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5 from 1 vote

4 Ingredient Lemon Bars

These easy lemon bars are just 4 ingredients but taste just like classic lemon bars with a creamy lemon filling on a buttery shortbread crust.
Servings: 12 slices
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes
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Ingredients

For the crust

  • 2 cups (184 g) superfine blanched almond flour, see note
  • 3 tbsp (36 g) granulated white sugar
  • 1 large egg, lightly beaten

For the filling

  • 6 large eggs
  • 2/3 cup (158 ml) lemon juice
  • 1 cup (195 g) granulated white sugar
  • 1 tbsp (6 g) lemon zest

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Generously grease the interior of a 9 x 9 inch baking pan with cooking oil spray. Line the bottom with parchment paper (with some overhang to use as handles). See notes section for more details.
  • To make the crust: In a large mixing bowl, add almond flour and sugar. Whisk until evenly combined. Pour in the beaten egg. Mix until egg is fully incorporated and a dough forms. At first, your mixture may seem dry but the more you mix, the more moisture will be absorbed by the almond flour and it should form a dough.
  • Using your fingers, press and spread the dough into the bottom of the prepared baking pan. Use the back of a large metal spoon to smooth the surface and even out the crust. See the photo in the post for reference of how the crust should look. Place crust into oven and bake for about 15 minutes or until edges are golden brown and the surface is lightly browned.
  • To make the filling: Make the filling while the crust is baking. That way it is ready to go as soon as the crust is done. Add eggs to a large mixing bowl. Beat at medium speed until no egg white streaks remain. Add in lemon juice and beat again until uniform in color. Add in sugar and beat until sugar is fully incorporated. Add in zest and mix at low speed until just evenly mixed. You can also mix the filling by hand with a whisk but if you do so, make sure you whisk the eggs vigorously enough to remove any egg white streaks.
  • When the crust is done baking, leave it in the oven but open the oven door and pull out the oven shelf that the crust is on so you can add the filling. Pour the filling over the crust. Gently push the oven shelf back in and close the oven door. Bake for about 20 minutes or until the filling is set.
  • Let lemon bars cool fully cool before cutting. I recommend letting them fully cool at room temperature for 1 hour and then refrigerate for at least 1 hour. This helps the lemon bars fully develop their flavor. The filling won't taste as intense or rich if you try to eat the lemon bars right away. If desired, dust lemon bars with powdered sugar before cutting and serving. Lemon bars can be served chilled or you can bring them to room temperature before serving. Uneaten lemon bars should be stored in the fridge.

Notes

  • When measuring the almond flour for this recipe, spoon it into the measuring cup and the level off the top with a knife. Do not directly dip your measuring cup into the almond flour because this will lead to too much almond flour being added. 
  • I recommend that you grease your pan and line the bottom with parchment paper. You want to only line with one sheet, just enough to cover the bottom with some overhang for handles. The other two sides of the pan should remain unlined. See photo in post for reference. I recommend this for several reasons. Greasing the pan first and then adding the parchment paper helps to make the parchment paper stick so it doesn't shift around. You don't want it to shift when the filling is added because that could lead to the filling leaking below the crust. I also leave two of the sides unlined (but they are greased) which also helps to steady the crust.
  • I used a 9 x 9 inch baking pan. I don't recommend using a smaller pan because the filling will be too thick and won't set. I used a 9 x 9 inch pan with slanted slides. This is the most common type of 9 inch baking pans sold in the US. This means that only the top of the pan truly measures 9 x 9 inch and the bottom of the pan is actually less (mine is 8.25 x 8.25 inches). If you bake this recipe in a 9 x 9 pan with straight edges (so it actually measured 9 x 9 inches at the bottom), the recipe will still turn out but your filling will not be as tall.
  • You will need approximately 4 large lemons to get 2/3 cup of lemon juice. You will likely need the zest from only 1 to yield 1 tbsp of zest.
Serving: 1slice, Calories: 236kcal, Carbohydrates: 24g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 13g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Sodium: 42mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 20g, NET CARBS: 22
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. This is not a comprehensive list of all the nutrients in the recipe (i.e., does not include vitamins, cholesterol, etc). I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
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