Easy Lemon Bars
These Easy Lemon Bars have a homemade shortbread crust topped with a sweet and tangy lemon filling.
Looking for more lemon-inspired recipes? Try Lemon Sugar Cookies, Lemon Poppyseed Muffins, and Lemon Pie Bars.
Lemon Bars with Shortbread Crust
These Easy Lemon Bars are bursting with a tangy lemon flavor and sweetened with a dusting of powdered sugar, which makes these lemon bars extra pretty and delicious.
- Summer Treat. This has all the flavors of summer in one sweet bar. That tangy lemon taste paired with the sweet sugar and shortbread crust.
- Perfect for a Crowd. This makes a large pan of dessert bars which makes it perfect for serving a large group of people.
- Great For Parties. I love bringing this dessert to bbq get-togethers and summer parties. Everyone loves this great-tasting recipe.
- Easy to Make. This is an easy recipe to follow and make with the best results.
Ingredients For Easy Lemon Bars
- Flour. Use an all-purpose flour to get that perfect textured shortbread crust. It’s also used to thicken up the lemon custard filling.
- Sugar. You will need both granulated sugar and powdered sugar. The powdered sugar is used for dusting and getting that iconic look.
- Butter. Use salted butter and make sure to dice it before using it for best results.
- Salt. A small dash of table salt is a great way to balance out the flavors and enhance that tangy zip.
- Baking Powder. You want your lemon custard top to have a small rise so the texture is just right. The baking powder does just that.
- Eggs. Eggs are the base of the custard lemon top. Use room-temperature eggs for best results.
- Lemon Juice. This recipe is great with freshly squeezed lemons but for convenience and ease bottled lemon juice works great as well.
- Orange Juice. For an extra citrus flavor blast, you’ll love the addition of orange juice.
Tips for the Best Results
- Food Processor. I love using a food processor to make the crust, it makes it so easy. But if you don’t have a food processor, you can just use a fork or your hands to form the crust.
- Increase Cook Time. Depending on how your oven cooks, you may need to adjust the cooking time. You don’t want to underbake lemon bars, they will be a gooey mess if you do.
- Set and Cool. This dessert needs to cool and set before eating. If you skip this step the bars will fall apart and be a mess to eat. Once set, you will have a perfectly textured lemon bar.
- Sifter. Dusting powder sugar can be tricky. Use a sifter to dust the powdered sugar evenly over the bars.
How To Make Lemon Bars with Shortbread Crust
- Prep. Start by preheating the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray.
- Crust. Make the crust by pulsing flour, powdered sugar, and diced butter in a food processor. Make sure it has a crumbly look. Press the dough crust into the baking pan. Bake the crust for 20 minutes.
- Mix. While the crust bakes, whisk together granulated sugar, flour, salt, and baking powder. Add the eggs, lemon juice, and orange juice. Whisk until a smooth, well-blended mixture forms.
- Pour. Pour the mixed lemon filling over the hot crust.
- Bake. Bake the prepared lemon bars for 25-30 minutes.
- Cool. Once out of the oven, cool the lemon bars at room temperature for 1 hour and then refrigerate for 1 1/2 hours or overnight.
- Dust. When ready to serve, cut the lemon bars into squares and dust the top with powdered sugar.
What To Serve With Easy Lemon Bars
These easy lemon bars make the best backyard party dessert. Or bring them to a baby shower or bridal shower. Add them to a main dish of Air Fryer Country Style Ribs with a side of BBQ baked beans.
Leftovers & Storing
- Store. Store baked bars in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.
- Freeze. Lemon bars are a great dessert to freeze! They even taste delicious frozen. Make sure to cut them into squares before freezing. When ready to eat, eat frozen or thaw in the refrigerator.
More Tasty Bar Recipes
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Easy Lemon Bars
These Easy Lemon Bars have a homemade shortbread crust topped with a sweet and tangy lemon filling.
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Ingredients
CRUST:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 cup salted butter, diced
LEMON FILLING:
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 4 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 4 large eggs
- ½ cup lemon juice, 2 medium sized lemons
- ¼ cup orange juice
- powdered sugar, for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
MAKE CRUST:
- In a food processor, pulse flour, powdered sugar, and diced butter until crumbly.
- Press the dough crust into the prepared baking pan. Bake for 20 minutes.
MAKE LEMON FILLING:
- In a medium sized bowl, whisk together granulated sugar, flour, salt, and baking powder.
- Add eggs, lemon juice, and orange juice. Whisk together until well blended.
- Pour the lemon filling over the hot crust. Bake for 25-30 minutes.
LET COOL & CUT INTO SQUARES:
- Allow lemon bars to cool at room temperature for 1 hour. Then cover and chill in the fridge for 1 1/2 hours or overnight.
- Cut lemon bars into squares and dust tops with powdered sugar.
Notes
- Food Processor. I love using a food processor to make the crust, it makes it so easy. But if you don’t have a food processor, you can just use a fork or your hands to form the crust.
- Increase Cook Time. Depending on how your oven cooks, you may need to adjust the cooking time. You don’t want to underbake lemon bars, they will be a gooey mess if you do.
- Set and Cool. This dessert needs to cool and set before eating. If you skip this step the bars will fall apart and be a mess to eat. Once set, you will have a perfectly textured lemon bar.
- Sifter. Dusting powder sugar can be tricky. Use a sifter to dust the powdered sugar evenly over the bars.
- Store. Store baked bars in an air tight container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.
- Freeze. Lemon bars are a great dessert to freeze! They even taste delicious frozen. Make sure to cut them into squares before freezing. When ready to eat, eat frozen or thaw in the refrigerator.
Calories: 394kcal, Carbohydrates: 57g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 17g, Saturated Fat: 10g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 5g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 95mg, Sodium: 203mg, Potassium: 71mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 39g, Vitamin A: 563IU, Vitamin C: 7mg, Calcium: 37mg, Iron: 1mg
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This is impossible to resist!! SO good and easy to make, too! Thanks for the recipe!
The orange juice seemed to make them just a bit less tart, and my kids loved that! The hardest part is just waiting for them to cool down! haha
These bars were really hard to resist!! Everyone enjoyed it!
Lemon bars are my favorite spring dessert! I loved your recipe, I thought it turned out just perfect. I will be making it often!
Thank you so much for sharing this amazing recipe! Will surely have this again! It’s really easy to make and it tasted so delicious! Highly recommended!
oh my I”m totally drooling
I just couldn’t resist lemon desserts. And I love my lemon bars to be simple and classic. It is definitely warm season already and the flowers surely started to bloom. And this classic lemon bars make warm season bright!