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Lemon Meringue Pie Bars feature a crunchy crust, lemon bar filling, and pillowy meringue topping! Fresh lemon juice and lemon zest give these bars plenty of lemon flavor.
Lemon Pie Bars
Lemons were on sale last week, so I stocked up and went to work creating a bunch of new lemon recipes! I bought over 15 pounds… so prepare yourself for an onslaught of lemon recipes. First up? We’ve got classic lemon meringue pie bars!
They’re super lemony, baked until lightly golden brown, and topped with the most delicious melt-in-your-mouth meringue. And bonus: they’ll keep in the fridge for up to 48 hours! So you can have them ready to serve for dessert well in advance.
Check out my Top 20 Luscious Lemon Desserts!
Ingredients for Lemon Meringue Pie Bars
- Butter: Unsalted butter works best, but in a pinch you can use salted. Just omit the salt called for in the recipe.
- Granulated Sugar: Do NOT reduce the sugar in any part of this recipe. I tested this recipe obsessively to ensure it’s not overly sweet. And used the smallest amount of sugar possible to maintain proper texture and taste balance. Reducing it more will affect taste and texture.
- All-Purpose Flour: When you measure your flour, be sure to use a digital scale or the “fluff and scoop” method. Which means fluffing your flour up in the container, then very lightly spooning it into the measuring cup until it’s overflowing. Use a knife to level it off.
- Cornstarch: Also know as corn flour. This is an essential ingredient, so do not omit or replace.
- Salt: Table salt or fine sea salt will work here. Salt helps enhance all of the flavors in this recipe, while balancing sweetness.
- Lemons: Be sure to have plenty of large, heavy lemons on hand. As they tend to yield the most juice and zest!
- Eggs: You’ll use whole eggs as well as egg yolks and egg whites. Tip: It’s easier to separate eggs while they’re cold. Then you can leave them at room temperature, for about 20 minutes, before using.
How to Make Lemon Meringue Pie Bars?
- Prepare the Pan: Preheat oven to 350 and line a square baking dish with parchment paper.
- Make the Crust: Press the crust into the the prepared baking pan and bake until golden brown. Cool completely before adding the lemon filling.
- Make the Lemon Filling: In a large bowl, make the lemon filling. Then pour the filling over the cooled crust and bake. Cool the bars completely on a wire rack.
- Make the Meringue Topping: The key to a great meringue is to follow the recipe EXACTLY and take your time. Be sure you have a handheld electric mixer that goes up to high speed. This is essential for beating the meringue until stiff peaks form! You’ll have about 1 and 1/2 cups of meringue topping, which is plenty to cover the bars.
Tools for This Recipe:
- 9-Inch Metal Baking Pan
- Citrus Zester
- Citrus Juicer
- Handheld Electric Mixer
- Parchment Paper
Lemon Meringue Pie Bars
Lemon Meringue Pie Bars feature a crunchy crust, lemon bar filling, and pillowy meringue topping! Fresh lemon juice and lemon zest give these bars plenty of lemon flavor.
Ingredients
For the Crust:
- 3/4 cup (170g) unsalted butter room temperature
- 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 2 cups (240g) all-purpose flour
- 1 Tablespoon (10g) cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
For the Lemon Bars:
- 1 Tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
- 1 and 1/2 cups (298g) granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup (30g) all-purpose flour
- 1 and 1/2 Tablespoons (15g) cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 4 large egg yolks room temperature
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 1 cup (227ml) lemon juice freshly squeezed and strained through a fine-mesh strainer before use
For the Meringue Topping:
- 3 large *egg whites
- 1/3 cup (66g) granulated sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Instructions
For the Crust:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (F). Line a 9-inch square metal baking dish with parchment paper leaving a 2-inch overhang on two sides. Spray the parchment paper and any exposed pan with nonstick baking spray. Set aside until needed.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium-speed, scraping the bottom and sides as needed, until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Add in the flour, cornstarch, and salt, and beat on medium-speed just until combined, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl as needed. The mixture will be crumbly.
- Press the mixture evenly into the bottom of the prepared baking pan. Bake for 25 minutes, or until golden brown and set. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool while you make the filling.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees (F).
For the Lemon Bars:
- In a large bowl combine the lemon zest and sugar and, using your hands, rub the lemon zest into the sugar until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
- Add in the flour, cornstarch, salt, egg yolks, and eggs and whisk smoothly. Whisk in the lemon juice until evenly combined.
- Pour the filling over the crust and return to the oven. Bake until the filling is just set, about 30 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire cooling rack and cook completely. Then cover and chill for 1 hour. Or up to 48 hours.
For the Meringue Topping:
- Fill a large saucepan ⅓ of the way full with water. Bring to a simmer over moderate heat.
- In a heatproof bowl that fits snugly on top of the pan, whisk together the egg whites, sugar, and salt.
- Set the bowl on top of the pan of boiling water and continue whisking until the mixture reaches 135 degrees (F) on a candy thermometer.
- Carefully remove the bowl from heat. Using a handheld electric mixer, beat on medium-high speed until soft peaks have formed.
- Increase the speed to high and continue beating until stiff but spreadable peaks have formed.
- Spread and swirl the meringue on top of the cooled lemon bars. Using a kitchen torch, brown the meringue. Slice and serve!
Notes
It’s easiest to separate eggs when cold, then let the egg whites come to room temperature.
Tried it and loved it?Snap a picture and share it with me on Instagram @Bakerbynature and by using the hashtag #BakerByNature
Is Cooking the egg whites over the boiling water important for the finished bar or to kill any potential bacteria in the egg whites?
Will an 8×8 pan still work or will the layers be too thick? Can’t wait to try this!
Hi Abby! I would definitely suggest cutting the crust recipe in half if you try a an 8×8-inch pan as I think it would be far too thick. Although I haven’t tested it, I think the other layers should work ok in that size pan, as long as you’re ok with them being a bit thicker than what you see in the photos.
Love Lemon Bars as do my whole family!
Can the crust be made a few days ahead of time and kept in a tin OR best in refrigerator.
Will and 8×8 pan still work or will the layers be too thick? Can’t wait to try this!
Two questions. Has anyone made this with gluten free flour? And second, can I use a ceramic pan rather than metal? Thank you.
Hi Jodi. I have not tested these with GF flour, but I think a 1 for 1 GF flour would be your best bet. A ceramic pan will technically work but you’ll definitely need to increase the baking time, as it will take longer to properly bake.