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 recipe at the bottom 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
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Easy Lemon Bars
Recipe details
Ingredients
Shortbread Crust
- 1 cup softened butter
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 pinch of salt
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
Lemon Filling
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 6 large eggs
- 1 cup lemon juice
- 2 lemons finely grated zest ONLY
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
Garnish
- icing sugar, lemon slices optional
Instructions
- Prep:Heat oven to 350°F. Line a 9×13 inch pan with parchment paper.
- Crust:Mix butter, sugar, vanilla and salt in a medium bowl. Stir in flour, then press into the prepared pan. Bake around 15 minutes in the hot oven.
- Filling:Whisk together sugar, eggs, lemon juice and lemon zest in a medium bowl until smooth. Whisk in flour and cornstarch until smooth.
- Finish bars:Pour the filling over the pre-baked crust. Bake around 20-25 minutes, until the bars are just set.
- Cool:Let bars cool to room temperature, then place in the fridge after about 2 hours. Decorate with icing sugar and slice to serve.
Notes
Baking 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.
Ingredient substitutions
- 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.
Storage
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 recipe information
Recipe first published in April 2020. Updated with new photos and better tips on 02/18/2021.
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