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!
These are outstanding! Lots of eggs, and lemons- remember when we could just go to the store on a whim?-but I planned for that. Took these to the hospital where I work and gone in a flash !
Sally, your recipes never let me down!!!
These lemons bars are simply amazing. Followed recipe exactly as listed. I have always been a bit hesitant to do baking projects but Sally’s instructions were clear and easy to follow. Even my boyfriend, who does not like lemon bars and was skeptical of the recipe, loved them and can’t help but snack on them. Also, when you freeze them, they taste exactly as freshly baked when they thaw. Yum yum yum! I will check out more recipes from Sally’s, I’m now a devotee. 🙂 Did these during quarantine and will do them post-quarantine for years to come. Thank you Sally!
I’ve been looking for the perfect lemon bar recipe and have tried many. My family agrees this is the very best. Perfect ratio of crust to filling and both are absolutely delicious!
Hi, I just made these the other day and they tasted amazing (that shortbread recipe is going to be my new go to). However, the very top layer of my bars became almost spongey and ended up looking a little foamy. Any idea what happened?
Hi Kristian, this is completely normal. While the bars could have been overbaked, the white foamy parts are simply the air from the eggs rising. See White Air Bubbles on Top of Baked Lemon Bars. A dusting of confectioners’ sugar covers this right up.
I and my friends love this recipe. In truth, they love all of your recipes! I have added blueberries to the crust and lemon zest to the filling and have not been disappointed. I have also added about 1/4 cup of Cutie Orange Juice to the lemon juice and while it does separate when it bakes my friends loved it. Sally, thanks again for helping me out!
These were great! This was the first time I’d ever made lemon bars. I cut the sugar in the filing to 1 1/2 cups as I don’t like things that are too sweet, and I added an extra TBS of flour. I didn’t get a cup of lemon juice from four large lemons–only 1/2 cup, so I added a half cup of water and 2TBS of lemon zest. They came out perfect! I couldn’t even wait for them to cool all of the way before I had one.
These were amazing! Your shortbread crust makes these the best ever! I shared with a friend, and her mother has dropped off lemons begging me to make another batch!DELICIOUS!
Splendid… I have never made lemon bars before. You bet I will again, this is an easy quick step recipe that turns out so awesome. I have been craving lemon something and did not know what… I love how you write your recipes, how you give hints and suggestions. I have been delighted with several of your recipes, and this one for the lemon bars are just perfect. The cookies crust is so tasty and the lemon filling is the perfect balance of sweet and tart.. Thank you for taking the time to write down step by step instructions… They make the difference.
Made these today and they turned out pretty good! I was worried they would be to “eggy” but the texture it’s just perfect. (Not a baker here, so anything for me is a big accomplishment) yayyy!
I am on a lemon kick and I’ve been making all things lemon! These bars however are by far my favorite! The smell of lemon permeated the house while these were baking. While very sweet, a small square will do, they taste exactly like the filling of a lemon meringue pie (which is my favorite!). These are definitely a keeper!
Best lemon bar recipe ever, thanks! A fresh, bright and light filling balanced by just the right amount of shortbread. I used 4 lemons and 2 limes to make 1 cup of juice, and added a half teaspoon of Boyajian lemon oil for the sour zingy undertone I like. The instructions were clear, easy to follow, and everything worked perfectly. The parchment paper was a nice touch. When cool on the parchment on the counter, I cut the lemon bars into six large squares with a pizza cutter (each about the size of a square plastic storage container), slid them about 1.5 inches apart on the parchment, and then cut the paper between them with a scissors, slightly larger than the squares. Lifting them by the paper edges, I then stacked them two to a container with the repurposed parchment between. For longer storage, I would add another piece of parchment on top before putting the lid on. The larger squares can then be cut to individual serving sizes later as needed. Which might help deter me from eating just one more piece…or not! Too tasty!
Delicious! I cant wait to.make them again!
Made these Lemon Bars today and they are absolutely delicious! Followed the recipe to a T and I wouldn’t change a thing.
Omg these bars are amazing the shortbread base is to die for thanks very much for the recipe it’s my new fav xx
Amazing recipe! I have made this multiple times and everyone always falls in love with them! Today I am doing a taste test challenge between freshly squeezed lemon juice vs Santa Cruz Organic 100% Pure Lemon Juice.
Would it be possible to convert this recipe to make it in muffin tins?
I did recipe and cut in half so I used 2 extra large eggs instead of three and it came out great, do you know how many calories are in each bar?
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Adanna. I’m unsure of the nutritional info of this recipe, but there are many great online calculators like this one: https://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-calculator.asp
Hello! I just made these and the flavor is really good, but the filling wasn’t as solid as yours are in the video. Is there any insight you can provide? Maybe I didn’t bake it long enough?
My gosh! These are the absolute BEST! I’m a huge fan of lemon bars and I’ve tried 6 recipes (quarantine is driving me on a cooking spree lol) The others didn’t really have any”zing” to it or had some kind of flaw, but these are PERFECT! Thank you so much for this recipe!!! I’m gonna use it from here on out!
This was my first time making lemon bars. I made this with store-bought lemon juice (can’t find lemons in my store) and coconut oil instead of butter (can’t find butter, either). My fiancé was pleasantly impressed, he started eating them right out of the pan before they even had a chance to cool in the fridge! This is my new favorite recipe.
This was my first time making lemon bars and this recipe was so easy and absolutely delicious. I used fresh lemons and salted butter because it was all I had. I didn’t add any extra salt to the crust and they came out perfect! The bars are super lemony, sweet and tangy, to die for. The top layer looks a little funky but nothing some powdered sugar can’t cover up. Will be making again soon!
If I have made your lemon curd recipe can I use that for this recipe so I don’t have to make a whole new filling?
Thanks!
Oh my goodness!!! These are incredible. A recipe to brighten any day. Thank you Sally!!! Pure perfection. Love the shortbread crust.
These are perfect! Followed the recipe as written and they came out great. This will be something we make again and again!
Just made these and halved the recipe for a 9×9 pan. Went ahead and used off the shelf lemon juice since that’s all I had. Followed the directions exactly and they turned out AMAZING (I’m sure they will be even better real lemons)! Best lemon bars I’ve ever made. Lining the pan around with parchment paper really helped too I think and made clean up a breeze. Thanks for recipe!
I just made these, I followed the 1/2 recipe. They are heavenly! I was afraid the curd would be too sweet, but it wasn’t at all. I did add a teaspoon of lemon zest because I like the zing. I will definitely make again.
I followed the recipe to the T and they came out perfectly. My Boyfriend and I are huge fans and I will definitely be making them again. They didn’t come out too sour or sweet. It was the perfect combination of tangy-sweetness. Glad to have this recipe in my arsenal for future potlucks and get-togethers.
This lemon bar recipe is AMAZING! I tried it with oranges, and half orange and half lemon as well. The orange ones were a bit sweet/didn’t have the orange flavor, however the lemon/orange are perfect if people think the original ones are too sour. 🙂
I followed the recipe as is but only used 6 small lemons (about 3/4 cup of lemon juice). It still tasted great!
I want to try these, but happen to have Meyer lemons. I know Meyer lemons are sweeter and less tart than regular lemons, so should I change the amount of sugar in the filling at all?
You can definitely use Meyer lemons here. I don’t recommend changing the amount of sugar because it helps the curd set up properly.
This is the best lemon bars I have ever made, literally my coworkers told me I could sell them. The only thing I do is make sure they are cooked through with my little oven. I also do 6 Meyer lemons if they are in season. So great. My go to lemon bar recipe.
I love this recipe. My favorite part is the crust. Do you think you could make this crust by itself and serve as bars?
I can’t see why not!
Made these last night for the first time and they were a hit with my family! My bars did develop a white layer on top so I was convinced throughout the entire baking process that I messed them up by over whisking the filling, but after cooling and setting they were PERFECT! I had to add a few additional minutes when baking the crust and then the filling, so the descriptions in the recipe were very helpful to make sure my lemon bars were ready.
A little reminder to be sure to remove any lemon seeds from the juice before adding it to the filling. I accidentally forget this step and spent way too long scooping them out of the filling. Oops!
Hi Sally,
I love lemon bars but have never made them and came across your recipe during the quarantine and many lemons on my hands. Love the flavor but as Denise mentioned, my crust seemed oily when pressing it into the pan and ended up being chewy and gooey, not crisp like a regular shortbread. I was wondering if the crust should bake a little longer, (baked it for the 20 min) or if it needed more flour. I did mix it with a hand mixer which may have been my error. Other wise perfect lemony taste.