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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These truly are the best lemon bars. I make them all the time and everyone I make them for requests them again there are amazing.
I absolutely love these and make them a lot. One thing I’ve noticed is that about 20% of the time, the crust will rise up when I pour on the filling and it’ll float.
I’ve stopped poking holes because that made it happen all the time. And I’ve noticed it’s worse if I pour the filling on a crust that’s slightly cooled. But I can’t figure out why it still happens sometimes or how to fix it
Any ideas?
I love this recipe and make it often. One question though. Sometimes (quite frequently) the crust will float to the top when I pour the filling on. I can’t seem to figure out why and it happens randomly. It’s worse if there’s any delay in pouring it on after taking the crust out of the oven and it happens 100% of the time if I prick the crust with a fork.
Any idea what may cause it to happen?
I made these amazing lemon bars tonight. They are zangy and interesting to the palette. We all loved them. I will make them again, thank you!
These are so easy and taste amazing! They were gone so quick so next time a double batch!
Awesome squares!!!
I MUST MAKE YOUR LEMON SLICES>>>>ITS EASY TO DO AND WITH OUT ANY FUSS>. THANKS>>>QUERINO
Can you use Real lemon juice out of a bottle instead of squeezed lemons?
I don’t think there is “real lemon juice out of a bottle”. But you can certainly use whatever you would like.
I have some Meyer lemons that were given to me. Could I use them instead of regular lemons?
Yes, you absolutely SHOULD use the Meyer lemons! Meyers are better for everything!
These were excellent. I used Bob’s red mill gluten free flour in both the crust and filling and it was a hit. Note that it took double the time to cook the crust so I just had to watch for it to get golden. I also used santa cruz 100% lemon juice.