This classic Lemon Bars recipe gives you bright and tangy treats, and it’s a total must-make, especially when you need some citrus in your life!
The Best Lemon Bars Recipe
Today … drum roll, please … I’m showing you the BEST ever lemon bars recipe!
It’s true, y’all. You know I like to tinker with recipes, but there are just some recipes I don’t mess with because they are (in my humble opinion, best-ever best ever lemon bars? Well, they’re the best ever, of course!
If you come to my house to eat, I can promise you that some of the recipes on this blog will always be the same. Always. As in, they never vary. Ever.
The best ever lemon bars?! They fall into that “never ever change them” category.
You might be thinking, why? These lemon bars have the perfect balance of buttery crust with an incredibly delicious sweet pop of lemon filling. They’re not too tart, and they’re not too sweet – they’re just right!!
It’s good that it’s easy to whip u a batch or three! You just might need that many with how addicting these things are!
Sometimes, y’all, there’s no changing a good recipe…and this lemon bars recipe? A VERY good one! Let me show you how they’re made …
Easy Lemon Bars: Ingredients & Substitutions
For this Lemon Bars recipe, you’ll need …
Ingredients
- all-purpose flour – there are many kinds of flour out there, each suited for a different purpose. When it comes to baking something like these best-ever lemon bars, you’ll want all-purpose!
- sugar – powdered. For added sweetness!
- butter – softened. Butter in any recipe acts as a binding agent and “fat,” which adds to the texture.
For the frosting:
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- sugar – this time, granulated. Again, for sweetness!
- grated lemon peel and lemon juice – you can’t have lemon bars without that gorgeous citrus-y flavor. These will give you the tangy taste you know and love!
- baking powder – in recipes where you don’t use yeast, the baking powder helps the sweet treat rise a little.
- salt – believe it or not, salt in a sweet recipe brings out the flavors of the other ingredients. I say this in almost every blog post, but it’s true, y’all. You definitely taste the difference without it! Don’t leave it out if possible.
- large eggs – two of ‘em! Remember to leave them out at room temperature for a few hours first! Room temp eggs always blend smoother.
- additional powdered sugar – as a topping, if you want!
Easy Lemon Bars Recipe: FAQs
About 20-25, depending on how you cut them. Enough for a party, I think!
Almost an hour and a half. You’ll want about an hour total to cook the bars and 25-ish minutes to prep the ingredients beforehand.
They’ll be good for about a week after baking! Specifically, when kept in an airtight container, they should be good for about three days at room temperature without much loss in quality.
You can line the baking pan with parchment paper, leaving the edges slightly hanging over the sides of the pan for you to grab. That should make it so they are easier to lift out!
Other recipes you may enjoy
- Homemade Lemon Curd
- Lemon Lush Delight
- White Chocolate Lemon Truffles
- Lemon Lover’s Bundt Cake
- Lemon Pudding Cookies
The BEST Lemon Bars EVER
Equipment
Ingredients
For the crust
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup butter, softened 1 stick
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
For the filling
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- additional powdered sugar for topping if desired
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- In a medium bowl, mix the flour, butter, and powdered sugar until well combined. Press into an ungreased 8x8x2-inch or 9x9x2-inch baking pan, building up the edges about half an inch.
- Bake the crust for 20 minutes.
- Beat the filling ingredients with an electric mixer on HIGH speed for about 3 minutes or until the mixture is light and fluffy. Pour the mixture over the hot crust.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes or until no indentation remains when the center is lightly touched. Cool in the pan on a wire rack.
- Just before serving, dust with powdered sugar, if desired. Cut into 1-1/2 to 2-inch bars.
Notes
- Line the baking pan with parchment paper that hangs slightly over the edges to make it easier to get the bars out!
- These bars can be left at room temperature for up to 3 days or refrigerated for up to 7 days!
Nutrition
Please note that the nutritional information listed on this page is an estimation based on the products I used. Ingredients and nutritional information can vary significantly between brands. Always be sure to read labels. Please verify that a recipe fits your needs before using it. Nutrition info may contain errors, so please verify it independently. Likewise, recipes may contain errors, so please use your common sense when following them.
Originally published on March 4, 2014. Updated on August 13, 2022.
Jamie! These bars look fantastic!! I absolutely love all things lemon!!! Pinned and making these soon!!! Thanks for sharing!!!
Jamie, your lemon bars look fantastic and yes, it's just the spring touch I need when I'm looking out the window at a frozen, snowy landscape! 🙂 I love lemon and of course, the bars MUST have the powdered sugar! 🙂 Thanks for sharing and pinning! Have a great Wednesday! Hugs!
These look awesome, love that gooey lemon filling. I've never actually made these before but I think I'll have to 🙂
These sound wonderful! We love lemon bars, but have only made them from the box. 🙁 I am SO happy to have a good, make-it-yourself recipe. And, your emphasis on the perfection of this recipe makes me want to whip a batch (or three!) up right now! Thanks so much for sharing – my children thank you too. I pinned it!
I love lemon bars and these look so fantastic! Pinning!! 🙂
Wow! Just cruisin' through today's blog hop and my eye stopped on this photo. I LOVE lemon bars and yours look absolutely beautiful. PINNED!!!
1. Beautiful photos!
2. omg those look so yummy!
They sure look WONDERFUL!!
I'd eat them any seasons 🙂
Thanks for sharing your lemon bar recipe. They look so delicious. I'm going to have to give them a try.
Ali xx
The recipe for the best lemon bars ever calls for 1/4 powered sugar. As the two other ingredients call for cup measurements should I assume that's the case with the powered sugar, as in 1/4 cup powered sugar? Thanks.
Yes!! So sorry – it's been updated! Thanks for the catch! 🙂
I love lemon bars – partly because they remind me of spring, and partly because they're so delicious!
These look heavenly!!!! Pinning!!! 🙂
– Brooke –
Oh my does that look AMAZING!
Suzanne of Simply Suzannes at Home
Lemon bars are my husbands favorite!
Your bars look delicious. Thanks so much for sharing your recipe with us.
Have a great weekend,
Suzanne
Oh how yummy-looking! Thanks for sharing the recipe now, as Aldi has lemons for 99. a bag! Blessings from Bama!
I believe you. These look like the best lemon bars ever. thanks for sharing them on foodie friday.
Be still my ever-loving-lemon heart!!! Pinning!
This looks like a great recipe Jamie, we will love these bars! Thank you so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday and hope you are having a great week.
Come Back Soon!
Miz Helen
Wow, this looks so delicious! I'm crazy about lemon! Thanks for sharing recipe!
Have a wonderful day and week!
Hugs from Portugal,
Ana Love Craft
http://www.lovecraft2012.blogspot.com
Lemon bars are my hubby's favourite dessert. Thanks for sharing at Simple Supper Tuesday.
Visiting from the DIY Dreamer. My daughter is home on Spring Break and we're making this recipe as we speak! Thanks!!
xoxo
-andi
YUM! I have the hugest lemon trewe it fruits constantly for 10 months of the year, at present we are in one of our slow months but I think this is going on the list as one of the first things we do when they ripen.
Dear Jamie, These lemon bars look delightful. I love lemon bars…they are one of my absolute favorites. Have a wonderful evening. Blessings, Catheine
G'day! Two to go please!
Thanks for sharing it at the Foodie Friends Friday #Foods That Make You Smile Party!
Cheers! Joanne
http://whatsonthelist.net
This look amazing! I love lemon bars but have never tried to make them on my own. This looks like my recipe to try! Thanks for joining Foodie Friends Friday. I chose your recipe as my host favorite and it will be featured on Daily Dish Magazine on Monday! Hope to see you next week.
Hi, thank you for sharing this recipe with us! Just last night I tried making the lemon bars for the first time. Not too bad however the lemon filling layer came out to be really thin…. Thinner than the crust. What did I do wrong…. Over mix the lemon filling? By the way, the crust is so gooood!
Hi Karen! The filling for this recipe is supposed to be thin. You could double the filling recipe if you prefer more, and adjust the baking time! I hope that helps! 🙂
These are great. I'm taking some lemon bars to the lemon party
This recipe is perfect! Though I accidentally used powdered sugar for the filling, it still came out great! Thanks.
How can I make the lemon bars a little more lemony? I need just a bit more tartness. I was thinking more zest?
they're in the oven now! Thank you
Gave these a try this afternoon and this treat did not disappoint! Exactly what I needed to cure my sweet tooth! Delicious!
Lemon bars are by far my favorite dessert. I’m also pretty sure that lemon is delicious in any application!
These lemon bars look fabulous! Lemon is my favorite flavor!
These lemon bars are perfect!! A huge hit at my house!
Yummy! These look out of this world delicious! I can’t wait to make this! My daughter and I love lemon anything!
These really are the best lemon bars! Cannot wait to make them again!
I’m always on the hunt for the perfect lemon bar! These were delicious!!!
My wife made these and they were so delicious! I can’t wait for her to make these again!
These lemon bars look incredible. Can’t wait to try them.
These Lemon Bars would disappear in our house!
These really are the BEST!
These are perfect lemon bars! Totally irresistible!