Easy Eggless Lemon Bars

These Eggless Lemon Bars are pretty simple to make and only require 7 ingredients! The shortbread crust is buttery and crunchy, which is the perfect match for the lusciously sweet and tart lemon filling.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 25

Cook Time 35

Total Time 1

Servings bars (This recipe will yield about 12 to 24 squares, depending on how big you cut them)

Calories 219kcal

Author Oriana Romero

Equipment

Ingredients

Crust:

1 cup (230 g) unsalted butter, softened
½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
2 cups (280 g) all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt

Filling:

2 cups (400 g) granulated sugar
½ cup (75 g) cornstarch
¼ teaspoon black salt (see notes below)
12 oz (354 ml) evaporated milk
1 cup (240 ml) fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons lemon zest
1-2 drop yellow food coloring (optional)

Instructions

Crust:

Preheat the oven to 350º F/ 180º C. Line the bottom and sides of a 9×13 baking pan with parchment paper (see tip in the notes below), leaving an overhang on the sides to lift the finished bars out. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, cream together with an electric mixer softened butter and sugar. Add flour and salt, mix to blend until the mixture is just combined, about 1 minute.
Place the dough into the prepared pan and press firmly with your fingers into an even layer. TIP: I like to place a piece of parchment paper on top of the dough to help the spreading. NOTE: I highly recommend building up a thin 3/4-inch edge around the sides to keep the filling from spilling beneath the crust and sticking.
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the edges are very lightly browned. Remove from the oven and set aside.

Filling:

Reduce oven temperature to 325º F/ 160º C.
Sift the sugar, cornstarch, and salt together in a large bowl.
Add the evaporated milk, lemon juice, lemon zest, and whisk until completely combined. Add 1-2 drops of yellow food coloring if desired.
Pass the mixture through a fine sieve and then pour filling over the crust.
Bake the bars for 20-25 minutes or until the center is relatively set and no longer jiggles. Remove bars from the oven and cool completely at room temperature, for about 2 hours. Then refrigerate for 1-2 more hours until chilled.
Once cool, lift the parchment paper out of the pan using the overhang on the sides. Cut into squares, dust with icing sugar before serving. NOTE: For neat squares, I recommend using a long serrated knife and wiping the knife clean between each cut.
Cover and store leftover lemon bars in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Notes

Store: Cover and store leftover lemon bars in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Freeze: Lemon Bars are freezer-friendly!

Let them cool completely.
Place cut bars in a single layer in a tray and freeze for 1 hour.
Then cover each bar individually tightly with aluminum foil or plastic freezer wrap. Place into a large bag or freezer container to freeze.
Freeze for up to three months.

Before serving, remove them from the freezer and let them thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Sprinkle with Confectioners’ sugar before serving, if desired.

Gluten-Free: Substitute all-purpose flour for 1-to-1 Gluten-Free flour. This is my favorite brand.

Dairy-Free: Use your favorite plant-based milk, dairy-free, or vegan butter.

My favorite dairy-free brands for baking are:

Also, use dairy-free evaporated milk or make your own.

Halve The Recipe: Halve each ingredient and bake in a 9×9-inch baking pan with the same oven temperature. Bake the crust for 13-15 minutes and the bars for 15-20 minutes or until the center no longer jiggles.

What is black salt or kala namak?

Black salt or Kala namak is a type of rock salt, a salty and pungent-smelling condiment used in South Asia. Although it is called black salt, its color is not black; it has a purple-ish to pink-ish color. Due to its sulfur content, it tastes and smells like hard-boiled egg yolks. This salt is used in many vegan/eggless recipes to mimic the flavor of the eggs.

It can be found in gourmet grocery stores or online on Amazon.

You don't have black salt? No problem! Just use regular salt. The bars won't have eggy flavor but will still be delicious regardless.

How To Line A 9x13 Baking Pan: To line a rectangular cake pan, just cut your parchment paper to fit the length of your pan, leaving about a 2-inch overhang on both sides. This will help keep the sides of your baked good from sticking to the pan and give you handles to lift it out easily.

Air Bubbles On Top Of Baked Lemon Bars: The air bubbles on top of the baked lemon bars are completely normal. It’s the air from the mixture rising to the surface. Regardless, the lemon bars taste the same, and after dusting them with confectioners’ sugar, the bubbles won’t be visible.

This recipe will yield about 12 to 24 squares, depending on how big you cut them.

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Please note that nutritional information is a rough estimate, and it can vary depending on the products used—calorie count based on 24 bars per tray.

Nutrition