Get ready for the most delicious lemon bars with a graham cracker crust! You only need 8 ingredients to make these simple and fresh lemon bars. They make the perfect dessert for parties, baby showers, or just a special weekend treat!
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This extra thick lemon curd rests on top of a delicious graham cracker crust. The graham cracker crust is baked first before pouring the lemon curd on top and baking again. I always decorate my lemon bars with confectioners' sugar! If you're looking for more lemon desserts, check out my lemon poppy seed bundt cake.
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Tell me about this recipe!
- These lemon bars are packed with fresh lemon juice and lemon zest, giving you a tart and tangy lemon bar rather than a bar that is overly sweet.
- The graham cracker crust is made first, giving you time to make your lemon curd. The bars are then baked again with the lemon curd on top.
- Lemon curd is made over the stove. While other recipes have you just pour whisked eggs and lemon juice together, I found making a lemon curd on the stovetop gives you a thicker and firmer lemon layer. I also found that not cooking it on the stove before baking led to a white layer as well as bubbles on top.
Ingredients Needed
The printable recipe card with the full list of ingredients and instructions can be found at the bottom of this post.
- Lemons: we need fresh lemons for the zest and juice in the lemon layer, be sure to use lemons and not bottled lemon juice!
- Sugar: we're using light brown sugar in the graham cracker crust and then regular sugar in the lemon curd. There isn't too much sugar in the lemon curd so it isn't overly sweet!
- Cornstarch: using cornstarch, also known as cornflour in the UK, will mean our lemon curd can thicken up so we have a nice thick layer that isn't flimsy
- Graham Crackers: as this recipe is called lemon bars with graham cracker crust we obviously need graham crackers! If you live in the UK you can substitute graham crackers for digestive biscuits, though I found the crust to be a bit richer compared to using graham crackers.
How to make this recipe
Step 1: Preheat your oven to 375 and line a 8x8 pan with parchment paper, butter the pan (I found this makes it easier to remove your lemon bars after compared to not greasing the paper!). Crush graham crackers in a food processor. If you don't have a food processor then place the graham crackers in a large ziplock bag and crush them with a rolling pin.
Step 2: Add in your melted butter, salt and light brown sugar and pulse until all the crumbs are moistened. No food processor? Pour the crumbs into a bowl and use a spoon to mix with the melted butter, salt and light brown sugar.
Step 3: Pour the crumbs into your prepared pan. I like using a rubber spatula to firmly press into the pan evenly, though you could also use the bottom of a metal measuring cup. Bake for 15-18 minutes, it should be slightly golden on top. Let it cool and reduce the oven temperature to 300.
Step 4: While your crust is baking start making your lemon curd! In a small saucepan, whisk together half of your sugar, your lemon zest, lemon juice, salt and cornstarch over medium heat. Whisking until the sugar has completely dissolved, then allow it to come to a boil. Whisk constantly until it slightly thickens, this takes about 4-5 minutes. Remove from the heat.
Step 5: In a medium bowl, whisk together your egg, egg yolks and the rest of your sugar until it is smooth and thick. This should take about one minute.
Step 6: While whisking your egg mixture, slowly pour in about half of your hot lemon mixture a tablespoon at a time.
Step 7: Now pour the egg mixture back into the saucepan over medium-low heat, whisking constantly. Whisk for about 5 minutes, until it is thick. You'll know it's done when you can dip a spoon into the curd and it covers the spoon without dripping down. Take the pan off of the heat and add the butter a piece at a time, whisking constantly.
Step 8: Slowly pour in your lemon curd on top of your graham cracker crust. At this point the crust shouldn't be hot anymore. If the crust is too hot it might break apart when you pour the curd in. Bake for 30-35 minutes. The middle might still jiggle but the sides should have set. Let it cool at room temperature then place in the fridge for at least 3 hours before slicing.
Recipe Tips
- I make sure that all of my ingredients are at room temperature before I start the recipe, so pull out all of the ingredients about an hour or two before you start baking.
- I highly recommend using a weighing scale and measuring out your ingredients the metric way. It makes a huge difference to your baking and is the most accurate way to bake!
- Allow the graham cracker crust to cool slightly before pouring the lemon filling in. If the crust is too hot, the hot lemon curd might break apart the crust.
- Squeeze the lemon juice over a fine meshed sieve so you don't have any of the lemon bits or pips going into your filling.
Frequently Asked Questions
The main reason for lemon bars cracking is overbaking them. Either you've baked them for too long or you've baked them at too high of a temperature.
Yes, lemon bars should be placed in an airtight container and refrigerated.
The sides of the lemon bars should be set, but the middle will still jiggle a bit when you take them out of the oven.
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Have you made this recipe? Make sure to tag me on Instagram @alpineella and leave a review below if you have! If you want more baking ideas, you can follow me on Pinterest.
Recipe
Lemon Bars with Graham Cracker Crust
Equipment
- 1 8x8 baking pan
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust
- 1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs 10 crackers
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 5 ½ tablespoons butter melted
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Lemon Filling
- 2 14-oz cans sweetened condensed milk
- 4 large egg yolks room temperature
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- ½ cup fresh lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
Make Crust
- Preheat the oven to 350℉/175℃. Line an 8x8 baking pan, making sure you have an overhanging sling, this will make it easier to get the bars out after. I recommend using metal clips to clip the parchment paper into place.
- In a bowl, whisk the graham cracker crumbs with the salt and sugar. Add the melted butter and stir to make sure all the crumbs are moist1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs, 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, 5 ½ tablespoons butter
- Pour into the prepared baking pan and use the bottom of a measuring cup to pack down the crust evenly. Take the clips off if you're using them.
- Bake for 10 minutes, then remove from the oven to cool slightly. Keep the temperature at 350℉.
Make Lemon Filling
- In a large bowl, whisk all of the lemon filling ingredients together until well combined and smooth.2 14-oz cans sweetened condensed milk, 4 large egg yolks, 1 tablespoon lemon zest, ½ cup fresh lemon juice, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- Pour into the cooled crust. Place in the oven for 24-28 minutes, or until the edges have set and the middle doesn’t jiggle.
- Let cool completely at room temperature, then place in the fridge for 6-8 hours. Remove from the pan and slice into squares.
Catherine
Great success. I made them twice this week. A recipe to keep!