These strawberry lemon bars have a creamy and tangy lemon filling, gooey strawberries, and a buttery shortbread crust and crumble. They're a textural joy to eat and taste so fresh and lemoney. You're going to want to make these in the Spring and Summer and also all throughout the year (they're irresistible I promise). Each component is easy to make and thus these lemon crumb bars come together very quickly.
If you love tangy lemon and berry bars, you're going to love my lemon raspberry bars! Packed with tart lemon and raspberry flavor, they're a showstopper.
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🍓 Why you'll LOVE this recipe
- Tangy and zesty: The creamy lemon bar filling is tangy, and there's lemon zest in the shortbread that gives these lemon bars a bright, lemon flavor.
- Crumble: A buttery and zesty shortbread crumble adds the perfect amount of texture. It's the same as the shortbread base so that saves you extra time because you don't need to mix two separate doughs.
- Jammy strawberries: Juicy bits of jammy strawberries studding the top of the bars add the perfect amount of strawberry flavor. Strawberry and lemon are a bright and vibrant flavor combination!
- Perfectly set: These bars bake up perfectly set while still remaining creamy, ensuring that you're able to cut through them with ease.
📝 Key ingredients
Read through for all the tips you will need for success!
Full steps and ingredients in recipe card below.
- Strawberries: Fresh or frozen will work because they get baked in the oven anyways.
- Butter: The base for any good shortbread. I used unsalted butter, but salted butter will work great too - just omit the added salt in the crust.
- All purpose flour: Weigh the flour to get the most accurate results. If you don’t have a scale, measure properly by stirring the bag and spooning gently into a measuring cup. Scrape the excess off the top with the flat edge off a knife without packing it into the cup.
- Sweetened condensed milk: Adding one can of sweetened condensed milk makes the creamiest, perfectly sweet lemon bar.
- Lemon juice: Only use freshly squeezed lemon juice for the best flavor!
- Egg yolks: Gives the filling a beautiful pale yellow color, adds richness, and thickens the filling.
- Cornstarch: Thickens the filling and strawberry sauce to the perfect sliceable and set consistency. If you prefer not to use cornstarch, you could use arrowroot starch or potato starch. If you plan on freezing these bars ahead of time, I recommend using arrowroot or potato starch as it holds up better when freezing and thawing.
👩🍳 How to make strawberry lemon bars
Lemon shortbread crust and crumble step by step
Prep: Preheat the oven to 355F (180C). Line the bottom and sides of an 8" or 9" square pan with parchment paper.
Step 1: In a large bowl or stand mixer, combine sugar and grated lemon zest. Rub the mixture with your fingers until zesty and fragrant.
Step 2: Add butter, vanilla extract, and salt. Mix just until it starts to get creamy. Scrape down the bowl.
Step 3: Add the flour and mix just until it's incorporated. Reserve about one quarter of the mixture and place it in a bowl in the refrigerator. Transfer the rest into the prepared baking pan. Press it evenly along the bottom and make sure you push a thin border of dough up along the side walls to keep the filling in.
Step 4: Bake the crust in the preheated oven for 18-22 minutes, until the edges a golden. Remove the crust and let it cool while you make the filling.
Strawberry sauce step by step
Step 1: Combine strawberries, cornstarch, and sugar in a small saucepan.
Step 2: Cook on low heat until the strawberries start to release their juice then thickens to a gel texture. Remove them from heat and let cool while you make the lemon filling.
Lemon filling step by step
Step 1: In a large bowl, combine sweetened condensed milk, egg yolks, and whisk together until combined.
Step 2: Add salt, lemon juice, and cornstarch. Whisk until fully combined.
Step 3: Pour the lemon filling into the baked crust. Arrange most of the strawberry sauce and pieces on top.
Step 4: Remove the reserved shortbread from the fridge and break it up into small pieces. Sprinkle them on top. Add the remaining strawberry pieces on top.
Step 5: Bake the strawberry lemon bars for 18-20 minutes. They're ready when the crumbs are barely golden and the filling is set around the edges but still a little jiggly in the center.
Let the bars cool at room temperature, then cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
Step 6: Once the bars are completely chilled, remove them from the pan by lifting them up by the parchment paper handles. Use a sharp knife to cut the edges off. Then, cut the bars into 9 squares. Sprinkle with powdered sugar right before serving and enjoy!
✔️ Expert lemon bar tips
- Make borders up the sides with the crust dough: This will prevent the filling from seeping underneath during baking and creating uneven, upside down layers.
- Use real, freshly squeezed lemon juice: This will give the bars the best, vibrant lemon flavor.
- Give the lemon bars enough time to set: You want them to be chilled well in order to get beautiful, clean slices. Use a sharp knife to get through the strawberries!
🥄 Make ahead and storage
These strawberry lemon bars are great to make ahead because they need to set in the fridge before slicing. You could make them a day or two ahead of time if you'd like! Make sure to store these lemon bars in the fridge.
You could also bake the bars ahead of time and store them in the freezer, wrapped tightly, for up to two months. If you plan on freezing them, I recommend using arrowroot starch instead of cornstarch as it holds up better when freezing and thawing.
📖 Recipe FAQs
It's important to add borders of crust because this prevents the filling from pooling underneath the crust when baking. Adding a crust border creates perfectly layered lemon bars every time! I've never had this problem once I started to add a thin border of crust. You can cut the border off when cutting the bars.
I haven't tested any other berries but it should work! You can experiment with other berries like blueberries or raspberries.
Substitute the all purpose flour with 1:1 gluten free flour. I haven't tried it but it should work. If you try it let us know in the comments!
Make sure the filling isn't liquid after baking. It should be set but slightly jiggly out of the oven. It will continue to firm up as it cools at room temperature and after refrigeration.
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📖 Recipe
Strawberry Lemon Bars
Ingredients
Lemon Shortbread Crust and Crumble
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 lemon zested
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 2 cups all purpose flour 240g
Strawberry Sauce
- 1 cup strawberries cut into halves or quarters
- ½ tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
Lemon Filling
- 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
- 4 large egg yolks
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
Instructions
Lemon Shortbread Crust and Crumble
- Preheat the oven to 355°F (180°C). Line the bottom and sides of an 8" or 9" square pan with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl or stand mixer, combine sugar and grated lemon zest. Rub the mixture with your fingers until zesty and fragrant.½ cup granulated sugar, 1 lemon
- Add butter, vanilla extract, and salt. Mix just until it starts to get creamy. Scrape down the bowl.1 cup unsalted butter, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- Add the flour and mix just until it's incorporated. Reserve about one quarter of the mixture and place it in a bowl in the refrigerator. Transfer the rest into the prepared baking pan. Press it evenly along the bottom and make sure you push a thin border of dough up along the side walls to keep the filling in.2 cups all purpose flour
- Bake the crust in the preheated oven for 18-22 minutes, until the edges a golden. Remove the crust and let it cool while you make the filling.
Strawberry Sauce
- Combine strawberries, cornstarch, and sugar in a small saucepan. Cook on low heat until the strawberries start to release their juice then thickens to a gel texture. Remove them from heat and let cool while you make the lemon filling.1 cup strawberries, ½ tablespoon cornstarch, 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
Lemon Filling
- In a large bowl, combine sweetened condensed milk, egg yolks, and whisk together until combined.14 oz can sweetened condensed milk, 4 large egg yolks
- Add salt, lemon juice, and cornstarch. Whisk until fully combined.¼ teaspoon sea salt, ½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- Pour the lemon filling into the baked crust. Arrange most of the strawberry sauce and pieces on top.
- Remove the reserved shortbread from the fridge and break it up into small pieces. Sprinkle them on top. Arrange the remaining strawberry pieces on top.
- Bake the strawberry lemon bars for 18-20 minutes. They're ready when the crumbs are barely golden and the filling is set around the edges but still a little jiggly in the center.
- Let the bars cool at room temperature, then cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
- Once the bars are completely chilled, remove them from the pan by lifting them up by the parchment paper handles. Use a sharp knife to cut the edges off. Then, cut the bars into 9 squares. Sprinkle with powdered sugar right before serving and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Make borders up the sides with the crust dough to prevent the filling from seeping underneath during baking
- Use real, freshly squeezed lemon juice and lemon zest for the best, vibrant lemon flavor
- Give the lemon bars enough time to set for sharp, clean slices. Use a sharp knife too!
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