Lemon Meringue Bars

Lemon meringue bars are packed with bright lemon filling, toasted meringue topping, and a buttery shortbread base. They bring everything you love about the classic pie into a form that can be sliced and served to a crowd.

Jump to:

• ❤️ Why this recipe works
• 🗒 Ingredients
• 🍋 Recipe tips
• ⏲️ How to store
• 🎉 Variations on recipe
• ☀️ More lemon desserts
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

Lemon meringue pie is one of those desserts that always looks impressive but isn't always practical to serve to a summer crowd. That's where these lemon meringue bars come in!

The process is essentially the same as making a pie, but the press-in brown butter shortbread crust lets you skip the rolling and blind baking. And bars are way more practical for a crowd than slices of pie!

I wouldn't say these are a quick weeknight dessert as the three components each have their own steps and the bars need a full chill before slicing.

But when you break it down, the recipe is quite easy. And what you get in return is well worth it: a buttery, nutty crust, a bright and tangy lemon filling, and a glossy toasted meringue that's sure to impress your friends and family!

❤️ Why this recipe works

It uses a brown butter crust: melting the butter until it browns adds a nutty, toasted flavor that plain shortbread doesn't have. It also gives the crust a slightly crispier, more structured base.

Flour and cornstarch combo used in filling: using flour alone can make the filling dense, while cornstarch alone gives a glossier, more gel-like set. I use a combo here to get a filling that's firm enough to slice cleanly while still holding a soft, custardy texture.

Optional turmeric is used for color: it may sound surprising, but a little pinch of turmeric gives the filling a more vibrant yellow without affecting the flavor at all.

Swiss meringue technique is used for topping: heating the egg whites with the sugar over a double boiler before whipping creates a denser, more stable meringue that holds its peaks and toasts evenly without weeping.

🗒 Ingredients

Here's everything you need to make these lemon meringue bars (be sure to view the recipe card at the bottom of this post for ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions):

For the brown butter shortbread crust:

• Unsalted butter
• Granulated sugar
• Vanilla extract
• All-purpose flour
• Salt

For the lemon filling:

• Granulated sugar
• All-purpose flour
• Cornstarch
• Salt
• Turmeric: optional for color
• Large eggs and egg yolks: you'll need two whole eggs plus two extra yolks. Be sure you save the two extra two whites for the meringue.
• Freshly squeezed lemon juice: it needs to be fresh and no bottled.
• Lemon zest

And for the meringue topping:

• Egg whites: you'll need four total; use the two you reserved from the lemon filling. and separate two more.
• Granulated sugar
• Cream of tartar
• Vanilla extract

🍋 Recipe tips

• Be sure to watch the butter carefully as it's browning. Brown butter can go from perfect to burnt very quickly. Once you start to smell a nutty aroma and see golden bits forming, pull it off the heat and pour it into a bowl right away.

• Once you pour the butter in a bowl, let it cool for about 10 minutes. If you add the sugar while the butter is still super hot, it can start to melt unevenly.

• Once you press the crust dough into the pan, prick it all over with a fork to prevent the dough from puffing up during the blind bake.

• I know it can be really tempting to use bottled lemon juice, but I promise juicing your own lemons is worth it here! Bottled lemon juice has a kind of flat flavor and you can really taste the difference here.

• You can add a little bit of turmeric for extra color if you want (you won't be able to taste it!). It won't look like much in the mixture, but the heat will activate it in the oven.

• Bake the filling until the edges are set, but the center still has a slight jiggle, like Jello. It will firm up as it cools and over-baking can make it grainy.

• Be sure to cool the filling completely before adding the meringue. Even if the filling is slightly warm, it can steam the meringue from underneath, which will cause weeping and/or sogginess.

• Don't worry if your the top of your lemon filling isn't pretty. You're going to cover it up with meringue!

• I like to use a Swiss meringue on these bars because it's easy and a bit more stable than French meringue.

• Use a double boiler (or a heat-proof bowl set over a pot of simmering water) to heat the egg whites and sugar. Use a thermometer to make sure the mixture reaches 160 degrees F before you start whipping. That temperature pasteurizes the egg whites and ensures the sugar is fully dissolved, which prevents grittiness.

• Beat the cooked egg whites and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer or with a hand mixer until stiff peaks form.

• Use a kitchen torch to brown the top of the meringue throughout. I couldn't find a piece needed for my kitchen torch, so I actually used one of these handheld torch flames and it worked really well!

• If you don't have a torch, you can use your oven's broiler. Just be sure to watch it very closely as the meringue can go from perfect to ruined very quickly. And unlike with a torch you can't control exactly where the heat hits.

• The bars need to be chilled for at least 2 hours before slicing. I like to keep them in the fridge overnight.

• The bars can get a little messy when you slice them. For best results, I recommend running your knife under hot water, drying it completely, and repeating between every single cut. It sounds fussy, but this is how you get clean edges.

And omg they're good!! The lemon flavor is super vibrant with the perfect amount of tang.

And the meringue topping? It's ooey gooey without weeping and has a cloud-like texture with lightly sweet vanilla flavor.

⏲️ How to store

You can store the lemon meringue bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

The meringue will likely stay glossy for the first day, but may start to weep slightly after that (the flavor will be the same!).

Of course, the bars don't freeze well once the meringue is added, but the shortbread crust and lemon filling (without meringue) can be frozen for up to 2 months.

Just thaw overnight in the refrigerator and add fresh meringue before serving.

🎉 Variations on recipe

These lemon meringue bars are pretty much perfection in my mind! But there are also so many different ways you can make them to suit your tastes and your family's preferences. Here are some ideas:

• Skip the brown butter crust: you can simply melt the butter and skipping the browning process if you don't have time or don't care about the nutty flavor.
  
• Toasted coconut crust: add ¼ cup finely toasted coconut to the shortbread dough for a coconut-lemon bar situation.
  
• Lime meringue bars: swap the lemon juice and zest for lime for a slightly sharper, more tropical flavor.
  
• Lemon raspberry bars: press a thin layer of raspberry jam onto the crust before adding the lemon filling. The tartness of the raspberries will. be delicious against the lemon.
  
• Lemon curd bars (no meringue): skip the meringue and serve the lemon bars topped with a dusting of powdered sugar and fresh berries. This is great if you're making the bars ahead and don't want to deal with meringue timing.
  
• Salted version: finish the bars with a light sprinkle of flaky sea salt right before serving. It sharpens the lemon flavor in the best way.
  
• Chocolate drizzle: drizzle melted dark chocolate over the toasted meringue for a flavor combo that sounds like it shouldn't work but truly does.
  
• Larger batch: you can double the recipe and bake in a 9x13-inch pan instead. You will need to adjust the baking times slightly and check for doneness by appearance.

☀️ More lemon desserts

If you're a lemon dessert lover (anyone else find that the older they get, the more they like lemon desserts??), here are a few of my favorites:

I also love keeping a jar of this lemon simple syrup in my fridge and adding it to everything in the summer!

I love that this is a fancy-ish dessert that is actually pretty straightforward and easy to do.

Whether you're serving these to your family or bringing them to a party, everyone will love the bright, tangy lemon flavor and they'll go crazy for the sweet, glossy toasted meringue.

In my opinion, these are even better than pie!

📖 Recipe