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Lemon bars with graham cracker crust stacked on parchment paper.
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5 from 12 votes

Lemon Bars With Graham Cracker Crust

These lemon bars with graham cracker crust have a perfectly tart, sweet and creamy lemon filling nestled in a buttery graham cracker crust. The perfect dessert for lemon lovers, these easy lemon squares are simple to make, and are great for picnics, bake sales, and more! They also happen to be gluten free and come with a dairy free option too!
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Chill time5 hours
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Diet: Gluten Free, Vegetarian
Servings: 16 squares
Calories: 197kcal
Author: Anjali Shah

Ingredients

For The Graham Cracker Crust

For The Lemon Filling

Optional Topping

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F / 180 C. Line an 8”x8” square cake tin with baking paper, set aside.
  • Add enough graham crackers to make 1 cup of finely ground crumbs to a high speed food processor and blend until finely ground.
  • Add the graham cracker crumbs, butter and light brown sugar to a mixing bowl, mix until well combined.
  • Firmly press into the prepared cake tin and bake for 10 minutes.
  • While the crust is cooking, whisk the lemon filling ingredients (white sugar, tapioca flour, gf flour, eggs, lemon juice, lemon zest, vanilla) together until smooth and no lumps.
  • When the crust has finished cooking and is lightly golden brown, remove from the oven and gently pour the filling over the base.
  • Reduce the oven temperature to 320 degrees F / 160 C.
  • Return the lemon bars to the oven and cook for another 20 minutes.
  • Remove and cool slightly at room temperature before transferring to the fridge to cool completely.
  • Chill for at least 5 hours or overnight before slicing into 16 squares.
  • Optional topping: Lightly dust the tops of the chilled lemon bars with a sprinkling of powdered sugar before slicing (if using).
  • Store lemon bars in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Notes

  • It’s important that the crumbs used for the base are finely crushed otherwise the base will fall apart when cutting.
  • Firmly press the base ingredients into the prepared dish using the bottom of a measuring cup or back of a spoon. Pressing the base firmly together stops it from falling apart when eating.
  • Gently pour the filling mixture over the cooked base while it’s still hot.
  • It’s recommended to use fresh lemon juice for this recipe.
  • Use room temperature eggs.
  • The lemon bars are cooked when the center is no longer jiggly and the outside edges are just starting to go a light golden color.
  • To make it easier to remove the cooled bars from the cake tin, be sure to line the tin with baking paper.
  • Lemon bars can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 1 month. Defrost for 1 hour before serving.
  • Lemon bars are best enjoyed after chilling in the fridge for at least 5 hours or overnight.
  • Dust with powdered sugar just before serving. Note: Nutritional info doesn't include powdered sugar topping. Adding the powdered sugar topping will likely add about 15-20 calories and 4 grams of sugar per bar.

Nutrition

Serving: 1lemon bar | Calories: 197kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 77mg | Sodium: 96mg | Potassium: 44mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 19g