Lemon Bars
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Posted: 03/09/25
Updated: 03/21/25
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These Lemon Bars are the perfect mix of sweet and tangy! With a buttery shortbread crust and a smooth lemon filling, they’re easy to make and so delicious. Perfect for a simple dessert, a holiday treat, or just because you’re craving something lemony. Everyone will love these refreshing, zesty bars!
A good lemon dessert bar can really make someone’s day and our lemon bar with the perfect shortbread base and creamy, zesty filling is one place to start.
These lemon squares are such a simple dessert with great results. A shortbread base changes it up from the usual graham crust, really making all of the zesty lemon flavor stand out as the star of the show.
why you’ll love this recipe
- Lemon bars are so simple and made with ingredients you will already have in your home.
- You can make these a day or two ahead of when you need them since they need a few hours to set anyway, taking a bit of the load of hosting off with one less task.
- A dusting of icing sugar prior to serving makes these lemon bars look like you picked them up from the fancy local bakery, but you get all of the credit.
ingredients for lemon bars
- Butter – use unsalted for this recipe.
- Granulated sugar – A classic shortbread crust uses a classic sugar.
- Pure vanilla extract – If you only have artificial, that’s perfectly fine.
- Almond extract – A bit of a secret ingredient in the shortbread.
- Salt – Salt will enhance the lemon flavor.
- All-purpose flour – If necessary, substitute a 1:1 gluten free flour.
- Eggs – These will provide structure to the dessert.
- Lemon juice – Bottled or fresh lemon juice. If you are feeling adventurous, try another citrus juice like lime or grapefruit.
- Powdered sugar – This looks so pretty sprinkled on the final product.
Helpful Tools
How to make lemon bars
Line the bottom and sides of a 9×13 glass baking pan with parchment paper.
To make the crust, mix melted butter, sugar, vanilla, almond extract and salt in a medium bowl. Stir in flour to completely combine. This dough will be thick.
Press the crust firmly into prepared pan, making sure the crust layer is even.
Bake 20-22 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.
Remove from oven and poke holes all over the top of the warm crust with a fork without going all the way through. Set aside.
To make the lemon filling, mix sugar and flour together in a large bowl before whisking in the eggs and lemon juice to completely combine mixture. You can use a stand mixer, but I find whisking by hand to be simpler. Pour filling over crust.
Bake 22-26 minutes or until the center no longer jiggles.
Cool completely at room temperature for about 2 hours before putting in the fridge to chill 1-2 hours more.
Life the parchment paper out of the pan, cut into squares and dust with powdered sugar before serving chilled.
can i use foil instead of parchment paper?
Yes, you can use aluminum foil instead of parchment paper but it isn’t non-stick like parchment, so you will have to grease the foil with oil or butter.
How can i tell if the lemon bar is underbaked?
Your lemon bar is underbaked if the lemon filling is runny or gooey. You can put them back into the oven for a little bit longer and give them time to rest at room temperature and firm up. Putting them in the fridge once cooled will help them to become firmer too.
What is the best way to slice lemon bars
The best way to cut lemon bars is first by pulling up the parchment to remove the whole bar out of the baking dish so you don’t have any glass edges to run into with your knife. Run a sharp knife under hot water so it is warm and slice into the lemon bar. Wipe the knife clean after every cut.
It is very important that your bar is completely chilled before beginning to slice into it.
Pro Tips
- Do not use a metal baking pan, this will cause the shortbread to overbrown.
- Leaving the parchment a little larger than the pan will make it simpler to cut pieces of this square because you can lift it out of the pan.
- Slice the lemon bars while they are cold so that you get a nice clean cut.
- If you want the powdered sugar to stay on the bars longer, mix in a little bit of cornstarch to keep the powdered sugar from melting.
How to serve Lemon Bars
Since dessert is usually served at the end of a meal, you can serve this amazing lemon dessert with the usual tea or coffee.
Maybe you’re having a bit of an afternoon tea party and need a few more dessert options? A Raspberry Crumble Bar is always a great choice and only has four ingredients. Another awesome make ahead option is a Strawberry Cheesecake Bar. Delicious strawberry drizzled through the creamiest cheesecake? Yes, please!
How to store lemon bars
FRIDGE: Store sliced lemon bars in an airtight conatiner in the fridge up to seven days.
FREEZER: Freeze slices individually on a baking sheet and then wrap them individually in plastic wrap to keep them from sticking together before putting them in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight.
Cover a lot of flavor bases with these deliciously sweet and zesty Lemon Bars. You can easily cut them into smaller or larger squares depending on how many people you are feeding, but trust me, they won’t last no matter how you cut them.
More Lemon Dessert Recipes
- A common crowd favorite is a Lemon Bundt Cake drizzled in vanilla frosting.
- Sweet and tart, Lemon Cheesecake is a classic dessert.
- Strawberry Lemon Blossoms are such a great bake sale item.
- Take a regular sugar cookie and amp it up with lemon.
Did you make this? If you snap a photo, please be sure tag me on Instagram at @julieseatsandtreats or #julieseatsandtreats so I can see your yummy treat!
Lemon Bars Recipe
Sweet, tangy, and delicious Lemon Bars! With a buttery crust and a smooth lemon filling, they’re easy to make and perfect for any occasion. A refreshing dessert everyone will love!
Video
Ingredients
Shortbread Crust
- 1 cup unsalted butter melted
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
Lemon Filling
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- 7 large eggs
- ¾ cup lemon juice
- 3 Tablespoons powdered sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. 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, almond extract, and salt together in a medium bowl. Add the flour and stir to completely combine. The dough will be thick.
- Press the crust mixture firmly into the prepared pan, making sure the layer of crust is nice and even.
- Bake in preheated oven at 325 degrees Fahrenheit 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). Set aside.
Make the filling:
- Mix the sugar and flour together in a large bowl. Whisk in the eggs, then the lemon juice until completely combined. Pour filling over the warm crust.
- Bake the bars in preheated oven at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 22-26 minutes or until the center is relatively set and no longer jiggles.
- 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. Recommended to serve chilled.
- Once cool, lift the parchment paper out of the pan using the overhang on the sides. Dust with the powdered sugar and cut into squares before serving.
Nutrition Information
Serving: 1bar, Calories: 272kcal (14%), Carbohydrates: 40g (13%), Protein: 4g (8%), Fat: 11g (17%), Saturated Fat: 6g (38%), Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 0.4g, Cholesterol: 82mg (27%), Sodium: 82mg (4%), Potassium: 54mg (2%), Fiber: 1g (4%), Sugar: 27g (30%), Vitamin A: 367IU (7%), Vitamin C: 4mg (5%), Calcium: 15mg (2%), Iron: 1mg (6%)
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