These Lemon Bars start with a simple shortbread crust and are topped with a tangy, sweet, and creamy lemon topping. Sprinkle on some powdered sugar for the perfect finishing touch!
Love lemony desserts? You’ll love this creamy Lemon Pie, homemade Lemon Curd, Lemon Tart, or Lemon Cookies!
What Do Lemon Bars Taste Like?
In my mind, the perfect Lemon Bar starts with a light, sweet crust that holds up well with the lemony topping. The shortbread should be sweet enough to balance the tangy, bright lemon custard. The custard needs to be just right — tart and sweet with a smooth, creamy texture.
The crust and custard should be clearly separate, not mixed together.
Despite these flavor and texture requirements, I don’t want the bars to be hard to make. This Lemon Bar recipe uses simple, everyday ingredients. No complex steps either — we use a blender for the filling to make it quick and easy.
How To Make Lemon Bars
The full recipe is below, but here are my top tips for tasty Lemon Bars:
- Use a glass pan. A metal pan can transfer a metallic taste to the bars.
- Line the pan with parchment paper. This will make it much easier to get the bars out and slice them into clean bars.
- Use fresh lemon juice. The bottled lemon juice won’t cut it on these, flavor-wise. Since this lemon bar recipe calls for actual lemon zest, you’ll need real lemons anyways.
- Don’t rush chilling. The flavors meld together really well in the fridge, making the bars that much more flavorful and tangy. The time in the fridge also allows time for the custard to firm and fully set up, so leave ample time for enough chilling.
- Do not over-blend. To keep the filling as easy as possible to make, we blend all the ingredients together. However, you do not want to blend for an extended time. This will cause too many air bubbles to form.
What Are Classic Lemon Bars Made Of?
A few ingredients worth going into detail about:
- Lemon zest. When zesting the lemon, avoid the white pith of the lemon — this is very bitter. Using a microplane (like this one), zest only the very outside yellow part of the lemon for this recipe.
- Lemon extract. Not to be confused with lemon juice, lemon extract is a flavor enhancer (just like vanilla extract) that gives these bars a more intense citrusy lemon flavor. Lemon extract can usually be found near other baking extracts and spices in the grocery store; I recommend using a pure lemon extract.
- Butter: The better the butter, the richer the flavor of the shortbread. Choose unsalted to have perfect control over the amount of salt in the dough.
- Vanilla: I love adding vanilla bean paste to add even more flavor and nuance to the crust. That said, a pure vanilla extract also works well.
- Heavy cream: Perhaps a unique ingredient for Lemon Bars, but I swear by this addition! It helps balance the tartness and adds a nice creaminess to the custard.
How To Get More Juice From Lemons
- Microwave the lemons for 15-20 seconds.
- Knead the lemons with your hand against the counter for 20-3o seconds.
- Cut the lemon in half horizontally and juice the lemon using a juicer.
Quick Tip
This citrus juicer makes juicing the lemons a breeze! You’ll have 2/3 cup in no time at all!
Storage
Can I Freeze Homemade Lemon Bars?
Yes! However, because the shortbread crust and the lemon custard freeze at different speeds, they need plenty of space to freeze.
- Cut the bars out and set them on a lined sheet pan, leaving room around all four edges.
- Place in the freezer until frozen through (2-3 hours).
- Once frozen through, wrap each lemon bar individually with plastic wrap and store them in a large bag or container and freeze for up to 3 months.
These bars can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4-6 days.
Lemon Bars FAQs
How do you cut Lemon Bars cleanly?
- Once the Lemon Bars have cooled completely, place them in the fridge.
- Leave in the fridge until cold and firmly set.
- Cut them while they are cold out of the fridge, using a hot knife.
- Run the knife under hot water, dry, make one cut, and repeat this process until all the bars are cut out.
How do you tell if your Lemon Bars are done?
The best way to check for doneness is by jiggling the pan. When you jiggle the pan, the top lemon custard should wiggle like firm Jell-O.
Looser wiggle? Not quite done. No wiggle? Bars may be overcooked.
How do you remove the bars from pans?
Before making the bars, line the pan with parchment paper, leaving some as an overhang. You can then pull this overhang to remove the entire slab of bars from the pan to a cutting board or surface.
Why are my Lemon Bars white on top?
If your bars have a white, foamy layer on top, it’s just air bubbles from the eggs—totally normal. Once you add powdered sugar, no one will notice.
Why are my Lemon Bars runny?
This is most likely from an under-baked crust or under-baked bars as a whole.
More Citrus-Based Desserts:
- Lime Cookies with a lime glaze
- Peach Lemonade made with real lemons
- Lemon Zucchini Bread with a lemon glaze
- Mini Fruit Tart with an orange-based filling
- Fruit Dip made with the zest of limes
Lemon Bars
Equipment
- 9 x 13-inch non-metal pan
- Parchment paper
- stand mixer or hand mixer
- Blender
- Fine mesh strainer
Ingredients
- Cooking spray
- 16 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature, see note 1
- 2 cups granulated sugar divided
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or 1-1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups + 3 tablespoons flour divided
- 1 teaspoon salt divided
- 4 to 5 lemons see note 2
- 4 large eggs
- 1/4 teaspoon lemon extract optional, see note 3
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- Powdered sugar for topping bars
Instructions
- Line a ceramic 9x13-inch pan (don’t use a metal pan—it will make the bars taste metallic) with parchment paper, leaving an overhang for easy removal. Lightly spray the pan with cooking spray and set aside.
- In a stand mixer with a whisk attachment (or a bowl and hand mixer), beat together room temperature butter and 1/2 cup granulated sugar. Beat until smooth and creamy, about 2–4 minutes. Scrape edges of the bowl as needed. Add 3/4 teaspoon salt, vanilla bean paste, and 2 cups of flour. Beat until a thick dough forms, scraping the sides as needed. (Dough too soft? Add 1–3 additional tablespoons flour.)
- Transfer dough to prepared pan and press evenly on the bottom of the pan and a little up the sides (about 1/2-inch). Take your time, ensuring dough is in an even layer and touching every bit of the edge of the pan so the lemon filling doesn’t seep through. Preheat oven to 350°F. Place pan in the freezer 15 minutes to allow crust to firm up. After 15 minutes, remove crust and again press all the edges to the pan, making sure the seal is 100% tight. Bake 22–25 minutes or until lightly golden brown at the edges.
- Meanwhile, microwave lemons for 15 seconds. Remove, and knead against the counter with your hand. (These steps help to get your lemons super juicy.)
- Very finely zest a lemon to get 2 teaspoons lemon zest. (Be careful to avoid the white pith of the lemons—that will make your bars bitter.) Juice lemons to get 2/3 cup juice.
- In a high-powered blender, add remaining 1-1/2 cups granulated sugar and lemon zest. Pulse just to break down the zest, about 5–8 times. Do not over-blend or you’ll get powdered sugar! Add remaining 3 tablespoons flour, lemon juice, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, eggs, heavy cream, and lemon extract (if using). Blend for 20 seconds or until just incorporated—again, being careful to not over-blend but ensuring all ingredients are emulsified together. Use a spatula to stir the mixture and let sit until needed.
- Stir blended mixture again and pour slowly and evenly over the hot crust (right out of the oven). Bake another 20–25 minutes or until bars very slightly jiggle in the center (like firm Jell-o). Allow bars to cool at room temperature for 2 hours, then chill in the fridge until the lemon layer is firm, about 2 more hours.
- Before enjoying, sprinkle the top of the bars with powdered sugar (through a fine-mesh sieve). Pull the parchment paper overhang to remove the entire slab of bars from the pan. Run a sharp knife under hot water, dry, make one cut, and repeat until all the bars are cut out. Enjoy!
Video
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
The addition of lemon extract took away from the fresh lemon flavor. I found the extra steps of making a sugar and lemon slurry totally unnecessary. I have a favorite recipe that I will continue to use, but this is not it.
Thanks for your feedback! Sorry these bars weren’t for you!
My daughter just made these and is disappointed because they haven’t firmed up yet. However, they’ve only been in the fridge for about an hour, maybe a little more. How long should it be before we see them firm up?
Thanks in advance!
Hey Denise; did your daughter make any recipe substitutions?
She didn’t use almond extract because my son is allergic to nuts. Other than that, no.
Actually, they seem to be firming up now. We just needed to wait a bit. Thanks!
Glad to hear it! Hope you loved them! 🙂
How was the recipe with omitting the almond extract? Can I just add more vanilla?
These are amazing! They were a big hit
So happy to hear that! 🙂 Thanks for the comment Shannon!
These baked and cut into squares nicely. But if I made these again I would change the almond extract to vanilla only in the crust. I only added 1 tsp of almond extract and it was still too strong and that flavor overtakes the lovely lemon flavor you want when making a lemon bar recipe. There also wasn’t enough lemon flavor in the custard for my taste.
Hi! I always find almond too strong so I added 1/2 tsp of almond and the crust didn’t have an overwhelming flavour!
These look delicious! I am just wondering what the addition of the whipping cream does for the tartness/tangyness of these bars. This is the only recipe I’ve ever encountered for citrus bars that includes whipping cream… Could you explain? Thanks!!
It makes them super creamy! 🙂 I don’t think it detracts from the tart or tangy much/if at all! Enjoy!
My sister in law loves lemon bars, so I wanted to make her some really good ones for her birthday. These did not disappoint, and were the best lemon bars I have ever had. She agreed and demanded the recipe! Thank you!
Ahhh i’m so happy to hear this!! Also what an awesome sister in law you are! Thanks Sarah!! 🙂
These look wonderful, but I’m wondering if they can be frozen?
This was the first lemon bar I have ever made and it turned out great! Could you add other fruit to this? What changes would I make if I were to add raspberry puree?
I have made these bars twice, both times turned out fabulous!In reviewing my recipe, I noticed that I had made an error in copying it down correctly from the original..I had used 1 c sugar in the crust and 1 c in the filling.I am not changing a thing..they are the BEST. I get rave reviews every time I make them and they are VERY Lemony..I do use 1-2 tsp zest.Thanks for sharing this recipe!.
Alice, i’m so glad to hear you enjoyed it! They are always a hit at my house too 🙂 Thanks!
The BEST lemon bars recipe..
Thanks Diane! 🙂