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!
Just made these and couldn’t wait till they were chilled all the way through..they are DELICIOUS!
Hi Sally,
My lemon bars were good, but the custard and bottom crust separated when I served to family.
Also, bottom crust crumbled. What did I do wrong?
Hi Lotus, Make sure that you pour the lemon filling on the warm crust right after pre-baking. That will help it stick. Or try pre-baking the crust for a little less time so it’s not as “solid” before pouring on the filling. I hope this helps!
I would love to make these lemon bars but I was wondering if I could make them with a graham cracker crust instead of the shortbread. Can I just make this switch without changing the recipe too much? Thank you!
Hi Allison, For a graham cracker crust- follow the directions for Nutella swirl cheesecake bars recipe (but double it for a 9×13 pan per the recipe notes)
I baked these this weekend and they turned out perfect. The part where you polk the fork in was made 10 times easier because I had bought ( At a very inexpensive store) a hand held foot messager and ended up using that. The crust was perfectly uniformed.
My first attempt at making lemon bars and they turned out great! My husband said they were so good he took some to work and came home saying people wanted the recipe . Love this recipe !
Thanks to you,I now make the best lemon squares I have,or anyone else I have (reluctantly) shared them with has ever tasted!Thank you for this delicious recipe!
Question…what could cause the filling to get between the crust and the pan and cause the crust to lift above the filling? What did I do wrong or how do I prevent that?
Hi Corey, Usually when the bars end up inverted it’s because either the crust was over-baked or the crust was cooled for too long. If you ever want to try this recipe again, use a fork to poke holes into the warm crust after you take it out of the oven. This helps the topping stick to it and holds the crust in place (below the filling). I hope this is helpful!
Cook time for the halved recipe was way off. Bars were inedible my first try because they were so undercooked….
My very first attempt at lemon bars and I’d say they were to die for. I also got many compliments and request for the recipe.
I’ll never try another recipe.
I’m dreaming about the next time I can make these!
These are by far, the BEST lemon bars I’ve ever had. The crust is tasty and holds it’s own against the yummy filling. Now for the filling… not too sweet, great lemon flavor and not runny- exactly how I like lemon bars. Recipe was easy to follow and I will be making these again very soon!
My new go to recipe for lemon bars. I made these for a party and they were fabulous. I followed the recipe exactly and used all the suggestions. I made them last minute and they were great served room temp. I did not have a sifter so used a whisk for flour and sugar and they came together beautifully. Also just greased my pan and skipped the parchment step and they came out fine.
Hello, Sally and everyone. I just made this recipe and it was so easy. They came out great. This is definitely a keeper.
OMG! I’m not the biggest lemon fan, but these were amazing! Took them to work…..EVERYONE loved them! They are “pinned” and I will definitely make them again! Sooo easy (I did let the crust/bar part bake a little longer). Thanks, Sally! Another winner
I made these bars and was so excited, but when it came to getting them out of the pan the crust was completely stuck! I didn’t have parchment paper so I buttered the entire bottom of my glass pan, but it somehow didn’t work. What I could get out tasted delicious, and I’ll be sure to make these again using parchment paper.
I just took mine out of the oven. I think I must have done something wrong. The lemon layer looks more like a cake. I’m hoping once they cool and I put them in the fridge and dust with powdered sugar, it will be ok. I followed the recipe exactly so wondering if this is normal.
First just want to say, I have used the original lemon bar recipe, minus poking the crust for a long time with fabulous results!!! However the new tip to poke the crust ruins them entirely. Like tragically. It literally dissolved the entire crust and went under as I poured the lemon filling over.
I’m a professional baker with over 15 years of experience and this has happened twice now, it’s the step of poking the crust causing these to fail. These were fine before Sally, please remove the poke the crust tip! I see I’m not the only person to have had this happen to! Xoxo sorry I had to say something, too many ingredients to waste in this one!
Sally, my son loves everything lemon. For the past 12 years we’ve used all your lemon-focused recipes for birthdays, school parties and events. Last night I made these for his ‘before heading off to college’ dinner with his friends and the reviews (as usual!) were all raves. Thank you for seeing us through so many milestones through the years- you make me look like I know what I’m doing!
Just made these this morning and added 2Tablespoons of dried Lavender for a twist as my Granddaughter’name is Lavender… Lol, I am so obsessed with everything! Turned out so gooood! Thank you for the recipe!!!
The best lemon bar recipe I have ever made. Partly because it’s got more lemony topping. One small thing that helps is the addition of lemon zest (skin of lemon) from the lemon(S) you have squeezed. Gives it real POW! Another recipe that I have used before added chopped nuts into the base, again another nice addition if one likes nuts.
Shortbread crust didn’t set well. The filling completely dissolved it when poured in and made a mess.
Best lemon bars!
I cannot begin to explain how delicious these are. It seems like such a simple bake but gives a lovely lemon eggy custard on top of a moist but dense biscuit base. These are definitely ‘morish’ and I am so glad I gave them a go. They are also very cost-effective to bake and would be great for a party treat. I will be keeping this recipe for sure!
First attempt at making lemon bars and this recipe worked perfectly! Used all your tricks and these delicious bars came out beautifully. We love a strong citrus flavor so I added the zest of one lemon to both the shortbread and the filling. The pop of lemon flavor was perfect! I’m never buying lemon bars ever again!
These are perfect. I only had three lemons so I topped up the remaining with some bottled lime juice.
Take a knife around the edge before pulling them out. The butter in the crust does create a bit of suction with the parchment paper, so be careful when pulling them out. I gave the edges a little trim before cutting the squares, just for aesthetics and to get rid of the bit of curd that overcooks against the glass.
Definitely adding them to the recipe box! Thank you!
Hi Sally, I forgot to poke holes in the crust before pouring in the filling and the crust floated to the top and broke in the middle. it baked alright though, and now it is chilling. It tastes really good but I don’t want this mistake to happen again. Do you have any tips?
Hi Emily, Usually when the bars end up inverted it’s because either the crust was over-baked or the crust was cooled for too long. If you ever want to try this recipe again, use a fork to poke holes into the warm crust after you take it out of the oven. This helps the topping stick to it and holds the crust in place (below the filling). I hope this is helpful!
Just made these last night on a 9×9 pan, and after chilling I do think the flavor is decent but the shortbread feels a little bit too doughy for me. It also feels soft, almost underbaked maybe (I left it in the oven until the tops weren’t jiggly anymore though)? There is a really intense greasy sensation in the back of my mouth when I eat it, so maybe next time I’ll be cutting down on the butter or using softened instead of melted.
Hi Corina, If the crust is doughy I wonder if it was not baked long enough. If you wish to try again, leave it in the oven for a bit longer next time. Thank you for trying this recipe!
5 stars for the flavor, but a word of caution if you’re making these for an event or bakesale… the layers may invert in the pan during baking. I have yet to figure out why. It’s not a problem when baking for home (especially mine as these get gobbled with nary a complaint) but I’d bake at least a day or two in advance if they’re for events where presentation matters just to make sure there are no last min inversion surprises. They taste even more delectable the next day or so anyways 🙂
These are insane. Best lemon bars ever, can’t get enough of them!!!
Made these today and they were delicious! Thank you for such a great easy recipe! I loved that there is not many dishes to wash afterwards! Will definitely make them again!
Hi Sally, would I be able to cut the sugar down to 1 cup and lemon juice to 3/4, without altering the texture?
Hi Nina, By reducing the sugar you are also playing with how the lemon bars will set. You may want to add additional flour and/or bake time. For best success, I recommend sticking with the recipe.