• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Mess for Less
  • Crafts
    • Art
    • Winter Activities
    • Spring Activities
    • Summer Activities
    • Fall Recipes and Activities
  • Kids Activities
    • Baby and Toddler Activities
    • Preschool Activities
    • Sensory Activities
    • Fine Motor Skills Activities
    • Learning Activities
      • Science Activities
  • Family
    • Pets
    • Parenting
  • Shop
  • Breakfast Recipes
  • Lunch Recipes
  • Dinner Recipes
  • Dessert Recipes
  • Snack Recipes
  • Appetizers
  • Crock Pot Recipes
  • Cooking with Kids
  • Hi, I'm Vicky, the founder and content creator at Mess For Less. If you are looking for family-friendly recipes, recipes that kids can make, and play and learning activities for kids, you will find them at Mess For Less. I invite you to learn more about me. Thanks for stopping by!

    Easter Activities and Recipes

    • Stained Glass Easter Cookie Recipe
    • How to Make Spotted Easter Eggs
    • M&M Easter Cookies
    • Shaving Cream Easter Eggs

    Spring Activities

    • How to Make a Mother's Day Card
    • DIY Seed Starter for Kids
    • Flower Craft Idea
    • How to Make a Paper Butterfly - Easy Craft for Kids

    Popular Recipes

    • Crack Chicken Casserole
    • Overnight Egg Casserole
    • Toasted Italian Sandwich - Food Fun Friday
    • Chicken Broccoli Alfredo Bake
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Easter Recipes and Crafts
  • Recipes
  • Kids Activities
  • About
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • Easter Recipes and Crafts
    • Recipes
    • Kids Activities
    • About
    • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×

    Home » Recipes for Bars

    Lemon Bars

    Published: Jul 10, 2017 · Modified: Aug 5, 2022 by Vicky · This post contains affiliate links.

    Pin1K
    Share1
    Tweet
    Yum2
    1K Shares
    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe

    Summer makes entertaining easy. Invite over some friends, pop some burgers and hotdogs on the grill and you have an instant gathering. For me, the biggest summer entertaining decision has always been what to serve for dessert. In the past we have served ice cream, s'mores and cupcakes. However those options are full of sugar. I decided to put a healthy spin on summer dessert by swapping the sugar in these lemon bars. The result is a sweet and tart treat made with less added sugar. Be sure to also check out our Lemon Bar Crescent Recipe.

    These Lemon Bars are the perfect summer treat. Just the right amount of tartness combined with a delicious cookie crust.
    Jump to:
    • Why these are the best lemon bars with less sugar
    • Ingredients
    • How to make this easy lemon bars recipe
    • 📖 Recipe
    • Frequently asked questions
    • Related posts

    I made these yummy lemon bars using SPLENDA® Naturals Sugar & Stevia Sweetener Blend.

    Why these are the best lemon bars with less sugar

    • Less sugar than traditional lemon bars
    • People won't know there is less sugar
    • They make a great snack or dessert

    Ingredients

    • unsalted butter
    • Splenda Naturals Sugar and Sweetener blend
    • flour
    • large eggs
    • lemons

    How to make this easy lemon bars recipe

    This lemon bars recipe comes together in two parts. First you will be making the cookie crust and then you will be making the lemon filling. For the crust ingredients, blend butter, 2 cups of flour and ¼ cup SPLENDA® Naturals Sugar & Stevia Sweetener Blend in a large mixing bowl.

    flour butter and sugar in bowl

    Press the shortbread crust into the bottom of a greased 9x13 glass pan or baking dish and bake. You can line your baking pan with parchment paper if you wish for easy clean up.

    short bread layer in pan

    While it is baking, assemble your lemon filling by whisking together ¾ cup of SPLENDA® Naturals Sugar & Stevia Sweetener Blend, ¼ cup flour + 1 tablespoon flour, eggs, fresh lemon juice and lemon zest.

    When the cookie crust is done, let it cool and then pour the lemon curd filling on top of the crust.

    lemon bars mixture in pan

    Lots of baked goods taste best when still warm from the oven. Lemon bars are best when they have been left to cool and the layers have firmed up.  Once they are cooled, top them with a dusting of confectioners sugar and use a knife to slice them into 24 bars.

    These Lemon Bars are the perfect summer treat. Just the right amount of tartness combined with a delicious cookie crust.

    If you have any leftover bars, you can store them in the refrigerator as they taste exceptionally good when cold. I have frozen these lemon bars in the past and they hold up well. Just take them out of the freezer 20-30 minutes before you plan to serve them.

    lemon bars with powdered sugar

    I served these lemon bars to my guests and got many compliments on them. People were surprised to learn that they were made with less added sugar than traditional lemon bars.

    lemon bars with powdered sugar

    Try using SPLENDA® Naturals Sugar & Stevia Sweetner Blend in your favorite dessert recipe and see if you can tell the difference.

    stack of lemon bars and lemons

    📖 Recipe

    Lemon Bars

    These Lemon Bars are the perfect summer treat. Just the right amount of tartness combined with a delicious cookie crust.
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: bars
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 20 minutes
    Cook Time: 40 minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour
    Servings: 24
    Calories: 158kcal
    Author: Vicky

    Equipment

    • 9X13 Casserole Dish

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
    • ¼ cup Splenda Naturals Sugar and Sweetner blend
    • 2 cups flour
    • 4 eggs
    • ¾ cup Splenda Naturals Sugar and Sweetner blend
    • ¼ cup flour
    • 1 tbs flour
    • 3 lemons, juiced
    • zest from 1 lemon

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
    • To make the cookie crust, blend 1 cup softened butter, 2 cups of flour and ¼ cup SPLENDA® Naturals Sugar & Stevia Sweetener Blend in a medium bowl. 
    • Press the dough into the bottom of a greased 9x13 pan and bake for 20 minutes. 
    • Assemble the lemon filling by mixing ¾ cup of SPLENDA® Naturals Sugar & Stevia Sweetener Blend, ¼ cup flour + 1 tablespoon flour, 4 eggs, fresh lemon juice and lemon zest.
    • When the cookie crust is done, let it cool and then pour the lemon filling on top of the crust. Bake for 20 minutes.
    • Once the bars are cooled, top them with a dusting of powdered sugar and slice into 24 bars.

    Video

    Nutrition

    Calories: 158kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 48mg | Sodium: 72mg | Potassium: 44mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 279IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 12mg | Iron: 1mg
    Try this Recipe! Pin it for Later.Mention @vickycat or tag #messforless!

    This nutritional information is approximate and was calculated using online calculators. Your nutritional information may vary depending on numerous factors.

    Frequently asked questions

    How do I store lemon squares?

    Do not store these at room temperature. They need to be refrigerated in an airtight container or covered in foil or plastic wrap. They will last when stored in this manner for 4 days.

    Do I need to use a stand mixer with this recipe?

    You can use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or a handheld electric mixer.

    Is there a sugar free confectioner's sugar I can use?

    Yes, I highly recommend this sugar free confectioners sugar.

    Related posts

    • Lemon Cake Mix Cookies
    • Lemon Bar Crescent Recipe - Food Fun Friday
    • Keto Low Carb Lemon Blueberry Bread
    • Lemon Cookie Recipe
    • Keto Lemon Blueberry Loaf
    Pin1K
    Share1
    Tweet
    Yum2
    1K Shares

    More Recipes for Bars

    • Easter Blondies Recipe
    • Cranberry Bliss Bars Recipe (Starbucks Copycat)
    • Easy M&M Brownies
    • Gluten Free Lemon Lime Bars

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Kat

      April 17, 2022 at 1:14 pm

      What is the nutritional information for the recipe?

    2. Sapana V

      July 14, 2017 at 11:34 am

      These lemon bars looks delicious and tempting. And the plus point is you can make them easily. I wanna try it.

    3. Ali Rost

      July 11, 2017 at 9:11 am

      Lemon bars always make me think of my dad. For 20+ years, every special holiday I made him something chocolaty. One birthday I made a 7 layer chocolate cake (a true masterpiece) .. and afterward my mom said "you know, he hates chocolate" I was shocked "what? He never said" She smiled. "What does he like instead?" "Lemon, he loves lemon" Now I make him lemon bars for his birthday and all is well. True story. Can't wait to give yours a try! x

    4. Lisa Favre

      July 11, 2017 at 4:46 am

      I haven't made lemon bars in forever. I totally love the sweet-and-tart combination. Yours look like sheer perfection!

    5. MONICA Y

      July 10, 2017 at 8:45 pm

      I am always afraid of cooking with splenda because I am not sure if I need to add more or less that other sugar, but I am glad your recipe already tells me how much to add. I will be making this bars soon. Lemon desserts for summer are a big hit with my family

    6. Karlyn Cruz

      July 10, 2017 at 8:23 pm

      Oh wow! I was literally just searching the web for lemon bars recipe ten minutes ago! This is so fantastic and I love how easy it looks! Thanks so much! Crossing my fingers I don't screw it up!

    7. Censie Sawyer

      July 10, 2017 at 7:53 pm

      Great recipe! Lemon bars are one of our favorite family recipe. I will have to try using Splenda next time . WE pretty much use the same recipe you do. SO GOOD!

    8. Nikki

      July 10, 2017 at 1:50 pm

      My mom would love these. She's crazy for lemon. I made a lemon pudding poke cake and got maybe one piece of it! I actually have some lemon pie filling somewhere that I just picked up on sale, I'll have to give these a try!

    9. Cheryl

      July 10, 2017 at 1:08 pm

      Ooooo you're speaking my language with these lemon bars! I love lemon everything, but bars are my favorite and these look super yum.

    Leave a Reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Hi, I'm Vicky, the founder and content creator at Mess For Less. If you are looking for family-friendly recipes, recipes that kids can make, and play and learning activities for kids, you will find them at Mess For Less. I invite you to learn more about me. Thanks for stopping by!

    Easter Activities and Recipes

    • Stained Glass Easter Cookie Recipe
    • How to Make Spotted Easter Eggs
    • M&M Easter Cookies
    • Shaving Cream Easter Eggs

    Spring Activities

    • How to Make a Mother's Day Card
    • DIY Seed Starter for Kids
    • Flower Craft Idea
    • How to Make a Paper Butterfly - Easy Craft for Kids

    Popular Recipes

    • Crack Chicken Casserole
    • Overnight Egg Casserole
    • Toasted Italian Sandwich - Food Fun Friday
    • Chicken Broccoli Alfredo Bake

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy and Disclosure
    • Recipe and Safety Disclaimers
    • About Me
    • Accessibility Policy

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for our newsletter

    Contact

    • Contact
    • Advertise

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2022 MessForLess