Creamy Lemon Bars
These Creamy Lemon Bars have a delicious graham cracker crust and filled with a thick lemony filling and topped with fresh whipped cream!
A THICK AND CREAMY LEMON BAR RECIPE
I don’t think anyone in my family has a love for all things lemon like I do. These lemon bars are my new favorite. A thick creamy filling and a crunchy crust. You get a little sweet and a little tart. It’s the perfect combination of flavors. These bars are totally worth the time and effort it takes to make them.
TIPS FOR MAKING LEMON BARS
- You must use fresh-squeezed lemons for this. The bottled stuff just doesn’t compare and will give these a weird, fake taste. Take the time to squeeze fresh lemons. You won’t regret it.
- This same recipe can be used for key lime bars! Just substitute the lemon in the recipe for key limes!
- Store-bought graham cracker crumbs will work in this too.
- These bars are homemade so you must give them time to turn out properly.
- They need to cool in the refrigerator for a minimum of 4 hours but overnight is best.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (FULL RECIPE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST)
- graham crackers
- salted butter
- egg yolks
- lemon zest
- fresh-squeezed lemon juice
- sweetened condensed milk
- heavy cream
- sugar
HOW TO MAKE CREAMY LEMON BARS
FOR THE CRUST:
Preheat oven to 350f degrees. In a food processor, pulse together the graham crackers and butter until thoroughly combined (it should be the texture of wet sand.) Press the crumb mixture into the bottom of a 11 x 7 baking pan. Note: If you don’t have an 11 X7 baking pan, you can use a 9 x 9 square baking dish, the bars will just be a little thicker. Bake the crust for about 10 minutes, until golden brown. Let cool and leave oven on.
FOR THE FILLING:
Mix egg yolks and lemon zest with an electric mixer until VERY thick, about 5 minutes.
Slowly add sweetened condensed milk in a slow, steady stream, mixing constantly. Add fresh lemon juice and mix until combined. Spread filling evenly over crust and bake at 350f degrees until filling is just set (about 12- 15 minutes.)
Let cool completely – then refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours.
FOR THE TOPPING:
Beat the cold heavy cream with powdered sugar until fluffy. Spread evenly over the lemon bars.
Decorate with lemon zest, slices of lemon etc. Keep bars refrigerated.
CRAVING MORE RECIPES?
- Lemon Dream Cake (+Video)
- Lemon Cheesecake Bars
- 3-Ingredient Lemon Crumble Bars
- Ultimate Lemon Poke Cake
- Peaches and Cream Bars
- Starbucks Lemon Loaf
- Lemon Magic Cake
- Classic Lemon Bars
Originally published: July 2012
Updated photos & republished: June 2020
Creamy Lemon Bars (+Video)
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
- 4 Tablespoons salted butter, melted
For the filling:
- 6 large egg yolks
- 3 teaspoons freshly grated lemon zest
- 1 ⅓ cups freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 5- 6 big lemons)
- 2 cans sweetened condensed milk
For the topping:
- ½ cup cold heavy cream
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
Instructions
For the crust:
- Preheat oven to 350f degrees. In a food processor, pulse together the graham crackers and butter until thoroughly combined (it should be the texture of wet sand.)
- Press the crumb mixture into the bottom of a 11"x 7" baking pan. Note: If you don't have an 11"x 7" baking pan, you can use a 9"x 9" square baking dish, the bars will just be a little thicker.
- Bake the crust for about 10 minutes, until golden brown. Let cool and leave oven on.
For the filling:
- Mix egg yolks and lemon zest with an electric mixer until VERY thick, about 5 minutes.
- Slowly add sweetened condensed milk in a slow, steady stream, mixing constantly.
- Add fresh lemon juice and mix until combined. Spread filling evenly over crust and bake at 350f degrees until filling is just set (about 12- 15 minutes.)
- Let cool completely – then cover and refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours.
For the topping:
- Beat the cold heavy cream with powdered sugar until fluffy.
- Spread topping evenly over the lemon bars. Decorate with lemon zest, slices of lemon etc. Keep bars refrigerated.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Just wondered how many graham crackers I need to make 1 cup of crumbs? Thanks!
I haven’t tried these yet, just reading all the comments. I noticed
several people have mentioned loving lemon and cream cheese. I see no cream cheese listed in your ingredients.
Anything lemon (desserts) is a winner in my book! This recipe looks delicious and simple. Going to Pin it and bookmark it. Thanks again Brandie!
Love lemon! What a great recipe – thank you!
One of our favorite recipes – thanks so much!
I love lemon bars and these look delish! I love that they are easy to make, too.
Thank you Julie! Hope you love them!
PERFECT! Love this recipe
A treat for all lemon lovers including me. And this combination of lemon and sweet cream is delicious. Thanks for this tasty recipe.
I love this recipe! I have never tried making lemon bars before.
Love Lemon! Thanks for the tip on the eggs! Pinned it!
What would I do to make these a bit more tart?? My husband loves Lemon and Lemon bars, but not the really sweet ones. Thanks much!
Use lemon extract in leui of vanilla
Gary, I've never tried to freeze them so I can't tell you with any certainty that they freeze well. But my best guess is that they would as long as they are properly packaged. 🙂
Will these lemon bars freeze well ??
These are delicious – five stars!
Just made these and they were amazing! My kids practically licked their plates clean.
I LOVE lemon! I'd take it over chocolate any day. I hope you post more lemon recipes!
This recipe looks mouth watering!!! My family can skip the lemon, but me I could swim in lemonade!! My favorite thing is lemon curd! Oh it's wonderful! I'm always amazed that my family doesn't salivate over it like I do!
This makes me regret buying the lemon bar box mix the other day. Mmm, I'm a huge lemon head! Will def try this
Another great-sounding recipe! Can't wait to try these! Thanks, Brandie!
Oh yeh Baby! I love lemon…I love cream cheese, and I love easy. You scored with me again Girlie – BIG Time! These look absolutely mouth-watering and I hope to make them soon.
I made these when I saw them pop up on Pinterest a few months ago….they're really good.
Lemon ANYTHING is popular in our family…we will be giving these a try for sure! Thanks for sharing.
I could taste this in my mouth just looking at the pics. YUM!
Oh two of my favorite ingredients…Lemon & Cream Cheese! YUM!
Oh my goodness! Yes please!! I love lemon and cream cheese. I would pretty much just take a fork to that pan and munch munch munch!