Super Easy Lemon Bars. Using only 5 basic ingredients!
Super Easy Lemon Bars. New and improved, with a deeper lemon layer! With only 5 simple ingredients and an incredibly easy recipe. Bake these luscious lemon bars and anyone who tastes them will just rave about them!
Great lemon bars are an absolute baking classic. Over the last 10 years this recipe has been one of the most used and raved about cookie recipes on this blog.
Since we have over 200 Cookie recipes, on site, that is a very substantial endorsement indeed.
Easy is the operative word in this recipe. They start with simple 3 ingredient crispy shortbread bottom, which couldn't be easier to put together and then press into the bottom of a baking pan.
The simple whisked-together lemon custard top is also oh so easy.
With only 5 simple ingredients, these lemon bars are sure to become a new stand by recipe in your house like it did in mine.
Once you see how fast and easy it is to throw together a batch of these incredibly tangy and delicious lemon bars, you'll never waste another lemon again.
2021 Lemon Bars Update (originally published March 2011.)
Although, I find the original recipe to be excellent, I had a thought while recently making another batch. Can I make these with even more lemon punch?
A lemon bar could never be too tangy for me, so I thought, why not a thicker lemon layer? I modified the recipe slightly to try it.
All I did was simply increase the ingredients in the lemon layer by 50% to get even more of that silky lemon layer on top. It worked out very well indeed.
I sampled more than a few myself and then sent the remainder to friends, who raved about them as well. They were just too good to keep to myself.
The other tweak I tried was adding just a little baking powder to the shortbread bottom layer. With the extra weight of the topping, I wanted to be sure the shortbread base would not get soggy.
It worked perfectly and is well worth trying when you make your next batch.
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Super Easy Lemon Bars
Super Easy Lemon Bars. New & improved with a deeper lemon layer. Using only 5 simple ingredients & a very quick preparation time, this is the easiest & best lemon bars recipe I've ever tried in almost 40 years of baking.
Ingredients
For the pastry base
- 1 cup cold butter, cut in small pieces
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 cups flour
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder (optional. See notes below)
For the lemon layer (See notes below for ingredient amounts to use for a thicker lemon layer)
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- ¼ cup flour
- 4 eggs
- zest of two lemons, very finely chopped
- juice of 2 lemons, (about ⅔ cup juice)
Instructions
To make the pastry base
- Using a pastry cutter or in a food processor blend together the butter sugar and flour.
- Press evenly into the bottom of a greased and parchment paper lined 9×13 inch baking pan.
- Bake for 20 to minutes at 350 degrees F ( 325 degrees F if you are using glass bake-ware) The bottom should just be beginning to brown slightly at the top edges.
For the lemon topping
- Simply whisk together the sugar flour, eggs, zest and lemon juice until the sugar is dissolved.
- Allow the topping to sit for about 10 minutes before whisking together well again and pouring over the baked shortbread base.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for about another 20- 25 minutes or until the top is slightly browned and the custard appears to be set. Cool completely. Sprinkle with icing sugar when cool or try adding a meringue topping.
Notes
Making a deeper lemon layer.
! For a thicker lemon layer (See notes below for ingredient amounts to use for a thicker lemon layer)
2 ¼ cups sugar
⅓ cup + 1 tablespoon flour
6 eggs
zest of three lemons, very finely chopped
juice of 3 lemons, (about 1 cup juice)
Note on the shortbread bottom.
I added just a little baking powder (¼ tsp) to the shortbread bottom layer. With the extra weight of the topping, I wanted to be sure the shortbread base would not get soggy.
It worked perfectly and is well worth trying when you make your next batch.
Recommended Products
Rock Recipes a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Our product recommendations are almost exclusively for those we currently use or have used in the past.
Nutrition Information
Yield
36Serving Size
gAmount Per Serving Calories 125Saturated Fat 3gCholesterol 31mgSodium 52mgCarbohydrates 17gSugar 11gProtein 1g
These lemon bars look amazing! Our family loves this classic spring dessert. A question though; why does the filling rest for 10 minutes before baking?
The flour in the filling is the thickening agent. Letting it rest expands the gluten in the flour and aids the lemon filling to set.
How can I use margarine instead of butter? Freeze the margarine? I know it won't be as good but I don't have butter.
I always use butter...but many people bake with margarine. I'd certainly try it.
As a child growing up in Cape Breton I have fond memories of the Co-op bakery horse and wagon going around the neighbourhood in the 60's. My fondest memories are of the Lemon squares that my mom would routinely purchase.
I have dreamt of these for years. And you have found them for me! I made these yesterday and wish to thank you so very much for the memories and the delicious recipe. I think next time I bake these I will not bake the crust as long as they were harder than I remember...but still delicious. And I did not coat with icing sugar..I don't beleive it's necessary.
Thanks again Barry!
Can you make these in a sheet cake pan (10x15)?
If so does cooking time change?
Thanks in advance.
Too large a pan. When scaling up pan sizes, just calculate the area of the pan as opposed to the area of the pan used in a recipe and make the necessary adjustments in ingredient amounts.
I have many friends who love lemon bars and this is bar far one of the best recipes. I am making it tonight with gluten free flour for my gluten sensitive friends. They ask for them often. I messed up and made them in an 8x8 dish one day. Once I figured it out they were already in the oven, so I increased the baking time and prayed! They were amazing!!! I have even drizzled fresh raspberry sauce on them for a super special treat! Thank you for sharing this recipe.
I am 16 years old and learning to cook, I made these for mothers day and my mom loved them! Thank you for the great recipe 🙂 <3
So great to hear that you are learning such a valuable skill so young. You'll never regret it. I know that for sure!
Hi, I don't have a food processor. What else could I use?
Just the old fashioned way: A pastry cutter or just a couple of butter knives held between your fingers.
Hi really want to try these but I'm confused about the crust part. I bake it first then take it out and add the filling?
yes, then back in the oven.
I absolutely love anything made with lemons. I lost a really good recipe I had had for lemon squares, so in my search for a new one, I came across yours and tried it. What can I say other than thank you for your amazingly delicious recipe! It tops my old one in flavour and in ease of making. I’ve made these lemon squares many times now, and I’ve yet to have them not turn out beautifully. I think the key is to line the pan with parchment paper which makes them a breeze to lift out of the pan to cut and serve. Thank you again for sharing your wonderful recipe, which has now become a family favourite.
and thank you for such a great review!
How do I put the meringue topping on, like after it is baked and cooled??
There is no meringue topping in this recipe but I suppose you could if you wanted, in the same way you would do it for pie.
Would cutting the recipe in half work for an 8x8 or 9x9 pan? I need to make a smaller batch than a 9x13 pan.
A 9x9 is 2/3 of the recipe.
Really yummy and so lemony! The base was slightly underdone (not crisp) in the middle, but that’s the fault of our oven, not the recipe!
Please advise of what dish to use for 18 bars.
Not sure what you mean.
If you were wondering about the gluten free crust, I use Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 Baking Flour. It's the one in the blue package - NOT the red one.
I followed the recipe but I don't get what to do at the end. Do I pour the lemon layer/filling part on top of the crust and bake it again? i tried to pour it over but it was liquidy and ran down the sides of the crust. Did I do something wrong when making the lemon part or something?
Seems like your oven may be running a bit hot but yes, you go pour the liquid lemon mixture into the crust and bake again.