This perfect Lemon Bars Recipe has two important things; the perfect amount of lemon and a big, rich buttery crust. I add a bit more lemon juice than most, and those things set my lemon bar recipe apart! If you love these you might also enjoy my Blueberry Lemon Bars!
Tips for Perfect Lemon Bars
- Opt for fresh lemon juice here, bottled just won’t taste the same.
- Use parchment paper to line your pan. This helps with easy removal.
- Allow them to cool for the full time allotted.
How to Store Lemon Bars
While these bars can be kept out at room temperature for several hours, they should be refrigerated if you can’t finish off the pan the same day you make it. If you know that you are going to be storing them, try to only cut off the pieces you need, not cutting up the entire pan into bars. (Hint: This also means nice crisp cuts when you serve them cold!) I usually place a piece of plastic wrap directly on top of the bars and then cover it with foil. Lemon bars can be stored for 2-3 days in the refrigerator.
How to Freeze Lemon Bars
If you are freezing the lemon bars I like to cut them into individual size portions and then wrap each bar with plastic wrap. Date and stack neatly in your freezer. To thaw, either place bars in the refrigerator the night before using or leave them on the counter to come to room temperature.
The Best Lemon Bars
Ingredients
CRUST
- 1 cup (2 sticks or 226 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 2 cups (256 g) all-purpose flour
FILLING
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 ½ cups (300 g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (32 g) all-purpose flour
- ⅔ cup (160 ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice
Instructions
CRUST
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
- In a medium bowl, blend together softened butter, 2 cups flour, and ½ cup sugar with a pastry cutter, a fork, or your hands. Press into the bottom of a 9×13 inch pan lined with parchment paper.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until firm and golden.
FILLING
- Whisk together 1 ½ cups sugar and ¼ cup flour. Crack eggs into a separate bowl, then whisk them into the sugar and flour mixture. Add ⅔ cup lemon juice. Pour over the baked crust.
- Bake for an additional 20 minutes in the oven. (Do not cover)
- Allow bars to cool in the fridge for at least 2 hours then dust with confectioners sugar.
- Cut into squares and serve.
Video
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I’m sharing these tonight Amanda, they look heavenly!
Thank you!!
Yum! Thanks for sharing all the great tips!
I’ve always loved lemon bars! Your recipe sounds wonderful!
Thanks Amanda. I like its.
Thitithip p.
Oh my goodness gracious, these look so luscious. Lemon bars are my favorite desserts, I would love to try this recipe (once I get near a kitchen)!
Does the crust need to be cooled before adding lithe lemon filling? Thanks’
The powdered sugar is for sprinkling on top after baking and cooling. The white sugar is granulated for mixing into the crust and filling.
If you bake them in a foil pan would you still need to line the pan?
foil would be a form of lining the pan
Have you put nuts in the crust?
I tried in an 8×10 pan and they did NOT turn out. The crust took twice as long to cook, and the filling didn’t cook all the way through in 20 mins. Also, 2/3 cup lemon juice is super lemony! I threw the whole thing out.
I’m not sure why you would have had so many problems with one recipe! Oh dear. As I mention in my post, I based this off a recipe on all recipes that has over 1600 reviews. Positive reviews! For you to have experienced problems with literally every level of the recipe is just so perplexing.