This is the Best Lemon Bars Recipe you will ever make!
These zesty lemon bars are made with a buttery shortbread crust and a sweet, tart, tangy, and gooey lemon filling. They are sealed in a light sugary crackle topping that is dusted with powdered sugar.
"These are perfect! The base stayed crisp, the lemon is just right and I LOVE the crackly, sugary top. If you've found this recipe, make it. It's a winner." ★★★★★ -Lindsay
The gooey, sweet, tangy filling melts in your mouth with each bite.
This is one lemon dessert worth makking homemade! They are also a crowd favorite for baby showers and bridal showers. I hope you enjoy! Xoxo ~Katie.
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Ingredient notes and substitutions
You will need the following ingredients to make homemade lemon bars.
- powdered sugar
- all purpose flour
- lemon-Use fresh lemons, not the bottled lemon juice. It is best to use fresh lemon juice. For an additional zesty flavor, add a bit of lemon zest.
- baking powder
- granulated sugar
- butter- You can use salted or unsalted butter for this recipe.
- vanilla extract
- eggs
Steps
Follow these steps to make this easy lemon bars recipe.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, vanilla, and confectioners sugar.
- Cut in butter until mixture clings together.
- Line a 13x9x2inch baking pan with parchment paper. Press dough evenly in the baking pan.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes until golden brown. Set aside to cool.
- In a medium bowl, beat eggs. Add granulated sugar and lemon juice to eggs and mix.
- Mix in remaining flour and baking powder.
- Pour the tart lemon filling over baked crust. Bake 25 minutes.
- Remove from oven and cool 5 or more minutes. Dust confectioner sugar on top. For best results, allow to completely cool at room temperature before serving.
Butter Tip
Grate butter with a cheese grater rather than slicing the butter. The butter will evenly distribute it among the dry ingredients preventing the dough from becoming overworked.
Watch how to make lemon bars
How do you store lemon bars?
Store lemon bars in the refrigerator in an airtight container. Use parchment paper between layers to prevent sticking if you are stacking the bars in layers. You can refrigerate lemon bars up to 7 days.
About the recipe
Years ago, I played Bunco with a group of ladies. Whoever was hostess of the game cooked for the entire group. My sweet friend Holly Richter hosted a dinner and made these lemon bars for dessert at one of the games. Holly is a fabulous baker and I couldn't stop eating them. They were incredible. Therefore, I asked her for the lemon bar recipe and she was nice enough to share it with me.
And now you are in luck, because I am sharing the recipe with you!!
I must warn you. When I make these, I have a goal in mind to share with my friends. However, little fingers in my household quickly snatch these bars up and there rarely is any left to give away.... So you may want to go ahead and make 2 batches. Just saying------
If you like this recipe, check out some of my other easy desserts: Easy Chocolate Cherry Sheet Cake, Chocolate Eclair Cake, and banana pudding.
Please leave me a comment below if you make these lemon bars and tell me what you think. I would love to hear back, and so would my readers.
Also post your picture of your bars on Instagram or Facebook, and tag @aforkstale with #aforkstale hashtags! I will share with my followers! xoxo!
📖 Recipe
Sweet and Tangy Lemon Bars that Melt in Your Mouth
Ingredients
Shortbread Crust
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- ½ cup confectioners powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup butter
Lemon Filling
- 4 eggs
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup fresh lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ all purpose flour
- ¼ confectioners powdered sugar
Instructions
Make the shortbread crust.
- Whisk together flour, vanilla, and confectioners sugar.2 cups all purpose flour, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ½ cup confectioners powdered sugar
- Cut in butter until mixture clings together.1 cup butter
- Press dough in 13x9x2inch baking dish lined with parchment paper.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Set aside to cool.
Make the lemon filling.
- Beat eggs. Beat eggs. Add granulated sugar and lemon juice to eggs and mix.4 eggs, 2 cups granulated sugar, ⅓ cup fresh lemon juice
- Mix in remaining flour and baking powder.½ teaspoon baking powder, ¼ all purpose flour
- Pour filling over crust. Bake 25 minutes at 350 degrees.
- Remove from oven and cool 5 or more minutes. Dust confectioner sugar on top and serve.¼ confectioners powdered sugar
Carlie says
My lemon bars came out perfect!
Julia says
The perfect lemon flavor.
Mikayla says
Love these lemon bars.
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
You are absolutely right about making two! I made one to take out for a neighbor's party and ended up eating it ourselves. The flavors are jus delicious and perfect for the Spring season.
Molly Kumar says
These were soooo easy to make and were absolutely delicious!!! Everyone loved it at home and will make again soon.
Maddy says
This recipe is a total winner. If you love lemon and sweet dessert, Make it. You won’t regret it!
Kristina says
My kids absolutely love these lemon bars. We bring them to spring holidays for dessert and they’re always well received.
mik says
These were the perfect treat to take to my book club meeting. Everyone loved them and asked me to make them again.
Amy Liu Dong says
Oh my gosh, this is so easy and delicious! One of the perfect desserts to make this spring season. Yum!
Amy Lui Dong says
This lemon bar recipe is a game changer for me because i crave a lot of sweets and this is the only one that hits the mark, it is sweet, tarty, and creamy which makes this a great dessert!
Jamie says
There are lots of recipes for making lemon bars and this is the best and easy way thank you for sharing
veenaazmanov says
Loved your recipe and I loved the lemon filling. Citrus flavors are my favorite. Best for a tea time or breakfast platter option.
DK Park says
Lemon is my favorite tart sources and with this recipe i know that i stumbled upon a great one. I'm glad to see this online and i will be making this one now!
Jeanne Marie says
Every bite is worth the calories! These lemon bars are my new obsession!
Francesco says
Brilliant lemon flavor!
Megane says
These Lemon bars are my current obsession! Tangy, zesty, and the perfect treat to satisfy that craving. 🍋🍰 Cheers.
Lindsay says
These are perfect! The base stayed crisp, the lemon is just right and I LOVE the crackly, sugary top. If you’ve found this recipe, make it. It’s a winner.
Candy says
I'm wondering if I made a mistake - after cooking for 25 minutes, the finished product was really soupy. I'm baking it for an additional 15 minutes in hopes it will firm up. They smell wonderful!
Katie says
They do set as they cool, but they should not have been soupy. I am not sure what went wrong. This is a friend's recipe. We made it several times and it has been good...
Jill says
It's possible that you didn't add the flour to the lemon mixture. I didn't read the recipe carefully first (broke the primary rule of recipe cooking) and didn't realize the flour was divided, so I put it all in the crust (which turned out a little crumbly as a result). But when I was adding the addl flour to the lemon/egg, I thought of this review and that it might have been what made these soupy. In the end, mine firmed up perfectly and were good. Not very lemony, surprisingly! Maybe my lemons were dull! The star-rating thing won't work for me but I'd give them 4 stars.
Elaine @ Dishes Delish says
Yum, yum, yummy. I love all things lemon and these bars look fabulous! My grandmother used to make some lemon bars! They looked like these. I can't wait to see if they taste like them.