Lemon Bars
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Perfect for potlucks, picnics, or just a quiet afternoon tea, these lemon bars with a buttery shortbread crust and luscious lemon filling are as pretty as they are delicious!
One of my favorites from my first cookbook, these lemon bars stand out for a couple of reasons. First, there’s the crust: a crisp, buttery shortbread enhanced by a little pastry chef trick I love—mixing a touch of cornstarch with the flour. This small tweak, along with the mixing method, gives the base a wonderfully crisp texture, providing the perfect contrast to the rich, luscious lemon layer above.
Then comes the lemon topping itself: tart yet sweet, and bursting with bright, citrusy flavors from plenty of lemon juice and zest. It is truly luscious! These bars are not only easy to whip up with just eight ingredients but also keep beautifully, so you can definitely prepare them ahead of time for any event, big or small.
Table of Contents
“Simply the best lemon bars you’ll ever eat.”
What You’ll Need To Make Lemon Bars
- All-purpose flour: Provides structure to the crust, and also thickens the lemon topping, helping it set once baked.
- Cornstarch: Gives the crust a tender, melt-in-your-mouth texture.
- Confectioners’ sugar: Sweetens the crust while also contributing to its crisp texture. Also used to dust the finished bars for decoration and added sweetness.
- Butter: Adds richness and flakiness to the crust, giving it a shortbread-like texture and flavor.
- Eggs: The base of the topping, giving it structure and richness.
- Granulated sugar: Sweetens the lemon layer and balances the tartness of the lemon juice.
- Lemon zest: Provides a strong, aromatic lemon flavor that enhances the tartness and freshness of the topping. Be sure to zest only the yellow part of the lemon skin and leave the white pith behind, as it’s bitter.
- Freshly squeezed lemon juice: Adds the essential tart lemon flavor to the topping.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Make The Crust
Place the flour, cornstarch, salt and Confectioners’ sugar in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment.
Mix for 15 seconds to blend, then toss in the cold butter.
Mix until the mixture resembles coarse meal, 10 to 15 seconds.
Sprinkle the mixture into a foil-lined, greased 9×13-in pan.
Press firmly with your fingers into an even layer, building up a thin 3/4-inch edge around the sides (this keeps the filling from spilling beneath the crust).
Refrigerate for 30 minutes or freeze for 15 minutes.
Bake the crust until lightly golden, 15 to 20 minutes.
Step 2: Make The Filling
Start by whisking the eggs in a large bowl.
Add the sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, and flour.
Whisk well, making sure no lumps of flour remain.
Pour the filling into the baked crust.
Step 3: Bake & Cool
Return the pan to the oven and bake another 30 to 35 minutes, or until the topping is set and firm. Let the bars cool on a rack to room temperature; it will take several hours.
Step 4: Cut the Lemon Bars
Use the foil overhang to lift the baked square out of pan and onto a cutting board. Carefully loosen the foil from the edges of the crust.
Using a sharp knife, cut into squares or triangles.
Use a fine sieve to dust the squares with Confectioners’ sugar. Store the bars in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Serve chilled or room temperature.
Video Tutorial
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely, lemon bars can be made up to 2 days ahead of time (and leftovers will keep nicely for up to 5 days). You can store them either before or after cutting; however, they can be a bit sticky, so it’s generally easier to store them before cutting into individual bars. Once they’re fully set and chilled, wrap them well or place them in an airtight container to maintain their freshness and prevent them from absorbing any unwanted fridge odors.
Yes, lemon bars freeze beautifully—they are even good frozen! To freeze the bars, let them cool completely and freeze the batch whole, covered tightly with aluminum foil or plastic freezer wrap, for up to three months. (The cut bars can also be frozen in a single layer.) Before serving, remove them from the freezer and let them thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Cut the bars and then sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar before serving.
Yes, you can easily substitute lemon with lime to make lime bars. This swap will give your bars a tropical, slightly different flavor. For a more nuanced taste, consider using half lemon and half lime juice.
Leftover lemon bars should be stored in an airtight container in a single layer in the refrigerator. You may need to dust them with confectioners’ sugar before serving again.
No, I wouldn’t recommend using bottled lemon juice, as fresh is key for that bright, tart flavor. Plus, you need the zest anyway, so using fresh lemons is absolutely essential.
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Perfect for potlucks, picnics, or just a quiet afternoon tea, these lemon bars with a buttery shortbread crust and luscious lemon filling are as pretty as they are delicious!
Ingredients
For the Crust
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup Confectioners' sugar, plus more to decorate finished bars
- 2 sticks (1 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces
For the Lemon Topping
- 6 large eggs
- 3 cups granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest (be sure to zest the lemons before juicing)
- ⅔ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, from 5 to 6 lemons
- ⅔ cup all-purpose flour
Instructions
Make the Crust
- Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Cover a 9x13-in metal baking pan with heavy-duty aluminum foil (see note below). Push the foil neatly into the corners and up the sides of the pan, using two pieces if necessary to ensure that the foil overlaps all edges (the overhang will help removal from the pan). Spray the foiled pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- Place the flour, cornstarch, salt, and Confectioners' sugar in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment and mix for a few seconds. Add the butter and mix to blend until the mixture resembles coarse meal, 10 to 15 seconds. Sprinkle the mixture into the prepared pan and press firmly with your fingers into an even layer, building up a thin ¾-inch edge around the sides (this keeps the filling from spilling beneath the crust). Refrigerate for 30 minutes or freeze for 15 minutes.
- Bake the crust until lightly golden, 15 to 20 minutes.
Make the Filling
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, and flour. Be sure no lumps of flour remain.
- When the crust is ready, give lemon mixture a quick final stir and then pour over top. Immediately return the pan to the oven and bake another 30 to 35 minutes, or until the topping is set and firm. Let the bars cool on a rack to room temperature; it will take several hours.
- To cut, use the foil overhang to lift the baked square out of pan and onto a cutting board. Carefully loosen the foil from the edges of the crust, using a knife if necessary. Using a sharp knife, cut into squares or triangles. Use a fine sieve to dust the squares with Confectioners' sugar. Store the bars in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Serve chilled or room temperature.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The bars can be frozen for up to 3 months. After they are completely cooled, freeze the batch whole, covered tightly with aluminum foil or plastic freezer wrap. Before serving, remove them from the freezer and let them thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Cut the bars and then sprinkle with Confectioners’ sugar before serving.
- Note: Be sure to use heavy-duty aluminum foil; regular aluminum foil may stick. Parchment paper can also be used to line the pan.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (20 servings)
- Serving size: 1 large square
- Calories: 306
- Fat: 11 g
- Saturated fat: 6 g
- Carbohydrates: 50 g
- Sugar: 36 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Sodium: 140 mg
- Cholesterol: 80 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Hi Jenn,
Can Poppy seeds be added to these Lemon Squares?
Also I would like to make this in 8×8 square pan, what might the measurements be?
Thanks so much for all your amazing recipes
Mary
So glad you like the recipes, Mary! I think you could get away with adding poppy seeds to the crust but wouldn’t recommend adding them to the filling. If you’ve got a hankering for something with lemon and poppy seeds, you may want to try this cake. And if you’re interested in making this in an 8 x 8-inch pan, right above the final picture of the lemon bars, look for a link to the old version of the recipe (which was made in a 9 x 9- inch pan). You can use those measurements and baking time. Just keep in mind it will take a tiny bit longer in your pan as it will be slightly thicker mixture. Hope that helps and that you enjoy!
Thanks so much and Merry Christmas to you and yours!!
Used 4 lemons..this came to almost 1 cup juice. Should I really use 5-6 lemons?
No, not necessary to use any more lemons — you must’ve just had juicy ones! Hope you enjoy. 🙂
Hi there,
I’m not experienced (at all) and I just tried this. When I poured in the lemon topping, the crust came up in about half of the pan…literally, floating in the lemon mixture.
I’m not sure what I’ve done wrong? Maybe I didn’t bake the crust enough? Any ideas, I would like to try again!
Hi Barbara, Sorry to hear you had a problem with this — I’ve never heard of the crust floating up like that! When you added the crust to the baking dish, did you press it down firmly with your fingers and then refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes?
I have made this recipe countless times and this happened to me once…I was in a rush and poured the lemon filling into the crust with too much gusto and it broke up the shortbread crust. Maybe that’s what happened here with Barbara? I always pour gently now, and it hasn’t happened since…
Good to know Samantha — thanks so much for weighing in!
I even read this review before making this and this still happened to me 🙁 I guess I poured too hard in one place…
Hi Jen, I’ve made the older recipe many many times. Love it. Do you think using limes instead of lemons would work too? Just to try something different. Made your key lime pie recipe 2 wks ago. It was great too.
I do, Lorrie. Please lmk how they turn out!
They were delicious. I just added 2 drops of green gel food coloring
The recipe was very close to perfect, but just too sweet for my taste buds. I prefer some pucker to lemon bars. I’ll definitely make them again, but will adjust the sugar to my taste. Your instructions were very thorough and I appreciate the advice on covering the pan and greasing it. My foil had a slight tear in it and holy cow did it stick in that spot. I can’t imagine if I’d skimped on that step!
Delicious. I did 5 eggs and 3 yolk instead of 6 while eggs. Although I love the strong flavour of lots of lemon, I found it a bit too strong. My husband said it was too much punch. I think making it again, I would do half a cup less sugar, and 1 tablespoon instead of 2 of zest. Really bakes well and after chilling, cuts beautifully.
Lovely recipe. I did add a teaspoon of lemon zest to the crust. I don’t like using tinfoil so used parchment paper. Worked just fine.
A couple of little tips; for people saying “not enough crust to go up the sides”. When you take the crust out of the oven, take a teaspoon and gently push the hot crust up the sides. This worked well for me.
I have an autoimmune disease that causes very painful & weak wrists. I knew I would not have enough strength to blend the flour into the egg sugar mix until lump free. I combined the flour & lemon juice in a tall beaker & blended with my immersion blender. Then whisked this into the egg & sugar mix.
This worked beautifully & ensured the flour was well mixed with no lumps remaining. This could also help people saying it required more cooking time. Mine were done in 30 minutes.
Thank you for a fantastic recipe.
ps; I have an anaphylactic dairy allergy. Obviously using butter is out of the question for me.
I used vegan Becel with just a tiny amount of extra cornstarch. The Becel is a little watery compared to butter.
These turned out beautifully.
♥️
These were amazing! I only have a miniature food processor so I used a pastry cutter to mix the crust part – it was definitely a great workout for my arms, but it worked just as well. I was using Meyer lemons and don’t like super-sweet desserts, so I cut back the sugar by about 3/4 cup. After reading previous reviews, I left it in the oven for an extra 5 minutes. Although the top looked baked, the middle part was still pretty gooey when I tested it with a toothpick. But I decided to keep to your instructions and left it to cool. I left it on the countertop overnight, and thank goodness, because they were perfectly well-done when I cut into them in the morning! I’m glad I didn’t put it back in the oven, because it would have definitely over-baked and hardened. I also agree with using heavy-duty foil. I made the mistake of using regular foil when I baked your brookies – and they split down the middle when I lifted it out of the pan. I used heavy duty aluminum foil this time, and these lemon bars stayed perfectly in shape as I lifted them out. Thank you again!
I had never made lemon squares before and tried these. They are as great as all the reviews say…even a few days later in the refrigerator. My friends and family loved them so much. Perfect recipe. Thank you!
Can you please add a reminder to make this in a deep pan I was unable to use all the topping
Thanks
Hi Margaret, There should be plenty of room in the baking dish for the base and topping. Did you use something other than a 9×13-inch pan?
This could be the best dessert I’ve ever made!! My neighbor, who LOVES lemon bars, said they were the best he’s ever tasted! Absolutely delicious! Perfect recipe!!
I have never made lemon bars before but was asked to bring 2 desserts to a cookout and wanted something different than the chocolate heavy other dessert I had planned. The lemon bars were amazing! Several people commented they might have been the best they’ve tasted and they especially liked the “thicker” crust. There were a few left when the night was ending and a couple of people asked if they could take them home. Success!! Thanks Jenn!