Lemon Bars Recipe

Stack of the best lemon bars with powdered sugar on top and one bite missing

4.93 from 170 votes

These are not the flimsy, thin lemon bars you see all over the internet! My recipe makes the best lemon bars ever – thick shortbread crust with that creamy tart lemon filling! If you’ve been disappointed with other recipes you have to give my recipe a try – I know you will love it.

Prep Time25

Cook Time40

Total Time1 5

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: bars

Calories: 468kcal

Author: Dorothy Kern

Cost: $8

Ingredients

Crust:

1 cup unsalted butter
½ cup (57g) powdered sugar
2 cups (248g) all purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt

Filling:

4 large eggs
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
Zest of 1 medium lemon
Pinch of salt
½ cup (118ml) fresh lemon juice from about 4 medium lemons
Powdered sugar for topping

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9x9 or an 8x8 pan with foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
Make the crust by creaming the butter with a hand or a stand mixer (fitted with the paddle attachment) until smooth. Add powdered sugar, flour, and salt and mix slowly until the mixture is crumbly but sticks together when you press it between your fingers. Press the crust into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake for about 13 minutes, or until it just starts to get a light golden brown around the edges.
While the crust is baking, whisk the eggs until beaten. Whisk in the sugar, lemon zest, salt, and lemon juice. Pour over hot crust, then continue to bake for 15-18 minutes, or until the mixture is no longer liquid in the center and it’s lightly golden brown on top.
Cool completely before removing from pan. Remove foil, then dust with powdered sugar. Slice and serve, dusting with more powdered sugar as desired.

Video

Notes

I recommend a stand mixer for the crust if you have one, if not, a hand mixer will work but it will take a bit of time to get it mixed. Make sure the mixture sticks together when you press it into the pan - and make sure it's pressed very well into a solid crust so there are no holes.
Keep an eye on the bars while they bake. You want to pull them out of the oven when they are set in the middle and just lightly golden on top.
Don’t skip lining the baking dish with parchment paper or foil. This will make it really easy to lift the bars out in one piece before you slice them.
If your kitchen is warm, you can place the cooled bars (in the baking dish) in the refrigerator so they firm up. This will make it easier to get clean slices.
Lemon bars will hold up well at room temperature for several hours, but you will want to store them in the refrigerator after that to keep the filling from spoiling.
Lemon bars will keep for up to four days in the refrigerator or you can freeze them for up to a month.

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