Easy Lemon Bars Made With 5-Ingredients

Over the weekend, we bought a bag of lemons to use as the garnish for our home bar’s cocktails and we felt obligated to use all of them. We were also craving something a little sweet, a little tart, and totally fresh. The answer? Five-ingredient Lemon Bars!

This easy 5-ingredient Lemon Bar recipe is a favorite with the team here at TipHero, and the lemon flavor is a little sweet and a tiny bit tart— the perfect balance.  

It’s no surprise the recipe R&D team at Betty Crocker Inc. invented the lemon bar and published the first known printed recipe in 1963. To say that things took off after that is an understatement. By the 1970s, everybody was making lemon bars.  

5-Ingredient Lemon Bars
Prep: 15 Mins | Total: 55 Mins
Serves: 9-12 bars
Difficulty: Easy
Category: Dessert
Ingredients
1 Stick Unsalted Butter (8 tablespoons or 1/2 cup)
1 1/4 Cups All-purpose flour, divided
1 1/4 Cups Granulated Sugar, divided
4 each Eggs
1/2 Cup Lemon Juice (juice of 2-3 lemons)
1 Tablespoon Lemon Zest (Optional) (zest of 2-3 lemons)
3/4 teaspoon Kosher Salt (Optional), divided
Directions
Preheat oven to 350F/175C. Line a greased 8-inch baking dish with parchment paper or foil, and set aside.
Using a pastry cutter or a food processor, blend together the butter, 1 cup of flour, 1/4 cup of sugar, and, if using, the salt, until a soft dough just comes together. Press the dough evenly into the bottom of your prepared baking dish and bake until the crust is just beginning to brown slightly at the top edges, about 20 minutes.
While the crust is baking, whisk together 1 cup of sugar, 1/4 cup of flour, eggs, lemon juice and, if using, the lemon zest, until the sugar is dissolved. Allow the filling to sit for about 10 minutes. Set aside.
Remove the crust from the oven, and whisk the filling together again before pouring over the top. Return the baking dish to the oven and bake until little bubbles form on top and the custard is set, about 20- 25 minutes.
Remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack until completely cool, about 1- 2 hours. Cut into bars and serve. Store in the refrigerator.
Chef Tips
Add the optional salt for a more round flavor. You can also add a little vanilla extract, if desired.

And I want to share one of my favorite tips from a friend – some of the greatest advice I have ever received – about the crust. These lemon bars can be made by using store bought sugar cookie dough as the crust. Press cookie dough in the pan the same way you would the homemade dough and bake until the cookie dough is just starting to brown.

Interested in other ways to integrate citrus fruit in your meals? Here are some recipe ideas:

 

Recipe adapted from Rock Recipes.