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 are amazing. I never had good luck making lemon bars so i don't make them.
These came out perfect. So easy. I used 2/3 cup lemon juice and I think that was just the right amount. I love your recipes. This is my favorite website.
I folded 1.5C of raspberries in after letting the custard sit for 10 minutes, before pouring over the pastry. I then let the bars chill overnight before serving. Delicious!!!
Has anybody made pudding delight bars...you make the shortbread ., then cream cheese w/ cool whip on top of crust then instant pudding on top then cool whip on top..if anybody has a gluten free recipe would u please print it...thanks...I reall need the shortbread recipe more.
Hi, I made these and they turned out pretty good! I was just wondering, is it normal to have white spots on top randomly (before putting powdered sugar on top)? Is it the eggs? Did I mix it incorrectly?
Never had that. Might be the white spots in egg whites?
I lost a previous recipe I had for Lemon Bars and so I tried this recipe. I had only made Lemon Bars ONCE before. This recipe is awesome ! I was making them for a baby shower and they were a requested dessert from the baby’s mama. They were pretty to serve and tasted wonderful. And I want you to know that is a HUGE compliment from me as I prefer dark chocolate anything over other flavors. Easy directions to follow and I love lining the pans with parchment paper—easy to cut and serve and no clean up of baking pans.
I used a miniature cheese grater, only about 1.5 inches tall for zest, and it works perfect.
Thanks so much!
Hi Barry,
Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Can you tell me what kind of mixer/processor you were using in the video.
Thanks
Mike
It's this one Mike. https://amzn.to/30PBkO9
Another winning recipe! It slices perfectly and has a great zingy lemon flavour. I made as directed but followed another poster’s suggestion to try with melted butter. It worked very well. Thank you again, Barry. Can’t see the stars rating but I would give it 5.
Barry, if I put the mixture into an 8x8 and a 9x9 glass baking dish, how long should it bake?
Thanks so much, love this site!
Jill
Great recipe! Easy, fast, delicious. Love the crust. For my taste, the filling can use a lot more zest or maybe some lemon extract but that's just me, there's no such thing as too much lemon lol. These are terrific as written.
I used a 9x9 pan so the base needed an extra 10 or 11 minutes. The filling was done in about 26 minutes.
I made those lovely bars, are amazing.. but I was very unsure about the measurements. Please can you help me with them in grams? Please!!!
We are hoping to do that when our recipe software updates.
I’m in the process of making these right now, I poured the lemon layer on top of the bottom and it went right through the bottom layer mixing them together. Was the bottom layer not cooked long enough before adding the lemon top?
Could I calculate 1/2 recipe for 8x8 pan?
Cost of groceries today, but friend likes lemon!
Thanks!
These are really good. I thought they were a bit thin at first but any thicker would be too much unless you cut them very small.
I put them in the fridge for a while after they were nearly cool and it sliced beautifully with nice sharp edges. Will make again.
Added note to my previous post. My son dropped by and after downing 2 of the lemon squares he said "Oh my Lord, those are the best thing ever" lol
Hi Barry,
I've made these bars before and they are truly delicious. I'm just wondering if they can be frozen. Thanks for your prompt reply.
PS: also made the apple crisp recipe and I'm always asked for the recipe. It's the best. Thank you for great recipes.