Put a spin on a classic treat by making these lemon bars with graham cracker crust. A simple dessert packed with tangy lemon flavors in every square.
I blame my oldest child for my loving addiction to lemon-flavored recipes because my love of lemon started with pregnancy cravings and hasn't left yet (10+ years later). Of course, she loves lemon just as much as me, so we're both victims here. Haha.
These lemon squares with graham cracker crust are such an incredible treat, and we haven't been able to stop eating them. Seriously, I made them twice a week, and we've been eating almost all of them to ourselves.
If you love lemons like we do, then you're going to love these tasty bars. Make sure to check out my 2 Ingredient Lemon Cake Bars, The BEST Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins, Lemon Mug Cake, and Raspberry Lemon Bundt Cake too. There's plenty of lemons to go around.
Why This Recipe Works
- Simple ingredients. We don't need much to make this recipe. In fact, we use about 6 or 7 ingredients from start to finish, and they're as simple as eggs, flour, lemons, and sugar.
- Quick to assemble. Because we aren't making a shortbread crust, we can have the graham cracker crust prepared in just moments, thanks to your food processor. Even mixing by hand is quick too. And in the time it takes for the crust to bake, the filling can be almost finished too.
- There's plenty to share! Each batch makes about 24 squares, giving you plenty to share with friends and family. But of course, this recipe tastes so good you may not WANT to share. In that case, make double the amount.
Jump to:
🥘 Ingredients
For the Graham Crust, you will need:
Graham crackers- You'll need some graham crackers for the base of this recipe. Use a sleeve of graham crackers that you crush yourself, or buy them as crumbs from your grocery store's baking aisle.
Butter- Using melted butter helps to moisten the crust and get the cookie pieces to hold together.
Sugar- This helps to firm up the crust when baked and adds a nice taste of sweetness.
Lemon zest- Adding lemon zest into the crust is optional but highly recommended because it adds such a wonderful freshness to every piece.
For the Lemon Filling, you will need:
Sugar- Sugar is needed to sweeten the filling so that it cuts down on the tart lemon flavor.
Flour- This is what we're using as a thickening agent.
Eggs- Eggs are needed for consistency and color.
Lemon juice- Add in freshly squeezed lemon juice or lemon juice concentrate.
Powdered sugar- This is a delicious garnish to be added at serving time. Powdered sugar really makes these squares look as irresistible as they taste.
For specific quantities, see the recipe card below.
🍽 Equipment Needed
BeeyondCereal is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.
🔪 Instructions
Check out how to make lemon bars with graham cracker crust with these simple step-by-step instructions:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
Cut a piece of parchment paper into a sling and place it into a 9x13 baking dish. You want it to come up over the two long sides as this will help you to remove the bars later.
Add your graham crackers to a food processor.
Process until fine crumbs.
Add in the lemon zest, melted butter, and sugar.
Process again until combined.
Pour the graham cracker mixture into the prepared baking dish.
Press out into a crust. Bake in the oven at 325F for 5 minutes.
In a medium-sized pot on the stove, over medium heat, add the flour, lemon juice, and sugar.
Cook and stir until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture looks smooth.
Crack your eggs and place them into a large mixing bowl.
Whisk until the eggs are broken.
Temper the eggs by adding the hot lemon juice mixture to the eggs, a little at a time. Whisk well after each addition.
Continue until all of the lemon mixture has joined the eggs in the bowl.
Pour the contents of the bowl into the pot.
Continue to cook while frequently whisking until the mixture begins to thicken. Remove from heat.
Place your baked graham cracker crust in front of you. If you turned the oven off, preheat it back to 325 degrees F.
Pour the lemon filling on top.
Carefully spread out into a nice even layer. You don't want to disturb the crust.
Bake in the oven at 325F for 25 minutes.
Remove from oven and let cool for 1-2 hours at room temperature before placing in the fridge for another 1-2 hours (or longer).
Slice into serving-sized squares. Dust with powdered sugar and enjoy.
🧾 Substitutions
Lemon juice. You can swap out the lemon juice with lemon juice concentrate if desired. This means you can just pour juice from a container rather than squeeze it out of several lemons yourself.
📖 Variations
Gluten free. Use gluten free flour and graham crackers for a delicious recipe that's GF friendly!
🍴 Recipe Tips
If you don't have a food processor on hand, you can place the graham crackers into a gallon sized plastic baggie and seal it shut. Hit the bag or roll over it several times with a rolling pin until the cookies turn into crumbs.
The filling of these bars can be a bit sticky. If you'd like clean lines when you cut your bars, keep a clean towel or paper towel handy. With off the blade after each slice.
👩🏻🍳 Storage
How to store lemon bars
You can keep these lemon bars well-covered and stored in the fridge for up to 1 week. For best results, I recommend eating within 3 or 4 days as the crust can soften.
How to freeze lemon bars
You can freeze these lemon bars for up to 3 months in an airtight container (without powdered sugar on top). To do this, place the bars (cut or uncut) onto a baking sheet and freeze until solid (about one hour).
Wrap the bars in foil or plastic wrap and place them into an airtight container for up to 3 months. Let them thaw in the fridge for several hours before serving. Make sure to add powdered sugar on top just before serving.
💭 FAQs
In the recipe, yes. While shortbread lemon bar recipes usually have you bake the crust and then add a raw filling before baking together, this recipe is different in that the graham cracker crust will not bake properly unless the crust is cooked first. (The crust rises to the top of the pan and creates a mess.)
If your lemon bars look frothy when baked this is simply because the eggs released some air while baking. This is normal, and while not every batch does this, some do.
If you overcook the lemon filling, you may notice a grainy texture or consistency. This is because the lemon curd was overcooked. Make sure to just cook the filling until it has thickened and then to bake until the filling is set in the middle.
More great bars and brownies recipes to check out soon
- Rainbow Rice Krispie Treats
- 3 Ingredient Oreo Fudge
- Frosted Hershey Cocoa Brownies
- Devil's Food Cake Mix Brownies
📖 Recipe
Lemon Bars with Graham Cracker Crust
Equipment
Ingredients
Graham Crust
- 1 ½ cup Graham cracker crumbs (exactly one sleeve) ($1.26)
- ½ teaspoon Lemon zest ($0.02)
- 6 Tablespoons Butter, melted ($0.56)
- 2 Tablespoons Granulated sugar ($0.02)
Lemon Filling
- ⅓ cup All purpose flour ($0.03)
- 6 large Eggs ($0.48)
- 1 cup Lemon juice ($3.84)
- 2 cups Granulated sugar ($0.44)
- Powdered sugar *for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
- Cut a piece of parchment paper into a sling and place it into a 9x13 baking dish. You want it to come up over the two long sides as this will help you to remove the bars later.
- Add your graham crackers to a food processor. Process until fine crumbs.
- Add in the lemon zest, melted butter, and sugar. Process again until combined.
- Pour the graham cracker mixture into the prepared baking dish.
- Press out into a crust. Bake in the oven at 325F for 5 minutes.
- In a medium-sized pot on the stove, over medium heat, add the flour, lemon juice, and sugar.
- Cook and stir until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture looks smooth.
- Crack your eggs and place them into a large mixing bowl. Whisk until the eggs are broken.
- Temper the eggs by adding the hot lemon juice mixture to the eggs, a little at a time. Whisk well after each addition.
- Continue until all of the lemon mixture has joined the eggs in the bowl.
- Pour the contents of the bowl into the pot.
- Continue to cook while frequently whisking until the mixture begins to thicken. Remove from heat.
- Place your baked graham cracker crust in front of you. If you turned the oven off, preheat it back to 325 degrees F.
- Pour the lemon filling on top. Carefully spread out into a nice even layer. You don't want to disturb the crust.
- Bake in the oven at 325F for 25 minutes.
- Remove from oven and let cool for 1-2 hours at room temperature before placing in the fridge for another 1-2 hours (or longer).
- Slice into serving-sized squares. Dust with powdered sugar and enjoy.
Notes
Substitutions
- Lemon juice. You can swap out the lemon juice with lemon juice concentrate if desired. This means you can just pour juice from a container rather than squeeze it out of several lemons yourself.
Variations
- Gluten free. Use gluten free flour and graham crackers for a delicious recipe that's GF friendly!
Recipe Tips
- If you don't have a food processor on hand, you can place the graham crackers into a gallon sized plastic baggie and seal it shut. Hit the bag or roll over it several times with a rolling pin until the cookies turn into crumbs.
- The filling of these bars can be a bit sticky. If you'd like clean lines when you cut your bars, keep a clean towel or paper towel handy. With off the blade after each slice.
Storage
- Fridge. You can keep these lemon bars well-covered and stored in the fridge for up to 1 week. For best results, I recommend eating within 3 or 4 days as the crust can soften.
- Freezer. You can freeze these lemon bars for up to 3 months in an airtight container (without powdered sugar on top). To do this, place the bars (cut or uncut) onto a baking sheet and freeze until solid (about one hour).
- Wrap the bars in foil or plastic wrap and place them into an airtight container for up to 3 months. Let them thaw in the fridge for several hours before serving. Make sure to add powdered sugar on top just before serving.
Leave a Reply