These truly are the Best Lemon Bars you’ll ever make. They have a buttery, melt-in-your-mouth shortbread crust, a bright and tangy fresh lemon filling, and just the right dusting of powdered sugar. Every bite is sweet, tart, buttery, and absolutely irresistible.
I’ve been making these Best Lemon Bars for more than 20 years, and they’ve become one of the most requested desserts by friends, family, and readers of A Day in Candiland. Friends ask for the recipe, family requests them for holidays, and they’re one of the most popular recipes on A Day in Candiland.
If you love classic homemade desserts made with simple ingredients, these Best Lemon Bars deserve a permanent place in your recipe collection. They’re perfect for bake sales, baby showers, Easter, Mother’s Day, or anytime you’re craving a bright citrus dessert.
Serve them with a cup of Earl Grey Tea or alongside one of my favorite lemon desserts like Lemon Curd Cupcakes or Homemade Lemon Curd.
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Why You Will Love These Best Lemon Bars
- Perfect balance of sweet and tart. Fresh lemon juice gives these bars a bright citrus flavor without being overly sour.
- The buttery shortbread crust stays crisp. Freezing the crust before baking creates the perfect sturdy base.
- Made with simple pantry ingredients. No fancy ingredients required.
- Perfect for making ahead. They taste even better after chilling.
- Easy to freeze. Great for parties, holidays, or unexpected guests.
- Crowd favorite. These bars disappear every single time I serve them.
Why This Recipe Works
The secret to these Best Lemon Bars is the combination of a rich buttery crust and plenty of fresh lemon juice and zest.
Using both the zest and juice gives the filling incredible lemon flavor without tasting artificial. Freezing the crust before baking keeps it tender while preventing shrinkage, and pouring the filling onto the warm crust helps the two layers bake together perfectly.
Ingredients
- Butter – It needs to be unsalted and brought to room temperature. Just take it out of the refrigerator 30 minutes before you need it.
- Granulated sugar – This is what adds sweetness to the pastry crust and also helps balance the lemon flavors in the filling.
- All-purpose flour – I use all-purpose flour, but you can use other flour. Rice flour is a great substitute for the pastry.
- Kosher salt – this helps to balance the sweetness in the crust.
- Eggs – Jumbo or Extra Large eggs are what are needed for this recipe. They need to be at room temperature, so if you store them in the refrigerator, pull them out before using.
- Lemon zest and lemon juice – You will want to use fresh lemons for the best flavor.
- Powdered sugar – This is what will be sprinkled on top of the lemon bars once they are baked.
Step-by-Step Lemon Bar Directions
Step 1: Gather Ingredients
Gather all of your ingredients together and then preheat the oven to 350 degrees
Step 2: Prepare the Crust
We shall start with the crust. First, cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer with a paddle attachment. Combine the flour and salt and add to the butter mixture. Line a 9 X 13″ pan with aluminum foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Put the dough into the pan and sprinkle with flour using a small roller or your hands, rolling it into the pan, building up a ½-inch edge on all sides.
Step 3: Freeze Before Baking
Put the pan in the freezer for 10 minutes before baking
Bake the crust for 20 minutes, until lightly browned. Make the filling while the crust is baking. Remove from the oven.
Step 4: Prepare the Filling
For the filling, whisk together the eggs, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and flour. Using real lemons makes all the difference. Mix again just before you pour over the crust.
Step 5: Bake until Set
Bake for 30 minutes until the filling is set. Let cool to room temperature.
Step 6: Chill Before Cutting
It’s easier to cut if you refrigerate for 30 minutes after they cool completely. Cut into 20 – 24 squares or 40 triangles.
Substitutions and Variations
- Make orange bars instead of lemon – You can do this by using orange zest and orange juice instead of the lemon and baking them in the same way.
- Use store-bought lemon curd – If you want a quick fix, then you could use some store-bought lemon curd, but the flavor won’t be as intense as making it fresh.
- Pastry shortcut – You can use store-bought pastry instead if you want to save time.
- Slice of lemon – Add a slice of lemon on top of each individually cut lemon bar as an extra garnish. You could also add candied lemons or some lemon zest if you desire.
Expert Tips
- After you make the crust and add it to the pan, freeze the baking pan for 10 minutes.
- The filling should be poured into the warm crust right after baking. Prepare the filling while the crust is in the freezer.
- The baking time may vary for the filling. Make sure your oven is calibrated and that you understand your baking time based on your oven settings. Do not underbake the filling, or the bars won’t hold up.
- Sift powdered sugar on bars right before consuming.
- When slicing, make sure the bars are cold and use a clean, sharp knife. I cut all the edges off so that the bars are all pretty. Then I eat the edges. Yum.
Common Tips to Avoid
- Using bottled lemon juice
- Overbaking the filling
- Cutting while still warm
- Dusting powdered sugar too early
- Skipping the freezer step
FAQs
You don’t need to use anything fancy for these lemon bars, but most bakers will agree that metal tins and baking dishes provide better results as the heat is retained better.
Yes. Because the filling contains eggs, lemon bars should be refrigerated after they’ve cooled. They will stay fresh for about one week.
Usually the filling hasn’t baked long enough or wasn’t allowed to cool completely. Lemon bars continue to set as they cool, and chilling them in the refrigerator makes them much easier to slice.
Cracks usually happen when the filling is overbaked. Remove them when the center is just set with only a slight jiggle.
Storage Tips
You can store these easily simply by transferring cooled lemon bar slices to an airtight container and then storing them in the refrigerator for up to 7 days. If you do layer them in the container, place a piece of parchment paper between each layer so they won’t stick.
These homemade lemon bars also freeze well. Freeze them in a layer and then store them in an airtight container or freezer bag. They will keep in the freezer for up to three months.
Related Recipes
If you loved this recipe and made it, please give it a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review! Leave a comment about your experience on the recipe comment section. That will help get more eyes on it. You can also pin it to Pinterest or share it on Facebook.
Best Lemon Bars Recipe
How to Bake The Best Lemon Bars Ever
Ingredients
Crust
- 2 sticks butter room temp
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- pinch kosher salt
Filling
- 6 eggs Jumbo or Extra Large and room temp
- 3 cups granulated sugar
- 2 Tablespoon grated lemon zest Approx 2 lemons
- 3/4 cup lemon juice fresh squeezed preferrably
- 1 cup all purpose flour
Topping
- 1/4 cup Powdered sugar for dusting as needed
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
- For the crust, cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer with a paddle attachment. Combine the flour and salt and add to butter mixture. Line a 9 X 13" pan with aluminum foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Put the dough into the pan and sprinkle with flour and using a small roller or your hands, roll into the pan building up a 1/2 inch edge on all sides.
- Put pan in the freezer for 10 minutes before baking
- Bake the crust for 20 minutes, until lightly browned. Make the filling while the crust is baking. Remove from the oven.
- For the filling, whisk together the 6 eggs, 3 cups sugar, 2 Tablespoons lemon zest, 3/4 cups lemon juice and 1 cup flour. Using real lemons makes all the difference. Mix again just before you pour over the crust and bake for 30 minutes, until filling is set. Let cool to room temperature. Cut into 20 – 24 squares or 40 triangles. It's easier to cut if you refrigerate for 30 minutes after completely cool.
adrienne says
These look delicious! Stopped by from SITS. 🙂
Candi says
I hope you get the chance to try them. Enjoy. Thanks for stopping by.
Tracie says
Yum! I definitely want to try these soon.
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Candi says
they are so easy. I know you will enjoy. Thanks for visiting.
Akaleistar says
Love lemon bars!
Candi says
Me too. I can't get enough. Thanks for visiting.
momssmallvictories says
delish, i love lemon bars! visiting from SITS!
Candi says
I Love them too. I could eat them all day. Thanks for stopping by.
Amee @ Did Someone Say Chocolate? says
Hi Candi! I'm visting from SITS and when I saw the words "Lemon Bar" I just HAD to take a peak. You have a very lucky friend and now I'm putting these on my list for my birthday. I would totally go for lemon bars over a birthday cake! (Or brownies) haha! Looking forward to getting to know you better!
L. D. B. Taylor says
One of my favorite desserts! I love that tart, lemon flavor.
Alexis Grace says
I actually love lemon bars— but still avoiding gluten…..have you made the crust gf before? If so what did you use?
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Candi says
Alexis, I will put that on my list to do a recipe with a gluten free crust. Thanks for the suggestion
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Cindy Howell says
Your recipes are always a treat. I can't wait to try this one!
Thank you for sharing at this week's Super Saturday Afternoon Tea!!!
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Candi says
Thanks Cindy, I appreciate you hosting the link up.
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@shari_lynne says
I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Lemon Bars Candi! I have to be careful when I'm around them because I will eat them all up!! 😀 Thanks for sharing!
Candi says
Thanks Shari, I can eat them all up too.
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@KrystalS says
These look REALLY good! I'm sharing and pinning to make them in the future! ;D
Candi says
Great, they are super easy and so good. Great for parties.
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heidifowler says
Lemon bars are one of my favorite treats. Thanks for the great recipe! Pinned and shared!
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Candi says
Thanks for pinning. They are so good. I love the shortbread crust.
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@GirlGoneMom says
I love anything with lemon. Going to be making this soon, for reals!
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Candi says
I love lemon too. I have so much fun making all the lemon recipes.
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@MommaYoung says
This Lemon Bar recipe looks delicious. We love lemon I can't wait to try this with the kids.
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Candi says
They are so good and easy to make. I hope you get to try them.
Candi Elm says
They are so good. I am thinking of making the gluten free next time with coconut flour.
Immobilienmakler heidelberg says
Der Artikel ist wirklich gut. Das Thema hat mich schon interessiert und ich konnte hier noch einiges weiterführendes finden. Ich freue mich, weitere Blogeinträge zu lesen. Danke und Grüße aus Heidelberg Marco Feindler
Diane Lyman says
I really like Lemon Bars candy! I should be careful while i am around them because i can eat them all up!! Thanks a lot for sharing!
low calories food list says
I’m planning to start out a 7days food regimen tomorrow.
Cindy solomonson says
I have them in the oven baking right now. I had to add some extra lemon juice to my 2 lemons that I squeezed to get 3/4 c. Hopefully they’ll still taste good! I write you another review after I taste them! Thank you for the recipe.