These no bake lemon bars are creamy and full of lemon flavor. They only need 4 ingredients and don’t require any baking. The lemon bars also don’t need any eggs or butter. They are a cool and refreshing dessert.
These lemon bars are so creamy and delightful. They are a great summer dessert.
Ingredients
- Lemons
- Condensed milk
- Heavy Cream
- Graham Crackers
Lemons: The lemon bars use fresh lemon juice and zest to give them their lemon flavor.
Condensed milk: This recipe uses sweetened condensed milk. When the condensed milk is mixed with the lemon juice, it creates a thick custard like mixture. This recipe will not work with a dairy-free condensed milk alternative.
Heavy cream: Heavy cream is whipped to stiff peaks and then folded into the lemon custard, creating a creamy lemon filling that is set enough to cut into bars.
Graham crackers: Instead of making a graham cracker crust, I used whole graham crackers. The graham crackers will get softened from the lemon cream on top so that they end up tasting like a graham cracker crust without the extra ingredients or work.
How to Make No Bake Lemon Bars
- The lemon juice, zest and condensed milk are first mixed together. The heavy cream is then whipped to medium to stiff peaks. The whipped heavy cream is then folded into the lemon mixture.
- Line an 8 x 8 inch baking pan with graham crackers. I try to fit as many full cracker sheets as possible and then cut the rest to fit.
- Add a thin layer of cream.
- Then add a second layer of crackers. It’s important that these bars have a double layer of crackers. If you only have a single layer, the crust layer will be too soft.
- Pour the remaining lemon cream mixture on top. Use a spatula to spread it evenly across. Place bars into fridge until set. Then cut and serve.
Taste and Texture
These lemon bars are very creamy. The filling is similar to a lemon cream pie filling but it is set up enough that you can cut into bars. The bars are sweet with a nice lemon flavor but they are not super sweet.
The bars have a graham cracker crust. Even though we don’t crush the graham crackers, they will soften from the cream so they end up tasting like traditional graham cracker crust.
More Lemon Recipes
4 Ingredient No Bake Lemon Bars
Ingredients
- 6 tbsp (3 fl oz/89 ml) lemon juice + 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1 (14 oz/397g) can full fat sweetened condensed milk
- 1 1/2 cups (12 fl oz/355 ml) heavy cream
- 40 graham crackers
Instructions
- Line an 8 x 8 inch pan with parchment paper, leaving enough overhang on top to act as handles so you can lift the bars out of the baking pan later.
- Combine lemon juice, zest and condensed milk in a large mixing bowl. Whisk until lemon juice is fully incorporated. The mixture should be thick.
- Add heavy cream to a separate large mixing bowl. Beat on high speed with a mixer until medium to stiff peaks form.
- Using a spatula, fold the whipped heavy cream into the lemon mixture. I added the whipped heavy cream in 3 batches. You do want to be careful not to overmix. You want the heavy cream fully incorporated but you want the mixture to stay thick and airy and not become too runny.
- Line the bottom of your prepared pan with graham crackers. You want to keep as many as full sheets as possible and cut the rest to fit. You want to do your best to cover the bottom of the pan with crackers with no gaps. See photo in post for reference.
- Spread a thin layer of lemon cream over the layer of crackers. Place another layer of crackers over the first layer, using the same arrangement as the first layer. Pour the rest of the lemon cream filling over the second layer of crackers. Use an offset spatula to smooth and even the surface.
- Place lemon bars into fridge to set (this may take a few hours). You can also leave them in the fridge overnight. Keep bars in the fridge until ready to serve. Use a sharp knife to cut them into individual bars. You can also freeze the bars about an hour before serving. This is not necessary because the bars set up nicely without any freezing, but it does make it easier to handle and serve the bars.
Notes
- This recipe does not work with dairy-free condensed milk alternatives. The lemon cream thickens when the dairy protein in the condensed milk reacts with the acid in the lemon juice.
- 14 oz can for the condensed milk refers to weight, not volume.
- This recipe uses an 8x8 inch pan*.
- *This product link is an affiliate link. This means I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.
Nutrition
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a professional nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
YUMMY! YUM! YUM!
Thank you so much!
Can coconut milk be a substitute for the condensed milk?
E schlissel
This recipe does not work with dairy-free condensed milk alternatives. The lemon cream thickens when the dairy protein in the condensed milk reacts with the acid in the lemon juice!
Thanks for sharing this message with me. I am going to try this recipe as soon as possible.
Awesome! Let us know what you think of them!
Delicious
Thank you! We’re glad you think so!
Very nice recipe chef! Thank you for your effort!
We’re so glad you enjoyed this recipe!
I love looking at new recipes and trying them out Thank-you for sharing
We’re happy to hear that!!
I try all these recipes. No bake is key.
We love to hear that! We love no bake recipes too!
I will have to try these.
Hi Kathy! Let us know how you like them!