3-Ingredient Lemon Bars

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3-Ingredient Lemon Bars - Tart lemon pie filling, sweet yellow cake mix, and butter; the only ingredients you'll need for this sweet and simple lemon treat! 

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Simple, sweet, and full of lemon flavor, these 3-ingredient lemon bars are unbelievably delicious and extremely simple to make!

With only a handful of ingredients, you'll have an amazing and effortless dessert fit for any occasion. 

WHY YOU'LL LOVE THIS RECIPE

The sweet mixture of yellow cake mix, tart lemon pie filling, and butter creates the impeccable lemon dessert bars that are fresh, citrusy, and deliciously gooey.

And with only 3 ingredients, can it get any better?

RECIPE INGREDIENTS

Before you get started, make sure you have the following ingredients:

HOW TO MAKE 3-INGREDIENT LEMON SQUARES

Then, preheat your oven to 350ºF, prepare your baking dish and follow the steps below!

steps for making easy lemon bars
  1. In a large mixing bowl, beat cake mix and butter (the consistency will be crumbly). Reserve ½ cup of mixture for the topping and set it aside.
  2. Press the remainder of the mixture in your prepared baking dish. 
  3. Spread lemon pie filling over top of crust. 
  4. Sprinkle the ½ cup of crust mixture over the lemon pie filling. 

Now, bake the bars for 48-50 minutes or until the top begins to brown. Then, allow the pan of bars to cool before cutting and serving.

glass pan of lemon bars

TIPS FOR MAKING 3-INGREDIENT LEMON BARS

  • Sprinkle some powdered sugar to the top of your lemon bars for extra sweetness!
  • For even more lemon flavor, add some lemon zest on top of your lemon bars. 
  • To make lemon frosting that you can add to your lemon bars, mix lemon juice and white frosting!
pan of lemon bars with a couple missing

DO I HAVE TO USE YELLOW CAKE MIX TO MAKE THE LEMON BARS?

If you want your bars to have a more airy texture, use angel food cake in place of yellow cake mix. The angel food cake gives the lemon bars a more fluffy and light consistency.

spatula holding a lemon bar garnished with a slice of lemon

CAN YOU MAKE THESE LEMON BARS AHEAD OF TIME?

Yes! To make these bars ahead of time, just follow the recipe directions and then store in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to serve! These bars taste amazing cold or at room temperature.

lemon bars on white dessert pedestal

STORAGE

These lemon bars are good at room temperature for about 5-6 hours and then can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the refrigerator for up to a week.

lemon bars on a dessert pedestal

FREEZING INSTRUCTIONS

To freeze your lemon bars, wrap the individual bars in wax paper and store in an airtight container or freezer bag in the freezer for 2-3 months. Then, let thaw before serving.

bite out of lemon bar on a white plate

MORE LEMON DESSERT RECIPES YOU'LL LOVE

lemon bars on white dessert pedestal

3-Ingredient Lemon Bars

Tart lemon pie filling, sweet yellow cake mix, and butter; the only ingredients you'll need for this sweet and simple lemon treat!
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Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 68kcal
Author: Sara
adjust servings: 12 servings

Ingredients

  • 15.25 ounce box yellow cake mix
  • ½ cup salted butter (softened)
  • 22 ounce can lemon pie filling

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350ºF. 
  • Prepare a 8x8 or 7x10-inch baking dish by spraying it with cooking spray.
  • In a large mixing bowl, beat cake mix and butter.  Consistency will be crumbly.
  • Reserve ½ cup of mixture for the topping.  Set it aside.
  • Press the remainder of the mixture in your prepared baking dish.
  • Spread lemon pie filling over top of crust.
  • Sprinkle the ½ cup of crust mixture over lemon pie filling.
  • Bake for 48-50 minutes or until the top begins to brown.
  • Allow to cool before cutting and serving.

Notes

  • Sprinkle some powdered sugar to the top of your lemon bars for extra sweetness!
  • For even more lemon flavor, add some lemon zest on top of your lemon bars. 
  • To make lemon frosting that you can add to your lemon bars, mix lemon juice and white frosting!

Nutrition

Calories: 68kcal | Carbohydrates: 0.01g | Protein: 0.1g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 20mg | Sodium: 61mg | Potassium: 2mg | Sugar: 0.01g | Vitamin A: 236IU | Calcium: 2mg | Iron: 0.002mg
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7 Comments

  1. I was unable to locate the nutritional valve chart {carbs, fiber, sugars, etc. Have I missed it. sounds yummy and easy.

    1. Hi Linda! I'm in the middle of refreshing the blog and nutritional information is forthcoming. I apologize it is not available at the moment!

        1. You could try lemon pudding, but it will significantly change the texture and sweetness since this recipe isn’t designed to use pudding.