This recipe for lemon bars is quick to make, and everyone loves them!
With a perfect balance of sweet and tart, these bars have a lemon custard filling on top of a buttery shortbread crust.
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We Love These Lemon Bars Because…
- They’re easy to make and use ingredients I always have on hand.
- They have a perfect balance between sweet and tart.
- They can be made ahead of time and freeze well.
Here’s What You’ll Need For Perfect Lemon Bars
Crust: What makes these so good? First, that crumbly buttery shortbread crust. Use real butter for the best flavor.
And the FRESH lemon… Second, to make this lemon bar recipe, fresh lemon is the best choice. You will need both lemon zest and juice for lots of lemony flavor.
Other ingredients: Eggs, sugar, and flour help bring it all together. They’re topped off with powdered sugar… LOTS of powdered sugar.
How Much Juice is in a Lemon?
Like most fruit, lemons can range in size, but on average, each lemon will give you about 3 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice. Each lemon will provide about 1 tablespoon of lemon zest using a microplane grater.
A Lot of Love For Lemons!
Did you enjoy this Easy Lemon Bars Recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below.
Ingredients
For the Crust:
- 10 tablespoons butter room temperature
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup powdered sugar plus 2 tablespoons, divided
- ¼ teaspoon salt
For the Filling:
- ⅓ cup fresh lemon juice about 2 lemons
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
Instructions
For the Crust:
- Preheat oven to 350°F and lightly grease a 9×9 inch pan.
- In a mixing bowl, combine flour, ½ cup powdered sugar, and salt. Cut the butter into the mixture until crumbly and then press into the bottom of the pan.
- Bake for 15-18 minutes until lightly golden. Meanwhile, make the filling.
For the Filling:
- In another mixing bowl, whisk all the filling ingredients together until combined.
- Pour over the cooked crust and place back in the oven for 17-20 minutes until filling is set.
- Cool completely, dust with remaining powdered sugar, and cut into squares.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Dessert
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A total winner!
I poured the filling into the crust and tore up the crust. Does the crust need to set for 5 minutes or so before I pour in the filling next time? Or did I not cook the crust enough, perhaps?
Thanks!
Hi Carrie, sorry this happened to you! I would say either the crust wasn’t quite done or maybe not quite cooled all the way?
Love this sight
It was amazing. They are the best lemon bars I have ever made. The only thing we would change is to add less crust, it was a bit thick. However it was still melt in your mouth & perfectly flaky!
I can’t wait to make this today, it looks just like what my husband asked for :) A question about the powdered sugar amount- is the “Plus 2 TBS” meant for sprinkling/dusting on top, or does the entire “1/2 cup plus 2 TBS” go into the filling, (And then i’d put extra on the top after it is done cooling ?
The entire ½ cup + 2 TBS goes into the filling and you can dust with a little bit extra. Enjoy!
My family loves a lot of lemon. Can I add more lemon juice? Would I have to adjust the other ingredients?
For extra lemon flavor, I would suggest adding additional lemon zest. If you add extra lemon juice, it can affect the consistency.
I am pretty sure I’ve left 2 or 3 reviews on this recipe. If I haven’t, then shame on me! I return to this recipe quite often – ingredients that I always have on hand, it’s easy, comes together quickly, perfect when you need an unplanned dessert, and it’s super delicious! Gosh! It’s a perfect recipe! Thank you for the gift! :)
So glad you enjoyed it, Chey! Thanks for leaving us a review ❤️
Excellent recipe. Only 2 of us, so I cut it in half. Easy and delicious, great balance of tart and sweet. Definitely making again.
Can I line the baking pan with parchment before baking the crust? I’d like to be able to lift the whole dessert out of the pan to make cutting easier. Thanks!!!
That should work just fine Mary!
i loved these lemon bars!!
is there a recipe to make chocolate bars instead of lemon??
something with the same consistency…
just chocolate not lemon.
any suggestions!?!
I haven’t tried these with chocolate so I can’t say for sure Donna.
These are so fire. I was skeptical about the crust, because I’ve never made anything like this and am new to baking, but it came out perfect. I’ve never had a better lemon bar, not even in any store.
Can the lemon bars be frozen?
Absolutely! These freeze well Anne!
Really easy to make, and delicious to eat!!
When you say powdered sugar do you mean icing sugar?
Yes, powdered sugar is also known as icing sugar.
It says to put in the oven until set. How do you know it is set
It should be fairly firm in the center and not jiggly.
Can it be doubled and pressed into a 13×9?
That should work just fine Robin! If you try it I would love to hear how it turns out!
Never heard of a 9” x 9” pan. Only have an 8 x 8.?????
Hi Mot, a 9 x 9-inch pan is a common pan and I have this one here which can be found on Amazon! I haven’t tried an 8 x 8-inch pan but it should work just fine, however you may need to increase the bake time slightly.
How successful is this receipe if you need to freeze ahead?
I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure Mary, but that should be just fine. If you try it I would love to hear how it turns out!
Can I cool them in the fridge or does it have to be room temp cool?
They can be cooled in the fridge.
I don’t have lemon zest. can I omit this ingredient?
The lemon zest does add flavor and I have only tried the recipe as written Mary so I can’t say for sure how it would turn out.