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Home » Dessert Recipes

Best Ever Lemon Bars Recipe

Last updated on August 24, 2022Originally published October 23, 201824 CommentsSabine

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These Lemon Bars are sour and sweet and very easy to make. Buttery shortbread crust meets tangy lemon curd filling. Just 7 ingredients! You won’t be able to stop eating these. 

You can also use any other citrus fruit for this recipe like grapefruit, orange, or limes.

Decorative picture of bitten lemon bars on a wooden table

Step-by-step instructions

This is an easy story to tell. Place flour, sugar, salt, and butter in a food processor and pulse until it starts to clump.

Processed shortbread crumbs shown in a food processor on a bright background

Transfer the crumbs to a parchment paper layered baking pan and evenly press into the bottom. Bake for 20 minutes, fill with the lemon curd filling, and bake again.

The filling is very easy to make. You need just 5 ingredients. Eggs, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and flour. Beat eggs, sugar, and zest until creamy. Then add flour. Slowly mix in lemon juice, and you're done.

Pour on top of the pre-baked shortbread crust and bake until almost set with a very slight wobble. This will take about 35-40 minutes. To prevent the top from browning too much, cover loosely with parchment paper after 20 minutes or to your preference.

Pouring lemon curd on top pre-baked shortbread crust in baking pan

NOTE: I played around with the amount of lemon zest and think that 1 teaspoon lemon zest is the perfect amount for the filling. Lemon zest adds a tangy taste but can add a bitter taste as well.

TIP: When grating lemon rind, watch out that you grate just the yellow rind and not the white one. The white part of the rind is very bitter, and when you accidentally take too much of it, the filling can get a bitter taste. In this case, you might need to dust much more powdered sugar on top before serving to balance the bitter taste.

What I also want to say is, please make sure that you take organic lemons that you can safely eat the rind. Also, wash them very well because of the uneven skin.

Decorative picture of cut lemon bars on white paper

If you make this Lemon Bars Recipe leave a comment, rate it and tag a photo #alsothecrumbsplease on Instagram! Would love to see your snap!

Decorative picture of bitten lemon bars on white paper

You may also like Dark Chocolate Orange Cupcakes, Cream Cheese Swirled Lemon Bundt Cake, or Easy Pistachio Cake Recipe From Scratch.

Best Ever Lemon Bars Recipe

Best ever Lemon Bars Recipe

5 from 14 votes
Author Sabine Venier
Calories: 274kcal
Servings: 20 bars
Prep 15 minutes
Cook 55 minutes
Chill Time 12 hours
Total 1 hour 10 minutes
Print Pin Rate
These Lemon Bars are sour and sweet and very easy to make. Buttery shortbread crust meets tangy lemon curd filling. You won’t be able to stop eating these.

Ingredients
  

Shortbread Crust

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour (240g)
  • â…“ cup granulated white sugar (67g)
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • â…ž cup cold butter (198g)

Lemon Curd Filling

  • 6 large eggs
  • 2+½ cups granulated white sugar (500g)
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour (120g)
  • 1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (240ml)

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a 9x13" (23x33cm) baking pan with parchment paper with an overhang on all sides. Set aside.
  • Make the shortbread crust in a food processor: Place flour, sugar, salt, and butter in a food processor and pulse a few times just until it starts to clump. 
  • If you don't have a food processor, then make the shortbread crust with a pastry cutter or two forks instead: In this case mix together flour, salt, and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Then add butter and cut it into the mixture until it starts to clump.
  • Transfer crust to the prepared baking pan and press with your fingers evenly into the bottom of the pan. Place a piece of paper on top and flatten the crust with the back of a flat-bottomed cup. Bake for 20 minutes until crust is lightly browned. 
  • While the crust is baking, prepare the filling: In a large mixing bowl, using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a whisk or paddle attachment, mix eggs, sugar, and lemon zest on medium speed until creamy and sugar is completely dissolved, about 2-3 minutes. Add flour and mix just until incorporated. On low speed, slowly stir in lemon juice just until combined. Pour onto crust. Bake for about 35-40 minutes or until filling is almost set with a very slight wobble in the center. Cover with parchment paper after the first 20 minutes to prevent browning too much, if desired.
  • Remove from oven and let cool to room temperature. Then chill in the fridge overnight. Cut into 20 bars. Before serving, dust with powdered sugar. Store leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Video

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Nutrition

Calories: 274kcal
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword Best ever Lemon Bars Recipe
Did you make this recipe?Leave a feedback and rate this recipe!
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About Sabine

Sabine is a professional baker, cookbook author, and award-winning food photographer.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Baylee

    November 23, 2022 at 12:40 pm

    5 stars
    Lovely recipe!

    Reply
  2. Jay

    August 26, 2021 at 4:38 am

    5 stars
    Awesome!! Thanks for sharing this with us!!

    Reply
  3. Christie

    July 15, 2021 at 1:09 pm

    5 stars
    Thank you for this recipe! It came out perfectly and was DELICIOUS! However, I was unable to make nice, clean cuts as shown in the photos. I tried both a ceramic knife and a plastic spatula, but lemon still stuck to spatula making edges less than appealing. What do you use to cut the bars to get such pretty individual servings? Many thanks!

    Reply
    • Sabine

      July 17, 2021 at 5:30 am

      I'm sorry that you had a hard time cutting the bars. I only use a regular long, sharp knife, nothing special. You could place them in the freezer for an hour then cut the whole pan into bars and then place them back in the fridge. This should help with cutting. Hope that helps!

      Reply
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Portrait photo of Sabine Venier

Hi, my name is Sabine Venier! I’m a cookbook author and food blogger. Here on Also The Crumbs Please you will find my collection of treasured family recipes.

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