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Blueberry Lemon Bars are a delicious twist on classic! Sweet, tart lemon bars studded with fresh blueberries on a buttery shortbread crust. This is a tried and true family recipe that’s one of our summertime favorites!
It’s funny – a lot of things look different now than they did when I was a kid. But one thing that doesn’t look different? These lemon bars! It’s the same recipe I grew up with, and the same recipe my mom grew up with. Which means these lemon bars have been around a LONG time.
They’re one of my family’s favorite desserts, and one I’ve made countless times. Except, that is, for the blueberries! I’m not sure what exactly prompted me to add them, but once I had the thought, it seemed obvious. Lemon + blueberry is always a delicious combo, and these Lemon Blueberry Bars are no exception.
We love the burst of fresh blueberries in every gooey, lemony bite. And when you pair it with our simple shortbread crust, it’s pure melt-in-your-mouth deliciousness.
What You’ll Love About This Recipe
Short ingredient list: You need just 7 ingredients to make this recipe – including the crust!
Delicious combo: You can’t go wrong with the lemon + blueberry flavor combo!
Tried & true: This recipe has been passed down through generations. It has stood the test of time!
what you’ll need for this recipe
Shortbread crust – I made a simple shortbread crust using 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour, 3/4 cup cold butter, 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/3 cup powdered sugar.
Eggs – I used 4 large eggs to make a rich, custardy filling. Some recipes call for egg yolks only, but this one uses whole eggs.
Granulated sugar – I added 2 cups of sugar to the eggs for sweetness. Feel free to reduce it to 1 1/2 cups for less sweet bars.
Flour – I also added 1/4 cup all purpose flour to thicken the filling.
Lemon juice – I used 1/4 cup of lemon juice to give the filling delicious lemon flavor. (*Add a splash of lemon extract for more intense flavor!)
Blueberries – I added one cup of fresh blueberries to the lemon filling before baking.
how to make blueberry lemon bars
Prepare the crust. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, salt & powdered sugar. Cut in cold butter with a fork or pastry blender until butter is incorporated and mixture is crumbly.
Prepare the pan. Grease a 9×13 inch baking pan with cooking spray or butter. Press the crust mixture firmly into the prepared pan.
Bake the crust. Bake at 350°F for 18-20 minutes or until light golden brown. Remove from oven.
Make the filling. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs. Add the sugar and flour and continue whisking. Stir in the lemon juice and mix until ingredients are thoroughly incorporated. Pour over the crust, then sprinkle blueberries evenly over lemon mixture.
Bake. Bake for an additional 20-25 minutes or until top is just beginning to turn golden brown. Remove from oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool. Cool completely, then sprinkle with powdered sugar before cutting into squares. For perfect sprinkling, use my favorite powdered sugar duster!
storage tips
Lemon bars can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days OR in the fridge for up to 1 week. To freeze, transfer them to an airtight, freezer-safe container and store them in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Recipe Variations
- Add lemon zest for an extra pop of flavor
- Add 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, almond extract, or lemon extract
- Substitute fresh blackberries for the blueberries
- Use frozen blueberries instead of fresh
- Make a sugar cookie crust using homemade or store-bought cookie dough
Blueberry Lemon Bars
Ingredients
Crust
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
Filling
- 4 eggs
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest optional
- 1 cup fresh blueberries
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour, salt & powdered sugar. Cut in the butter with a fork or pastry blender until butter is incorporated and mixture is crumbly.
- Grease a 9×13 inch baking pan with cooking spray or butter. Press the crust mixture firmly into the prepared pan.
- Bake at 350°F for 18-20 minutes or until light golden brown. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs well. Add the sugar and flour and continue whisking. Stir in the lemon juice and zest (optional) and mix until ingredients are thoroughly incorporated. Pour over the crust, then sprinkle blueberries evenly over lemon mixture.
- Bake for an additional 20-25 minutes or until top is just beginning to turn golden brown. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool slightly.
- Once slightly cooled, transfer to the refrigerator for at least 2 hours to cool completely. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and cut into bars.
This dessert screams SUMMER! It’s got all the right flavors!
Blueberry and lemon is one of my all time favorite combos. These look awesome!
Lemon bars are literally my FAVORITE dessert but I have never added blueberries! That would be amazing! match made in heaven. I’ve never heard of Phil’s Eggs, but it sounds like an awesome company! I will have to check them out. Nobody wants hormone-y lemon bars 🙂
PS swimming lessons in a lake?? brutal! my kids would freak!
It’s good to get a fresh way of lokinog at it.
I don’t know if I love how delicious the blueberries look or just the whole bar! I do know I want one!
This is the perfect summer dessert! AND the combination of blueberries and lemon is just amazing!!
Lemon and blueberry is pretty much my favorite flavor combo, these look so delicious! I have to make these, and we have to go blueberry picking because there’s lots of summer to be had! Yay for swimming lessons, it’s great that they’re in! Have a fun weekend my friend!
Mine were super runny when I took out of the oven but the top was slightly brown already. Is that normal? Do they just have to cool?
Sorry to hear, they should have set once cooled.
Salt is mentioned in Step 1 but no salt in Crust ingredients. ?
Sorry, I will fix that, I used salted butter and didn’t add additional in the crust.
These bars look so delicious! Cannot wait to make them!
These look delicious! I do not see a measurement for the salt.
hi there, all the way from Aussie Land. Could I use frozen blueberries? Btw this looks yummo. 🙂 Thanks.
These look absolutely amazing!!! Can’t wait to give them a try!
Blueberries and lemon – one of my favorite dessert combos. I’m picturing eating this on a picnic at a lake – preferably not during swim lessons. 🙂
My mouth is watering!! I love lemon bars – and that you put blueberries in them!! 😀
Hi all the way from Tasmania,
just want to check if you use plain flour or self raising flour.
can not wait to try these
can you use granulated sugar in place of powdered sugar>
Oh my gosh these looks fabulous!!! This needs to happen in my kitchen for sure!
How much salt?
How much salt and 3/8 of powered sugar?
For the powdered sugar, I did 1/4 c then half of 1/4 cup. I didn’t use salted butter, I just added a pinch of Himalayan salt. They turned out wonderful. Second time I’ve made them, they’re always a huge hit.
So happy to hear it!
Do you use self raising or plain flour please
Regular all purpose flour
The filling is way too sweet, next time will reduce half of sugar. Other than this they turned out great. The crust is devine ♡
I can’t wait to make these they look great! If I make them the day before serving his it best to keep them at room temp or refrigerated?
I really enjoyed this and so did everyone I served it to! Very easy to make, which is just what I like.
It would be great if the recipe mentioned what sort of texture/wetness you should have achieved by the time you’re taking it out of the oven–I was very unsure and in the end may have left it in a bit too long, although the end result was still very much a success.
As a final note, the first step says to combine the flour, salt, and powdered sugar in a bowl… but the ingredients list doesn’t mention salt, aside from salted butter. I left it out but it’d be great if the recipe could be amended to clarify one way or the other.
Absolutely delicious! Made them this evening and they turned out amazing. Crust shrank a little in the pan upon the initial bake which made me nervous as a new baker but it ended out working perfect in the end! My oven lead me to use the max times mentioned in this recipe for perfection. I’ll say powder sugaring, freezing and then refrigerating for the night made for an easier cut. Needless to say, my partner and I indulged while they were warm. Truly hard to resist!