These classic lemon bars are at the same time sweet and tart and have the most delicious, tender crust with a lightly crisp top that sandwiches the custardy center.
The Best Lemon Bar Recipe
I started making this lemon bar recipe when I was about about 12 years old and have made it each and every Christmas since. That’s a lot of holidays, especially since they’re also a perfect springtime recipe too. Being a lemon head, they were always my favorite, but since I’m not one to pigeon hole a recipe, I’ll joyfully eat them any day of the year.
I was never sure where this lemon bar recipe came from until recently, when I was leafing through my sweet grandma Mary Jane’s recipe cards and discovered one titled “LaVon’s Lemon Bars.” LaVon was my grandma’s best friend, and like all best friends, swapping recipes between besties is as much on the regular as swapping gossip, which I bet they were pretty good at too.
So since you and me, well we’re friends too! So here I go, swapping this recipe with you.
Lemon Bars Ingredients
Making homemade lemon bars couldn’t be easier, nor could the ingredients list be shorter. Here’s all you’ll need to make this lemon bars recipe:
- All-purpose flour
- Powdered sugar
- Butter
- Eggs
- Granulated sugar
- Lemon juice and zest (I like using Meyer lemons when I can find them)
- Baking powder
How to Make Lemon Bars
First, bake the powdered sugar shortbread crust. Use a pastry blender to work the powdered sugar, cold butter, and 2 cups of the flour together until it’s the texture of cornmeal. Work it baby, work it! Press into the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch baking pan and bake until golden.
Next, prepare the custard. While the crust bakes, use a hand whisk or an electric mixer to beat the eggs, sugar, and lemon juice in a large bowl. Sift the remaining flour and baking powder into the wet mixture and mix well.
Top the hot crust with the lemon juice, egg, and sugar mixture. While the crust is hot from the oven, evenly pour the custard mix over it then bake for 20 minutes or so longer.
Completely cool before dusting with powder sugar. Allow these easy lemon bars to fully cool before dusting with powdered sugar and cutting so the powdered sugar doesn’t melt into the warm cookie.
What’s the Difference Between Meyer Lemons and Regular Lemons?
Meyer lemons are tart like regular lemons, but taste sweeter than the Eureka variety most commonly found at the grocery store. The taste is a little bit like a cross between a lemon and an orange.
If you can’t find Meyer lemons in your grocery store, and don’t happen to have one in your neighborhood that’s producing fruit at just the perfect reachable height (hey, I’m not suggesting anything…), sub half of the lemon juice with fresh orange juice and you’ll see what I mean.
Or go ahead and use regular lemons for extra tartness.
Tips for Making the Best Lemon Bars
These lemon bars have the hint of a crackling top from the sugars caramelizing in the heat. The top compliments the cookie crust and balances the sweet yellow custard in the middle.
While some recipes call for the shortbread crust to go up the sides of the pan (about half an inch seems pretty standard) I prefer less crust, so I just press it into the bottom of the pan. But you can certainly do either to your liking.
Oven times vary, so set your timer about 5 minutes earlier than the time recommend to check if your filling is set. A toothpick should come out mostly clean when stuck in the middle of the custard filling.
Do Lemon Bars Need to Be Refrigerated?
Lemon Bars are fine to leave out for several hours, but If storing for longer, store in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days, if they last that long!
Can You Freeze Lemon Bars?
Yes! Wrap the lemon bars tightly in plastic wrap then store in gallon size freezer bags for up to 2 months.
More Classic Dessert Recipes to Master
- Mom’s Homemade Easy Fudge Recipe
- Easy Creme Brulee
- German Chocolate Cake
- Milk Bar’s Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Blueberry Buckle with Lemon Glaze
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a 
rating on this recipe below and leave a comment, take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #foodiecrusheats.
The Best Clasic Lemon Bars
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour , divided
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 cup cold butter , (2 sticks)
- 4 eggs
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup fresh squeezed lemon juice* , (I love Meyer lemons)
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F. Prepare a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with cooking spray.
- Cream the powdered sugar and butter in a stand mixer until light and fluffy. Add 2 cups of the flour and beat on medium speed until it looks like cornmeal. Press into the bottom of the prepared baking pan and bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden.
- Beat the eggs, sugar, and lemon juice in a large bowl either by hand or with an electric mixer. Sift the reserved ½ cup flour and baking powder into the mixture and mix well.
- Pour over the hot crust and return to the oven to bake for another 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned and the center is set. Check for doneness at 20 minutes, and add on more time as needed.
- Cool completely on a wire rack. Dust with powdered sugar when completely cool, cut and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
More Lemon Recipes You’ll Love
- Meyer Lemon Tart
- Lemon Poppyseed Bread with Cranberries
- Sweet and Sticky Glazed Lemon Buns
- Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
- Berry Tart with Lemon Curd Mascarpone
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Nice recipe and they are very pretty. Loved the crust and the fact it didn’t get soggy. Glad I used only 1 1/2 cups sugar as they would have been WAY to o sweet. They weren’t very lemony (used my Meyers from the tree. It is March, so they are at their end of season here in Northern Calif , so that may have been why. I will be making them again Sunday (lol today was a test run). So I will use combo of Eureka & Meyers and maybe a splash more lemon juice (hubby says to use 1/2 c vs 1/3c juice, but I feel it may effect the thickening so will just use a splash extra of the Eureka). Otherwise is a good recipe and very easy. Husband did like them, just not as lemony as we are used to. Thank you for the recipe.
I made these this morning using fresh meyer lemons from my MIL’s tree. I used 1/4 less sugar in the filling, and subbed half the flour in the crust for almond flour. They came out so good! I’ll make more and freeze for the next time we see my MIL.
Yum, making these soon! There’s a picture of zesting lemons, but don’t see zest in the recipe. I’m sure it’s delicious with or without. Thank you.
Hi Heidi, made your lemon bars for the first time yesterday & they are utterly moreish! Will definitely be making them again but will use a little less sugar next time – in spite of using Eureka lemon juice! We live on a citrus farm in the Eastern Cape of South Africa where I have a small guesthouse. Will be making these lemon slices to serve with lemon ice cream as a dessert
I’m not huge fan of lemon flavored things but would you think that I could make this with limes? Love, love,love limes – especially key limes. Thanks.
Definitely worth trying!
Amazing!! I made it twice in a week. However, both times, I have to bake it 40 mins.
Thanks for your feedback!
These are really tasty and the texture is great! I agree with the other comments that they’re sweeter than I would like, maybe next time I’ll cut the sugar or mix a very sharp lemon with the Myers. They were easy to make, to.
It was pretty clear in the recipe what he meant. Honestly it can be posted either way as long as the person following the recipe knows what it means. Pretty simple if you ask me.
I made these yesterday with Meyer Lemons, following the recipe as written, and they turned out wonderful. Will definitely be making them again.
I made these and they were,delicious! I used parchment paper and it worked just fine. I would like them just a touch more tart, but that’s just me. I love the crackle on top!
My Dad gave me the most gorgeous Meyer lemons from his tree. So far I’ve tried one other recipe for lemon bars before this recipe. Hands down these are winners! The chewy consistency is what I wanted! Thank you!! Only change I made was using an 8X8 glass dish, because I like thick full crust and bars. Because of smaller pan, I baked the crust longer than the recipe suggested, before adding lemon mixture to finish baking.
Anyway! This is going in my faves to bake! Merry Christmas
Could you freeze these?
Thanks!
Yes! And they are even better out of the freezer. ( I confess, I couldn’t wait to eat them).
Kathleen, that is me too!!
The recipe was easy to follow and the bars are delicious. And I even found the answer to my question–I can freeze them!
Thank you for sharing! Glad they worked well and froze well too!
These lemon bars are great and very easy to make. A friend gave me a dozen Meyer lemons (from her tree) and they were all ripe. After juicing them I found your recipe. I didn’t have any peels to zest but these bars are great without it. I’m going to freeze the juice in 1/3 cup measures.
Just made these for a 2nd time tonight. Delicious!! I’m not much of a cook myself, but I followed the recipe to the letter and they came out perfect. Both times I’ve made this, I left both the crust and the topping in the oven for the max time suggested. Waiting for them to cool is key. Great recipe!
I just made these and they are DELICIOUS!!! My Meyer lemon tree produced 3 large lemons which my husband suggested I make something special with. I only needed one for this recipe. Took these to a family gathering and they were a hit! This recipe is a keeper!
Can less sugar be used. Two cups sounds like a lot.
Hi Susan, this is the amount I’ve used, let me know if less works for you. I wouldn’t go under 1 1/2 cups or they could be REALLY tart.
I made them once and they are delicious but very sweet. I tried them with Splenda, the flavor was great but terrible texture, like plastic. Third time I made them with 1.5 cups of sugar instead of 2 and came out great. Thanks for the recipe, only problem is that I eat them all!!!
These are fabulous! Thank you so much for sharing
I made these with gluten free flour and they turned out perfect. This is really one of the best recipes for lemon bars!!!
I came upon your recipe for Lemon Bars, looks yummy. I want to bake it but the amount of Meyer Lemon juice is not indicated. Kindly tell me how much Meyer Lemon juice should I use, this will be my first try to bake lemon bars. Thanks.
.
It says 1/3cup
OMG, I just made these. My husband and I bought a house recently and a Meyer Lemon tree came with the house! Lucky me! It’s loaded with lemons right now. I have to admit, I’ve never had a lemon bar before, but with all the lemons on the tree I was searching for recipes. I just took the dish out of the oven and it’s cooling. I haven’t even tried it yet (ok, i did take some nibbles of the crispy top and it’s like a delicate lemon meringue cookie). It smells heavenly. I did add a splash of vanilla to the custard. I’m hoping my husband doesn’t like them so I can have them all to myself!
Sorry you had that experience. Ovens often cook at different temps, maybe that is the culprit?
Hi,
Thanks for sharing!
Would you have the recipe in metrics?
Thank you!
I made these for my girlfriend but ended up eating most of them myself, they’re absolutely amazing! 10/10, Thanks so much for sharing this with us (:
Picked up some Meyer lemons at the grocery store yesterday. My husband wanted to know what I was getting them for…He’ll find out when he gets home from work. These look perfect.
I stumbled upon your recipe, and it looked so good that I just whipped up a batch. They’re in the oven now. The shortbread-ey crust smells delicious!!! I am looking forward to eating some.
Lemon bars are one of my all time favorites, and I love to try different versions too, yours look fantastic!!
Truly delectable, so so pretty. Please Save one for me.
These Meyer Lemon Bars look delicious! Will have to try them soon! :)
I love Meyer lemon bars, these are gorgeous!
Love lemon bars. I’ll have to try your version soon.
Haha! I can totally relate to this post. Living in the mountains of CO where everything is bone dry and freezes overnight in the summer, I know all to well about having a hard time growing things! I would so pay the hefty price for these bars. They are so refeshing and just perfect!
Lemon bars are just about my favorite things in the whole wide world. I feel like I can practically taste these through the screen (why haven’t they made those 3-D computer screens yet?!!).
I love the fragrance of Meyer lemons ~ I’m sure they’re especially good in these lemon bars Heidi!
Absolutely gorgeous and I love meyer lemons. You should have called them the million dollar lemon bars.
I love my lemon bars and your crackly crust looks amazing! I like my crust only on the bottom too, just the right amount of crust to custardy lemon filling. So in love with your meyer lemon tree we tried growing one a few years back and a lime tree but they never made it through the winter.. So sad! Saving these for later <3
mmm yummy!
xo Jennifer
http://seekingstyleblog.wordpress.com
oh my gawd, YUM! Happy Holidays!
I love the crackly tops too! These sound fabulous! Your little lemon tree is adorable! Pinned!
I love that this isn’t peppermint or sprinkles. Lemon – so refreshing & a great changeup from everything I see this time of year! Such pretty pics! pinned
Lemon bars are such a weakness for me!! LOVE these!
I have meyer lemon tree too! i only got it a month ago but it is growing stringer everyday and producing more fruit than ever.
I like the very crackly top, I think it makes it look very pretty and textural
could you line the pan with parchment paper?
Oh how I love lemon bars! And your own little tree? That’s awesome!
i ordered a meyer lemon tree from qvc. so far its still alive, or should i say i’ve managed not to kill it yet. lol.