Lemon Bars with Graham Cracker Crust

Lemon squares on parchment paper, some have been dusted with icing sugar.

5 from 8 votes

Lemon Bars with Graham Cracker Crust

These rich and creamy lemon bars with a graham cracker crust are made with sweetened condensed milk! This is a really simple lemon bar recipe and I think it's the best.

Prep Time10

Cook Time38

Total Time48

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings: bars

Calories: 62kcal

Author: Ella Gilbert

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

Metric - US Customary

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 moist
1 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.

Video

Notes

My recipes have been developed and tested in metric grams. I highly recommend using a weighing scale and measuring out your ingredients the metric way. I have provided a conversion to US cups but please note that I haven’t tested the recipe with this method. Just click on ‘US Customary’ above ingredients.

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.

Salt: If you don’t have kosher salt, halve the amount of salt called for in the recipe. 1 teaspoon kosher salt = ½ teaspoon fine salt. Please note, I'm using Diamon Crystal salt and not Morton salt which is far too salty for this!

Sweetened Condensed Milk: you cannot swap this out for evaporated milk!

Storage: Keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 7 days.

Nutrition