The Best Classic Easy Lemon Bars Recipe

Out of all of the recipes for lemon squares out there, this one has to be the top. You’ve got sweetness, tartness, and sour from the gooey lemon filling. Then you have a savory buttery crust with a pinch of salt. These classic lemon bars have an all-encompassing flavor profile that doesn’t miss a note!

Since you are here and love an easy recipe for lemon desserts, check out this Copycat Starbucks Lemon Cake Loaf, this Quick Lemon Blondies Recipe, or these Mini Lemon Cupcakes with Italian Buttercream and Lemon Curd.

Ingredients for this Easy Lemon Bar Recipe

Here are the ingredients you will need to make this easy lemon bars recipe. Make sure to scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of the page for the detailed ingredient measurements. 

For the Buttery Shortbread Crust Recipe

• Unsalted Butter: Pull it out of the fridge a little while before starting the recipe so that it softens.
• Powdered Sugar: lightly sweetens the baked crust perfectly.
• All-purpose Flour: combines with the butter to give the crust its structure.
• Pinch of Salt: is added to balance out the sweetness and enhance all of the flavors.

For the Tart Lemon Filling Recipe

• Large Eggs: combine with the juice to create the luscious lemon curd filling.
• Granulated Sugar: adds sweetness to the tartness of the lemon juice.
• Fresh Lemon Juice: made from fresh lemons. Or you can use bottled pure lemon juice if you don’t want to spend the time or energy juicing your own.
• Lemon Zest: adds a rich and deep lemon flavor to these delicious lemon bars.
• All-purpose Flour: A little flour is all you need to stiffen up the curd just enough to keep it together.
• Powdered Sugar: for dusting. It makes it look nice and pretty.

Easy Lemon Bars Recipe Tip

Use a sieve to pass the flour through to the bowls in filling recipe. This will ensure that you don’t have flour clumps which could alter the texture and smoothness of your filling.

To do this, simply put the measured amount of flour in the sieve positioned directly over the bowl and swiftly move it from side to side, bumping your off-hand to move the flour through.

How to make this Easy Lemon Bars Recipe

This is how you can make the best lemon bars. Make sure to scroll down to the recipe card at the end of this post for the full step-by-step instructions! 

1. Preheat your oven and line an 8×8 inch baking pan with parchment paper or wax paper, leaving an overhang for easy removal.
2. In a medium bowl, cream together the softened butter and powdered sugar until light and fluffy. Add the flour and salt, and mix the crust ingredients until just combined.
3. Press the shortbread crust mixture evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake the crust for about 13-14 minutes, or until the edges are slightly golden brown. Remove the hot crust from the oven.
4. While the crust is baking make the filling. In another large bowl or in a bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the eggs, granulated sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, flour, and baking powder until smooth and well combined.
5. Pour the lemon mixture over the baked warm crust, spreading it out evenly. Return the pan to the oven and bake for an additional 20-22 minutes, or until the filling is set and the edges are lightly golden brown.
6. Remove the baking dish from the oven and let the bars cool completely to room temperature in the pan. Once cooled, dust the top  of the bars with powdered sugar. Use the parchment paper overhang to lift the bars out of the pan, then slice into neat squares with a sharp knife. Enjoy!

Why You need to make this recipe!

• This easy recipe only requires a handful of simple ingredients that you can easily find at the grocery store.
• This easy lemon bars recipe is a beautiful and easy dessert to bring to bake sales, baby showers, or bridal showers.
• These chilled lemon bars are the perfect way to cool off on during hot summer days by the pool.

Frequently Asked Questions – FAQ

How do I store leftover lemon bars?

If you plan on eating them within a few days, you can simply put them in an airtight container and place them in the fridge. If you want to keep them fresh for longer or are unsure when you will want them again, wrap them in layers of plastic wrap first.

Then put them in the airtight container and store them in the freezer. They will stay fresh for multiple weeks or a couple months in the freezer as long as you wrap them well with the plastic wrap to prevent freezer burn.

Do I need to refrigerate these lemon bars?

I like to refrigerate my bars before slicing into them so you can get those clean cuts every time.

But when you are planning to serve these bars, they are okay to stay out for a little while depending if you want to serve them at room temperature or cold. But when it comes to storage, definitely keep them in the fridge so they last longer!

Can I try other citrus flavors with this easy lemon bars recipe?

Of course! As long as you replace equal parts of the juice and zest, you could definitely use a different citrus fruit besides regular lemons. You could use limes, key limes, oranges, or even grapefruit.

Can I use bottled lemon juice?

No, try to stay away from bottled lemon juice as much as you can. Because this recipe doesn’t use a lot of ingredients we need the lemon juice to be fresh to give us the best tasting dessert. The concentrate or the bottled version will have a fake after taste so make sure you make these during lemon season!

How do I know if my lemon bars are done cooking?

You’ll know that these lemon bars are baked when the center doesn’t jiggle anymore and the edges are set. As you pull out the lemon bars from the oven, and they cool down they will set even more.

Easy Lemon Bars Recipe

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