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This really is the BEST Lemon Bar recipe! With a classic with shortbread crust and a creamy sweet and tart lemon filling, this dessert is going to make all the lemon lovers so happy. The zing from the filling pairs so well with the thick crust – you won’t be able to get enough.
Oh, how I love a shortbread crust topped with tart lemon filling. My lemon squares recipe is one of my favorite lemon desserts! This recipe is better than Ina Garten’s lemon bars, pinky swear. My recipe is easier to make and the balance of crust to filling is perfect. The filling sets up every single time!
Ingredient Notes
- Butter: Use unsalted butter for the crust, make sure it’s softened. You can reduce added salt if using salted butter.
- Sugar: I love using powdered sugar in shortbread and granulated sugar in the lemon square filling.
- Lemon: You’ll need FRESH lemon juice and lemon zest! The lemon zest is where most of that lemon flavor comes from!
How to Make Lemon Bars
- The first thing that sets these bars apart is the crust. It’s a simple buttery shortbread crust that is easy to make. Many recipes have you bake the crust in a large baking dish, but I prefer a smaller 9×9” square one. That way you get thick lemon bars.
- You don’t have to chill the dough – just mix it up, press it into the pan and bake it. No waiting! The crust is ready for the pan when the dough is crumbly but sticks together when you squeeze it.
- I partially bake the crust so that it’s soft and buttery and crunchy once the bars are all done.
- The filling is so easy to make by just whisking all the ingredients together.
- Lemon bars are done baking when the lemon filling is no longer liquid in the center and the bars are lightly golden on top.
- Cool the bars completely before slicing and serving. I like to dust them with powdered sugar!
Expert Tips for Lemon Bars
- I recommend whisking your eggs to break up the yolks and incorporate the whites before adding the other ingredients.
- Keep an eye on the bars while they bake. You want to pull them out of the oven when they are set in the middle and just lightly golden on top.
- Don’t skip lining the baking dish with parchment paper or foil. This will make it really easy to lift the bars out in one piece before you slice them.
- You can also use a food processor to make the curst – just pulse all the ingredients together until crumbly.
- It is best to make lemon bars in a metal pan so the crust cooks and the filling sets. Glass pans do not conduct heat as well as metal.
Lemon Bars FAQ
The best way to cut them cleanly is to remove the entire slab from the pan using the parchment or foil. Then spray the knife with some nonstick cooking spray, and wipe it clean between cuts.
Yes! It’s really easy to make lime bars with this recipe – same recipe, but use lime or key lime juice and zest.
Lemon Bars Recipe
Recipe Video
Ingredients
Crust:
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- ½ cup (57g) powdered sugar
- 2 cups (248g) all purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Filling:
- 4 large eggs
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- Zest of 1 medium lemon
- Pinch of salt
- ½ cup (118ml) fresh lemon juice from about 4 medium lemons
- Powdered sugar for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9×9 or an 8×8 pan with foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
- Make the crust by creaming the butter with a hand or a stand mixer (fitted with the paddle attachment) until smooth. Add powdered sugar, flour, and salt and mix slowly until the mixture is crumbly but sticks together when you press it between your fingers. Press the crust into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake for about 13 minutes, or until it just starts to get a light golden brown around the edges.
- While the crust is baking, whisk the eggs until beaten. Whisk in the sugar, lemon zest, salt, and lemon juice. Pour over hot crust, then continue to bake for 15-18 minutes, or until the mixture is no longer liquid in the center and it’s lightly golden brown on top.
- Cool completely before removing from pan. Remove foil, then dust with powdered sugar. Slice and serve, dusting with more powdered sugar as desired.
Recipe Notes
- I recommend a stand mixer for the crust if you have one, if not, a hand mixer will work but it will take a bit of time to get it mixed. Make sure the mixture sticks together when you press it into the pan – and make sure it’s pressed very well into a solid crust so there are no holes.
- Keep an eye on the bars while they bake. You want to pull them out of the oven when they are set in the middle and just lightly golden on top.
- If your kitchen is warm, you can place the cooled bars (in the baking dish) in the refrigerator so they firm up. This will make it easier to get clean slices.
- Store them in the refrigerator for up to four days in the refrigerator or you can freeze them for up to a month.
Recipe Nutrition
Favorite Lemon Bar Recipes
The BEST Lemon Bars have a creamy, sweet and tart lemon filling with a thicker than usual shortbread crust. It makes the perfect ratio and texture!
I need to make for a party. Have you tried doubling the receipe? Or do I make a bunch of 9×9 pans? A sheet pan perhaps?
I haven’t – if you double it I recommend using 2 pans, the mixture would be too thick in a 9×13 and I’d worry about overflowing a sheet pan
I made these wonderful lemon shortbread bars and I was so happy! They are awesome! I followed the recipe and turned out perfect! Yummy ๐
These are not the best! Followed recipe and it did not set!
So bummed out.
I did it exactly as instructed
How long did you bake it? It should be almost set once it’s fully baked.
Mine didn’t set either and I increased the baking time twice for 10 minutes each time. So they baked for about 40 minutes when I finally pulled them out hoping it sets more as it cools but it looks pretty watery. I’ve since looked at other lemon bar recipes and they add 1/4 cup of flour to the filling. Did you forget that in this recipe?
I followed the recipe to a tee but found that even after baking my crust for like 20 minutes it wasnโt fully baked in the center. I find that my oven usually runs hotter than recipes anticipate, but maybe it just wasnโt as hot as it said it was. Anyway, a slightly underbaked shortbread isnโt dangerous to eat and the bars were fantastic otherwise (and the corner pieces were sooo tasty) Iโll definitely be using this recipe again, but baking a little longer
I was really excited to make these, and I did everything as directed, but after over 30 minutes in the oven they were mush. Not sure what went wrong, but some things I did were use convection bake instead of just bake, and I didnโt add lemon zest, but they were mush. Tasted amazing, I hope it works out for you
Can you expand on “mush”? Did the bars invert? I’ve never had it happen even though I’ve made these at least 10 times, but I know it’ll happen if the crust has any holes in it.
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