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Home / Brownies & Bars

Zesty Lemon Bars With a Shortbread Crust

These lemon bars are the perfect balance of sweet and tangy with a buttery, melt-in-your-mouth shortbread crust. Bright, zesty, and dusted with powdered sugar—pure sunshine in every bite!

Erren Hart

|

last Updated:

04/18/2025
5 from 5 votes
Jump to Recipe Video
Serves: 24 bars
Prep: 20 minutes mins
Cook: 50 minutes mins
A stack of Lemon Bars with a golden yellow filling and crumbly crust, all dusted with powdered sugar. Text overlay reads “Lemon Bars Erren’s Kitchen.”.
A close-up of Lemon Bars stacked and dusted with powdered sugar, one bar with a bite taken out. Text on the image reads “LEMON BARS” and “Erren's Kitchen.”.
Four Lemon Bars with a golden shortbread crust and a dusting of powdered sugar, displayed on a white surface. Text on the image reads: "Zesty Lemon Bars With Shortbread Crust, Erren's Kitchen.
A close-up of stacked lemon bars made with the Best Lemon Squares Recipe, featuring a vibrant yellow filling and powdered sugar topping, displayed on a white surface.
Close-up of several lemon bars from the Best Lemon Squares Recipe, topped with powdered sugar, cut into neat squares and arranged on a white surface, with one bar slightly pulled forward to show its layers.
Several lemon bars, made from the Best Lemon Squares Recipe, are arranged on a white surface. Each bar features a thick yellow lemon filling and crumbly crust, topped with a generous dusting of powdered sugar.
A close-up of stacked Lemon Bars with a dusting of powdered sugar on top. The bars have a golden-yellow, creamy filling and a bite taken out of one, revealing their soft, gooey texture.
Four Lemon Bars with a golden shortbread crust and a dusting of powdered sugar, displayed on a white surface. Text on the image reads: "Zesty Lemon Bars With Shortbread Crust, Erren's Kitchen.
A close-up of lemon bars stacked on a plate, topped with powdered sugar. One bar is on top with a bite taken out, revealing the creamy filling and thick shortbread crust—just like the Best Lemon Squares Recipe.

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Bright, buttery lemon bars with a tangy citrus filling and soft shortbread crust. Easy to make and perfect for spring!

  • Know Before You Scroll
  • When Life Gives You Lemons… Try These Too
  • Rate This Recipe
  • Recipe
  • FAQs

Know Before You Scroll

Serves

24 people

Prep Time

20 mins

Cook Time

45-50 mins

Total Time

1 hr 5mins


Flavor Profile

Tangy, bright, and perfectly sweet. These bars have a zesty lemon filling that’s tart in all the right ways, balanced with a buttery, melt-in-your-mouth shortbread crust.


Difficulty Level

Beginner-friendly! A few simple steps, some mixing and whisking, and you’re on your way to lemon bar bliss.


Equipment Needed

9×13 baking pan, parchment paper, electric mixer or food processor, mixing bowls, whisk, fork, zester, knife.


Top Tip

Bake the crust fully before pouring in the filling. It keeps everything firm and makes the layers hold their shape. Also, don’t skip chilling time—it’s key for clean slices!


Time-Saving Tips

Use a juicer to make things quicker. And if you’ve got a food processor? Use it for the crust to cut down on mixing time.


Ingredient Swaps

No vanilla bean paste? Use regular vanilla extract. Out of superfine sugar? Regular granulated sugar works just fine—just whisk a little extra to dissolve it.


A close-up of stacked Lemon Bars with a dusting of powdered sugar on top. The bars have a golden-yellow, creamy filling and a bite taken out of one, revealing their soft, gooey texture.

You know those desserts that just live in your brain after the first bite? Yeah, these lemon bars are that. The crust is soft and buttery, kind of like a shortbread cloud. The filling? Bright, tangy, sweet—but not too sweet—and super lemony in the best possible way. I wasn’t even planning to share these because lemon bars feel so… basic? But I’ve made them for a brunch, a freezer stash, and a random Tuesday afternoon snack, and they hit every. single. time. So here we are, making it official. Lemon bar people, this one’s for you. 🍋

Several lemon bars, made from the Best Lemon Squares Recipe, are arranged on a white surface. Each bar features a thick yellow lemon filling and crumbly crust, topped with a generous dusting of powdered sugar.

1

Prepare The Pan

Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a 9×13 baking pan with parchment paper and give yourself a little overhang. That’s gonna make the bars easier to lift out later.

A rectangular baking tray lined with parchment paper, some areas wet or translucent—ready for baking the Best Lemon Squares Recipe.

2

Form The Dough

Now—into your mixer goes softened butter, sugar, and vanilla bean paste or just plain vanilla extract. Mix that until it’s super light and fluffy—about 3 minutes. This step is key for that buttery, crisp shortbread texture.

Sift together the flour and salt, then add them to the butter mixture. Stir until it forms soft, clumpy dough.

A stand mixer bowl filled with thick cookie dough, with some dough clinging to the attached paddle above the bowl. The mixer is partially visible on the side against a white background, perfect for whipping up the Best Lemon Squares Recipe.

3

Press, Poke, and Bake

Press the dough into your prepared pan—get those corners!—and give it a few pokes with a fork. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, just until it’s golden. Let that cool while we move on to the lemony goodness.

Two rectangular baking pans lined with parchment paper. The top pan holds unbaked shortbread dough with fork marks; the bottom shows the baked, golden brown, slightly cracked base perfect for the Best Lemon Squares Recipe.

4

Prepare The Lemon Bars Filling

In a bowl, whisk together 6 eggs and 2 extra yolks. Add in the superfine sugar—or just regular sugar, flour, lemon zest, and fresh lemon juice. That’s about 4 juicy lemons.

Pour that sunshiney filling over your warm crust and bake again—another 20 to 25 minutes—until the center is set and doesn’t jiggle.

A glass bowl with frothy yellow batter for the Best Lemon Squares Recipe and a spoon above a metal baking pan lined with parchment paper, filled with the same batter, ready to be baked.

5

Cool & Dust

Cool it completely on the counter, then chill in the fridge for a couple of hours. Once chilled, lift it out and dust with powdered sugar.

A rectangular lemon bar dessert, made from the Best Lemon Squares Recipe, sits in a baking pan and is then partially lifted onto parchment paper, being dusted with powdered sugar using a fine mesh sieve.

6

Slice Into Squares

Slice into squares. Pro tip: wipe the knife between cuts for those super clean edges. Bright, zesty, buttery… and honestly? Kind of perfect.

Twenty-four neatly cut lemon bars, made from the Best Lemon Squares Recipe and dusted with powdered sugar, are arranged in a rectangular grid on a white surface.
Close-up of several lemon bars from the Best Lemon Squares Recipe, topped with powdered sugar, cut into neat squares and arranged on a white surface, with one bar slightly pulled forward to show its layers.

When Life Gives You Lemons… Try These Too


  • Lemon Pound Cake

    Lemon Pound Cake

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    Lemon Curd Cake

  • Lemon Curd

    Lemon Curd

Rate This Recipe

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A close-up of lemon bars stacked on a plate, topped with powdered sugar. One bar is on top with a bite taken out, revealing the creamy filling and thick shortbread crust—just like the Best Lemon Squares Recipe.

Recipe

Lemon Bars

These lemon bars are the perfect balance of sweet and tangy with a buttery, melt-in-your-mouth shortbread crust. Bright, zesty, and dusted with powdered sugar—pure sunshine in every bite!
5 from 5 votes
Print Pin
Prep Time: 20 minutes mins
Cook Time: 50 minutes mins
cooling: 1 hour hr
Total Time: 2 hours hrs 10 minutes mins
Serves 24 bars

Ingredients

For The base:
  • 8 oz butter ((1 cups/2sticks) softened)
  • 1½ cups granulated sugar
  • 1½ teaspoons vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon salt
For The Filling:
  • 6 large eggs
  • 2 egg yolks (large)
  • 2¼ cups superfine/caster sugar (or granulated sugar)
  • ½ cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons lemon zest
  • 1 cup lemon juice (about 4 lemons)
  • confectioners’ sugar for dusting

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F/160°C
  • Line the bottom and sides of a 9×13 baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the sides to lift the finished bars out of the pan. Set aside.
  • Using a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a food processor) beat the butter, sugar, and vanilla vigorously until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. It’s an important step to beat the butter and sugar well together when making shortbread as this ensures the shortbread is light, crisp and will hold together.
  • In a separate bowl, sift the flour and salt. Add it to the butter mixture and mix until blended (forming large clumps).
  • Add to the prepared pan and using floured hands, press evenly into the prepared pan (including the sides).
  • Dock the dough by pricking the top all with a fork and bake until just golden, around 20 to 25 minutes. Set aside to cool.
  • Beat eggs and yolks together in a bowl; whisk in the sugar and flour until smooth. Add lemon zest and lemon juice; whisk well. Pour lemon filling over the crust.
  • Pour filling over the warm crust. Bake the bars for 20-25 minutes or until the center is set and no longer jiggles when gently shaken. Remove bars from the oven and cool completely at room temperature for 2 hours, then transfer to the refrigerator and chill until chilled (about 1-2 hours).
  • Once cool, lift the bars out of the pan by lifting with the parchment 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.

Tips

Tips for Perfect Lemon Bars (Beginner-Friendly & Pro-Level)
  • Use fresh lemons, not juice from a bottle, for a natural flavor.
  • Swap lemons with other citrus fruit (like for like) for a whole new dessert.
  • Please don’t rush the chill time you need for the lemon bars to set completely.
  • Use a sharp knife to cut the bars. Moisten the blade with warm water, shake off the excess, clean the knife after each cut, and re-moisten for the neatest cuts.
  • Don’t worry if you’re unsure if the lemon bars are firm enough when you remove them from the oven. They will continue to set as they cool.
  • The powdered sugar is optional – It’s only used for a visual contrast in colors and added sweetness, but not required for a good batch of lemon squares.

Storage & Freezing Instructions

  • To Store: Cover the lemon bars tightly with plastic wrap or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They’ll stay fresh for up to 1 week.
  • To Freeze: After chilling and slicing, place bars on a baking sheet and freeze until solid. Then transfer to a freezer-safe bag or container. They’ll keep well for up to 3 months.
To Serve from Frozen: Let them thaw in the fridge overnight or at room temp for about 30 minutes. Re-dust with powdered sugar before serving if needed.
Show Nutrition Hide Nutrition

Nutrition

Calories: 262 | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 78mg | Sodium: 133mg | Potassium: 48mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 30g | Vitamin A: 318IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 14mg | Iron: 1mg
Created by Erren Hart
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FAQs

Why do my lemon bars have a crusty top?

 That crust is usually from air bubbles or over-whisking the filling. Try whisking gently until smooth and avoid creating foam.

Can I make lemon bars without flour?

 You can substitute gluten-free all-purpose flour 1:1. Almond flour will not give the same structure, especially in the filling.

Why did my lemon bars crack on top?

 Overbaking or high oven temps can cause cracking. Bake just until set—still slightly jiggly in the center—and let cool slowly.

Do I need to refrigerate lemon bars?

 Yes! The filling is egg-based, so they need to be stored in the fridge for food safety and best texture.

Can I double this recipe?

Yes, but use two pans rather than one oversized one. Doubling in a single pan can throw off the crust-to-filling ratio and affect baking times.

Can I use bottled lemon juice?

 Technically yes, but it’s just not the same. Fresh lemon juice gives that tart-sweet balance that makes these bars shine.

How do I know when lemon bars are done baking?

 The edges will be set and the center should have a slight jiggle. If it looks totally liquid in the middle, give it a few more minutes—but don’t wait for it to fully firm in the oven.

A close-up of stacked lemon bars made with the Best Lemon Squares Recipe, featuring a vibrant yellow filling and powdered sugar topping, displayed on a white surface.
5 from 5 votes (4 ratings without comment)

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13 responses

  1. Erren Hart Avatar
    Erren Hart
    03/13/2023

    Thank you for leaving a comment about this recipe. Your feedback is appreciated, and I’m glad to hear that you enjoyed it. Please let me know if you have any questions or suggestions for future recipes. Thanks again for trying it out and sharing your thoughts!

    Reply
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