Author: These homemade lemon bars have a tangy, fresh lemon filling and a buttery shortbread crust… and you can make them with einkorn flour or any all-purpose flour you have on hand! Just the right amount of tartness balanced by a sweet crust, and best of all, you know exactly what’s in them!
I originally shared this recipe for lemon bars back in 2020, and have updated it to remove the need for a food processor! Now all you need is a few bowls and a spoon to make these delicious lemon bars!
Lemon dessert recipes have a special place in my heart! Whether it’s a batch of honey-sweetened lemon curd, or a tray of lemon poppy seed muffins – if it’s tart and a bit sweet, it has my vote!
These lemon bars date back to my days as a teacher, when they would disappear in the teachers’ lounge as quickly as they arrived! Now that I’m retired from teaching, I like to bring these lemon bars to any potluck, party, or event that I can manage! They are an instant crowd favorite, and I get requests for them constantly!
Homemade Lemon Bars with Shortbread Crust
Store-bought lemon bars are loaded with artificial flavors and ingredients you can’t pronounce. But this homemade recipe is made with just seven simple ingredients, no special equipment, and they turn out perfectly every time!
Ingredients
Like I said, there are only seven ingredients you need to make this recipe (wait, two of them are from lemons… does that count as one or two ingredients?). You probably have everything you need right now, and in just about 2 hours, you can have fresh lemon bars to enjoy and share!
- Sugar – Regular granulated sugar is called for in this recipe. While you can use honey or maple syrup, this recipe requires a lot of changes in order to accommodate that much liquid. Instead, if you want to cut down on white sugar, you can use allulose instead!
- Flour – We use all-purpose einkorn flour, but any all-purpose wheat flour, or 1:1 gluten-free replacement will work. Avoid using whole wheat or fresh milled unless it is VERY finely milled!
- Lemons – Used for both their juice and zest, fresh lemons work best! Bottled juice and dried zest will be ok, but the flavor will be mild in comparison to fresh. Usually one lemon will produce about 2 tsp of lemon zest. You’ll need at least three lemons for the fresh lemon juice in this recipe anyway.
- Salt – We like a high-quality sea salt, but use what you have on hand.
- Eggs – Whole eggs are called for, and there is no replacement for these, as they form the creamy custard base for the lemon filling!
- Powdered Sugar – Optional, but I like to dust the top to cover all the little holes made from air escaping the filling during baking! You can use regular white powdered sugar, or maple powdered sugar if you prefer a less processed option!
Instructions
Originally, this recipe required the use of a food processor for the crust. While I still prefer that method, I have also tested this recipe using several other methods, and have updated the recipe to include one that works well if you don’t have a food processor!
- Prep – Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Mix – Combine the crust ingredients in a food processor (see below for alternate instructions) or with a pastry knife, but the food processor works best. Pulse until butter is fully mixed and the mix holds form when pressed. Press crust into a parchment-lined 9 x 13 pan until well compacted.
- Food Processor Free Option – If you don’t want to use a food processor, simply melt the butter and mix all the crust ingredients together in a medium bowl until smooth. Pour into the parchment-lined pan and smooth with a spatula until the crust is evenly distributed.
- Bake – Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the edges of the crust start to brown. Keep the oven at 350°F while you prep the filling and allow the crust to cool for 10 minutes.
- Combine – Mix all the filling ingredients with a whisk until fully combined. Pour over the warm crust and bake for 20 minutes or until the filling is firm.
- Chill – Remove from oven and cool for 1 hour before lifting the bars out of the pan with the parchment paper. Allow to cool another 1 hour before slicing, OR chill for 2 hours. Dust generously with powdered sugar before serving.
More Lemon Recipes to Try
If you love the taste of lemons, then you are going to love this homemade lemon curd recipe and homemade lemonade! And for a tangy dinner, try my classic lemon honey sticky chicken recipe!
Easy Homemade Lemon Bars
Equipment
- Food Processor optional
Ingredients
Crust
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (we use einkorn) (300g)
- 1 cup butter, cold * See step 3, if not using a food processor
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
Filling
- 2 cups sugar
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour (we use einkorn) (30g)
- 1/2 cup lemon juice (fresh is best)
- 1 tsp lemon zest (fresh is best)
- 4 eggs
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar, for dusting
Instructions
- Prep – Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Mix – Combine the crust ingredients in a food processor (see below for alternate instructions) or with a pastry knife, but the food processor works best. Pulse until butter is fully mixed and the mix holds form when pressed. Press crust into a parchment-lined 9 x 13 pan until well compacted.
- Food Processor Free Option – If you don’t want to use a food processor, simply melt the butter and mix all the crust ingredients together in a medium bowl until smooth. Pour into the parchment-lined pan and smooth with a spatula until the crust is evenly distributed.
- Bake – Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the edges of the crust start to brown. Keep the oven at 350°F while you prep the filling and allow the crust to cool for 10 minutes.
- Combine – Mix all the filling ingredients with a whisk until fully combined. Pour over the warm crust and bake for 20 minutes or until the filling is firm.
- Chill – Remove from oven and cool for 1 hour before lifting the bars out of the pan with the parchment paper. Allow to cool another 1 hour before slicing, OR chill for 2 hours. Dust generously with powdered sugar before serving.
Notes
Ingredients
Like I said, there are only seven ingredients you need to make this recipe (wait, two of them are from lemons… does that count as one or two ingredients?). You probably have everything you need right now, and in just about 2 hours, you can have fresh lemon bars to enjoy and share!- Sugar – Regular granulated sugar is called for in this recipe. While you can use honey or maple syrup, this recipe requires a lot of changes in order to accommodate that much liquid. Instead, if you want to cut down on white sugar, you can use allulose instead!
- Flour – We use all-purpose einkorn flour, but any all-purpose wheat flour, or 1:1 gluten-free replacement will work. Avoid using whole wheat or fresh milled unless it is VERY finely milled!
- Lemons – Used for both their juice and zest, fresh lemons work best! Bottled juice and dried zest will be ok, but the flavor will be mild in comparison to fresh. Usually one lemon will produce about 2 tsp of lemon zest. You’ll need at least three lemons for the fresh lemon juice in this recipe anyway.
- Salt – We like a high-quality sea salt, but use what you have on hand.
- Eggs – Whole eggs are called for, and there is no replacement for these, as they form the creamy custard base for the lemon filling!
- Powdered Sugar – Optional, but I like to dust the top to cover all the little holes made from air escaping the filling during baking! You can use regular white powdered sugar, or maple powdered sugar if you prefer a less processed option!
Nutrition
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Sounds delicious! What is einkorn flour? Thanks for sharing your recipe with us. The family is still singing your praises about your Zapple pie recipe. You rock Victoria!
Hi Vergaline! I’m so glad y’all enjoyed the zapple pie! Einkorn is just the original wheat variety, it’s MUCH lower in gluten and higher in protein. This means that many people with gluten sensitives (even most celiacs) can eat einkorn without issues!
We were gluten free for about 20 years before we found einkorn and we haven’t had any issues with it in the 7 years we’ve been using einkorn!
However, the recipe can be made with any wheat, so you can use whatever you like instead :-)