Easy Lemon Bar Recipe (With Video Tutorial)

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This easy lemon bar recipe includes the perfect blend of zesty lemon flavor and irresistible sweetness with a shortbread crust that has an exquisitely light crunch. 

Lemon bars

I’m so very excited about this easy lemon bar recipe post and video tutorial! I hope you’ll watch it and comment below. It includes two very special guests: Terri, the reader who gave me the Dixie cornbread recipe, and another surprise guest (watch to find out).

But back to these luscious lemon bars! When I say this is an easy lemon bar recipe, you know I mean it! We first have to combine the butter, flour, and sugar to make the base, which we pre-bake. While that’s baking, we stir together the remaining lemon filling ingredients and pour them over the top, and bake once more. Then all you have to do is patiently wait for them to cool before sprinkling them with confectioner’s sugar.

These lemon bars are perfectly sweet but with a deliciously tangy and tart lemon flavor. Because we pre-bake the shortbread base, it has an exquisitely light crunch to it that I cannot get enough of! The combination of this with the soft and smooth lemon curd filling that just melts in your mouth is irresistible, let me tell you!

I hope you enjoyed watching this tutorial on how to make lemon bars as much as we did making it.

Ingredients for Easy Lemon Bar Recipe.

Recipe Ingredients

  • All-purpose flour
  • Butter
  • Confectioner’s sugar
  • Granulated sugar
  • Eggs
  • Lemon juice
  • Baking powder

How to Make Easy Lemon Bars

sift in flour and sugar to make base.

Making the Shortbread Crust

First, we’re going to make the base. Sift together flour and confectioner’s sugar.

Cut in butter until mixture clings together.

Cut in butter until the mixture clings together.

Press base into baking dish.

Press base into a baking dish.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until lightly brown.

Beat together eggs, sugar, and lemon juice.

Making the Lemon Filling

Combine and beat together the eggs, granulated sugar, and lemon juice.

Sift flour and baking powder.

Sift flour and baking powder.

Stir together the dry and wet ingredients.

Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.

Pour over lemon bar crust.

Pour this lemon mixture over the baked lemon bar crust.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until slightly brown and set.

Remove from the oven.

Cover cooled lemon bar in confectioner's sugar.

Cool and then sprinkle in the confectioner’s sugar.

Easy lemon bar stack.

Cut into bars and try not to eat all of these lovely lemon squares before offering them to family and friends!

 I sure do hope you enjoy 😀.

Storage

  • These lemon bars are a great make-ahead dessert, as you can store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 6 days.
  • You can also freeze the un-dusted bars for up to 4 months. Thaw them in the fridge and then dust with confectioner’s sugar before serving.

Recipe Notes

  • You can use either bottled lemon juice or fresh lemon juice.
  • If using lemons to make fresh lemon juice, you can also add the lemon zest for added lemon flavor.
  • To add more flavor to the base, go ahead and add a teaspoon of vanilla extract.
  • For easier removal, line your baking dish with parchment paper. Then you can use the leftover parchment paper hanging over the sides as handles to easily lift the lemon bars out of the pan.
  • Refrigerate the bars before cutting them to make it easier to cut them into clean squares.

You may also like these bar recipes:

Lela’s Fried Peach Pie Bars

Three Layer Chocolate Fantasy Bars

Gooey Butter Bars From Scratch

Cranberry Cheesecake Bars

Or if you are hankering for more lemon recipes:

Lemon Icebox Cake

Lemon Poppy Seed Bread

Impossible Lemon Pie

Lemon Angel Food Cake Roll

Lemon zest bar

Easy Lemon Bars

This easy lemon bar recipe includes the perfect blend of zesty lemon flavor and irresistible sweetness with a base that has an exquisitely light crunch. 
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: lemon
Servings: 4
Calories: 126kcal

Ingredients

Base

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup softened butter
  • 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar

Filling

  • 4 eggs
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 4 tbsp confectioner's sugar
  • 1/3 cup lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

Instructions

Base

  • Sift together flour and confectioner's sugar. Cut in butter until the mixture clings together. Press into a 9x13-inch baking dish. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until lightly brown.
    2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 cup softened butter, 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar

Filling

  • Combine and beat together the eggs, granulated sugar, and lemon juice. Sift flour and baking powder and stir the dry ingredients into the egg mixture. Pour the batter over the baked crust.
    4 eggs, 2 cups granulated sugar, 1/3 cup lemon juice, 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • Bake at 350 for 15 minutes or until slightly brown and set. Remove from the oven. Cool and then sprinkle with confectioner's sugar before cutting into bars.
    4 tbsp confectioner's sugar

Nutrition

Calories: 126kcal
Tried this recipe?Mention @southernplate or tag #southernplate!

 

 

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113 Comments

  1. Ok, trying for the double comment here 🙂 Cool video, as always, wonderful food. Corny singing ( but fun) loved every bit of it. Hoping to see lots more from you 🙂

  2. Happy Anniversary, my entire family LOVES your recipes 🙂 Thanks for everything you do. Fun video & awesome food!

  3. Oh my sweet Christy, the video was great. Being a northerner or should I say a “Lawngilander” I’m really getting a kick out of all this southern talk. I love it. I’ve been stuck in a cooking rut for a long time, same things over and over. Now when I want a change I just go to Southern Plate and cook away. Thanks for opening a whole new door for me.

    Terry, you did a great job too, and Bill you can sing to me anytime.

    Y’all keep up the good work, ya hear.

    1. Thank you so much, precious, for your kind words. We’re “neighbors” right now and if I shout really loudly, maybe you can hear me over the Pocono Mtn range. ~waves~ If you get over this way, let me know…… I will make you a pie, choc. pecan, of course. Psssst….ya really picked up that thar southern-speak perfectly in your sign off line. ~salutes~

  4. I loved the video…you guys should “go on the road”.
    Happy Anniversary and thanks for all you do for us desperate cooks!

  5. Awesome video, loved it! Especially the intermission part, I can remember staying weekends with my grandparents and my grandpa always had to watch his HeeHaw. The lemon bars look delicious going to have to make some this weekend. Happy 1st Anniversary!

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