Classic Lemon Bars
These classic lemon bars feature a tender shortbread crust topped with a thick and delicious lemon curd filling. They’re perfectly sweet, tart, and so easy to make from scratch!
*Originally published in 2017, recipe and pictures update April 2026.*
I originally published this old-fashioned lemon bar recipe in 2017 and it’s been a reader favorite for years! While I loved the original recipe, I felt like the lemon filling was a bit thin.
I decided to do a little recipe re-testing, increasing the filling by half and reducing the oven temperature slightly so they didn’t overcook. And the end result ended up being SO much better! This new and improved version is just as easy to make, but thicker and packed with even more lemon flavor (win-win!).
I also love how quickly these bars come together using just a few simple ingredients. Bring a batch to your next picnic, potluck, or bbq and watch them disappear!
Recipe Video
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
Cornstarch
This is what makes the crust soft enough to easily bite into! You can replace it with an equal amount of flour, but keep in mind that it will make the crust a little crunchier. I highly recommend using cornstarch, if you have some on hand.
Lemons
For a brighter and more refreshing flavor, use freshly squeezed lemon juice, not bottled! You’ll need ¾ cup, which is equal to roughly 4 large or 6 medium lemons. I usually buy a few extra lemons though, just to be safe!
The Shortbread Crust
People always think the lemon curd filling is the star of the lemon bars, but I’d argue that the shortbread crust is just as important!
Just like actual shortbread cookies, you’ll be mixing softened butter into the dry ingredients to make the crust. I use a pastry cutter to cut in the butter, but since it’s softened you could also use a mixer or your hands. The mixture should be a little crumbly when you press it into the pan, but it will bake into an even layer.
To avoid a soggy crust, you’ll also want to partially bake it before adding the lemon filling on top. Make sure to only bake until it’s set on top (no longer doughy) and just lightly browned around the edges. You’ll bake it again with the filling and you don’t want it to be too crunchy!
Tip: For easy cleanup, I recommend lining your pan with parchment paper. Avoid using aluminum foil here because it can give the bars a metallic flavor (trust me, you don’t want that!).
The Lemon Filling
The filling uses just four ingredients so the lemon flavor can really shine. You can squeeze all the lemons by hand, but I prefer to use a citrus juicier to make it a little easier.
If your lemons are hard or you’re not getting much juice out of them, you can roll them on the counter with your hand before cutting into them. This just helps break down the membrane a little, so more juice comes out.
When you’re preparing and baking the filling, there’s two key things to remember:
- Don’t over beat the eggs. This can incorporate more air into the filling, which causes the bars to puff up in the oven and then sink. If you’ve struggled with lemon bars cracking in the past, this could be one reason. Make sure to only mix until just combined!
- Don’t over bake! Lemon bars are considered done when they are just set and no longer jiggle when you gently move the pan. They only need to bake for about 20 minutes, but every oven is different so make sure to keep a close eye on them.
What’s The Best Type of Pan To Use?
In this case, a glass pan is actually best! While I usually recommend using light metal pans for baking, the metal can react with the lemon juice and give the bars a metallic taste.
Can I Cut This Recipe In Half?
Yes! You can reduce the ingredient measurements by half and bake the bars in an 8-inch square glass pan. Keep in mind that you may need to reduce the baking time for the crust and filling slightly.
I really can’t get enough of these lemon bars in the spring and summer. The combination of buttery shortbread and lemon curd always hits the spot!
If you try them, don’t forget to leave a comment below letting me know how your bars turned out. Happy baking!
Lemon Bar Recipe
Ingredients
Shortbread Crust
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour spooned & leveled (220 grams)
- ¼ cup cornstarch (32 grams)
- ½ cup granulated sugar (100 grams)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened (226 grams; 2 sticks)
Lemon Filling
- 2 cups granulated sugar (400 grams)
- 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour (47 grams)
- 6 large eggs at room temperature
- ¾ cup fresh lemon juice (180 ml)
Instructions
- To make the shortbread crust: Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a 9×13-inch glass baking pan (avoid using a metal pan) with parchment paper, making sure to leave some overhang for easy removal. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Cube the butter into smaller pieces and add it to the dry ingredients. Using a pastry cutter (or your hands) cut the butter into the mixture until it starts to come together, but it’s still a little crumbly. You can also use an electric mixer set to low speed for this step.1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour,¼ cup cornstarch,½ cup granulated sugar,¼ teaspoon salt,1 cup unsalted butter
- Scoop the mixture into the prepared pan and press it down into one even layer.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or just until the top is set and the edges are lightly golden brown. Remove from the oven and set aside while you prepare the filling. Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F (163°C).
- To make the lemon filling: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar and flour, then whisk in the eggs and lemon juice until fully combined. Pour the lemon filling over the warm crust and return to the oven.2 cups granulated sugar,6 tablespoons all-purpose flour,6 large eggs,¾ cup fresh lemon juice
- Bake for 18 to 22 minutes or until the lemon filling is set and no longer jiggles.
- Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely (about 2 hours), then cover tightly, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
- Lift the bars out of the pan using the overhang from the parchment paper. Sift powdered sugar on top, slice into bars, and enjoy!
Only change I made was adding home made lemon extract, so good.
So glad you enjoyed the lemon bars, Elin!
Just took my lemon bars out of the oven! They are currently cooling. I didn’t have a 9×13 pan so I multiplied the recipe x1.5 to fit my 11×17 pan and it all fit great! The one thing I wasn’t too sure about was how to know when the filling has completely set? I baked these for my mom for mother’s day and I’m really excited to try them! Thanks for the recipe ☺️
Glad to hear that you were able to make the recipe work for your pan, Shani! Once you take the bars out of the oven, you can very lightly touch the top and make sure it feels firm to ensure that they’re done. I hope your mother enjoys the bars! 🙂
For the lemon juice part, do you juice straight from a lemon (if so, how? How many lemons would that call for?) or may you use the lemon juice you can buy?
This will be my first ever attempt at making lemon bars, any tips for a beginner?
As well someone thought they had too much flour because of the weight? I don’t have a scale, will I be ok with measuring it out with the measuring cup?
Thank you in advance!!!!
Hi, Heléna! I prefer to use fresh lemon juice in this recipe. You can usually get about 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice from a medium lemon and about 3-4 tablespoons from a larger lemon. I usually use about 4 medium lemons, but if you’re using larger lemons you may only need 2-3. If it’s your first time making lemon bars, just make sure to take your time with the bars and pre-bake your crust before adding the filling too. It’s fine to measure the flour with a measuring cup as well, just make sure to spoon and level the flour for a more accurate measurement and avoid scooping it from the container. I wrote a post about spooning and leveling flour here: http://www.livewellbakeoften.com/how-to-measure-flour/. Hope you enjoy the bars!
Thank you so much for the tips and how to measure the flour properly! Is there a certain way to juice the lemons?
Will be taking these to work for a potluck tomorrow, and a few have expressed their excitement about lemon bars, so I hope they will turn out great!
I usually use a small citrus juicer just because it helps get more juice from the lemons. But you can just cut them in half and squeeze them by hand! If you roll them on the counter before cutting them, you can usually squeeze a little more juice out.
I followed the recipe and everything but it browned on the top and I may have cooked the egg. I smell egg every time I open the oven. ?
I think the crust should cool completely before you add the lemon mixture.
Do you mean the crust or filling browned on top? If the crust was a little browned, it should be fine. The cornstarch helps to keep the crust of these bars pretty soft. Did you also make sure to whisk the filling ingredients together well? You can certainly let the crust cool completely first, but there’s really no need since the filling is going to be baked.
I’ve tried a lot of lemon bar recipes over the years and yours is the best, Danielle. It’ surprisingly simple, too. I was in a rush to make them for impromptu casual family dinner guests coming over so wasn’t being careful plus put extra lemon juice in, yet they till turned out perfect. Also added zest of one lemon and was happy with the amount of tartness. (Did toss a skish more sugar in.) Loved that the crust was softer with the cornstarch. So many end up impossible to cut. I did add a tsp of vanilla to the filling because I love vanilla but it probably didn’t need it. I loved how few ingredients there were. There was no aftertaste at all to this perfect treat. Just clean, sweet, citrus yum and delicious light pastry crust euphoria. Thank you for sharing the recipe you remodeled.
Thank you, Bettina! I’m so glad you enjoyed the lemon bars!
Any idea what might happen if you do just the filling? I cannot eat dairy and thought about leaving off the (absolutely delicious looking) crust.
Hi Jen! I haven’t tried it, so I’m not quite sure. I imagine you could just bake the filling, but the crust is much sturdier and what makes it easy to slice these bars and pick them up. You may be able to use a vegan butter for the crust, but I haven’t tried that either.
Use crisco with 3 tsp water per cup to replace butter. I have a child with a dairy allergy and this always seems to work well in baked goods. I use butter flavored Crisco.
Thank you for the suggestion, Kim! Glad to hear it works well too!
I tried this recipe after using a different lemon bar recipe (from a flour box) that failed pretty badly…
But Your recipe (my 2nd attempt at this dessert classic) came out much better!!
I used fresh squeezed lemon juice and also added a tbsp of fresh grated lemon zest, and the tartness was divine. Another slight adapatation I did was using caster sugar (more common in Britain) in place of regular sugar, resulting in an even finer, more delicate texture.
My crust was tender and crumbly but held together well, and the custard was firm but gooey and delicious. Thanks for making my second attempt at lemon bars perfect!! Will 100% make again, maybe with lime or other flavor twists. Will have to try your other recipes now too, since this one was excellent.
Also, thanks for adding quantities in metric! I prefer weighing with a scale for greater accuracy. (I live in TX but am from the UK).
Happy baking,
Angela
😀
I’m so glad this recipe worked out better for you, Angela! These lemon bars are one of my favorite recipes! 🙂
I don’t have unsalted butter. Will margarine be okay?
I haven’t tested this recipe using margarine, so I’m not quite sure. I would suggest sticking with butter though because it has a higher fat content, margarine actually has more water in it.
Have you ever used the crust recipe just for short bread cookies?
Thanks
I haven’t tried it before as cookies, but shortbread cookies are definitely a recipe I’ll add to my list to test!
Hey, how long do I put just the crust in? I put the crust in the oven and then bake for ? minutes and the add the filling and bake for ? minutes?
Hi, Jenna. The instructions for baking the crust are in the recipe “Bake at 350°F for 20-25 minutes, or just until the top is set and edges are lightly golden brown.” And for the filling “Bake at 350°F for 18-22 minutes or until the lemon filling is set.”
I made these lemon bars and followed the recipe exactly however my lemon bars taste a lot like egg. What did I do wrong?
Did you whisk the eggs in well with the rest of the lemon filling?
I just made this recipe tonight and mine came out looking like an omelet on shortbread with a strong egg smell. I haven’t tasted them yet, they’re still cooling. But I had the same problem as this woman I think. I first hand whisked but I was concerned the egg didn’t look mixed enough, so I ran a hand mixer through it for less than 30 seconds. I did use just slightly less sugar because my husband is Spanish and not accustomed to very sweet pastry so I usually have to put less. I did 270 grams instead of 300. From what I’ve been reading online, it could be the oven is too hot?
Hi, Diana! I always just whisk the filling together by hand and haven’t had any issues. They shouldn’t taste eggy though. Have they cooled enough to where you can taste them to see if they taste okay?
I had the same problem as a few others – seems that the filling soaked into the shortbread and it looks like a cake 🙁
I didn’t let it cool long but in answer to the question you asked the others – yes the edges were light golden brown and I think it was set? I do like to bake so I think I know what “set” means, but can you describe in detail? the shortbread was in the oven for the full 25 minutes.
Hi, Lindsay! I’m not quite sure what is happening, but it sounds like the crust may not be quite done enough when you’re adding the lemon filling. By “set” I mean that the top of the shortbread crust should look done, but if you touch the crust it may still be a bit soft (kind of like a cookie when you take it out of the oven). I usually just pour the lemon filling on while the crust is still warm and haven’t had any issues. What I would suggest is to try baking the crust for a few more minutes and allow the crust to cool for 15-20 minutes before you adding the filling. I think that will make the crust a bit firmer and you won’t run into that issue next time. I hope the bars still tasted okay though!
Thanks Danielle. 2 more comments 🙂 I think I jumped the gun on my comment as once they cooled more the look is a little better – they don’t look exactly like yours but they also luckily aren’t totally like a cake. Next time I’ll take your advice and let the crust cool longer.
And they taste good so that’s really what matters!
Thanks again!
I’m glad they still tasted good, Lindsay! 🙂
Danielle,
Would it be okay to freeze these bars after they’ve cooled?
Julia
I haven’t actually tried freezing these bars, but I think they would freeze okay. I would probably place them on a baking sheet and freeze them first, then wrap them in plastic wrap, and store in a freezer bag/container. Hope that helps!
I am thankful and at the same time embarrassed to say I have made these 3 times. I have eaten most of them….and loved every single bite!! Thank you for taking the time to share this recipe !!
I have a hard time resisting these lemon bars too, Melinda! I’m so glad you liked them!
I think I found an error in the recipe. The flour weight for the crust doesn’t seem correct. I measured out 1 and a half cups of flour and it was way over the weight you have listed. I don’t usually weigh my ingredients so this might be my error, but I thought I would post, just in case. I have these in the oven now and can’t wait to try them.
The 220 grams of flour is correct in this recipe. Did you scoop your flour out of the container? If so, that may be why yours ended up weighing more than the recipe states. I spoon & level my flour and typically get about 125 grams of flour per cup (give or take a few grams). I wrote a post on it here: http://www.livewellbakeoften.com/how-to-measure-flour/. If you ended up with a little more flour in the crust, I think they should still be fine though. Hope you enjoyed the bars 🙂
Wow! Made these lemon bars over the weekend, and I can’t imagine them being any better!! Loved them! Thanks for the recipe!
That is so wonderful to hear, Erin! I’m glad you enjoyed the bars, this is one of my favorite recipes! 🙂
Can you make these ahead, and how long do they stay fresh
Yes, you can make them ahead of time. You can store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about 4 days.
I am TOTALLY making these for my picnic. Im not too sure about the cornstarch though, as I am on vacation and limited to supplies. Could these work without it?
You can make them without the cornstarch, just replace the 1/4 cup cornstarch with 1/4 cup of flour (so 2 cups all purpose flour for the crust).
What exactly do you mean by wrap tightly when putting into the fridge?
Hi, Mel! It just means to cover it with plastic wrap or a lid before you refrigerate it.
For the cooling, is it okay if I don’t have a wire rack? What could I use in place?
Yes, that’s fine! You can just cool it on your countertop, just make sure to place something like a towel under it if you don’t have heat resistant countertops (like granite).
Hi, very interested in trying these bars for Easter – tomorrow! Just wondering about how many this serves? Thanks! 🙂
Hi, Danielle! It kind of just depends on how large you cut them. You can usually get about 20-24 bars in a 9×13 pan though. Hope that helps!
I am usually commenting only after I have tried a recipe ? So yesterday I tried to make these lemonbars ) And they turned out perfect! The crust is soft, tender, and lemon part is enough sweet and lemony? Thank you very much for sharing this recipe, Danielle!
I’m so glad you liked the bars, Julija! 🙂
Hi Danielle!
Can I use arrowroot instead of cornstarch?
Hi, Mary! I haven’t tried using arrowroot in these bars yet, so I’m not quite sure. It may work though. If you don’t have any cornstarch you can also just use 2 cups of flour for the crust in this recipe.
I just tried making the lemon bars and the outer edge has bubbles and bumps in the middle. Is that normal or did I mess up?
Hi, Becca! Some small bubbles are normal when you’re making these bars, the dusting of powdered sugar will cover them up! 🙂
i found that if you have a blow torch availiable you can run it over the top after you pour the lemon mix onto the shortbread. This will eliminate most of the bubbles. I also used fresh berries on top that were fresh from the market Superb!!!!!
I may need to try that trick out next time I make a batch of these! Thanks for sharing! So glad you enjoyed the bars too 🙂
I made these yesterday and they are perfect! Just the right amount of lemon tartness. I will definitely make these again!
So glad to hear you enjoyed the lemon bars, Nikki!
I would like to make these bars, but want to use a 1/2 sheet cake pan. Would I double or triple this recipe? Also, how long would I bake it?
Hi, Deb! I haven’t tried this in a 1/2 sheet cake pan, so I’m not quite sure. I did find this article that may be helpful http://blog.kingarthurflour.com/2014/11/08/when-more-is-better/ for how to convert it to that size pan. I’d guess you may want to just do 1.5x the recipe, but without testing it myself it’s hard to say.
I’m making it in two 1/4 sheet cake pans today and I’ve doubled the recipe. I believe it’s going well and the size pan you recommended is very similar to a 1/4 sheet pan. I run a home bakery and cake decorating shop so this is what I had on hand. I definitely needed the whole two batches to adequately cover the pan in short crust
I’d love to hear how they turn out in the 1/4 sheet pans, Kristen! Hope you enjoy the bars!
You and I are on the same page, Danielle! I love lemon and you never let me down with your fool-proof recipes. Can’t wait to try this one. Looks yummy. Thanks.
I’m so glad you’re enjoying the recipes, Cindy! Thank you for such a kind comment, I hope you enjoy the bars 🙂
There isn’t anything prettier than lemon bars with snowy white powdered sugar, and these are just stunning! Lemon bars are one of my favorite desserts — when it’s not chocolate, it’s pretty much citrus. These are just perfect!
Thank you, Marcie! I’m the same way with desserts, lemon is definitely right up there with chocolate for me 🙂
I love classic lemon bars, especially this time of year! These look perfect!
Thank you, Jessica!
These are the PRETTIEST lemon bars, Danielle! I love that you dusted them with powdered sugar and added a little lemon wedge on top. Its true that you definitely “eat” with your eyes first. I just want to dig into these for breakfast! 🙂
Thank you, Gayle! I think these would be perfectly acceptable for breakfast 😉