Made with a classic combination of buttery shortbread crust and a silky, sweet-tart lemon filling, these easy Lemon Bars burst with bright citrus flavor.
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Can a recipe taste like sunshine? These Easy Lemon Bars are proof it’s possible. Made with a buttery shortbread crust and a silky citrus curd filling that bursts with bright lemony flavor, it’s no wonder this cheerful dessert is a perennial favorite.
And while they do require some time in the fridge to chill and set, these crowd-pleasing bars come together with just 15 minutes of prep. Like our 5-Ingredient S’mores Bars, No-Bake Cheesecake Bars, Magic Cookie Bars, and Pecan Pie Bars, they’re a great recipe to have in your back pocket for anytime you’re craving a sweet treat.
Why You’ll Love This Lemon Bar Recipe
- The perfect combination of a tender, buttery crust and sweet-tart lemon curd filling
- Easy to make gluten-free lemon bars by opting for a GF flour
- A classic, crowd-pleasing recipe that’s great for picnics, potlucks, backyard parties, or everyday baking
- Just 15 minutes of prep
Lemon Bar Ingredients
The ingredient list for these luscious lemon bars is really quite simple, and I’d be willing to bet that you even have most of these ingredients on hand already. Find ingredient notes (including substitutions and swaps) below.
For the Crust
- Flour – use standard all-purpose flour as the base of the crust. Or, to make gluten-free lemon bars, opt for King Arthur’s Measure for Measure or another GF blend.
- Chilled butter – one stick of chilled butter binds the flour and creates a rich crust. It’s important to keep it chilled and in the fridge until you’re ready to use it.
- Powdered sugar – lastly, you’ll need a ¼ cup of powdered sugar. You can definitely swap in coconut sugar here, but know that it will yield a more crumbly crust.
For the Lemon Filling
- Eggs – the base of the lemon filling is 4 whole eggs.
- Lemon juice – what’s lemon filling without lemon juice? You’ll need a ⅓ cup (about three lemon’s-worth) of juice here. Fresh is definitely best!
- Honey – to add a touch of sweetness, you’ll also need ¾ cup of honey. Feel free to use cane sugar if you’re out of honey.
- Flour – whether you use standard AP flour or a gluten-free blend, a ¼ cup will help to thicken and bind the filling ingredients.
- Baking powder – ½ teaspoon of baking powder gives the filling a light texture.
- Powdered sugar – after everything is done cooking and completely cooled, you’ll top with a dusting of powdered sugar, which adds an extra touch of sweetness and makes the bars look pretty.
A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Lemon Bar Recipe Variations and Modifications
- Flour – regular all-purpose flour and gluten-free options will work here.
- Citrus juice – since limes are about as tart as lemons, you can substitute the same amount of lime juice for the lemon juice. Other citrus fruits like Meyer lemons and different varieties of oranges could also be swapped. But since they are all sweeter than lemons, you’d want to reduce the amount of powdered sugar added to the filling.
- Sugar – you can use coconut sugar in place of the powdered sugar for the crust, but just note that it will result in a more crumbly texture.
- Low FODMAP – for a low FODMAP option, substitute white sugar for the honey.
How to Make Our Easy Lemon Bars
Desserts can be intimidating, but with just 15 minutes of prep time, these lemon bars are actually super easy. You’ll start with the crust and then move onto the filling, and before you know it, you’ll have nine sunny-yellow baked lemon bars dusted with a shower of powdered sugar. Here’s what you need to do:
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350°F and line an 8×8-inch baking pan with parchment paper. Combine the flour and powdered sugar in a medium-sized bowl, then, cut the chilled butter into ¼-inch pieces and add them to the bowl.
Step 2: Using a pastry cutter or your hands, combine them with the flour-sugar mixture until a crumbly dough forms. Using your fingertips, press the crust mixture into the bottom of the parchment paper-lined pan until it’s even. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the top is golden brown.
Step 3: Add the eggs, lemon juice, and honey to a large bowl (or the base of your stand mixer) and beat on high-speed until the honey is fully incorporated, then mix in the flour and baking powder.
Step 4: Pour the lemon filling over the baked crust and bake for 25 minutes, until the filling is golden. Let the lemon bars cool for at least one hour, then sprinkle a dusting of powdered sugar over top, serve, and enjoy!
Recipe Tips
- Use fresh lemon juice – this is a big one! There is such a distinct difference between fresh and bottled lemon juice. If you’re lucky enough to shop at a grocery store that sells bottled *freshly-squeezed* lemon juice in the produce section, feel free to grab that. If it isn’t freshly-squeezed, though, opt for buying whole lemons and using a lemon juicer to juice them yourself. It may seem like a pain, but it is totally worth it!
- Avoid overbaking – you’ll know that the lemon bars are done baking when the top is golden brown and the filling just barely jiggles. Be sure to pull them from the oven at this point to keep them from overcooking.
- Speedier chilling – if you need your bars to set up faster, place them in the refrigerator after removing them from the oven. This will accelerate the process and allow you to slice and serve them a bit sooner.
How to Serve
Let the lemon bars cool on a countertop or in the fridge for at least one hour (or up to overnight).
Sprinkle with a dusting of powdered sugar. (To avoid clumps, put the powdered sugar in a fine-mesh strainer, and tap the side of the strainer to shower a fine powder of sugar over the bars). Then cut into nine equal squares, serve cold or at room temperature, and enjoy!
How to Store and Reheat
Store any leftover bars in the refrigerator for up to five days (if they last that long!), and serve cold or at room temperature.
Frequently Asked Questions
The filling for these addictive citrus bars is essentially a lemon curd. But instead of eggs, lemon juice, and sugar getting whisked over a stovetop, the same ingredients create a silky curd when baked on the oven on top of a shortbread crust.
Once the bars are cooled and set, you can either serve them straight from the fridge, or let them warm to room temperature.
Lemon bars require a little patience: you can’t eat them straight from the oven! If yours are looking too gooey or jiggly, it probably means the filling hasn’t set. But sure to let them cool for at least an hour before giving them the jiggle test: if the filling wobbles when you give the pan a gentle shake, that means they’re not set and need to sit longer to firm up.
Because lemon bars are made with eggs, it’s best to refrigerate them to avoid food safety issues, and to keep them fresh for longer.
More of Our Best Lemon Dessert Recipes
If you tried this Lemon Bar Recipe or any other recipe on the Fed & Fit website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below!
Gluten Free Lemon Bars
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 1 cup gluten free flour blend
- 1/2 cup butter 1 stick, chilled
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar*
For the lemon filling:
- 4 eggs
- 1/3 cup lemon juice
- 3/4 cup honey may also use cane sugar
- 1/4 cup gluten free flour blend
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- Powdered sugar for topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F.
- Combine flour and powdered sugar in a medium sized bowl. Cut butter into 1/4 inch pieces and add to flour mixture. Using a pastry cutter or your hands, combine the butter with the flour until the mixture becomes crumbly.
- Press crust mixture into the bottom of an 8×8 pan lined with parchment paper. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
- Add the eggs, lemon juice, and honey to a large bowl or the base of your stand mixture and beat on high speed until the honey is fully incorporated, then mix in the flour and baking powder. Pour the lemon filling over the crust and bake for 25 minutes, until set.
- Let cool for at least one hour, then sprinkle powdered sugar over top and serve!
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
I am going to make these with the limes from our tree. I have a ton of limes! I am going to take them to the desert and serve them. One person is gluten free. Based on the reviews, them should turn out fine. I looked at the King Arthur site and they use Almond Flour, which I do not have, but I have the Measure for Meaasure.
That sounds so amazingly delicious, Lisa! The Measure for Measure will work great! Let us know how they turn out!
This is the second GF dessert that I cared for and bot did it impress. I agree with another comment to double the filling as I too like more lemony curd. I added lemon zest for even more lemon power. This will be a go to recipe for me.
So glad to hear that, Ellen! Thank you for sharing this with us!
I’m obsessed with lemon bars and these are the best I’ve ever had. Just made those 30 minutes ago and half the pan is gone already :)) I had to make a few modifications based on what I had in my pantry, and it still turned out amazing.
For the crust, I used oat flour instead of gluten-free flour and honey instead of sugar. For the filling, I used 2 tbsp arrowroot starch instead of 1/4 cups flour, and I added 1 egg and about 3 tbsp lemon juice because I’m all about the custard LOL.
Thanks again! This will become a staple in our household!
So glad y’all enjoyed them Natascha!
Can you swap in almond or coconut flour instead of the gf flour blend?
There’s a link in the recipe for a grain free crust but I don’t think swapping coconut or almond flour in the filling would hold the same way. My best guess would be to swap in 2 tbs arrowroot starch in place of the GF flour but I haven’t tried it yet!
These lemon bars are delicious! I had a whole bunch of lemons to use up, so I ended up doubling this and making it in a 9×13 pan (plus a tiny bit in a loaf pan otherwise I think my crust would have been too thick). Everything came out delicious! I’m a sucker for any lemon dessert and these made me so very happy.
Would gluten free flour and regular flour substitute at the same amount? Same with the honey, will white sugar substitute at the same for honey? I want to make these as decadent as possible, no calorie counting here.
Yes, same amount for both!
YESSSSS! I adore lemon bars and I’m so glad that I now have a GF and trusted recipe to try 🙂 Thinking about making them for Easter- do you know how far in advance I can make them, and how well they’ll travel?
I’d make these 2 days in advance max, and they will travel well! I’d just cover the pan you bake them in and transport that way.
Thank you so much for the recipe! If you make them in advance do you refrigerate or leave out over night?
Store them in the fridge, Madison – enjoy!!