These Lemon Pie Bars are the perfect little treat for a sunny day. They have a tender crust on the bottom, topped by a lemony curd. They are perfectly portable to bring to a spring or summer gathering, picnic, BBQ, and more. Everyone will love the bright, tangy taste of these bars.
Want to try more lemon desserts? Try our amazing Lemon Sweet Rolls or Lemon Meringue Pie too.
These Lemon Pie Bars are so to die for!! They have a real zingy punch to them, even more so than a lemon meringue pie, and I love them!!
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8×8 Baking Pan, Ceramic for Baking, 2 Quart, Red
What are in Lemon Pie Bars?
These easy lemon pie bars are filled with creamy, lemony goodness on top of a wonderful cookie crust. The perfect balance between crust and lemon pie filling, too, with about 1/3 of the bottom a crust and 2/3 a vibrant topping. The wonderful lemony color is all natural from gorgeous egg yolks, lemon juice, and zest. The perfect color of a lemon peel.
All the ingredients are easy to find and fairly easy to use. The pie filling or curd cooks up easily on the stovetop, and then the bars bake quickly in the oven.
Ingredients
Crust
AP flour
Granulated sugar
Salted butter, softened
Filling
Large eggs
Large egg yolks
Granulated sugar
Pinch of salt
Fresh lemon juice
Lemon zest
Salted butter
Topping
Powdered sugar or confectioner’s sugar
Lemon slices
How to Make Lemon Pie Bars
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Criss-cross line an 8×8″ with parchment paper. Mix the crust ingredients together with a fork or pastry blender until it resembles coarse crumbs. Press into the prepared pan. Bake for 15 min. to 20 min. just until very lightly browned.
While the crust is baking, make the filling. Whisk together the eggs, egg yolks, sugar, lemon juice, and salt in a medium pot over medium heat. Stir constantly for 10 min. The filling will thicken like pudding. Stir in the lemon zest and the butter. Remove from heat and continue to stir until butter is melted. Pour the filling over the crust and continue to bake for 15 – 20 minutes or until the filling is set. Careful not to brown.
Let cool completely on a rack for about one hour, and refrigerate for 2 hours or more. Using the parchment paper, lift the bars out and cut them into 9 pieces. Serve with a dusting of icing (confectioner’s) sugar and a lemon slice (optional).
Recipe Pro Tips!
How do you make lemon bars not stick to the pan?
This holds true for all squares. I always line my baking pans with parchment paper, sometimes just one way, or if they are really sticky, then both ways in the pan and always with an overlap. This allows you to lift the squares out of the pan and to be able to cut them easily and nicely into squares.
How do I store lemon bars?
This lemon bar recipe is best stored in an air-tight container and in the refrigerator. Lemon bars also freeze well; just make sure to again put them in an air-tight container to preserve the lemon flavor. Just make sure they are completely cooled first.
How do you cut lemon bars smoothly?
Using a clean knife and a bowl of warm water, cut the bars out of the pan, and with each cut, clean the knife in the water and then wipe clean.
WANT EVEN MORE LEMON RECIPES?
We adore lemon in sweet desserts, drinks, and dinners! That fresh pucker can’t be beaten. Here are a few of our favorite recipes.
I am excited to be doing a Lemon Challenge here today on the site, and with that, I bring you Lemon Pie Bars. Plus, we have a bunch of other delicious lemon recipes just in time to make your senses come alive!! Spring is around the corner, and citrus recipes become very popular now after many months of soups and stews, and winter fare that have hunkered us down over the cold winter!! These meals have served their purpose, but now we want our taste buds to come alive again, and lemon brings out a new birth in flavors!
Check out all the other lovely lemon recipes below from bloggers who took part in our 30-Day Lemon Challenge.
- Buttery Lemon Garlic Rice by Hot Eats and Cool Reads
- Lemon Brulee Tart by Life Currents
- Lemon Cardamom Scones by Manila Spoon
- Lemon Garlic Chicken by Savory Experiments
- Creamy Lemon Layered Pie by Who Needs A Cape?
- Lemon Panna Cotta by Culinary Ginger
- Lemon Pie Bars by Noshing With The Nolands
- Lemon Pudding Cheesecake by Serena Bakes Simply From Scratch
- No Bake Lemon Cheesecake by Num’s the Word
- Mini Meyer Lemon Loaves by Liv for Cake
- Zingy Lemon Chicken Wings by Lovefoodies
Lemon Pie Bars
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup butter softened
Filling
- 4 large eggs
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1 1/4 cups sugar
- pinch of salt
- 3/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 2 tsp. lemon zest
- 3 Tbsp. butter
Topping
- Icing or confectioner’s sugar
- Lemon slices
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Criss-cross line an 8×8" with parchment paper. Mix the crust ingredients together with a fork or pastry blender until it resembles coarse crumbs. Press into the prepared pan. Bake for 15 min. to 20 min. just until very lightly browned.
- While the crust is baking, make the filling. Whisk together the eggs, egg yolks, sugar, lemon juice and salt in a medium pot over medium heat. Stir constantly for 10 min. The filling will thicken like pudding. Stir in the lemon zest and the butter. Remove from heat and continue to stir until butter is melted. Pour the filling over the crust and continue to bake for 15-20 min. or until the filling is set. Careful not to brown.
- Let cool on a rack for about one hour, refrigerate for 2 hours or more. Using the parchment paper, lift the bars out and cut into 9 pieces. Serve with a dusting of icing (confectioner's) sugar and a lemon wedge (optional).
Comments & Reviews
Just noticed says
The directions don’t say where to add in the lemon juice
Tara Noland says
Thank you, I have made the correction.
Laura Dembowski says
Ahhhh. .. these are so my kind of dessert. All that gooey lemon goodness!
christine says
Oh man, between these bars and Debi’s tart I am in citrus heaven. Beautiful and I am definitely giving them a try this spring.