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Shortbread Crust

Lemon Bars with

Shortbread Crust
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Author: Sally

Published: 03/01/2019 Updated: 04/16/2022

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You only need 7 ingredients to make these

lemon bars. The lemon curd filling is extra
thick and creamy and sits on an
irresistible butter shortbread crust. Always
bake lemon bars at a lower temperature to
avoid over-baking. They’re simply the best
lemon bars and are perfect for picnics,
bake sales, spring brunches, baby
showers, and bridal showers.

Today I’m teaching you how to make lemon

bars. I love this lemon dessert recipe so
much that I published it in my 1st
cookbook, Sally’s Baking Addiction.
These are the best lemon bars and I don’t
use that statement lightly. After 1 taste, I’m
confident you’ll agree. Everyone needs this
recipe.

The process is pretty simple and I’m

walking you through each step in the video
tutorial below. Pick up some fresh citrus
and let’s get baking. Spring is in the air!

Video Tutorial: Lemon

Bars
These are classic lemon bars featuring a
soft butter shortbread crust and a tangy
sweet lemon curd filling that’s baked to
the perfect consistency. The lemon layer
is thick and substantial, not thin or flimsy
like most other lemon bar recipes.

Only 7 Ingredients in these

Lemon Bars
1 Butter: Melted butter is the base of the
shortbread crust.

2 Sugar: Sugar sweetens the crust and

lemon curd filling layers. Not only this,
it works with the eggs to set up the
lemon filling. If reduced, the filling will
be too wet.

3 Flour: Flour is also used in both layers.

Like sugar, it gives structure to the
lemon filling. These days, I add slightly
more flour to the shortbread crust
compared to my cookbook version. You
can get away with 2 cups, but an extra
2 Tablespoons really helps solidify the
foundation of the lemon bars.

4 Vanilla Extract: I use 2 teaspoons of

vanilla extract in the shortbread crust.
Not many lemon bar recipes call for
vanilla extract and I promise you it’s my
best kept secret.

5 Salt: Without salt, the crust would be

too sweet.

6 Eggs: Eggs are most of the structure.

Without them, you have lemon soup!

7 Lemon Juice: I highly recommend

using lemon juice squeezed from fresh
lemons. You can also use another citrus
like blood orange, grapefruit, or lime
juice.

How to Make Lemon Bars

in 5 Steps
1 Prepare the crust: Mix all of the
shortbread crust ingredients together,
then press firmly into a 9×13 inch
baking pan. Interested in a smaller
batch? See my recipe note.

2 Pre-bake: Pre-baking the crust

guarantees it will hold up under the
lemon layer.

3 Prepare the filling: Whisk all of the

filling ingredients together. No cooking
on the stove!

4 Bake: Pour the filling on the warm pre-

baked crust, then bake for around 20
minutes or until the center is just about
set. I slightly increased the baking
temperature from my cookbook
version. Either temperatures work, but
325°F is preferred.

5 Cool: I usually cool the lemon bars for

about 1 hour at room temperature, then
stick the whole pan in the refrigerator
for 1-2 more hours until relatively
chilled. They’re wonderful cold and
with a dusting of confectioners’ sugar
on top!

Prepared in only 2 bowls and a baking pan,

clean up is a breeze. These lemon bars win
1st place every time because they’re the
perfect balance of tangy and sweet. In fact,
I made them for my friend’s baby shower
last weekend and they were the first
dessert to disappear. And that’s saying a
lot considering the competition:
homemade chewy brownies and adorable
animal cracker cookies.

2 Guaranteed Tricks to
Make the Best Lemon Bars
1 Use a glass pan. Ceramic is fine, but
glass is best. Do not use metal.
I always detect a slight metallic flavor in
the lemon bars when baked in metal
pans.

2 Use fresh juice. Store-bought bottles

are convenient, but you miss out on a
lot of flavor. You will definitely taste the
difference! I have a super old citrus
juicer, but I recently purchased this
juicer for my mom and she loves it.
Highly recommended.

White Air Bubbles on Top

of Baked Lemon Bars
Do you notice air bubbles, perhaps even a
white layer of air bubbles, on top of your
baked lemon bars? That’s completely
normal. It’s the air from the eggs rising to
the surface. Some batches have it, some
don’t. Regardless, the lemon bars taste the
same and a dusting of confectioners’ sugar
covers it right up!

Blood orange bars! See my recipe note

about substituting flavors.

Want to kick it up a notch? Here are my

lemon meringue pie and lemon
cheesecake recipes.

Craving lots of texture with your bars?

You’ll love my lemon crumble bars.

Plenty of lemon recipes to love on my site

including these lemon crinkle cookies!
Regardless of what you choose, lemon-y
desserts are always a great choice when
looking for springtime or Easter dessert
recipes.

Lemon Bars
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 4.7 from 940 reviews

Author: Sally
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 3 hours, 50 minutes
Yield: 24 bars

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Description
You only need 7 ingredients to make
these lemon bars. The lemon curd filling
is extra thick and creamy and sits on an
irresistible butter shortbread crust.
Always bake lemon bars at a lower
temperature to avoid over-baking. See
recipe notes for important tips. They’re
simply the best lemon bars and are
perfect for picnics, bake sales, spring
brunches, baby showers, and bridal
showers.

Ingredients

Shortbread Crust

1 cup (230g; 2 sticks) unsalted

butter, melted

1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups + 2 Tablespoons (265g)

all-purpose flour (spooned &
leveled)

Lemon Filling

2 cups (400g) granulated sugar

6 Tablespoons (46g) all-purpose

flour

6 large eggs

1 cup (240ml) lemon juice (about

4 lemons)

optional: confectioners’ sugar for

dusting

Cook Mode Prevent your screen

from going dark

Instructions

1 Preheat the oven to 325°F

(163°C). Line the bottom and sides
of a 9×13 glass baking pan (do not
use metal) with parchment paper,
leaving an overhang on the sides to
lift the finished bars out (makes
cutting easier!). Set aside.
2 Make the crust: Mix the melted
butter, sugar, vanilla extract, and
salt together in a medium bowl. Add
the flour and stir to completely
combine. The dough will be thick.
Press firmly into prepared pan,
making sure the layer of crust is
nice and even. Bake for 20-22
minutes or until the edges are
lightly browned. Remove from the
oven. Using a fork, poke holes all
over the top of the warm crust (not
all the way through the crust). A
new step I swear by, this helps the
filling stick and holds the crust in
place. Set aside until step 4.
3 Make the filling: Sift the sugar and
flour together in a large bowl. Whisk
in the eggs, then the lemon juice
until completely combined.
4 Pour filling over warm crust. Bake
the bars for 22-26 minutes or until
the center is relatively set and no
longer jiggles. (Give the pan a light
tap with an oven mitt to test.)
Remove bars from the oven and cool
completely at room temperature. I
usually cool them for about 2 hours
at room temperature, then stick in
the refrigerator for 1-2 more hours
until pretty chilled. I recommend
serving chilled.
5 Once cool, lift the parchment paper
out of the pan using the overhang
on the sides. Dust with
confectioners’ sugar and cut into
squares before serving. For neat
squares, wipe the knife clean
between each cut. Cover and store
leftover lemon bars in the
refrigerator for up to 1 week.
6 Freezing Instructions: Lemon
bars can be frozen for up to 3-4
months. Cut the cooled bars
(without confectioners’ sugar
topping) into squares, then place
onto a baking sheet. Freeze for 1
hour. Individually wrap each bar in
aluminum foil or plastic wrap and
place into a large bag or freezer
container to freeze. Thaw in the
refrigerator, then dust with
confectioners’ sugar before serving.

Notes
1 Special Tools (affiliate links):
9×13-Inch Glass Pan | Glass
Mixing Bowls | Spatula | Silicone
Whisk | Juicer | Fine Mesh Sieve
2 Halve the Recipe: Halve each of
the ingredients to yield around 12
squares in a 9×9-inch baking pan.
Same oven temperature. Bake the
crust for 16-18 minutes and the bars
for 20 minutes or until the center no
longer jiggles.
3 Sifting: More often than not, the
flour doesn’t fully incorporate into
the lemon filling unless it’s sifted
with the sugar. As directed in the
recipe, sift the two together before
adding the eggs and lemon juice. I
don’t always do this (and didn’t
even do it in the video above!) but
it’s preferred to avoid any flour
lumps. If you have a sifter, it’s worth
using. If you forget, it’s not a huge
deal. Here is my favorite sifter.
You use it again to dust the lemon
bars with confectioners’ sugar.
4 Lemon Juice: For exceptional
taste, I highly recommend fresh
lemon juice. Here is a wonderful
inexpensive juicer if you don’t
have one. Or use another fresh-
squeezed citrus like grapefruit,
blood orange, lime, or regular
orange. You can slightly reduce the
sugar if using a sweeter citrus. I
recommend no less than 1 and 2/3
cup granulated sugar in the filling as
it’s needed for structure.
5 Room Temperature: Bringing the
eggs and lemon juice to room
temperature helps them mix easier
into the flour and sugar. However, I
never notice a taste or texture
difference when using cold. Room
temperature or cold, use whichever!
From Sally’s Baking Addiction
i cookbook

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Reader Comments &

Reviews

EMILY DUNLAP says: April 9, 2023

Absolutely perfect! I did add some lemon

zest to the crust but otherwise recipe as
written. Gooey and lemony as a lemon bar
should be!

★★★★★
JESSIE B. says: April 8, 2023

I love that these are super easy. I’m

curious if mine are undercooked though…I
did the jiggle test and no jiggle! I cooled
completely and when I cut, the top half of
the filling is set but under that is quite
wet. Is this considered “done” or did it
need more time?

★★★★

SALLY says: April 11, 2023

Hi Jessie! I’d consider that done. These

lemon bars have a super soft, creamy
lemon layer.

KD says: April 8, 2023

This recipe was great! Just the right

texture and perfect taste! However, when
it cooled on my countertop (on a rack), it
developed huge cracks throughout. Any
advice on how to avoid the next time I
make these?

★★★★★

MICHELLE @ SALLY'S BAKING April 8,

RECIPES says: 2023

Hi KD, lemon bars are an egg-heavy

dessert, like cheesecake, so they’re
prone to cracking. They’re either
cracking because the eggs are over-
mixed (more air is whipped into the
filling, then deflates causing the
cracking) or they’re over-baked. One
easy way to help guarantee no cracks,
though, is to cool the lemon bars inside
the oven. Turn the oven off 1-2 minutes
before the lemon bars have finished
cooking. Crack open the oven door and
let the lemon bars cool inside the
cooling oven for 1 hour. Then remove
from the oven and cool at room
temperature. The slow cooling will help
prevent cracks. Hope this helps!

LAUREL says: April 7, 2023

Recipe turned out good. Why would a

metal pie pan effect the taste when using
parchment paper. The bars never touch
the metal

J. K. says: April 7, 2023

Best lemon bars I’ve ever eaten. This

recipe is fantastic

★★★★★

ASHLEY says: April 3, 2023

I have made this recipe 3 times and every

time it curdles and turns eggy. I have tried
the wobble test. I have baked less time
and more time to get it right. This last one
is the closest I’ve gotten and there is still a
thin layer of egg and the filling underneath
is not set. Nothing I do seems to work.

LINDA DUBOIS says: April 2, 2023

These tasted “good”– but the texture was

so off-putting. What do you think I did to
cause that? They were very gooey. I
followed the recipe exactly (measured in
grams/ ingredients at room temp). The
crust looked “wetter than the mix in the
video. Lots of butter as I spread base with
a silicon spatula. I baked about 22 min (in
the glass baking dish). The lemon mixed
was firm to the jiggle test. I cooled at
room temp- icing sugar on top (I did get
the little bubbles on top–refrigerated
overnight — cut into bars and added a
generous amount icing sugar –put in a
plastic box (lined both levels of bars w/
baking paper) — sent it to work with my
husband. He brought one of the 2 boxes in
— decided not to bring in the other– the
gooey texture was too off-putting. Thanks
for your help

★★★

TRINA @ SALLY'S BAKING April 2,

RECIPES says: 2023

Hi Linda! Lemon bars are quite gooey.

Was the crust firm? You may love our
lemon crumble bars for a lemon bar
with different texture

FAYE says: March 29, 2023

Hi Sally! Thanks for sharing this recipe! 2

things though. How do i make my lemon
bars less sour? And, can i mix left over
lemon curd (hate for it to go to waste) to
my lemon layer? please advise proportion.
thanks very much

SALLY says: April 11, 2023

Hi Faye, I’m sure you could mix some

leftover curd into the filling. Shouldn’t
be a huge problem!

SHYNADE says: March 27, 2023

Hi Sally,
I’m making a ton of macarons lately and
have lots of leftover egg yolks. Do you
think this would turn out with only yolks?

LEXI @ SALLY'S BAKING March 28,

RECIPES says: 2023

Hi Shynade, we don’t recommend it—

whole eggs are necessary for these
lemon bars. If you’re interested, here
are all of our recipes that use egg
yolks.

DALLY says: March 27, 2023

I’m trying to find a way to use up a large

amount of egg yolks I have leftover from a
different recipe. I know lemon curd on its
own can be made with just egg yolks only
as opposed to whole eggs, is it possible to
sub out some or all of the whole eggs in
this recipe with just egg yolks and get a
comparable result, or are the egg whites a
vital component to the structure of the
lemon topping for this recipe? Thank you
for your help!

LEXI @ SALLY'S BAKING March 28,

RECIPES says: 2023

Hi Dally, we don’t recommend it—whole

eggs are necessary for these lemon
bars. If you’re interested, here are all of
our recipes that use egg yolks.

SARAH says: March 27, 2023

The powdered sugar would soak into the

filling. I waited until it had been in the
fridge overnight. Am I doing something
wrong?

TRINA @ SALLY'S BAKING March 27,

RECIPES says: 2023

Hi Sarah! Top with powdered sugar just

before serving, it will soak into the wet
filling after a bit.

DIANE says: March 27, 2023

Score another one for Sally! These are

easy and fabulous!!

★★★★★

KATE says: March 27, 2023

Loved these! Couldn’t believe how easy

they were to make. My first time making
lemon bars and the family loved them.
Thanks, Sally!

★★★★★

CHERYL says: March 25, 2023

I love lemon, and want to try this recipe.

Would it work with almond flour for the
crust?

Just curious, but why did you say to not

use a metal pan? Is there some sort of
reaction? I always line my pan with non
stick aluminum foil. Thank you for all your
great recipes!

BETH @ SALLY'S BAKING March 25,

RECIPES says: 2023

Hi Cheryl, we haven’t tested the crust

with almond flour, but it may turn out
crumbly. We don’t recommend metal
pans for this recipe – you can always
detect a slight metallic flavor in the
lemon bars when baked in metal pans.

JUSTINE says: March 22, 2023

So delicious! I will definitely be making

this again!

★★★★★

MAUREEN SCHIEMANN says: March 22, 2023

Hands down the BEST Lemon bars ever!! I

will use this every time I make them. I will
probably make them more often because
how easy and super yummy they are!
Thank you for an easy and so good
recipe!!

SARAH says: March 22, 2023

Not sure what I did wrong but I couldn’t

get the filing to set. I even baked it more
then the recipe called for and it was still
pretty wet. What did I do wrong? Also,
super sour, I’ll have to add more sugar
next time.

★★★

BETH @ SALLY'S BAKING March 25,

RECIPES says: 2023

Hi Sarah, I’m sorry to hear your filling

wouldn’t set! Did you change anything
about the recipe or bake them in a
different size pan? Were they cooled
and chilled completely before you cut
them? Be sure you are using
conventional heat settings (not
convection/fan heat) and if they are
taking longer to bake in the center you
can loosely cover the top with aluminum
foil to prevent the top from browning
before the center is cooked. Hope this
helps for next time!

MONICA TAYLOR says: March 19, 2023

Does the crust have to be warm when I am

pouring the filling over it?

LEXI @ SALLY'S BAKING March 20,

RECIPES says: 2023

Hi Monica, yes, the warm crust will help

the filling “stick” during bake time so
that the crust and filling don’t separate.

JOANNE says: March 18, 2023

These turned out perfect. I was asked to

make these for a bridal shower, but I had
never made them before and did not have
time to practice beforehand. I recalled you
had a delicious peach bar recipe so I
figured the same would be true for your
lemon bars. I followed the recipe to the T
and they turned great!

★★★★★

BRITTANY says: March 15, 2023

I’m not a baker, but had a ton on lemons

on hand so decided to give them a try, and
they were amazing and the best lemon
bars I’ve ever had! My sister even called
my mom after to tell her she has some
sold competition
My kids and husband loved them as well.

★★★★★

MEGHAN says: March 13, 2023

Incredible, as always! I used vegan butter

for the crust and added an extra couple
Tbs of flour to make up for it and they
turned out great!! I also put them in a 9×9
pan cause I wanted really thick bars. It
worked great. They just needed a few
extra minutes in the oven.

★★★★★

RYAN says: March 11, 2023

This recipe is good but whenever I make

the filling it’s never enough for 9×13 pan. I
always have to double it.

1 … 40 41 42

about the author:

Sally McKenney
Sally McKenney is a professional
food photographer, cookbook
author, and baker. Her kitchen-
tested recipes and thorough step-
by-step tutorials give readers the
knowledge and confidence to bake
from scratch. Sally has been
featured on Good Morning America,
HuffPost, Taste of Home, People
and more.

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