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. 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.
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-y desserts are always a great choice when looking for springtime or Easter dessert recipes.
PrintLemon 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) lemon juice (about 4 lemons)
- 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 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!
I made these lemon bars today with 1/2 almond flour and 1/2 unbleached flour. The crust is amazing and the lemon filling is absolutely perfect. I’d been craving something lemon for a few weeks and this treat is exactly what I needed! Thanks Sally!
These are the best lemon bars Iv ever had, I made a batch and brought some to my mom and she loved them as well! This is my go to recipe now.
Your lemon bars were fantastic, 10 +++ best I have ever made, perfection! Have a meyer lemon tree which made them yummy! Thank you for an easy & delicious recipe!
I consider myself a novice when it comes to baking, even though I’ve baked a little for a long time but every time I bake I learn something new. I made the crust in my Kitchenaid but when you said it should be thick, I thought mine wasn’t so I added more flour and then after pressing it into the pan, I had way too much so I added pecans to the extra and put in fridge. Good thing I did because I dropped the pyrex baking dish on the floor, dish didn’t break but the crust was upside down and all over the floor. Swept and threw away and got the pecan crust out and used that. I thought the recipe would be horrible but my Canasta playing friends and hubby loved it.
Can gluten free flour (cup for cup) be used instead of all purpose flour?
Hi Linda, I haven’t tested this recipe with gluten free flour but let me know if you try!
Just tried this recipe and it was very good! The shortbread crust was super buttery, and the ratio of sour to sweet was delicious! Thank you!
Can you make the shortbread crust a day ahead?
You can, yes, but make sure you warm it back in the oven for a couple minutes. It should be warm when pouring the filling on top.
Love this recipe best I have ever tried loving the citrus flavor! My grandma Nonnie new favorite treat after I shared it with her. Came out so easy and really was lemony and rich.
So delicious yet so easy to make!!Thank you so much for this recipe!
Love this recipe! Delicious, easy and look lovely. Do you have one for strawberries? Thank you
Love this recipe! Delicious, lovely and easy. Do you have a strawberry version. By request of our 12 year old son.
It’s a great recipe, but when I baked it, the crust floated to the top. Now the curd ended up on the bottom and the crust is on top. What happened, and how can I prevent this next time? On the other hand, it tastes amazing!
The same happened to mine! I uses self raising flour, I think that was the problem… But indeed, they do taste great anyway! They look a bit weird tho.
Mine came out of the oven splotchy. Mostly yellow with some white. What could have caused this?
Totally normal. See “White Air Bubbles on Top of Baked Lemon Bars” in the blog post.
First I have to comment on that crust, wow! It’s super easy compared to other short crust recipes and so flavorful! The bars made up in no time and they taste exactly like my Mom’s did years ago. This recipe is the first one of your’s that I’ve tried, now I can’t wait to try another. Thank you!
I’ve made these twice, the first time I felt like the filling didn’t mix together super evenly but the second time I added the flour/sugar to the lemon juice and eggs and it was absolutely perfect. The flavor was great both times and I received rave reviews from my husband and co-workers. I’ll definitely make them again!
I’m so glad you tried it again and that the bars were such a hit, Jaclyn!
I made these this weekend and they are the best lemons bars I’ve tasted. Recipe was simple and came out great! This one will be a go-to recipe for now on!
They look beautiful – tomorrow is the taste test – I am sure they will not disappoint. Do I cover them when I put in fridge ?
Thank You
It’s best to keep them covered, yes.
Thank you keep up the great recipes !!
These are FANTASTIC ! The melted butter for the shortbread crust is such a nice change from your regular lemon bars.
I am writing from Montreal Canada and I made them with fresh lemons from our aunt and Uncle who live in Arizona. They have a lemon tree.
I am definitely making them again !
Hi Sally. This was my second time baking these the first time with lemon juice and this time with grapefruit. Everyone loves them but i taste the flour in the shortbread crust. Any ideas of what im doing wrong or can do to get rid of the flour aftertaste im getting? Thank you.
That is odd that you would taste the flour, Laura. Are you using all purpose flour and sticking to the recipe exactly? make sure you are properly measuring the flour to be sure that you aren’t getting too much.
I had the same issue! Followed this recipe exactly and filling set up perfectly and tastes incredible. But crust definitely still has a raw flour taste. Not unpleasant but noticeable. I imagine that maybe a longer par-bake was needed on the crust, before adding the filling. I went for 20 min @325 as per the recipe but didn’t see any browning on the edges so I popped it back in the oven for 2-3 min. Still didn’t see any browning, so I just added the filling anyway. I think that was my error. I should have put it back in for even longer, until I saw some faint browning before adding the filling. Just like making a roux!
In any case, fabulous recipe! The taste of the filling is spot on.
I’m glad you enjoyed the filling, Matthew! Everyone’s ovens are a bit different so definitely use your eyes (through the oven door instead of opening it if possible!) as much as your timer. If you try them again keep them in a few minutes longer until the edges are just lightly browned.
Matthew i didnt get a browning on mine either. And i did just as you, opened the oven door to check, left them in longer and then continued to fill still without the browning. Now i cant wait to try this recipe again!
I made these for the first time yesterday and they were a big hit (our dinner guests asked to bring leftovers home)! I made a half recipe with juice from Meyer lemons. I added an extra 1/4 cup of juice and and extra egg and they came out great – though I did need to bake them a bit longer than instructed.
I made these lemons bars a couple of times and they came out absolutely amazing! I just made them today and my filling is cracked. I used organic sugar this time and noticed a little sugar slurry leftover in the bowl when I poured in the mixture. Do you think it was the sugar switch up or could I have left them on the counter too long? It wasn’t cracked when I pulled them out of the oven.
Do you whisk the eggs & lemon juice separately, and then add to the flour & sugar to combine, or should I just add the eggs & juice to flour without prior whisking?
Hi Ana! Whisk the eggs and juice into the sugar and flour. All in 1 bowl. No need to whisk the juice and sugar together separately.
Hi sally,
I’ve made this recipe twice and loved it both times. Do you think the color and taste would be okay if I used 1/2 cup lemon juice & 1/2 cup lime juice? Also – have you ever tried any lemon or lime extracts in this recipe?
Absolutely! I love making these with lime juice or even a combination of lemon and lime juice. I’ve never added extracts.
Hi Gwen! Thanks so much for trying these lemon bars and glad you enjoyed the taste. As mentioned, pour the filling over the warm crust. A cracked filling could mean that the eggs were over-beaten or over-cooked. Either way, thanks again for trying it and leaving your comment!
This is by Far THE Best Lemon Bar recipe Ever. The crust is So good. And using parchment paper is a wonderful idea. I did use real squeezed lemon juice, organic eggs, and even added a bit of zest. The bars hold up nicely, look so pretty, and are quite tart. I am very excited to serve it to guests.
Thank you So much for sharing. I’m going to check out more recipes from this site.
Followed the recipe and my filling didn’t set up. Extended baking time, and followed the cooling process. And it came out soupy. Would need a spoon to eat it. What went wrong?
Hi Vicki! Sorry you had trouble with them. These lemon bars aren’t firm, the topping is like a curd. However, it shouldn’t be like soup. If you decide to try the recipe again, I encourage a slightly longer bake time.
I tried this recipe using becel vegan margarine and lard instead of butter due to allergies. It turned out beautiful and so delishious. The cookie crust had a satisfying crunch and the lemon flavor was wonderful. They disappeared behind my back. We have 7 in our family. And there are 4 pieces left cause i hid them.
Wow, these turned out amazing. I originally chose this recipe because of the high reviews and it didn’t disappoint. I can’t eat dairy right now due to breastfeeding so I used Nutivas coconut oil butter flavor in the crust, and I don’t really eat sugar so I used lakanto monk fruit sweetener (only 1 cup instead of two since it’s really sweet and a pricey alternative lol) and they came out amazing. Unfortunately, I had the same thing happen to me as another person where I got the layer I had to peel off, but I did use my Breville oven so that could’ve been why. Either way it was still yummy. And using fresh lemons definitely was worth it. I’m going to try lime flavored and orange flavored next.
Followed this recipe word for word, every step. Used fresh lemons and everything. Had to throw the entire tray away because it smelled like an omelet. Even if you pinch your nose and take a bite, the lemon filling was way too sweet and sour, making it inedible. Not sure what happened- but this is a hard pass for me and I’m a huge fan of lemon bars.
Hi Shay, if the lemon topping a rubbery or egg-y texture (or smells like cooked eggs), it sounds like it was over-baked. It should have more of a creamy texture and lemon aroma. Thanks for trying them!
Yum! Thanks for this. We had a bunch of fresh mixed berries that someone gave us (blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries in fairly equal amounts), so I tried substituting that for lemon juice in the recipe and it turned out great. I blended the berries and strained the seeds twice then added that instead of the lemon juice plus an extra tablespoon of fresh lime juice. I also added a crumble on top from one of your apple crisp recipes. It sinks in a bit to the filling and added to the baking time but turned out great.
Can i substitute vegan margarine for the butter? I have 2 people in my family allergic to dairy.
Hi Donna! I’m sure you could, but I haven’t personally tested it.
So awesome! My 12 year old son loved these. He said definitely a keeper recipe and asked if they could be made with strawberries. Thanks for the great, easy recipe. Wendy