Thick and gooey Lemon Bars with shortbread crust and vibrant lemon flavor are the perfect dessert. Watch the video tutorial and see how easy it is to bake homemade lemon bars.
We love dessert bar recipes from Pecan Pie Bars to Baklava and Strawberry Pretzel Salad, because they are easy to make and crowd-pleasing desserts. These lemon bars are no exception.
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Fresh lemons make everything better from Lemon Blueberry Cake to Homemade Lemonade. If you are a fan of lemon, this recipe for Lemon Bars is a must-try!
Lemon Bar Video
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Classic Lemon Bar Recipe
Take one bite and you will fall in love with these lemon bars. The lemon custard filling is similar to our Lemon Curd Recipe and is brimming with satisfying tangy lemon flavor, and it’s balanced in sweetness.
I learned how to make Lemon Bars years ago from one of Ina Garten’s early cookbooks, Barefoot Contessa Parties (I literally have all 12 of her cookbooks because I admire her very much and her recipes are sound). This is very close to the original recipe except we add vanilla to the crust and you’ll love the tip for making the crust even easier to mold.
Ingredients for Lemon Bars
- Eggs – Add richness and help the custard thicken. We use large eggs.
- Granulated sugar – it may seem like a lot of sugar, but it’s needed to combat the tanginess of the lemon juice. You can adjust it depending on the type of lemons used (see next section).
- Lemons – you’ll need the lemon zest and juice so be sure to zest the lemon before juicing it.
- All-purpose flour– helps to thicken up the lemon custard filling.
- Confectioners sugar – to dust the top for serving.
- For the Shortbread Crust – this easy cookie crust is made with butter, sugar, vanilla extract, flour, and salt. It creates a buttery crust that is crisp on the edges and tender to the bite.
What are the best lemons for Lemon Bars?
I always use regular lemons because they have tons of tang and lemon flavor. Since lemons are the star ingredient, you should avoid using bottled lemon juice or concentrate. Also, use no more than 1 cup of lemon juice or the custard won’t set properly. If your lemons are refrigerated, bring them to room temperature first. P.S. Here’s my favorite citrus squeezer.
Can I use Meyer Lemons? Meyer lemons aren’t quite as tart as regular lemons so you’ll want to reduce the sugar in the filling to about 2 cups.
How to Make Lemon Bars
- Crust – Cream butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer, then add vanilla extract, flour, and salt and mix until crumbly. Press the mixture into a parchment-lined 9×13 casserole dish. Bake at 350˚F for 18-20 minutes. Cool slightly on a rack.
- Lemon Filling – In a mixing bowl, whisk together eggs and sugar. Whisk in lemon juice and zest. Add flour and whisk until completely blended.
- Add filling and Bake – pour filling over the warm crust and bake at 350˚F for 30-35 minutes until the center is set and no longer wobbly.
- Chill– cool at room temperature on a wire rack for at least 1 hour then refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
- Serve – Cut into squares and dust with powdered sugar to serve.
Pro Slicing Tip: Just like with a Cheesecake, for clean and pretty slices, wipe the knife blade clean with a damp paper towel between slices.
Common Questions
The center of the lemon bars should be fully set. If you give the pan a jolt, it should not wobble in the center.
Lemon bars can be kept at room temperature for a few hours but should be refrigerated after that. Refrigerate up to a week or freeze for 3-4 months (see make-ahead instructions below).
The air bubbles that rise to the surface while baking is normal. These are bubbles from whisking the eggs. Since the bubbles rise above the surface, they tend to brown which causes the brown spots. They are easy to cover up with powdered sugar.
You can substitute with grapefruit, orange juice, or lime to change up the flavor of your bars, but use less sugar when using sweeter citrus.
A glass or ceramic 9×13 pan works great for lemon bars. Note that a glass pan will bake faster and darker than a metal pan so check for doneness a little earlier.
Make-Ahead Lemon Squares
Lemon bars keep really well in the refrigerator and in the freezer, making them one of my favorite make-ahead desserts.
- Refrigerating: If baking the bars ahead, cool to room temperature then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Dust with powdered sugar just before serving.
- To Freeze: Once lemon bars are fully chilled in the refrigerator, cover the baking dish with a couple of layers of plastic wrap and freeze for 3-4 months. You can also transfer leftover pieces to a freezer-safe zip bag for easier storage. The lemon custard doesn’t fully solidify in the freezer so there’s no need to thaw. They’re so good right out of the freezer.
When life gives you lemons, put them in lemon bars! This recipe will become your go-to for potlucks, parties, and holidays like Easter or Christmas. It’s a keeper of a recipe.
More Recipes with Lemon
If you end up with a bumper crop of lemons or just a big bag from the grocery store, we have you covered. Check out our post on all the genius Ways to use Lemons, from zesting to juicing and freezing then try some of our favorite lemony recipes.
- Strawberry Lemonade
- Lemon Curd
- Lemon Ricotta Pancakes
- Blueberry Muffins with Lemon Glaze
- Lemonade Recipe
- Winter Fruit Salad
Classic Lemon Bars Recipe
Ingredients
For the Shortbread Crust:
- 1/2 lb unsalted butter, (16 Tbsp) room temperature
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp salt
For the Lemon Filling:
- 7 large eggs, room temperature
- 3 cups granulated sugar, *
- 2 Tbsp lemon zest, from 4 to 5 lemons
- 1 cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed (from 5 large or 8 medium lemons)**
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- Confectioners sugar, to dust
Instructions
- PREP: Preheat oven to 350˚F. Line a 13x9x2” baking pan with parchment paper (it should go most of the way up the sides so filling doesn’t spill over.
- CRUST: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together softened butter and 1/2 cup sugar. Add 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, 2 cups flour and 1/4 tsp salt. Continue mixing until mixture is crumbly and no dry flour remains. Spread the dough evenly into the bottom of your prepared pan. Press it with your fingertips to flatten and even out the dough. Bake crust at 350˚F for 18-20 minutes or until lightly golden at the edges. Transfer to a wire rack to cool slightly.
- FILLING: While the crust is baking, zest then squeeze the lemons and prepare your filling. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together eggs and sugar until blended. Add Lemon juice and lemon zest and whisk to combine. Add 1 cup flour and whisk until smooth and very well blended and no traces of flour remain.
- BAKING: Pour filling over the warm crust and bake in the center of a preheated oven at 350˚F for 30-35 minutes or until the filling is set. As soon as the filling is no longer wobbly in the center, remove from the oven so you don’t over-bake. Cool in the pan at room temperature for at least 1 hour then refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.
- TO SERVE: Pull the parchment paper up slightly to loosen from the pan then transfer to a cutting board and cut into 18-20 squares then dust the tops with powdered sugar.
Notes
**Avoid using more lemon juice than what is called for or the filling won’t set properly.
Hi Natasha,
I’m from the UK and love your recipes but we don’t have sticks of butter, our butter comes in 250g blocks. My question is how many grams is a stick of butter.
Thanks for your help.
Hi Elektra, you can convert the ingredients to grams just click Jump to recipe and click Metric to do that. I hope that helps!
Thank you so much Natasha, can’t wait to make these. X
Which powdered sugar duster do you use? Can’t wait to try!
Hi Judy, I go between a couple of different ones. This sifter/sieve from oxo is a great one and I love that it is a multi-purpose tool.
Hi,will surely make this lemon bars.My mouth got watery when watching your video.I’m # 1 fan of yours.
I would also want to know the brand of your refrigerator (in the background)
Thank you!
I’m so glad you’re enjoying our videos, Nida! You can find the brand in our Dream Kitchen tour and in our Fridge Tour post.
I really appreciated your tip on getting parchment paper to easily fit the pan. The lemon bar recipe looks yummy and I am a lemon fanatic. Thanks.
I’m so glad that was helpful! Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
Lemon Bar Recipe.
Made it, delicious! 1st time making this dessert buy not the last.
My cookie, 1st bake, took 30 in glass baking dish.
Using parchment paper all the way to the top of the pan was a must great tip.
Enjoy!
I took pictures and will try and post on IG. Happy Easter Natasha
I’m so happy you loved it so much you’d make it again! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review.
Yum!! Lemons and their versatility are simply delicious.
What a fabulous recipe!
Natasha. We appreciate you!
I’m so glad you love the recipe and thank you for your encouraging comment. I really appreciate you!
can these be frozen?
Hi Natasha! I do not own a stand mixer, so I don’t have that large paddle. would a hand held one electric mixer work ok for this recipe ?
Hi, a handheld electric mixer should work for this recipe.
Looking forward to making this recipe! Would love to know about freezing them.
Hi Charlene, please see this section in the recipe: How long do lemon bars last?. It reads, “Lemon bars can be kept at room temperature for a few hours but should be refrigerated after that. Refrigerate for up to a week or freeze for 3-4 months (see make-ahead instructions below).” I hope this helps.
Delicious lemon bars! Excellent texture and taste.
One of my favorite Spring treats! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
I love Ina Garten and her recipes and have made this recipe. Thanks for the tip with the parchment paper for lining the baking pan. Always love your recipes Natasha, thanks!
Happy blessed Easter to you and your family!
I’m so happy you’re enjoying my recipes, Karen! Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
Hi, Natasha. Can you please add in recipes grammes and oven temperature in ° C, thanks a lot
Hi Alona, since we’re in America, we use Fahrenheit, but I recommend using a conversion chart or a quick online search for the conversation. If you scroll down to our printable recipe card, most of our recipes have a metric conversion option on the printable recipe card. We are currently working on adding metric measurements to all of our recipes, but it is taking some time to add them one at a time. Thank you so much for being patient! In the meantime, check out our post on measuring which should help.
Love your recipes but 3-1/2 cups of sugar????? Trying to kill us Natashia.
Hi Bob, divided into 20 servings, it’s not bad for a dessert – everything in moderation. The overall flavor is very well balanced. I don’t like overly sweet desserts either.
I used just under 2 cups and thought it was plenty sweet.
Can I use white parchment paper?
Hi, yes either one will work. The brown-colored one is just more photogenic for certain recipes but they can be used interchangeably.
Could you possibly use key lime juice instead of the lemon juice?
Hi Carol, yes that would work, please see the common questions section above.
Hi Natasha. Can i replace the lemons with oranges .And from the ingredients should i have to cut down as quantity (ex sugar) or everything stays the same .
Hi Eli, yes that would work, but you would want to cut down the sugar. See the Common questions section above.
Such an amazingly delicious recipe and perfect for spring! Looking forward to enjoying these again for Easter; they do not disappoint!
The perfect treat for springtime! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Can this be cut in half and bake in an 8×8 glass pyrex dish?
Hi Tish, yes, you can halve the recipe.
Hi Natasha. Is it possible to make these Keto friendly?
Hi Irina, I haven’t tested that to give advice on making these keto lemon bars. If you experiment, please let me know how it goes.
Lemon bars are always a hit with my family!! They are my favorite lemon dessert. So creamy & delicious!
Aren’t they so good and refreshing!! Perfect for a spring time treat!
These were a huge hit, the perfect spring dessert!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
I love watching you and your recipes are so good. Do you have to use 7 eggs? I’m not a fan of eggs is there a partial substitute I could use? I love anything lemon 😋 thank you
Hi Joy, these don’t taste like eggs, but the egg is crucial to forming the custard otherwise it won’t thicken properly or have that silky custard consistency.