The best lemon meringue bars are the dreamiest ever

If you love big lemon flavor, these lemon meringue bars will make your heart skip a beat with their buttery cookie crust, ultra smooth lemon filling and cloud-like meringue top.

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But it’s just a lemon bar, how exciting can that be?

Let me tell you, my Mom is the queen of lemon bars. She’s made all versions of every recipe ever, and at some point, she hacked her way to an ultra smooth filling that’s almost like lemon curd. These bars are quicker to make than traditional lemon bars because the filling is partially cooked on the stove and finished in the oven. The splash of cream adds some balance to cut through the mouth puckering lemon taste.

I’ve never been a fan of traditional lemon bars where you just stir all the eggs and sugar together with your lemon juice. Inevitably, the sugar sinks down to the bottom of the mixture and creates more of a gel-like texture. And the taste for me has always been too sweet AND too sour. When Mom taught me her stovetop method, I was skeptical, but it works like a charm.

If you have a lemon meringue lover in your house (my hubs!), skip your regular recipe and use this one instead. It’s that good.

The best lemon meringue bars

Why these are the one lemon meringue bars to rule them all

1. Smooth smooth filling: by precooking the lemon filling partially, the sugar gets completely dissolved, making for an incredibly smooth filling.
2. Lemon flavor throughout: there’s not just lemon in the filling, there’s a little bit of added lemon sugar in the crust. The extra layer of flavor is a step up from a plain cookie crust.
3. Fluffy meringue: The sugar in the meringue also gets fully dissolved by a quick warm up over simmering water. This gives you fluffy, ultra smooth meringue that sits up top like a little cloud.
4. Just the right amount of sugar: Often lemon bars have tons of sugar in them. Mom and I together have lowered the sugar enough that you get just the right balance of sweet and sour. You will not feel like you got run over by a truck after eating one of these!

Helpful equipment for making lemon bars

1. Instant read thermometer: I would not make these bars without this. Getting the eggs to 160 is the only way to make sure that the lemon filling doesn’t turn to scrambled eggs.
2. Double rolling pin: this little tool makes it so easy to roll out the dough into the corners of pans. I wasn’t sure about it when I bought it, but man does it make life simple.
3. Removable bottom 8×8 pan: This is not crucial, but it is extremely helpful. Popping the bars out by the bottom lets you carefully move the bars and peel back the parchment if you use a blowtorch to brown the meringue.
4. Propane blowtorch attachment: You can totally use the broiler to brown the top of your meringue, but it is extra fun to use a blowtorch attachment. I skip the culinary torches in favor of a simple attachment for propane cans since we always have them for our camping stoves.
5. Pastry bag with decorative tip: Completely optional here, but piping rosettes of the meringue on top gives a beautiful finish. Feel free to make swoops and swirls of topping with a spoon.

Helpful tips for making prize winning lemon meringue bars

1. Build up your crust’s edge: Make absolute sure that the crust covers the bottom of your pan. If you build up the edge just a tiny bit higher, you’ll give the lemon filling a place to rest. Without an edge, the filling can leak below the bars giving your a sticky mess.
2. Foil top your crust: In the last couple minutes of baking, pop a piece of foil over the crust to keep it from overbrowning.
3. Use a thermometer: It’s important for the lemon filling to be in the 160-165 F range before you pour the filling over the crust. At that point, the sugar will be dissolved, and the eggs will be almost but not quite set. Finishing them in the oven gives you perfectly set bars with a smooth, level top.

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