Meyer Lemon Bars

Meyer Lemon Bars are one of the best recipes to use seasonal citrus. A buttery crust, sweet and tart filling, and topped with powdered sugar. Inspired by Ina Garten's Lemon Bars makes these a fast favorite.

Besides being cold in the Midwest, January brings citrus season from down south.  This time of year we get juicy oranges, grapefruit and lemons on our shelves.

It is a perfect way to cast off a bit of the dreary cold with bright citrus flavors.  I bought a bag of Meyer lemons on a whim because they are hard to find in my area, and are so delicious.

My favorite thing to make with meyer lemons is to make Meyer Lemon Bars. I love the slightly sweeter meyer lemons for my bars, and love my adapted version of Ina Garten's Meyer Lemon Bars.

The crust is buttery and delicious, and the filling just has the right amount of sweet and tart.

What is a Meyer Lemon?

Meyer lemons are different than regular lemons, but still pack a wonderful tart flavor. Meyer lemons are originally from China and were brought the United States in the early 1900’s.

The lemons are thought to be a cross between a lemon and a mandarin orange. The flavor is very similar to a lemon, but a bit sweeter – perfect for baking and cocktails! If you aren’t in an area that these can be grown make sure to nab a bag during the winter because they are gone before you know it! 

Ingredients

For Crust:

• butter- Many recipes call for unsalted, but I do not think it matters for Meyer Lemon Bars. If using unsalted simply add a ⅛ teaspoon of salt to the dough.
• granulated sugar
• all-purpose flour

For Filling:

•  large eggs - for extra large eggs use 1 less eggs, and for medium egg add an egg.
• granulated sugar
• Meyer lemon juice - regular lemon juice can be used. This juicer is my favorite!
• Meyer lemon zest - regular lemon zest can be used
• all-purpose flour
• Powdered sugar - for topping. This is optional, but adds a nice sweetness.

Varitations

Regular lemon juice and zest can be used in place of the meyer lemon. Also, limes can be used to make lime bars or oranges to make orange bars. The orange bars will be much sweeter, but if you want some tart flavor you can use half orange and half lemon or lime.

I use salted butter in my Meyer Lemon Bar recipe, but if you are using unsalted butter you can leave the butter as is, or you can add ⅛ teaspoon of salt to the dough. Ina Garten's Lemon Bars use unsalted butter, but I honestly do not think it matters and have made Meyer Lemon Bars multiple times with both types of butter and yielded a similar result.

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Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350°F.

For Crust:

• Mix the butter and sugar with a mixer until fluffy and creamy. Slowly add the flour while mixing on low.
• Next, slowly add it to butter until it is just mixed. Scrap dough from bowl onto a floured surface. Use your hands to gently push the dough together.
• With floured hands and press the dough into a 9 x 13 baking dish. Push the dough up a ½-inch edge on all sides. Chill for 10 minutes.
• Bake the crust for 15 minutes- the crust should be a light golden brown. Let cool the crust cool while preparing the filling.

For Filling:

• Whisk the eggs, sugar, zest, juice, and flour. The filling will be very liquidly, but will set once baked. Pour the filling into the crust. Bake for 30 minutes and the filling has set.
• Let the bars cool to room temperature. Top with powdered sugar and cut into squares or triangles.

Serving Suggestion

If you are not serving the bars right away I highly recommend that you wait to dust the Meyer Lemon Bars with powdered sugar till before you are ready to cut and serve.

Looking For More Citrus Recipes?

Lemon Poppy Seed Poke Cake

Creamy Lemon Cheesecake Parfaits

Sheet Pan Chili Lime Chicken Fajitas

Orange Pesto Skirt Steak

Grapefruit Bourbon Smash Cocktail

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This recipe was originally published in 2015 and was updated in 2021 for reader enhancement and enjoyment.