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.

Five lemon bars stacks on top of each other with a bite taken out of the top

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.
lemon bars being prepared

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 plate of lemon bars

A Lot of Love For Lemons!

Big clear jar of Homemade Strawberry Lemonade with a glass of it next to it

Easy Homemade Strawberry Lemonade

Lemon Garlic Shrimp Fettuccine with lemon wedge

Lemon Garlic Shrimp Fettuccine

Did you enjoy this Easy Lemon Bars Recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below.

image of Everyday Comfort cookbook by Holly Nilsson of Spend With Pennies plus text
slices of Easy Lemon Bars Recipe on a plate
4.98 from 220 votes↑ Click stars to rate now!
Or to leave a comment, click here!

Easy Lemon Bars Recipe

Classic lemon bars have a sweet tangy lemon curd baked on top of a buttery shortbread crust.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings 16
Author Melanie

Equipment

2 QT Baking Dish with white background
9 x 9-inch or 2 QT Baking Dish
Mixing Bowls on white background
Mixing Bowls
whisk on white background
Whisk
buy hollys book

Ingredients  

For the Crust:

  • 10 tablespoons butter room temperature
  • 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup + 2 tablespoons powdered sugar divided
  • ¼ teaspoon salt

For the Filling:

  • 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

Store lemon bars in the fridge in a covered container for up to 4 days. 
4.98 from 220 votes

Nutrition Information

Calories: 179 | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 49mg | Sodium: 111mg | Potassium: 39mg | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 265IU | Vitamin C: 2.5mg | Calcium: 14mg | Iron: 0.7mg

Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.

Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Easy Lemon Bars Recipe with a title
Easy Lemon Bars Recipe with shortbread crust and writing
Easy Lemon Bars Recipe on a plate and close up photo with a title
easy to make Easy Lemon Bars Recipe with a title

share:

PinFacebookTweetYummly

Categories:

Cookies,

Like our recipes?
Follow us on Pinterest!

Follow us on Pinterest

Recipes you'll love

About the author

Holly Nilsson is the creator of Spend With Pennies, where she creates easy, comforting recipes made for real life. With a passion for nostalgic flavors and simplified techniques, Holly helps busy home cooks create delicious meals that always work. She is also the author of “Everyday Comfort,” which promises to inspire even more hearty, home-cooked meals.
See more posts by Holly

Follow Holly on social media:

pinterest facebook twitter instagram

Free eBook!

Subscribe to receive weekly recipes and get a FREE Bonus e-book: Quick & Easy Weeknight Meals!

You can unsubscribe anytime by clicking the “unsubscribe” link at the bottom of emails you receive.

Latest & Greatest

4.98 from 220 votes (182 ratings without comment)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Comments

  1. Kathy says:

    Just made this recipe and it turned out great. I didn’t even wait for them to fully cool, I just had to have a piece. Finally a lemon bar recipe that taste so good. thank you!5 stars

  2. Callie says:

    This was such a good, classic recipe. I was wanting to make a double batch in a 9×13 pan…thinking it would do well. Have you tried?5 stars

    1. Spend With Pennies SN says:

      I haven’t tried doubling this recipe but I think it would work well.

  3. Annemarie Turner says:

    I apologize that I provided a negative rating earlier about these squares. I think they had not had time to set yet. After time in the fridge they have turned out very well and I am very happy with the flavour of them. I would make them again.5 stars

  4. Maria Syed says:

    Hi
    Do you have any recipes that are gluten free?
    I have enjoyed your recipes, thank you so much for them.
    Thank you
    Maria

    1. Spend With Pennies SN says:

      Hi Maria, we do not have any that are specifically gluten free but a lot of our recipes can be adapted to be gluten free or are naturally gluten free.

  5. Becky says:

    Easy, & very tasty5 stars

  6. Stephanie Persin says:

    So amazing! Made 2x now! Family is a huge fan!5 stars