Tart, tangy lemon meets buttery, crumbly goodness in these Lemon Bars with Graham Cracker Crust. No fancy ingredients, no hours in the kitchen, just homemade lemon curd on a crisp, buttery graham crust.
Add a touch of sweetness with powdered sugar for an elegant presentation.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
Imagine a sugar dusted lemon bar, with a tart and creamy filling and a buttery graham cracker crust. The perfect balance of sweet and sour, with a hint of lemon zest. It's the perfect dessert to end a meal, or to enjoy on its own as a snack.
Lemon bars have long been a favorite among family gatherings and holiday celebrations. The tart lemon flavor of these bars is refreshing and the sweet graham cracker crust provides a perfect balance. These easy lemon bars are sure to be a hit with everyone who tries them.
Ingredients You'll Need
When making any kind of lemon bars, Meyer lemons are first choice. They are brighter yellow, juicy, and have an amazing tart and sweet flavor. I just love the vibrant color that even the juice has!
Sweet Meyer Lemon Curd Filling
- Meyer Lemons - Juiced. If not available, regular lemons are perfect also. You'll need 6 or 7 lemons.
- Sugar - Granulated.
- Cornstarch
- Eggs - Cracked into a bowl and whisked until fully blended.
Graham Cracker Lemon Bar Crust
- Graham cracker crumbs - Crush graham crackers until fine in your food processor, or buy graham cracker crumbs already made.
- Butter - Melted.
- Sugar - Granulated sugar.
- Lemon zest - Zest one of the Meyer lemons prior to juicing it.
- Powdered Sugar - To dust the lemon bars after baking and chilling.
Full ingredient amounts and preparation instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
How To Make These Meyer Lemon Bars
Start off by first preparing the creamy, tart Meyer lemon curd filling and setting it aside to cool. While cooling, prepare and bake the buttery graham cracker crust.
Finish by chilling, cutting into squares, and dusting the lemon bars with powdered sugar. See our recipe card below for full details.
Prepare Graham Cracker Crust
- Preheat your oven to 350 F. Lay parchment paper inside a 9 x 13" baking so that it overlaps the sides, or use aluminum foil. This will let you lift the lemon bars out of the pan without them sticking and breaking after baking.
- In a medium bowl, blend the crushed graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and lemon zest.
- Add the melted butter and cut into the graham cracker crumbs until you have a mealy texture.
- Dump the crumbly graham cracker mixture into the parchment or aluminum foil lined 9 x 13" baking dish.
PRO TIP: Parchment paper or aluminum foil is much better than non stick spray. Your bars can be lifted out after chilling, easily cut into squares, and the graham cracker crust won't get shattered by a spatula trying to dig them out of the baking dish.
Bake The Graham Cracker Crust
- Using a rounded, wide bottom measuring cup, press the graham cracker crust mixture evenly into the 9 x 13 baking dish, using the rounded edge to ensure even your corners and pressed down tight. Press down firmly so the crust mixture is packed down.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes until you see it starting to pull away from the pan edges, and it is golden brown, then remove and set aside while you prepare the lemon bar filling.
Prepare Lemon Curd Filling
- Add the lemon juice, sugar, and cornstarch to a medium size saucepan and stir together with a whisk until blended. Heat on medium heat until the sugar has completely melted.
- In a medium bowl, blend the eggs with a whisk until evenly mixed.
- Add a few spoons of the warmed lemon juice, sugar, and cornstarch mixture to the bowl of eggs and whisk to temper the eggs.
- Add the bowl of tempered eggs to the sauce pan of heating lemon juice mixture, whisking constantly until mixture starts to thicken and coats a spoon.
Spread Lemon Filling and Chill Lemon Bars
- Pour the warm Meyer lemon curd filling into the baking pan with the graham cracker crust. Spread the filling out evenly and return to the oven and bake for an additional 15 to 20 minutes, or until the center doesn't jiggle.
- Remove from oven and let cool before chilling in the refrigerator for at least one hour. After chilled, lift the lemon bars out of the baking dish carefully using the edges of the parchment paper. Cut into bars or squares and dust with some powdered sugar before serving.
Serving Suggestions
Lemon bars are popular year-round, but especially in the spring and summer. The tart lemon flavor is refreshing and the bars are perfect for a light dessert or snack.
Serve lemon bars with graham cracker crust at room temperature or chilled. They can be topped with whipped cream, powdered sugar, or lemon zest.
Related Recipes
Substitutions and Variations
Here are a few scrumptious variations using this recipe as a base. No matter what variation you choose, this lemon bar recipe with graham cracker crust is sure to be a hit with your friends and family.
- Lemon Blueberry Bars - After pouring the lemon curd and spreading it out on the graham cracker crust, sprinkle fresh blueberries over the top. Chill and then slice.
- Lemon Cheesecake Bars - Spread the bottom of the graham cracker crust with no bake cream cheese filling. Chill until firm, then spread the lemon curd on top and chill again. We have a great No Bake Key Lime Cheesecake recipe, just use lemons instead of limes.
- Lemon Oreo crust: Crush 24 Lemon Oreo cookies and mix them with ¼ cup of melted butter. Follow the directions for these lemon bars with graham cracker crust to finish.
Equipment
Equipment can have a big impact on how a recipe turns out. Below are some of my favorite pieces of equipment that I use when making this easy lemon bar recipe with graham cracker crust.
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- Microplane for Lime Zest
- Cuisinart Food Processor for making your own graham cracker crumbs.
Storage Options
- Store leftover lemon bars in a covered container and keep refrigerated. You can also freeze them for up to 3 months.
Tips for Success
- Use fresh Meyer lemons for the best flavor.
- Get the most from your lemons: How To Juice A Lemon Like A Pro.
- Zest the lemons before juicing them to get the most flavor.
- Don't over bake the crust. It should be golden brown, and starting to pull away from the baking pan.
- Let the bars cool completely, or chill, before cutting into them. This will help these lemon bars with graham cracker crust hold their shape and not crumble.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, and I actually prefer to buy the crumbs already made, as making graham cracker crumbs in my food processor is like tossing glitter in my kitchen!
You can use a different type of crust for these lemon bars. Some popular options include a shortbread crust or a crushed lemon Oreo crust.
One possibility is that you didn't cook the filling long enough. Another possibility is that you used too much lemon juice.
Make sure you press it into the pan bottom firmly. Then, bake for the full 20 to 25 minutes so the sugar melts and holds the graham cracker crumbs together when cooled.
More Delish Ideas
Lemon Bars with Graham Cracker Crust
Equipment
- Microplane To zest lemon
Ingredients
For Graham Cracker Crust
- 2 cup Graham crakers crusted fine, or pre crushed crumbs
- 5 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- ½ cup butter melted
Meyer Lemon Filling
- 1½ cup lemon juice fresh squeezed
- 2¼ cup sugar
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 6 eggs beaten, with small white lumps removed.
- powdered sugar to garnish the top after chilling and set up
Instructions
Prepare Graham Cracker Crust
- Preheat your oven to 350 F. Lay parchment paper inside a 9 x 13" baking so that it overlaps the sides, or use aluminum foil. This will let you lift the lemon bars out of the pan without them sticking and breaking after baking.
- In a medium bowl, blend the crushed graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and lemon zest.2 cup Graham crakers, 5 tablespoon sugar, 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- Add the melted butter and cut into the graham cracker crumbs until you have a mealy texture.½ cup butter
- Dump the crumbly graham cracker mixture into the parchment or aluminum foil lined 9 x 13" baking dish.
- Using a rounded, wide bottom measuring cup, press the graham cracker crust mixture evenly into the 9 x 13 baking dish, using the rounded edge to ensure even your corners and pressed down tight. Press down firmly so the crust mixture is packed down.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes until you see it starting to pull away from the pan edges, and it is golden brown, then remove and let cool for while preparing the filling.
Prepare Meyer Lemon Curd Filling
- Add the lemon juice, sugar, and cornstarch to a medium size saucepan and stir together with a whisk until blended. Heat on medium heat until the sugar has completely melted.1½ cup lemon juice, 2¼ cup sugar, ¼ cup cornstarch
- In a medium bowl, blend the eggs with a whisk until evenly mixed.6 eggs
- Add a few spoons of the warmed lemon juice, sugar, and cornstarch mixture to the bowl of eggs and whisk to temper the eggs.
- Add the bowl of tempered eggs to the sauce pan of heating lemon juice mixture, whisking constantly until mixture starts to thicken and coats a spoon.
Finishing The Lemon Bars
- Pour the Meyer lemon curd filling into the baking pan with the graham cracker crust. Spread the filling out evenly and return to the oven and bake for an additional 15 to 20 minutes, or until the center doesn't jiggle.
- Remove from oven and let cool before chilling in the refrigerator for at least one hour. After chilled, lift the lemon bars out of the baking dish carefully using the edges of the parchment paper. Cut into bars or squares and dust with some powdered sugar before serving.
Notes
- Be sure to remove those small white egg bits out of the raw eggs before beating them.
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