Best Lemon Bars Recipe (Easy Homemade with Fresh Lemons)

Name: How to Bake The Best Lemon Bars Ever
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 70 min
Ingredients: 2 sticks butter (room temp); 1/2 cup granulated sugar; 2 cups all purpose flour; pinch kosher salt; 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; 1/4 cup Powdered sugar for dusting (as needed )

Published: Aug 16, 2018 · Modified: Oct 23, 2026 by Candi Elm · This post may contain affiliate links

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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.

Three lemon bars stacked on parchment with powdered sugar on top.

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.

Quick Look

🕒 Prep Time: 10 minutes
🌡️ Cook Time: 50 minutes
⏳ Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
🍽️ Serving: 24 bars
⚡ Calories: 259kcal
🌶️ Flavor Profile: Bright, tart fresh lemon over a sweet, buttery shortbread crust
✋ Difficulty: Easy, about the same effort as my Lemon Poppy Seed Scones

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Quick Answer

How do you make the best lemon bars from scratch?

Cream room temperature butter with sugar, then mix in flour and a pinch of salt. Press the dough into a foil-lined 9 by 13 pan, building up a half-inch edge, freeze it for 10 minutes, and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes until lightly browned. While the crust bakes, whisk together eggs, sugar, fresh lemon zest, fresh lemon juice, and flour. Pour the filling over the warm crust and bake 30 minutes more, until the center is just set. Cool completely, chill for 30 minutes, cut into squares, and dust with powdered sugar right before serving.

Jump to:

Quick Look
Quick Answer
Why This Recipe Works
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Key Ingredients
Variations & Substitutions
How to Make Best Lemon Bars
Recipe Tips & Tricks
Serving Ideas & Suggestions
Best Lemon Bars FAQs
Other Recommended Lemon Recipes
How to Bake The Best Lemon Bars Ever

Why This Recipe Works

Click to see the technique science

Zest and juice together give real lemon flavor. Using both the zest and the juice gives the filling incredible lemon flavor without tasting artificial, and fresh lemons make all the difference over bottled juice.
Freezing the crust keeps it tender. Ten minutes in the freezer before baking keeps the shortbread tender while preventing shrinkage, so the base stays crisp and sturdy.
A half-inch edge holds the filling in. Building up the dough on all four sides gives the lemon layer a wall to set against instead of leaking underneath.
Warm crust plus filling bakes as one. Pouring the filling onto the crust straight from the oven helps the two layers bake together perfectly.
A barely-there jiggle means it is done. Pull the pan when the center is just set with only a slight jiggle. Overbaking is what causes cracks, and underbaking is what makes bars runny.
Cold bars cut clean. Thirty minutes in the refrigerator after cooling firms the filling so a sharp, clean knife leaves neat edges.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

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 tea parties, holidays, or unexpected guests.
Crowd favorite. These bars disappear every single time I serve them.

Key Ingredients

Labeled lemon bar ingredients on a counter: lemons, salt, butter, eggs, powdered sugar, flour, and sugar.

Seven pantry staples do all the work in these lemon bars. Quantities are in the recipe card below; here is why each one matters.

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. Here is how to zest a lemon with whatever tool you have, and what to do if you run short on zest.
Powdered sugar. This is what will be sprinkled on top of the lemon bars once they are baked.

See the recipe card below for exact quantities and full instructions.

Variations & Substitutions

These bars take a few swaps well, so make them the way your family will actually eat them.

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.
Try lime the same way. Swap in lime zest and lime juice for a key lime twist. My Lime Curd shows just how bright lime bakes up.
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.

How to Make Best Lemon Bars

Butter and sugar creamed together in a glass mixing bowl.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer with a paddle attachment until smooth.

Crumbly shortbread crust dough after adding flour and salt.

Combine the flour and salt and add to the butter mixture, mixing until a crumbly dough forms.

Lemon bar filling whisked together in a glass bowl.

For the filling, whisk together the eggs, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and flour. Using real lemons makes all the difference. Set it aside while you finish the crust.

Shortbread crust pressed into a foil-lined 9 by 13 pan.

Line a 9 by 13 pan with aluminum foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Press the dough into the pan, building up a half-inch edge on all sides. Freeze for 10 minutes, then bake for 20 minutes until lightly browned.

Lemon filling poured over the warm baked crust in the pan.

Mix the filling again and pour it over the warm crust. Bake for 30 minutes, until the filling is set with only a slight jiggle in the center.

Baked lemon bars dusted with powdered sugar, cut into squares, one lifted on a spatula.

Let cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for 30 minutes so the bars cut cleanly. Cut into 20 to 24 squares or 40 triangles, wiping the knife between cuts, and dust with powdered sugar just before serving.

Recipe Tips & Tricks

Freeze the crust first. After you make the crust and add it to the pan, freeze the baking pan for 10 minutes. Skipping this step is the most common mistake.
Pour the filling onto a warm crust. Prepare the filling while the crust is in the freezer and pour it in right after the crust comes out of the oven.
Use fresh lemons, never bottled juice. Bottled lemon juice is the fastest way to a flat, artificial-tasting bar.
Watch the bake time. Ovens vary. Do not underbake the filling or the bars will not hold up, and do not overbake or they will crack. The center should barely jiggle.
Cut cold with a clean knife. 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.
Dust right before serving. Sift the powdered sugar on just before the bars go out, or it dissolves into the filling.

Serving Ideas & Suggestions

These are the dessert I reach for when I am planning an afternoon tea. They hold their shape on a tiered tray, they pair with almost any tea, and one pan covers a full tea party guest list. For a simple cream tea, set them out next to the scones, or make them the star of a Mother’s Day tea party alongside my Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies.

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.

Lemon bars topped with lemon slices on a cooling rack.

Best Lemon Bars FAQs

Is it better to bake the lemon bars in a glass or metal baking dish?

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.

Should lemon bars be refrigerated?

Yes. Because the filling contains eggs, lemon bars should be refrigerated after they’ve cooled. They will stay fresh for about one week.

Why are my lemon bars runny?

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.

Why did my lemon bars crack?

Cracks usually happen when the filling is overbaked. Remove them when the center is just set with only a slight jiggle.

Can you freeze lemon bars?

Yes. Freeze the cooled, cut bars in a single layer, then store them in an airtight container or freezer bag. They keep in the freezer for up to three months. Dust with powdered sugar after thawing.

How do you cut lemon bars cleanly?

Chill the bars in the refrigerator for 30 minutes after they cool completely, then use a sharp knife and wipe it clean between cuts. Trimming the edges first gives every bar neat sides.

Other Recommended Lemon Recipes

I hope you enjoy these Best Lemon Bars! If you make them, please leave a ⭐ star rating in the recipe card below, and come say hello on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook. I love seeing your tea time treats.

How to Bake The Best Lemon Bars Ever

Bake some of the best lemon bars ever with this easy recipe using fresh lemon and lemon zest.

5 from 1 vote

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Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 50

Resting time: 10

Total Time: 1 10

Servings: servings

Calories: 259kcal

Author: Candi Elm

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.

Notes

✔ Always use fresh lemons.

✔ Chill before slicing.

✔ Dust with powdered sugar immediately before serving.

✔ Wipe the knife clean between cuts.

✔ Bake until the center barely jiggles.

✔ Freeze individually for easy desserts later.

Nutrition

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About Candi Elm

Candi Elm is the recipe developer and food photographer at A Day In Candiland where she has been sharing Encouragement, Recipes, Baked seasonal Desserts and Treats since 2012. Candi currently lives in Southern California with her family and enjoying life to the fullest.

Comments

5 from 1 vote (1 rating without comment)