These Lemon Bars are the perfect balance of sweet and tangy, with a buttery shortbread crust, and a smooth citrusy, lemon filling. They’re bright refreshing, and totally irresistible. This is the recipe your grandma wishes she had, and you’ll never need another!

These Lemon Bars are the perfect spring dessert. Perfect for serving at a baby shower, bridal shower, Easter brunch, potluck picnic, or whenever you need a weekend treat and you love lemon desserts.

Don’t miss our other lemon favorites, like Lemon Crinkle Cookies, Copy Cat Starbucks Lemon Loaf, or Lemon Sheet Cake!

Why you’ll love THESE lemon bars!

Perfect Balance of Flavors: The tart lemon
filling pairs so nicely with the buttery and flakey crust (plus a little powdered sugar on top!)
Easy to Make: One of the easiest desserts out there, and only take about 10 minutes of work!
Great for Every Occasion: Perfect for potlucks, parties, or an every day treat! You’ll never regret making a batch of these!

Ingredients Needed

This is a quick overview of the ingredients you’ll need for this Lemon Bar Recipe. Specific measurements and full recipe instructions are in the printable recipe card below.

all purpose flour – we will use this for the crust and the filling
unsalted butter – I always use unsalted butter in baking, if using salted, skip the extra added salt in the shortbread crust
powdered sugar – I love using powdered sugar in my shortbread to keep it extra soft and tender
salt – this always helps balance the flavor in baked goods
granulated sugar – for sweetening the lemon curd topping
eggs – they provide structure and creaminess for the lemon topping, I know its a lot of eggs, but don’t skip!
fresh lemon juice – the key ingredients, so you don’t want to skimp and use bottled juice here.
fresh lemon zest – adds a little extra oomph to the lemon flavor!

How to make the best lemon bars?

Step 1: Make the Shortbread Crust. Cream together the butter and sugar in a large bowl for a couple of minutes. Add in the flour and salt and mix together until the mixture is a coarse crumbly mixture, then keep mixing as it starts to become a dough.

Step 2: Bake the Shortbread. Press the dough evenly into the bottom of a lined baking pan. Bake in the preheated oven until lightly golden.

Step 3: Make the Lemon Filling. Mix together the sugar and lemon zest in a large bowl using a fork. Press the lemon zest into the sugar to help release the oils. Add in the flour and salt, and whisk them together. Add in the eggs, lemon juice and mix until well combined.

Step 4: Bake the Bars. Pour the filling over the top of the warm crust. Continue baking the bars until the center is mostly set, and no longer jiggly. Let the bars cool at room temperature for about 1 hour, then transfer to the fridge to chill for 2 hours.

Step 5: Sprinkle and Serve. Sprinkle powdered sugar over the top and cut into bars and enjoy.

Tips and Tricks:

Use Fresh Lemons: You need fresh lemons for the lemon zest and lemon juice to get the right bright and tangy flavor in every bite.
Line your Pan: Line your pan with parchment paper. If you don’t have parchment you can use foil in a pinch. This will make it so much easier to lift the bars out of the pan, and get clean slices.
Chill: I actually love the flavor of the bars chilled, but chilling them before slicing also helps cut the squares with clean edges. Also, wipe the knife in between slices to help keep the squares extra neat.
Half the Recipe: The the recipe in half and bake in a 8 or 9 inch square pan instead. The bars will only likely be done a couple minutes faster, so watch for a golden color, and when the center no longer jiggles.

Storage Instructions

Store the bars in an airtight container for up to 5 or 6 days. You can also freeze the bars by freezing them on a lined baking pan for 1 hour. Then wrap each frozen bar in plastic wrap and place them in a freezer safe bag and freeze for up to 3 or 4 months. Thaw in the fridge, and dust with confectioners sugar before serving.

These bars are a great make ahead dessert because they actually taste better after chilling, so make them the day before you event and store them in the fridge until enjoying, and voila – no stress on the day of your party.

These Lemon Bars are one of my favorite citrus desserts – sweet, tangy, and perfectly delicious. They’re a classic treat that everyone loves, and everyone will be asking you for the recipe!

More Citrus Favorites

If you make this Lemon Bar Recipe please leave a comment and 🌟 rating letting me know what you think! If you post the photo on Instagram, please tag me – I’d love to see what you’re making!

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These Old Fashioned Lemon Bars were first posted on August 8, 2011. The photos and blog text were updated for clarity on April 21, 2025.

For the Original Lemon Bar Recipe:

1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup butter (melted)
1/2 cup powdered sugar (divided)
1 cup granulated white sugar
2 eggs
2 TBS lemon juice
2 TBS lemon zest
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
In a medium bowl add the melted butter, 1 cup flour, and 1/4 cup powdered sugar – mix together completely
Press into the bottom of a glass 8×8 pan
Bake for 20 minutes
In another medium bowl, whip the 2 eggs until creamy
Add 1 cup white sugar, 2 TBS lemon juice, 2 TBS lemon zest, baking powder, and salt – whisk together until mixed completely
Remove pan from oven and pour lemon – sugar over the top
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until top is golden and when touched the indent stays
Cool for 5 minutes
Sprinkle with the additional 1/4 cup powdered sugar
Cool and cut into 1 inch squares

I made lemon bars again today and I don’t know why I don’t make them everyday or at least every week. We have the sweetest Meyer Lemon tree growing in our front yard. It is the best! Meyer Lemons are the best! They are a sweet lemon and besides making the best lemon bars in the whole world, Meyer lemons make the most delicious homemade lemonade too.

I made lemon bars today to share. Today I shared with my 91 year old widow neighbor. I try to visit her weekly. She is quite the hoot, today she said “I know why I lived so long, you know the saying ‘only the good die young'” while laughing and winking at me and asking “does that worry you?”

She also let me in on a little secret, you should bake because you love to and for those you love. I agree when I am baking I am thinking about those who I will be sharing my goodies with and that brings me joy, lots and lots of joy. Do you find joy in your cooking or baking? I hope so.

And I hope you share these lemon bars with your neighbor whether she is 91 years young or 5 just because you love them and it brings you and them joy.

Lemon Bars

Created By: Aimee

Servings 16 squares

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Meyer Lemon Bars are the sweetest tart lemon treat; a buttery flaky crust, fresh squeezed lemon juice and zest creamy center, topped with powdered sugar.

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 45

Total Time 55

Ingredients

Equipment

Hand Whisk

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
In a medium bowl add the melted butter, 1 cup flour, and 1/4 cup powdered sugar - mix together completely
Press into the bottom of a glass 8x8 pan
Bake for 20 minutes
In another medium bowl, whip the 2 eggs until creamy
Add 1 cup white sugar, 2 TBS lemon juice, 2 TBS lemon zest, baking powder, and salt - whisk together until mixed completely
Remove pan from oven and pour lemon - sugar over the top
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until top is golden and when touched the indent stays
Cool for 5 minutes
Sprinkle with the additional 1/4 cup powdered sugar
Cool and cut into 1 inch squares

Made this recipe?Tag me and share! Mention @LMLDFood or tag #LMLDFood!