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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Made this using Key West Lime Juice instead of lemon juice. It turned out great!!
How much Crisco shortening would be needed to substitute in for butter?
I made these last week, they were DELICIOUS! I was nervous because I have never made lemon bars before but these were easy and tasted great! The crust was amazing! My husband even liked them ( he doesn’t typically eat many sweets). Thank you for the great recipe!
I made these lemon bars yesterday and refrigerated them overnight. Just tasted them today and OMG, the lemon flavor is delicious (not overpowering at all if you’re a lemon lover)! I did have difficulty evenly pressing the crust into the pan because it “warmed up” and got quite sticky, but that’s probably because the inside room temperature was somewhat warm. Next time, I’ll chill the dough in the frig for awhile before pressing it into my pan. I also baked the crust for about 10 minutes longer because I prefer a crisper shortbread crust. After juicing my lemons, I opted to add some lemon zest to the crust so as not to waste it. I’ve been researching lemon bar recipes for a very long time and I’m so glad I picked yours! Truly a refreshing and wonderful dessert!
This is my “go to ” lemon bar recipe, it is absolutely the best!I have never been disappointed by any of Amanda’s Iambaker recipes!
1) after pressing the dough into pan, is the dough supposed to be sticky and soft? Do I need to chill it before baking it? When I took out the crust from oven, the crust is almost flat. I just wasn’t sure if it’s cooked. Golden brown though. Before bake, I have poke holes on the dough.
2) after pouring the lemon egg mixture into crust, it’s foamy on top and I simply put to bake. The top part came out bubbly in some sense. Any tips to remove the bubbles? And also, how does the lemon mixture end product texture be like? Firm or more pudding like? Thank you!
Can you use a graham crust?
Hi, Laurie! I work with iambaker and am happy to help with questions. A graham cracker crust sounds delicious! Let us know how the bars turn out and have a great day!
I love all your recipes…you my favourite baker😘😘
Can I freeze these if I want to make them in advance of an event?
Would these hold up to a cookie cutter after being chilled? Or at all? I’m hoping to make them dinosaur shaped for a theme party 🥳