This is the BEST recipe for Lemon Squares I have EVER tried! The shortbread crust is thick and tender, and the lemon custard on top is super tart and creamy. You will never go back!! Originally published January 20, 2012.
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The other day I casually mentioned to my friend Tawna that I made gluten free lemon squares. “Oh really?” she said. “I’ve never had a lemon square.”
And then my brain EXPLODED.
Okay not really, but GAH!!! The thought of life without lemon squares. If I could only eat one dessert for the rest of my life, it would be this recipe for lemon squares, no lie. (Okay. I’m lying. If in some sick world I really did have to choose, I would flip a coin between these lemon bars and The Best Chocolate Cake I’ve Ever Had.)
Tawna can’t eat gluten. I saw her again last weekend at a church breakfast event where I was loading up on doughnuts. She (again, so casually) mentioned that she’d never had a doughnut. I’M ON A MISSION, GUYS.
Although really I should just go to Sarah from Snixy Kitchen. Gluten-free baking definitely takes some practice and this girl has got it DOWN. Got any doughnut recipes up your sleeve, Sarah?? Spill!
Sarah and I met at a blogging conference a couple years ago and since then she has literally saved my blog from the jaws of technical difficulties on a number of occasions. She also happens to be one of the most gifted photographers I know and even does food styling for the NY Times. She is crazy talented!!
I was at her house the other day and she showed me all the clothes that her mom has sewn for her baby. We are talking like an entire dresser-full, people, along with several blankets and knits. (Sherry, you are a master seamstress!) This kid is totally going to be better dressed than me, that is for sure.
The Best Lemon Square Recipe
This lemon bar recipe is an oooold favorite of mine. I perfected the recipe back in 2012 and published it here on the blog, but I love the recipe so much that I wanted to update the photos and tell all you lovely new people about it (since basically it was Eric and my mom reading back then.) I haven’t changed the recipe at all, and it’s too good to remain hidden in my archives.
Lemon Bar Ingredients
Here’s a quick shopping list to help you gather your ingredients. See the recipe card below for the full ingredients and instructions!
- Butter
- White sugar
- Flour (all purpose or gluten free)
- Lemons (about 4)
- Eggs
- Powdered sugar (for dusting)
Thick Shortbread: The key to a Perfect Lemon Bar
You MUST make these in a 2-quart, 8×11 inch pan if you want the crust-to-custard ratio you see in the photos. It will definitely work in a 9×13 but the layers will be thinner, which in my opinion, ruins the lemon bars. I want a THICK layer of shortbread and a THICK layer of custard. If you do make these in a 9×13, make sure you lower the baking times.
How to make the Best Lemon Bars
Here’s a quick overview of how to make this recipe. Full instructions can be found in the recipe card below!
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare an 8×11 inch pan by lining it with parchment paper or spraying with nonstick spray.
- In a medium bowl (or stand-mixer), beat together softened butter with 1/2 cup sugar, salt and zest.
- Add 2 cups of flour, either all-purpose or a gluten-free blend, and mix in well.
- Press into the bottom of the prepared 8×11 inch pan. Wet your fingers a little if the dough sticks to your hands.
- Bake at 350 for 24-26 minutes, or until golden around the edges.
- In a bowl (or using a stand mixer), whisk together the remaining sugar and flour. Then whisk in the lemon juice, eggs, and zest.
- When the crust is done, pour the custard over the top. You don’t have to wait for the crust to cool.
- Bake for an additional 26-28 minutes in the preheated oven.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours until they are cold, then dust with powdered sugar right before serving.
Here’s one of my photos from when I originally posted this. I was soooooo proud of it. *pinches cheek of former self*
How to make Lemon Squares Gluten Free
I always make these lemon bars with regular all-purpose flour but since I made these for Sarah and she does not eat gluten (and this is her baby shower after all), I tried these with a gluten-free flour blend. It worked beautifully! I didn’t change the recipe at all besides swapping flours. Score! I love having an easy and delicious recipe on hand for gluten-free friends. Here’s the kind I used:
How to serve Lemon Squares
I love serving lemon squares at occasions where many lemon lovers will be present. And by lemon lovers, I do mean adult women. Seriously, what is it about men and children and their obsession with chocolate to the exclusion of all other desserts? I mean. Women love chocolate too. But if you want your lemon squares to disappear, take them to a baby shower, a book club, or a girls night in. (And if you’re a man who loves lemon comment and tell us if you try these!!)
How to store your leftover Lemon Squares
Lemon bars should be stored, covered, in the fridge.
Can you freeze a Lemon Bar?
Yes! Lemon bars freeze really well for up to three months. You can freeze the whole pan or freeze individual lemon bars. They are basically still amazing straight out of the freezer, so if you are trying to keep yourself from eating them all…the freezer may not be your best strategy. Haha.
If you try out this recipe (DO IT!), snap a photo and share on social using #TheFoodCharlatan. I’d love to see what you are making!
Other Lemon Recipes You’ll Love:
Lemon Curd Sugar Cookie Sandwich << only true lemon lovers need apply.
Meyer Lemon Tart << Have you tried Meyer lemons yet? They are a little sweeter and more orange-y than a regular lemon and have such amazing flavor. Try this one out!
Lemon Lush Dessert << perfect for summer, this is smooth, light, and luxurious.
Lemon Crinkle Cookies with Lemon Frosting. These are SO LEMONY! I love them.
The Best Lemon Curd << no lie, guys. Put this in the Lemon Curd Sugar Cookie Sandwich!
Lemon Cake with Lemon Frosting << It’s one of my favorite cakes!
Lemon Bar Muddy Buddies from Lemon Tree Dwelling
Lemon Crumble Bars from House of Yumm
Lemon Ice Box Pie from Life, Love, and Sugar
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Lemon Square Recipe
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour OR a gluten-free blend, I used Bob’s Red Mill, spooned and leveled
- 1/4 teaspoon salt, or a few shakes more, to taste
- zest of one lemon
For the custard:
- 1 & 1/2 cups white sugar
- 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour OR a gluten-free blend, I used Bob’s Red Mill, spooned and leveled
- 3/4 cup fresh lemon juice, about 4 medium lemons
- 4 large eggs
- zest of 2-3 lemons, more zest=more tart. I add tons.
- powdered sugar, for dusting
Instructions
- For the crust:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare an 8×11 inch pan by lining it with parchment paper or spraying with nonstick spray. Or you could use foil, make sure you spray it with nonstick spray.
- In a medium bowl (or stand-mixer), beat together softened butter with 1/2 cup sugar, salt and zest.
- Add 2 cups flour, either all-purpose or a gluten-free blend. Make sure you use a scoop or spoon to place the flour in your measuring cup, then level it off. You don’t want to pack your flour.
- Beat in the flour. It won’t come together in a ball probably, but you want to get big clumps that are sticking together. Make sure the butter and flour are incorporated.
- Press into the bottom of the prepared 8×11 inch pan. Wet your fingers a little if the dough sticks to your hands.
- Bake at 350 for 24-26 minutes, or until golden around the edges.
For the Custard:
- In a bowl (or using stand mixer), whisk together the remaining 1 and 1/2 cups sugar and 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons flour. You can use the unwashed bowl you just used for the crust, but only if you scrape it out pretty well. You don’t want clumps in your custard.
- After whisking the flour and sugar, whisk in the lemon juice, eggs, and zest.
- When the crust is done, pour the custard over the top. You don’t have to wait for the crust to cool.
- Bake for an additional 26-28 minutes in the preheated oven. The edges should be set with the center still a little wiggly (just a little). The bars will firm up as they cool.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours until they are cold, then dust with powdered sugar right before serving. Don’t bother doing it before because it will just seep into the custard and you won’t see it.
- Store covered in the fridge.
Fantastic! I grabbed a couple disposable 8×11 from the grocery store and made two batches. One for me, one for the turkey day crew  (outdoors)!
Yay! So glad you liked them! Lemon bars are the besssst
These are delicious! Best lemon bar I’ve ever tasted! For years I misjudged lemon desserts. I only had lemon when I needed it for fish or chicken. I tried my first lemon bar at an office potluck ten years ago and turned over a new leaf. I’ve been looking for a delicious lemon bar recipe that doesn’t end up dry or bland. These bars are a game-changer. I’ll never misjudged lemon desserts again.
I’m a newcomer to your blog. I’ve tried three of your recipes (Lemon bars, coffee cake with lots of streusel and chicken stroganoff). My kids are older than yours (11 and 16). I’m always looking for ways to perfect my cooking to fit my family’s taste buds. It’s overwhelming sometimes. I’ve only recently started looking at various blogs to help me find the missing links. I really enjoy your blog. Your recipes are straightforward and detailed. You have an adorable family. Anyway, your lemon bars are calling to me. Keep cooking and I’ll see you on your blog!
Yeah, hate to report that I was really looking forward to these lemon bars being my go-to recipe. I had this page bookmarked for the longest. I visited this site on many occasions just to re-read the details of the recipe over & over again & gander at the colorful photos attached.
When I knew I was ready to tackle this dessert, which is one of my favs, beside Key Lime Pie, and any variety of cheesecake….I clicked on the link, purchased the 8×11 pan from Amazon that was recommended. Not that was an ordeal in itself which I won’t get all into. I made the gluten free version & just wasn’t thrilled with the final product.
Now to be fair, I didn’t use the Bob’s Red Mill brand 1:1 GF flour. I used Pamela’s brand, but am considering trying this once more and using the BRM. Now 2 sticks of butter I thought was a bit much, but I went along with it. Chose a fine European style butter. And 2 cups of GF flour was hardly enough. When the crust baked, I could tell right away that it had needed way more flour by how many holes it had on the shortbread. That was a rookie cook mistake & I should have used better judgement, or just started the crust all over again.
Now on to the filling/custard. I’ll also admit that something funky was going on with my lemons. I had a few Meyers that was going bad, and they just didn’t seem as tart as I would have liked them to be. Moving on to the a amount of flour the custard called for, in my opinion, is way too much. I prefer a little jiggle in the finished product of my custard, and with all the flour I put in, it just wasn’t happening with these. Too solid. And they weren’t in the oven for 25 minutes the 2nd time around.
Again, I may give these another shot with using Bob’s GFF, but probably not for a while yet.
Hi Tara! I’m sorry they didn’t work out for you!
I live at 3,000 ft.. seems my crust is taking longer to brown! Â
Yeah altitude and differences in oven temp might be the culprit here! Did it brown eventually?
I tried this recipe and it turned out great, this was my first time ever baking from scratch and it worth it.
Hooray! I’m so glad it was a success Ester! Lemon bars are my favorite. Thanks so much for coming back to comment!
These look amazing! I need a few of these babies asap!
Thanks Sommer! Lemon bars are just the best! :)
Come on Morgan, they re LEMON bars, and a lemon is a fruit, so you can totally consider them part of the fruit category and have them every day ??
Yum! I love a good lemon bar and these look perfect! Thanks so much for coming to the shower, Karen. Hope to see you soon! xoxo
I have zero willpower over lemon bars and your pics make me want to run to the kitchen asap!!
Looking forward to those doughnuts my dear! Headline “Karen saves the day with her GF doughnuts!” Hooray! Girl, these look divine. I realized its been too long since I had a lemon bar. They are one of the best sweet things ever! Love that you and Sarah have met…. Now… your old lemon bars don’t look bad, but your new ones shine like the sun! Gorgeous my dear!
Okay, I love lemon bars and we have to get back to this in a second, but can we pause and talk about the fact that I have totally shot food on shirts (and skirts, and scarves…) too?? Sometimes it’s just the best fabric for tje job! HA.
But back to the food, these look so delicious, and I love that it’s an easy gluten-free swap! I basically know nothing about gluten-free cooking so this kind of easy recipe is exactly what I need.
And MY head exploded! What?!?! What’s life without lemon bars?!?! Karen, I seriously love.love your writing style! You always manage to make me laugh ;). I’m seriously so jealous that you and Sarah are neighbors! Will you be at BlogHer in Austin this October? If so, can I be your sidekick? ;)
I am such a sucker for lemon bars! I just love them! That’s so nice of you to be coming up with gluten free versions for your friend! And congrats to Sarah!!
haha I will confess that I had never had a lemon bar until a few years ago! Crazy right??? These look completely fantastic!
These look absolutely delicious! that color!