These lemon curd bars are delicious crumb bars (aka a simple bar with a crumble topping) of shortbread and lemon curd. They’re ridiculously easy to make and taste extremely morish, and with just 5 ingredients how can you say no?!

The lemon curd filling is thick, creamy and tangy and, yes, I do recommend you make it from scratch – homemade lemon curd is just worlds above store-bought lemon curd and it’s very easy to make too.

These lemon crumbs bars are perfect for picnics, bake sales and fetes, baby showers, bridal showers – really any kind of celebration you can imagine – or just for a delicious afternoon tea. You can even turn them into a classy dessert – warmed just slightly with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top.

Try these blueberry crumble bars and these lemon shortbread cookies too.

This recipe was first published here on November 6th, 2018 and has been updated with a better and simplified recipe and step by step photos.

Top down view of 12 lemon curd bars with one turned on it's side to show the filling.

Table of contents

What are lemon curd bars?

As the name suggests, lemon curd is a big part of these lemon curd bars. The rest is a simple shortbread that encases that lemon curd. Both the top and bottom are made from the exact same mixture, keeping the whole process very easy.

You may know them by other names though, depending on which part of the world you hail from. Lemon crumb bars, lemon crumble bars, lemon slice, lemon curd slice, lemon bars – it all means the same delicious thing.

Ingredients you’ll need

All you need is 5 very simple ingredients for these lemon bars. If making the lemon curd from scratch, which I highly recommend, you just need an extra 2 ingredients (eggs and lemons) making it at most a 7 ingredient recipe. The curd can also be made ahead of time so, even though it’s quick to make, don’t feel like you have to do it all in one day.

Ingredients for lemon curd bars on a marble surface.

Jump to the recipe for full ingredients and instructions.

  • Flour: Just plain flour / all purpose flour is all you need.
  • Sugar: I use caster sugar (aka superfine sugar) but white granulated sugar is fine too. Don’t use icing sugar / powdered sugar or your ratios will be off.
  • Butter: The buttery flavour is really important in a good shortbread and since the ingredient are few, use a good quality unsalted butter here. Salted butter is also great but leave out the extra salt added in the recipe.
  • Salt: Just a little salt is added to intensify the flavours. Salt plays just as important a role in sweets as it does in savoury dishes, however the quantity is much reduced so you don’t get a salty or savoury finish, just a flavour intensity.
  • Lemon curd: As I’ve mentioned I use my homemade lemon curd here. Try it once and you’ll never want storebought again. It’s creamy, tangy and rich and just so delicious. It’s also very quick to make. Grab some fresh lemons and you’ll need both the lemon juice and some lemon zest. Mix it with some large eggs, egg yolks and sugar and then it cooks over low-medium heat as you slowly add pieces of butter. Once it’s thick enough to coat the back of a spoon it’s ready. So quick, so easy.

How to make lemon curd bars

These are so simple. While I do recommend making your own lemon curd, it doesn’t take long to do and you can do that 2-3 days ahead of time if you like, so you don’t need to feel like you have to fit in lemon curd and the bars all in one day. That being said, they’re both quick to do. The lemon curd will need to be made a little in advance so that no longer warm when you add it to the lemon bars shortbread base.

The shortbread crust and topping is all mixed in one bowl by hand. No stand mixer or electric mixer required, it’s just so easy and there is minimal washing up.

The shortbread base is the same one I use for these lemon meringue pie cookies too.

Jump to the recipe for full ingredients and instructions.

1. Make the shortbread mixture

This same shortbread will be used for both the base and the crumble topping. Start by mixing flour, sugar and pinch of salt in a mixing bowl, then work in cold butter with your fingertips or a pastry blender. You want the pieces of butter to reduce to the size of a lentil or even a rice grain. You can also use a knife to cut it in and a food processor will work too – just don’t over process it; use quick short pulses until the butter is in small pieces.

A bowl showing the flour and cold butter blended together.

Now, add the melted butter and mix it through with a fork before swapping to your hands to make sure it’s well distributed. You should be able to form clumps by squeezing it together in your hand.

The flour mixture after the melted butter is added with a hand holding a clump of it.

Press ⅔ of that shortbread mixture into the lined base of an 8 inch square baking pan. Press it in quite firmly.

The shortbread mixture pressed into a square baking pan.

2. The first bake

Bake the shortbread crust for around 20 minutes until you see the edges looking golden like this.

The shortbread mixture after baking for 20 minutes - the edges are golden.

3. Add the lemon curd

Let the base cool for 10 minutes, then tip your lemon curd on top, spreading it out evenly with an offset spatula.

The lemon curd spread over the shortbread base.

4. Add the topping and bake

Now scatter over the leftover shortbread mixture in a combo of big and small crumbs then bake for another 25-30 minutes until you see signs of it beginning to turn golden.

The crumb mixture on top of the lemon curd before baking.

This topping on these lemon crumb bars won’t turn a deep golden brown and if you try to get that, they’ll be well overbaked. You just want to see the signs of gold developing and they’re ready to take out.

Let them cool completely before transferring to a cutting board and slicing into squares with a sharp knife.

The bit I love the most about these lemon crumb bars is, ok it tastes amazing but on top of that, I love those little jammy bits around the edges where the lemon curd caramelises a little and gets a little chewy texture to it, while the middle remains gloriously soft.

A stack of 3 lemon crumb bars.

Tips and tricks

  • Weigh ingredients: Even with something this simple you will always get a better result if you weigh the ingredients – especially things like flour and sugar where the way you measure it out in cups may result in more or less than you need. I know if you aren’t used to using a kitchen scale it can seem like a faff but truly, it’s quicker and easier to weigh things directly into a mixing bowl, than dirtying a bunch of cup measures.
  • All ovens vary: This easy lemon bars recipe may take more or less time in the oven depending on your individual oven so the visual clues are very important.
  • Pans matter: The type of pan you use will make a difference to the timing too and even the end result. Metal heats up quicker so bakes made in a metal pan like mine may cook quicker and will often cook more on the edges. Glass or ceramic work perfectly fine but they may take a little longer to bake through (since they take longer to heat up in the first place). That said, bakes using glass or ceramic tend to have a slightly more even bake.

Storage

Your lemon curd bars should be stored in an airtight container either in the fridge or at room temperature. They’ll last a little longer in the fridge – maybe 4-5 days – but take them out in time to come to room temperature before you serve them.

These can also be frozen, in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months.

A fork digging into a lemon curd bar on a small plate.

These lemon crumb bars would be just perfect picnic food. They’re portable, bright and tangy and looks like sunshine in a cookie bar. Happy baking 🙂

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A lemon curd bar propped up against a second one to show the filling inside.

Lemon Curd Bars

Yield: 16 bars
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
0 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
5 from 9 ratings
These lemon curd bars are zesty, bright delicious and so easy to make. With just 5 ingredients, the lemon curd is encased in a crumbly, buttery shortbread.
Print Rate Pin

Ingredients

  • 295 g plain flour (all purpose flour) (2 ¼ cups/10.4oz)
  • ⅔ cup white sugar (134g/~4 ¾oz)
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 200 g unsalted butter cold (7oz) (divided 30:170g/1:6oz)
  • 1 cup lemon curd (260g/~9 ¼oz/250ml)

For best results, always weigh ingredients where a weight is provided

Equipment

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 180C (160C fan forced) / 350F. Line an 8 inch square baking tin with baking paper.
  • Melt 30g (roughly 1oz/2 Tbsp) of the butter, until just melted and set aside to cool slightly
  • In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar and salt.
  • Use the large side of a box grater to grate in the remaining cold butter, then gently work it into the flour mixture with your fingertips or a pastry blender until it looks a bit like breadcrumbs and is well distributed. You don’t need the butter to be completely worked in, just in very small pieces.
  • Stir in the melted butter with a fork and your hands until well distributed and you can squeeze together a clump in your hand. It will still be a crumbly mixture.
  • Set aside ⅓ of the mixture for later, and press the remaining ⅔ of the mixture into the base of the baking pan.
  • Bake for 20 minutes.
  • Let the base cool for 10 minutes, then spread the lemon curd evenly over the top.
  • Crumble and scatter the reserved cookie dough mixture over the top.
  • Bake for a further 25-30 minutes until just starting to turn golden brown on top.
  • Cool in the tin for at least 30 minutes then you can leave it there to cool completely or transfer it a wire rack, using the baking paper to lift it out of the pan.
  • Please take a moment to leave a comment & rating. It's appreciated and so helpful.

Notes

  1. The butter must be cold before you start so that when you cut it into the flour, small pieces remain visible (like grain of rice size).
  2. Try my homemade lemon curd recipe – it’s so easy and delicious, you’ll never want store-bought again.
  3. Nutrition details are approximate only – scroll below the recipe to find the full nutritional information.
Calories: 236kcal
Author: Marie Roffey
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American, Australian, World
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Nutrition information is approximate only and derived from an online calculator. The brands you use and any changes you make may cause variations.
Nutrition Facts
Lemon Curd Bars
Amount Per Serving (62 g)
Calories 236 Calories from Fat 108
% Daily Value*
Fat 12g18%
Saturated Fat 7g44%
Trans Fat 0.4g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.5g
Monounsaturated Fat 3g
Cholesterol 27mg9%
Sodium 117mg5%
Potassium 23mg1%
Carbohydrates 31g10%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 17g19%
Protein 2g4%
Vitamin A 312IU6%
Calcium 6mg1%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.