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 were super easy and delicious!! Mine had the perfect texture! Will definitely make again
This was my first time making Lemon bars. They turned out okay, I don’t have a ton of experience baking but I am trying to learn. I found the crust a little to think for me personally, not sure if it was because I didn’t flatten them out enough or if there was just too much batter. They’re not my favourite but my fiancé and family seemed to love them. I’m happy I gave it a try and I think if I made them again they would come out better.
Wife and I enjoyed making this and the taste even better than anything we’ve made before. We were so used to the store bought crap, but man this really changes things without that manufactured aftertaste and made for a great date night. The recipe works guys! We skipped out on the confectioners sugar since we’re ok with the amount of sugar that’s in there.
followed as written + addition of lemon zest from 2 lemons. turned out great!
All I can say is the lemon curd is the best. I love the shortbread crust, best crust I have found. I did bake it longer about 10 more minutes. Easy, delicious and hands-down a keeper.
I used fresh Myers lemons. Amazing!!! Best we have ever had
Mine came out with a really weird texture, especially over the top. I also couldn’t tell if it was cooked or mot.
Sally, these are a dream!!!
I used fresh lemons from my backyard, and it had the perfect tartness and sweetness. I made two, one in a ceramic pan and one in glass, cooked them to your instructions.
Delicious!!
Thank you!
~Jessica.
I made these yesterday with Meyer lemons and they are delicious! I used a tad less sugar since Meyers are sweeter. I’m not sure if it’s my erratic oven or the decreased sugar, but at 26 minutes the topping was still soupy, and 5 minutes later it was very solid. I was worried it was overdone but it was just right. So I would recommend a *little* extra time if it’s not quite done. Also I think chilling it in the fridge is key before you try cutting it into squares.
Flavor is good, but mine turned out softer than hoped for—not quite runny, but messy. Hard to store and not something I’d share. I followed the recipe exactly and weighed my ingredients.
My husband made these yesterday. He is a fantastic cook and baker (I know, lucky me;) He appreciated the tips including the parchment paper and glass pan. He used lemons from our Myer lemon tree and included a small amount of zest. They are FANTASTIC! I could see how the cooking of the lemon mixture might be tricky but, I have trouble boiling eggs.
So, my rating is as the consumer not the baker. Hubby did say he will definitely make these again. Yay!!
I agree that there are big problems w/ the baking time/temp. I left my crust in for an extra 15 min, and it still seemed really doughy even though it was just beginning to brown at the edges. I figured maybe I should just trust the process at that point, and the lemon mix caused the crust to immediately fall apart and float to the top. I’ve made other recepies of lemon bars before without any problems, but let me tell you, this isn’t it.
I bake quite a bit but this was my first time making lemon bars. My changes: I followed someone’s recommendation in the comments and split the extract between vanilla and almond. I also added some lemon zest to the base. These were super easy to make and came out well! I’m already considering other citrus and flavoured shortbread options for next time.
Sorry, but this recipe was a complete fail. My bake looked nothing like yours, the surface was so ugly and full of bubbles! Like many others said, it was like a sponge on top. So disappointed.
Made it a few times, using waaaay less sugar. For half a batch I used 120 grams, and it set perfectly.
For the crust, I used cold clarified butter and less sugar, mixing it iwth my fingers. Its amazingly good!
Hmm…I used the right size pan, followed it exactly (I’m an experienced baker) and after the designated bake time I had a pan of liquid mess. I increased the temperature to 350 degrees and had to bake an additional 22 minutes. The crust held up and didn’t get too brown. I ended up with a cooked top crust, a slightly squishy middle and a pretty good shortbread base..I like a more solid lemon square, one that doesn’t ooze out of my fingers, even with chilling. So my son liked them and I enjoyed them but there seems to be something wrong with the bake heat and time.
Getting ready to make these in the next day or two – question: was the metallic taste you detected when using a metal 9×12 pan there even with use of the parchment layer on the bottom and up the sides?
Hi Heather, unfortunately, we did still notice a slight metallic taste even with parchment. Although, it certainly does reduce the taste vs. not using parchment at all.
This is my go to for lemon bars! I do substitute 1 tsp almond extract and 1 tsp vanilla, in place of 2 tsp vanilla. These bars never last more then a day in my house! Hoping to freeze half of them this time to savor for later!
I used another recipe the first time I tried to make lemon bars and they were a fail. I used this recipe and the lemon bars came out perfectly! Hubby and fam loved them!
I’ve made these a few times and they always come out perfect. Brought them to work and they were gobbled up to quick I didn’t get to have one myself! Thanks for the recipe!
These were yummy! I used some Meyer lemons from my brother’s tree and put about 2 tsp zest in as well. I did add even a couple more Tbsp flour to the crust than the recipe called for and cooked it on the bottom rack of the oven for the max amount of the range listed in the recipe. I did not find them eggy. I did freeze about 2/3 of the batch because it’s only my husband and myself and I didn’t want to eat them all in one sitting. 😉
I think you messed up on the pan size. I followed the recipe to the letter, used an 8×12 glass dish. I should have realized the error when I baked the shortbread part and it took an extra 10 minutes to even begin to brown. When I poured in the filling it almost overflowed the dish. It was still totally liquid after the second bake. I had to cook the whole thing an extra 15 minutes ay 350 for it to set and the bars just came out too thick, the shortbread too soft. So disappointed.
Hi Susan, this recipe calls for a 9×13 inch bake pan. An 8×12 inch pan is smaller (even slightly), which would produce thicker bars that require an extended bake time. I strongly recommend using a 9×13.
The same happened to me and I used a 9×13 pan. I cooked my crust additional time because it would not brown. And even after baking with the lemon filling it still was pretty raw after. Super bummed.
Sally I would like to thank you for sharing your 5 star recipe it was my 1st time making lemon bars and I am so glad it was your recipe I used. My boyfriend said they were scrumptious and had seconds!
Hi Sally! I made a couple of batches of these — I wonder about this slight crust on top of the lemon bars. The top has parts that are darker and lighter yellow and there’s a thin “layer” on top. It’s not overly eggy, but has a little chew to it. I’m wondering if the egg wasn’t properly mixed or not mixed enough? I followed the directions and used room temp eggs. It’s like there’s the shortbread layer, a lemony soft layer, and a slightly denser film on top.
Any help is greatly appreciated! Love your receipts, Sally!
Wow, these were so delicious! I made them easily, and used RealLemon (the store-bought stuff) juice.
Would definitely recommend to bakers of any skill level.
Thank you, Sally!
Hi! I made your lemon curd to use for the Berry Trifle (which everyone loved). Can I use the leftover curd for these (combine with flour or the like)? Thanks!
Hi Amanda, I’m just seeing your comment/question now. Unfortunately, the lemon curd is a bit too thin. I haven’t tried adding flour to it and testing the recipe that way though. Let me know if you try it.
Just made these. Turned out great! So delicious! 🙂
This is the best lemon bar recipe ever. I have tried numerous recipes and for those with negative comments you obviously didn’t follow the recipe. It helps to watch the tutorial. I made these bars today in order to have them ready for Christmas Eve. This is my third time making them and I still watched the tutorial to make sure I didn’t forget something. The only difference was instead of making one batch I made 2 because my family loves them and I want to give them each a few to take home provided they last. This is the only lemon bar recipe I will ever use. Thank you Sally, hope you and your family have a very Merry Christmas and may the New Year be filled peace, joy and good health.
My 6 year old son and I made this and they are so yummy!!! Love them. Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe. Happy Holidays!
I followed the recipe but found the result to be very greasy from the butter being melted. I would use the recipe again but only soften the butter.
Best, tangiest lemon bars ever. Follow the recipe, it’s what works. Got best compliment ever from daughter-in-law, who loves lemon, she said best ever.
Thank you for posting such an awesome recipe. It is delicious.
Your directions and comments are very detailed and spot on.