Grandma Memaw’s Lemon Bars — The Family Recipe I’ve Kept for 33 Years
A Family Recipe I’ve Kept Quiet About for 33 Years
Grandma Memaw’s Lemon Bars are the most requested recipe I make, and until today, I have only ever shared them by hand. My mother-in-law taught me to make these in her kitchen when I was a brand-new bride, side by side with her grown daughters, and the hand-written card she gave me that afternoon has lived in my recipe box for 33 years. These are the bars I’m asked to bring to fundraisers, tea parties, and showers — buttery shortbread crust, silky-tart lemon top, a dusting of powdered sugar — and after three decades of treating this one like a secret, I’m finally giving it the home it deserves, right here on the website.
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The short story behind these bars — or scroll down for the full recipe video tucked inside the recipe card.
Featured Tools & Ingredients
- 9x13 INCH: Includes (1) 9x13x2.75 inch glass baking dish with BPA-free plastic lid. This deep baking...
- GO DEEPER: At up to 50% deeper than the Pyrex basics dishes you know and love, there’s more room...
• Memaw said it had to be a glass pan, and I have made these in a glass pan every single time for 33 years. This is THE pan. Same one I use for cherry dump cake, pot roast, and almost every casserole that comes out of my kitchen.
- One 32-fluid-ounce bottle of Lemon Juice
- From concentrate with added ingredients
• Memaw used bottled lemon juice and so do I. Six tablespoons is exactly the right amount of tart, and a bottle is always in my fridge so I never have to go hunt down lemons before I bake.
- MEASURES AND STRUCTURE --This shaker measures roughly 3-1/2 inches tall by 2-1/8 inches in diameter...
- MATERIAL--The shaker is made of 18/8(304)stainless steel, Thin gauge metal, manual polishing.
• The powdered sugar shaker is the difference between a dusting and a mess. I keep mine on a shelf right above the stand mixer and reach for it the second the bars come out of the oven.
See the complete shopping list ↓
Grandma Memaw’s Lemon Bars
Ingredients
- 1 cup salted butter melted
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 4 large eggs slightly beaten
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 6 tablespoons bottled lemon juice
- 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- Powdered sugar for dusting
Method
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Make the crust: In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt the salted butter. Remove from heat and stir in the powdered sugar and flour. Mix until a soft, warm shortbread dough forms and comes together into one ball.
- Press the crust into an ungreased 9×13 glass baking dish, spreading it evenly across the bottom. Use your fingertips to press divots into the surface of the crust — these little dimples will catch the lemon filling.
- Bake the crust for 25 minutes at 350°F, until golden and set.
- While the crust bakes, make the filling: In a medium bowl, lightly beat the eggs to break up the yolks. Add the granulated sugar and lemon juice and whisk until well combined.
- Gently fold in the flour and baking powder, working out any lumps but not vigorously mixing.
- When the crust comes out of the oven, immediately pour the lemon filling over the hot crust.
- Return the pan to the oven and bake at 350°F for another 20 to 25 minutes, until the top is set and just barely golden at the edges. The lemon top should not jiggle when you nudge the pan.
- Let the bars cool completely in the pan, at least 30 minutes on the counter or longer in the refrigerator.
- Just before serving, dust the top generously with powdered sugar using a fine-mesh shaker or sifter. Cut into 24 squares.
Video
Notes
Why Grandma Memaw’s Lemon Bars Mean So Much to Our Family
Grandma Memaw’s Lemon Bars came into my life the year Jason and I got married. We were married in Colorado in 1992 — I was the girl from Colorado, he was the boy from Iowa, and his mother (Grandma Memaw to our kids now, but my brand-new mother-in-law then) flew out for the wedding and welcomed me into the family that weekend. Not long after, when we were back in Florida living a stone’s throw from where I still live today, she invited her grown daughters over to her kitchen. She included me, the brand-new daughter-in-law, like I had always belonged there.
She had every ingredient lined up on her counter. We stood side by side at her stove and she walked us through these lemon bars step by step — the one-pot crust, the silky lemon top, the divots she always pressed into the crust with her fingers so the filling could pool into them. When we were done, she handed each of us a recipe card she had written out in her own hand. Mine has been in my recipe box ever since.
The story has a beautiful full circle to it. After Jason and I moved from Bowling Green, Kentucky back to Florida, Memaw bought the very house we had lived in for three years. She still lives there today, and I’d bet anything that recipe card is somewhere in her kitchen drawer in that same house. Every time I pull out my card to make these, I think about her standing at her counter — first in Florida, then in Bowling Green in the house we used to call home — making the exact same bars from the exact same handwriting.
The back of the card has just one more line, written in her same careful cursive: “Sift powdered sugar over top. Cut when cool.” That is the entire finishing instruction. Five words for the most beautiful, professional-looking dessert that lands on the table.
What Makes Grandma Memaw’s Lemon Bars Different From Every Other Recipe
I’ve eaten a lot of lemon bars over the years, and I can tell you with absolute confidence that Grandma Memaw’s Lemon Bars are the ones people remember. There are a few specific reasons this recipe outperforms every other lemon bar recipe I’ve ever come across, and most of them are details Memaw taught me at her counter that don’t show up in most lemon bar recipes online.
First — the crust is mixed in the saucepan you melted the butter in. No mixer, no extra bowl, no extra dishes. Memaw raised five children, four of them within five years, and she was not about to dirty a bowl she didn’t have to dirty. Melting the butter in the pot and stirring the flour and powdered sugar right in produces the warmest, richest, most cohesive shortbread dough I have ever worked with. It comes together into one ball that you press into the pan with your fingers.
Second — the divots. Memaw always pressed her fingertips into the crust before it went in the oven, leaving little dimples all over the surface. When the lemon top gets poured over the hot, just-baked crust, it pools into those divots and creates a slightly tangled, marbled top instead of a flat one. It looks rustic and homemade because it is rustic and homemade, and that texture is part of why these taste like a grandmother made them.
Third — and this is the one I get asked about most often — there is no vanilla in either layer. Most modern lemon bar recipes add vanilla to the crust or the filling. Memaw’s recipe doesn’t. The crust is pure butter and shortbread. The lemon top is pure lemon. Nothing competes, nothing muddies it, and the result is the cleanest lemon flavor you’ll get out of a 9×13 pan. For comparison, King Arthur Baking’s classic lemon squares recipe follows a similar pure-lemon approach — no vanilla, no extras — and it’s considered the gold-standard technique among professional bakers. Memaw figured this out decades before I read about it on the King Arthur site.
Fourth — the glass pan. Memaw always said it had to be a glass pan, and I have made these in a glass pan every single time for 33 years. I have never tested it in metal, and frankly I never will. Memaw said glass, so the answer is glass. My deep Pyrex 9x13 is the only pan I use to make these bars in my kitchen.
A Few Things That Make Grandma Memaw’s Lemon Bars Even Easier
- Make the crust right in the saucepan. Melt the butter, kill the heat, stir in the powdered sugar and flour. You’ll have a warm shortbread dough in less than three minutes and one less bowl to wash. Memaw raised five kids — she did not waste dishes and neither should you.
- Press divots into the crust before it bakes. Use your fingertips and dimple the whole surface. When you pour the hot lemon filling over the hot crust, the filling settles into those little pockets and gives the top its signature marbled look. This is Memaw’s signature move and it works every time.
- Use bottled lemon juice without apology. I know fresh-squeezed has a moment online, but Memaw used bottled and I use bottled. Six tablespoons of bottled lemon juice is exactly the tart-to-sweet balance these bars are known for. Fresh lemon juice varies wildly from lemon to lemon, and the recipe was perfected on bottled. Don’t fix what isn’t broken.
- Pour the lemon top onto a hot crust. The recipe card says “pour over baked crust” and I want to emphasize the timing: as soon as the crust comes out of the oven, the lemon filling should be ready to go right over it. The residual heat of the crust helps the filling start setting from the bottom up.
- Let them cool fully before you cut. “Cut when cool” is what the back of Memaw’s card says, and she meant it. Lemon bars cut clean and gorgeous when fully cool, and they fall apart into messy chunks when they’re warm. Give them at least 30 minutes on the counter, and overnight in the fridge is even better.
- Dust with powdered sugar right before serving, not after baking. If you sugar them too early, the bars absorb the powdered sugar and you lose that snowy finish. I use my powdered sugar shaker within five minutes of putting them on the cake stand. It is the difference between bars that look bakery-made and bars that look home-made.
Grandma Memaw’s Lemon Bars FAQ — The Questions I Get Every Time
What temperature and how long do I bake Grandma Memaw’s Lemon Bars?
Bake at 350°F for 25 minutes for the crust, pour the lemon filling over the hot crust, and bake another 20 to 25 minutes at 350°F until the top is set and just barely golden at the edges. The whole bake is at the same oven temperature — no need to adjust between the two stages. The lemon top is done when it is set in the middle and doesn’t jiggle when you nudge the pan.
Can I use fresh lemon juice instead of bottled?
You can, but I never have and Memaw never did. The recipe was developed and perfected with bottled lemon juice, and bottled gives a consistent acidity and lemon flavor every single time. Fresh lemons vary in juice yield and tartness, so if you swap to fresh you may need to taste the filling and adjust. Start with 6 tablespoons of fresh juice and add 1 to 2 more if it tastes too sweet. But honestly, the bottled version is the one Memaw made and the one I make, and there’s no reason to mess with it.
Why does Grandma Memaw’s recipe call for a glass pan specifically?
Memaw always said glass, and after 33 years of making them I trust her completely. Glass conducts heat more gently than metal, which means the buttery shortbread crust cooks through without the edges getting too dark, and the lemon top sets smoothly without scorching. Glass also lets you see the golden color of the crust through the bottom, so you know exactly when it’s done. My deep Pyrex 9x13 is the only pan I ever use for this recipe.
Can I make Grandma Memaw’s Lemon Bars ahead of time?
Yes, and I almost always do. These hold beautifully for 2 to 3 days, covered tightly on the counter, and even better in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. The flavor actually deepens overnight as the lemon and butter settle into each other. Wait to dust them with powdered sugar until right before you serve, so the topping stays snowy and pretty instead of melting into the bars.
Can I freeze lemon bars?
Absolutely. Cut the bars into squares once they’re fully cooled, layer them between sheets of parchment in an airtight container, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw them in the fridge overnight or at room temperature for an hour, and dust with powdered sugar right before serving. They taste like the day you baked them.
How many bars does this recipe make?
One 9×13 pan cuts into roughly 24 bars at the size I serve them, which is on the small side because these are so rich. If you cut them bigger, you’ll get 16 to 20. For a fundraiser or a tea party I’ll cut them small and you can pop one in your mouth like a petit four. For a family dessert I’ll cut them larger.
Can I make Grandma Memaw’s Lemon Bars with gluten-free flour?
I have never tried these with gluten-free flour myself — Memaw used regular all-purpose flour, and I’ve made them the exact same way for 33 years. But for readers who need a gluten-free version (one of my readers asked me this exact question for a coworker who can’t eat gluten!), I’d reach for either King Arthur Measure-for-Measure or Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour. Both are designed as direct cup-for-cup swaps for all-purpose flour. The shortbread crust is the part I’d watch most carefully — gluten is what gives shortbread its structure, so a gluten-free version might be slightly more crumbly. The lemon top should behave just fine. If you do try it, leave a comment below and let me know how it turns out — other readers in the same spot would love to know.
What do I serve with Grandma Memaw’s Lemon Bars?
Hot tea or strong coffee. The bars are bright and rich, and you want something warm and not too sweet to balance them. At a tea party I’ll serve them on a tiered tray with shortbread cookies and a few fresh berries on the side. At home, Jason eats them off the cake stand with a cup of black coffee in the morning. They are a versatile little dessert.
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Everything you need to make Grandma Memaw’s Lemon Bars — click any item to shop on Amazon.
Ingredients
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More Family-Recipe Desserts You’ll Love
- Mama’s Banana Bread — my other beloved family recipe, the one my own mama made for years and that I now bake for my kids.
- Texas Sheet Cake — another 9×13 crowd-pleaser dessert that feeds an army and disappears even faster than lemon bars.
- No Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies — when you need a sweet treat in 10 minutes flat and don’t want to turn on the oven.
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Grandma Memaw’s Lemon Bars — About Stephanie’s Recipes
Stephanie Longstreth is the home cook, mom, and storyteller behind StephanieCooksForACrowd.com. She cooks for a family of seven in Florida — five kids, two cats, and one husband who appreciates a good meal. Four of her children came home through adoption, and family stories are woven into everything she makes and shares. Find her crowd-friendly recipes, weekly meal plans, and real family life on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and Pinterest @stephaniecooksforacrowd.
Such a lovely story. Usually, when I’m looking up a recipe, on pinterest etc, I click “jump to recipe,” and never read the story. After I saw your YouTube video after CRAVING lemon bars for the past few days, I had to continue reading lol it was fate! 🤣
Question, though. Have you ever made them using a gluten free flour? I would love to bring them into work, but my closest coworker can’t eat gluten.
Thanks so much!
Rachel, what a sweet comment — you made my whole night! 🍋 I’m so glad the story pulled you in, and I love that the lemon bar craving brought you to Memaw’s recipe. Truly meant to be.
To answer your question honestly: I have never tried these with gluten-free flour. Memaw used regular all-purpose flour and I’ve made them the exact same way for 33 years, so I don’t want to promise you a result I haven’t tested myself.
That said — King Arthur Measure-for-Measure gluten-free flour or Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 are the two I’d reach for if I were experimenting, because they’re designed as direct cup-for-cup swaps for all-purpose. The shortbread crust is the part I’d watch most carefully — gluten is what gives shortbread its structure, so a GF version might be a little more crumbly. The lemon top should behave just fine.
If you do try it for your coworker, will you come back and tell me how it turned out? I’d love to know, and other readers in the same spot would too. 💛