These Easy Lemon Crumble Bars only have 3 ingredients! This summertime dessert recipe only needs cake mix, butter and lemon pie filling!
EASY LEMON CRUMBLE BARS
You never know where a recipe will take you. I love the story of how this particular recipe plopped into my lap. While hanging out on facebook, answering some questions, I got a question from a reader named Toni (hi Toni!). She had a couple of cans of lemon pie filling in her pantry and she wanted some ideas on how to use them up. I suggested a recipe I had on the site here called Lemon Dream Cake. But I also decided to ask folks on facebook if they had any recipe suggestions. Well, someone did! Sandi G. (Hi Sandi!), shared a crazy-easy recipe to use up a can of lemon pie filling.
CAKE MIX RECIPE IDEAS
Well folks, that is what this recipe will do. It will surprise you in it's simplicity and flavor. Don't try to make it more complicated. It really is only just 3 ingredients. So thank you Toni for asking that question and thank you to Sandi for sharing her recipe with the rest of us. Here it is...don't blink, you might miss it.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (FULL RECIPE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST)
- yellow cake mix
- salted butter
- lemon pie filling
HOW TO MAKE EASY LEMON BARS:
Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Spray 9x13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. If you've followed my blog for a while, y'all know I'm a big fan of Baker's Joy nonstick spray. It has flour in it. It is so awesome for baking. In a bowl, combine softened butter with dry cake mix.
Mix until crumbly. Now at this point, you might think to yourself, this stuff is so crumbly, how is it going to pack into the baking dish and make a crust? Well, I thought the same thing. But it all pushes together nicely and bakes up so well. Just make sure you are using real butter for this, I'm not so sure margarine would hold up in this recipe. But if anyone tries it, let me know. Before you go any further, you'll need to set aside ½ cup of this crumbly mixture.
Take the rest of the crust mixture and press it into a 9x13 baking dish. Spread it out evenly and then just go around and pack it down in there with your hands. Spoon lemon pie filling onto crust. Do your best to spread it out as evenly as possible.
Then take the ½ cup of crust mixture that you set aside earlier and sprinkle all over lemon pie filling. This is going to give you a nice little crumble topping.
Bake at 350F for about 20-25 minutes. The crumble on top will just start to turn a very light golden brown. Then slice up and serve. This crust slices up very nicely. I like to eat it while it is still a little warm but it was really good nice and cold from being stored in the refrigerator. I bet that would be delicious during the hot summer months.
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3-Ingredient Lemon Bars (+Video)
Ingredients
- 15.25 ounce box yellow cake mix
- 1 stick salted butter (½ cup) softened to room temperature
- 22 ounce can lemon pie filling
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Spray 9x13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a bowl, combine softened butter with dry cake mix. Mix until crumbly.
- Set aside ½ cup of this crumbly mixture for the topping.
- Take the rest of the crust mixture and press it into baking dish.
- Spread it out evenly and then just go around and pack it down in there with your hands.
- Spoon lemon pie filling evenly onto crust layer.
- Then take the ½ cup of crust mixture that you set aside earlier and sprinkle all over lemon pie filling.
- Bake at 350F for about 20-25 minutes. The crumble on top will just start to turn a very light golden brown.
- Allow to cool then slice up and serve.
Video
Notes
- This crust slices up very nicely. I like to eat it while it is still a little warm but it was really good nice and cold from being stored in the refrigerator.
- This should be covered and stored in the fridge. I found if I just covered it and left it out that the crust would soften up a bit so put in the refrigerator if not eating it all the same day it's made.
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 can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Originally published: February 2013
Updated & Republished: June 2019
Casey
Can I use lemon jello pudding mix for the pie filling? No stores around here carry the lemon pie filling.
Brandie @ The Country Cook
I'll be honest, I don't know. All. you can do is give it a whirl and see if it works. 🙂
Darcy
Could you use lemon cake mix?
Brandie @ The Country Cook
You certainly could. It may make it overwhelmingly lemon-y but that’s just a matter of personal preference
Dee
Super easy ! I substituted the yellow cake with lemon cake and used strawberry rhubarb pie filling.
Frankie Browning
These are so easy to make .... They are DELISH. The 9X13 pan was eaten in 1 hour ..... Thank you for a fabulous receipe ...
MotherNugget
I love lemon and blueberries together so I did a lemon cake and blueberry pie filling! Not only was it yummy, it was BEAUTIFUL!!! I added some lemon zest to the top and wowza! Thanks!
Rosanne Jackson
Love your site
Jilly
These sound really good. I can not stand up and cook that long - and so many of the lemon bar recipes you have to cook the crust first - more steps. I have been wanting to make lemon bars for so long - thank you!
Deb
Hi Brandi,
Can't wait to try these! Married to a lemon freak. Right now, however, I have a box of Spice cake mix and a can of apple pie filling. Think that might work? Thanks!
Brandie @ The Country Cook
Hmmm...good question. I don't see any reason why it wouldn't work. If you try it, I'd love to know how it turns out for you!
Patricia
5 STAR
Pamela
What size can of the lemon pie filling? I've found both an almost 16 oz can and a 22 oz can. Thanks!
Brandie @ The Country Cook
Hi Pamela, I'm not sure if you can see in my ingredient picture above but it is the 22 oz can. 🙂
Pamela
Oh, gosh. I didn't think to zoom in on the can. Thanks!
Lisa
I’m about to make this! I will try to let you know how it turns out!
Brandie @ The Country Cook
Hope you love it!
Angela Rusch
Easy and delicious was a nice summertime desert ,and something new to try. Thanks for the recipe you never disappoint!!
Marianne Wink
Anyone tried this with lemon cake mix and lemon pie filling? Would it be too strong of lemon?
H.B
I have lemon cake mix and lemon pie filling in the oven right now! Never tried it before though.
Brandie @ The Country Cook
Hope you love it!
Kimberly
I am going to try this. I have a can of Lemon Creme to use before it expires. I love 3-5 ingredient recipes.
Cathy
Love this recipe. It's in the oven right now. I am also avid calorie counter. I noticed you had calculated 500 calories for 1/12th of recipe. How come my calorie count is 275? Were you calculating in the nonstick baking spray? I used 0 calorie Pam for greasing. If it comes out, I've cut the calories, right? Let me know if you can, if your calculation was just a courtesy estimate or if I missed something.. (For my calculations, I used the figures on the ingredients themselves.) Thanks again for the inspiration!
Brandie @ The Country Cook
Hey Cathy! The recipe card system I used put that in as a default. Weird. I definitely encourage anyone who counts calories and nutrition facts to use their own trusted calculators (which you did) 🙂 Thanks for letting me know!
Jess
Never seen nonstick spray with flour in it. Might just be that I haven't bought nonstick spray in years or could just be that it is not a Canadian thing? Sounds good though.
Marie Cassista
Any body know if it freezes well
Rita Zepper
You could use lemon cake mix....also, any canned pie filling works....I've made several of these and they turn out yummy.
Maria Harden
Not sure if it is because I live in Canada, or what, but I cannot find cans of lemon pie filling anywhere. I can, however, find the packages of lemon pie filling that you cook. Would this work just as well, do you think?
Cathy
I live in Canada also and cannot find canned so I tried the Shirriff pie filling that you cook first and turned out fine. I baked the cake mix first for about 15 min. while doing the lemon and I let the lemon cool for about 10 min. before pouring over cake mix then back in the oven for about 15- 20 min.
Haley W.
I have some leftover lemon pie filling that I made for lemon meringue, I'm gonna use this recipe for the leftovers. Thanks! 🙂
Terri
No canned lemon pie filling here. Could I use the lemon pudding mix in the box....cook it and let it cool before using in this recipe?
Brandie @ The Country Cook
Hi Terri! I'm sorry, I have only tried it with the lemon pie filling. :/
Bridget Gratton
It's that 1 stick butter or 1 cup butter ?
Brandie @ The Country Cook
Hi Bridget, it is 1/2 cup or 1 stick of butter.
Anonymous
This recipe turned out great. It came together in a snap & clean up was minimal. Greatest of all.......it tastes great:)
Anonymous
Brandi! These are the only lemon bars I have gotten to turn out so nicely, thank you for the recipe. My hubby loves lemon bars and I felt like a failure before I found your recipe lol. All of your recipes are my "secret" recipes...I hope no one that I know finds them HAHA! love you!
Brandie (The Country Cook)
We will keep it our little secret! So glad you are enjoying them.
Diane
Can these be frozen?
Unknown
Hi Brandie! I LOVE your blog! I have made several recipes from it and get rave reviews everywhere I take one of your dishes (especially the Crock-pot Buffalo Chicken Pasta & the Coconut Cream Poke Cake!) and this was no exception! I first made it with lemon and it was fabulous! Then my husband asked if I could do the same thing with apple; it was just as good! Now I've made these with just about every kind of pie filling I can find an they always turn out perfect!
The only thing I do different is I make it in an 8x8 pan so it is thicker.
Bobbi Priddy
Unknown, thank you for the great suggestion about using various pie fillings.
I always have assorted canned pie fillings on hand !