the eggs floated to the top before the oven had a chance for the curd to set?
I had the same issue…it was like a layer of scrambled eggs on top of the lemon filling. Really unappetizing looking. I wanted to salvage them so I basically had to carefully remove as much of the egg layer as possible and then stir the filling to incorporate the rest of it. The filling still tastes good, but I can’t believe how eggy this was.
Hi Alyssa! If the lemon bars taste eggy and have a very eggy layer on the top like you mention, they were likely over baked. If you decide to make them again, we’d recommend slightly decreasing the bake time. Thank you for giving this recipe a try!
Plan on making these for my daughter’s party. How far ahead can these be made for a party?
Hi Kim, you can make these as far in advance as you need and freeze them! See the last step of the instructions for details. Hope they’re a hit at your daughter’s party!
I didn’t have quite the full amount of lemon juice so subbed in about 1/8 cup of lime juice. Still came out great and it was my first time making something like this!
Hey!! So are these able to be made without the parchment paper? I’m trying the recipe out because I love all your other ones. But someone used all the paper and didn’t say anything
Hi Grace! You can make these without lining the pan with parchment, but cutting the baked bars will be more tricky and messy. Make sure to use a glass pan (not metal) and grease it well. Let us know if you try!
Bars were way too sweet. You could cut the sugar by a third to a half in the filling
I Give this recipe 1 million Bajillion stars it was so tasty.
Hi! I was wondering if we half the recipe, could I use a 9inch in diameter cake pan? Also just curious but why is metal not reccomended?? If I did bake it i a metal pan, what would happen?
Thanks!
You can use a 9-inch round pan for a half batch of this recipe. The bars will be slightly thicker. We still recommend glass no matter what size pan. Do not use metal as we always detect a slight metallic flavor in the lemon bars when baked in metal pans.
Okay, Thank you! What if I cover the bottom and sides of the pn with parchment paper??
We have still detected a metallic taste that way. Best to stick with a glass or ceramic pan here!
Did you put food coloring in yours?? They are significantly more yellow than mine?
Hi Melissa! No, we did not add food coloring to these bars. The yellow color comes from both the lemons and the eggs.
the color depends a lot on your egg yolks, which depends on the chickens diet. regular supermarket eggs might not have that bright color. if you don’t want to buy more expensive eggs, a trick you can do is add a dash of turmeric. just a tiny bit goes a long way and the small amount won’t change the flavor.
This is the best lemon bar recipe, hands down. I have a gluten and dairy allergy, so I swapped regular flour for Bob’s Red Mill GF 1-1 Flour and swapped the regular butter with Country Crock DF butter. I made a lemon glaze to go over top – 1 cup powdered sugar and the juice of 1 lemon – DELICIOUS! Not only do I love it but the others I shared it with that do not have a food allergy, RAVED about it (I didnt tell them it was GF or DF)!
Finally an easy and fool proof and so very good lemon bar!!!! I won’t be keeping or making any other recipe ever!!! Thanks
You will not find a better lemon bar recipe. I love the tartness of the lemons. Be sure to use fresh lemon juice. It make a difference. I have tried many recipes and this is a definite keeper. Follow the recipe and you will not be disappointed.
Made these for the first time, and the filling cracked after cooling on the bench 🙁
Any idea what I might have done wrong?
(Still taste great though!)
Hi Belle, if the filling crackers, the bars were likely over-baked. An easy fix for next time!
Are these safe at room temp? It says to serve chilled but not that they *have* to be store refrigerated.. I love this recipe, it’s my go to, simple prep for a punchy and delicious payoff. But I made this late last evening and unintentionally fell asleep before I put them in the fridge. They were out at room temp for about 6 hours after they cooled until I got up this morning and put them in the fridge.
Hi Elena, we do recommend storing them in the refrigerator, however they should be okay left at room temperature for a few hours. Use your best judgement!
First time baking these. My Lemon Bars, you can taste the egg. Not sure what I did wrong. But other than that I thought they tasted good.
Hi Yesenia, they could be over-baked if they taste eggy. If you try them again try shortening the bake time. Thanks so much for giving these a try!
Family loved these bars! I have another lemon bar recipe, but I never make them because it is too time intensive. This recipe is quick and easy, even the clean up. I will defintly make these again!
Hi Sally! Made these and loved them. Wondering if instead of baking in a large rectangular pan I could instead bake them as little individual tarts? Thanks!
Hi Sarah, Absolutely! Exact bake time will really vary based on the exact size of your mini tarts, so keep a close eye on them or do a test run with just one or two of the mini tarts to help determine best bake time.
Instead of using actual lemons (because I don’t have any) could I use lemon use from a bottle, like the one you can buy from the store? Would it taste the same?
Hi H, you can, but you’ll miss out on a lot of flavor. We strongly recommend fresh lemons for best results!