Easy Lemon Bars

Try these quick to whip up bars if you want to serve an easy dessert – creamy, citrus-y and absolutely fabulous!

I wasn’t always a fan of lemon desserts, but with age I’ve really come around to them 😉 It might help that lemon squares taste like shortbread smothered in lemon curd… Which is not a bad thing at all!

This is one of my favorite desserts to whip up – it’s so easy, you’ll be convinced it won’t work. But don’t worry, this is not too good to be true, and the bars come out absolutely amazing with so little work in the kitchen.

These feature a super easy press-in crust, and the custardy lemon filling is something you whisk together in 5 minutes. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy!

Ingredients you’ll need

Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for quantities!

Ingredient notes

• Butter: You can use margarine in place of the butter for the base. The taste and texture will be a little different versus using butter.
• Lemon juice: Bottled or fresh both work; fresh tends to curdle the eggs a little faster though, so do make sure to get the filling in the oven as soon as it’s mixed.
• Lemon zest: Feel free to skip if you don’t have any on hand. The zest does add an extra lemony kick, but the bars are still plenty tart without it.
• Other citrus: You can also use another citrus juice like orange or lime for a different flavor if you want.
• Cornstarch: If you don’t have any cornstarch, use 2 more tablespoons of flour instead. The filling will change texture a little, but it’s still delicious.

How to make Lemon Bars

1. Start by creaming the butter, sugar, vanilla extract and salt for the base together.

2. Next, add the flour and mix in on low JUST until combined. You do not want a smooth dough, crumbly is perfect.

3. Transfer your crumbly mixture to a lined 9×13 inch cake pan and press in using clean, very slightly damp fingers.

Now you’ll bake the crust for 15 minutes without the filling.

4. For the filling, mix sugar, eggs, lemon juice and lemon zest until fully combined.

Then add the flour and cornstarch and mix in until fully incorporated and smooth. You do not want any lumps here, otherwise your filling will not set correctly!

Pour this over the base and finish baking!

Once the bars are baked, you must let them cool and chill before slicing! Otherwise, they will not be firm enough. I like to dust with icing sugar and decorate with some fresh lemon slices, but that’s entirely optional!

Watch the recipe video

Recipe tips

• Don’t over-mix the shortbread base once you’ve added the flour – only mix until the flour is combined. Otherwise, the base will turn out gummy instead of buttery and crumbly like a cookie.
• Mix the lemon filling just before pouring it over the hot crust, otherwise the eggs could start curdling if it sits on the counter too long.
• Do not overtake the bars, they should still have a bit of a jiggle when you take them out.
• Cool the bars well before slicing them, otherwise they’re still too creamy and won’t come out as neat squares.

Storage tips

The bars keep well covered in the fridge for up to 3 days. The base tends to soften in the fridge, but they’re still delicious to eat.

More easy lemon desserts

PS If you try this recipe, please leave a review in the comment section and add a star rating in the recipe card – I appreciate your feedback! Follow along on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram. Sign up for my email list, too!

Recipe first published in April 2020. Updated with new photos and better tips on 02/18/2021.