EASY LEMON BARS RECIPE (2024)

Published by Jessica on June 15, 2020

Easy Lemon Bars made with just 5 ingredients! Homemade Lemon Bars recipe made with butter, sugar, eggs and lemon juice for a tasty, tangy lemon dessert!

This easy lemon bars recipe is no doubt going to become a favorite of yours. It’s a super simple way to make lemon bars from scratch and the tangy sweetness you’re rewarded with at the end is well worth it!

Best Lemon Bars

Finding a simple classic lemon bars recipe can be a challenge because not all of them turn out well. This one is perfect! It’s not overly sweet as the crust is more like pie crust than a cookie, which is great at offsetting the sweetness of the lemon mixture on top. Together they work well at creating the perfect summertime dessert.

In our home, lemon is a polarizing flavor – you love it or you hate it. I am in love. Besides adoring the intense flavor of a fresh lemon, I love the bright color of lemon desserts. These lemon bars have all the lemon flavor you can handle, plus they look like a bright spring day.

Do lemon bars need to be refrigerated?

Yes. Lemon bars are a type of custard dessert meaning that they need to be kept stored in the fridge until you’re ready to eat for food safety reasons. That said, if you plan on serving them on the same day, they can safely be held at room temperature for up to a few hours.

How long can you keep lemon bars?

Lemon bars can last up to 4-5 days if kept safely stored within the fridge. Keep them covered or in an airtight container to avoid the risk of them drying out and become hard and chewy. If you’d like them to last longer, lemon bars can be frozen for up to a few months. I recommend freezing in solid single layers or in individually wrapped pieces so it’s easier to grab and eat. To thaw you can place them on the counter or in the fridge overnight.

Lemon Bar Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make these lemon bars:

-1 cup butter, softened

-2 1/3 cups flour, divided

-2 cups sugar, divided

-4 eggs

-½ cup lemon juice (about 2 lemons)

How to Make Lemon Bars

Preheat your oven to 350F degrees.

In a bowl, blend together the butter, 2 cups flour, and ½ cup of the sugar. At first, this will seem too crumbly, but as you mix the dough will come together like a pie crust dough. If this doesn’t happen, add in a teaspoon of cold water to bring the mixture together. I use an electric mixer to make things easier!

Press the dough firmly into the bottom of a greased 9×13 pan.

Bake for 15-20 minutes, until golden brown.

In a separate bowl, stir together the remaining 1 1/2 cups of sugar and ⅓ cup of flour.

Then, whisk in the eggs and lemon juice. The mixture should look frothy.

Pour it over the top of the prebaked crust and then bake for an additional 20 minutes.

Sprinkle immediately with a little powdered sugar to make them look pretty and let them cool completely before slicing and serving.

The lemon bars will become more solid as they cool. Cut into squares.

Why did my lemon bars crack?

If you didn’t prebake your crust well enough the lemon bars could crack as a result of the pie dough pulling moisture from the lemon mixture. The other culprit could be over baked lemon bars. Either way, cracking is usually a direct result of the lemon bars losing moisture.

How do you cut lemon bars cleanly?

Lemon bars are a sticky mess so cutting them cleanly can be troublesome. For the best results first freeze your lemon bars for 15-20 minutes. Use a large, thin bladed knife to avoid dragging through the bars and keep a towel handy and wipe your knife off after each slice.

Why are my lemon bars runny?

This could be a result of underbaked lemon bars. If after the recommended time has passed your lemon bars still look runny or loose, add a few more minutes. You want them to look golden brown and for the filling to be set and no longer jiggly in the center.

Looking for more lemon recipes?

• No Bake Lemon Cheesecake
• Lemon Muddy Buddies
• Easy Lemon Cake
• Lemon Raspberry Streusel Muffins
• Easy Lemon Bread
• No Bake Lemon Cheesecake
• Lemon Poppy Seed Bread
• Best Lemon Curd Recipe
• Little Lemon Drop Cookies
• Lemon Butter Cookies
• Lemon Cake Truffles
• Lemon Lush
• Strawberry Lemonade Punch
• Lemon Icebox Pie
• Lemon Buttermilk Pound Cake

This easy lemon bars recipe is a simple and delicious way to make lemon bars from scratch. You’re going to love this tasty dessert. Easy Lemon Bars made with just 5 ingredients! Homemade Lemon Bars recipe made with butter, sugar, eggs and lemon juice for a tasty, tangy lemon dessert!