Yuzu Lemon Bars
Yuzu and lemon bars with a shortbread crust and a dusting of powdered sugar.
- Original yieldYield
- 16 square bars16 square bars
- PrepPrep time
- CookCook time
- TotalTotal time
Published Updated
Original recipe: 16 square bars
The story behind the recipe
Yuzu brings a sharp citrus flavor and a floral fragrance to these lemon bars. Japanese food writer Namiko Hirasawa Chen compares its taste to lemon, lime and tart grapefruit, with an aroma that recalls orange blossom. Here, bottled yuzu and fresh lemon share a pale filling over a butter crust.
A citrus fruit used a little at a time
In Kochi, Japan, cooks use yuzu juice much as they might use lemon juice, and grate the peel as seasoning. The region's food guide describes it in sweets as well as savory dishes, including countryside sushi whose rice gets its acidity from yuzu instead of vinegar. It takes relatively little of the fruit to make its presence felt.
Read more about this recipe
Read beyond the word yuzu
Buy 100% pure yuzu juice. A bottle bearing the fruit's name might instead contain a sweetened drink, ponzu or a chili-salt condiment. The label matters more than the picture of yellow fruit.
Ponzu has soy sauce in it. Save that bottle for a savory dish.
Bottled juice also means you can make the bars without finding fresh yuzu, a fruit with many seeds and little juice. The sugar and fresh lemon are measured separately here, so a sweetened yuzu drink would change the filling as well as its flavor.
Both juices bring acidity. Lemon gives the filling a familiar citrus foundation, while yuzu adds its own fragrance and tartness.
A butter crust and a filling that needs to chill
Melted butter makes a dough you can press into the pan without rolling. It gets a short bake on its own before the citrus filling goes in, giving the base a head start underneath the wet egg mixture.
Allow for the chilling time. A filling that has finished baking still needs to cool and firm up before you can cut it cleanly; an extra few minutes in the oven won't replace that wait.
Keep the powdered sugar until close to serving. Moisture from the filling dissolves an early dusting, leaving little of that white finish by the time the bars reach the plate.
Make it your wayOriginal: 16 servings · Makes 16 square bars
Original recipe: 16 square bars
Ingredients
For 16 square bars. Quantities are shown as written.
Source measurement convention: Metric. Explicit unit definitions take precedence; unconfirmed measures must be checked before conversion.
Original quantities for 16 square bars.
- All-purpose flour (for crust)125 g
- Unsalted butter, melted115 g
- Granulated sugar (for crust)50 g
- Fine salt1 gAuthor measures: 1/4 metric tsp (1 metric tsp = 5 ml).
- Granulated sugar (for filling)200 g
- Large eggs, at room temperature3
- 100% pure bottled yuzu juice60 ml
- Freshly squeezed lemon juice60 ml
- All-purpose flour (for filling)15 g
- Powdered sugar (for dusting)10 g
Measurement notes
Measurement notes
Original ingredients
- 125 g all-purpose flour (for crust)
- 115 g unsalted butter, melted
- 50 g granulated sugar (for crust)
- 1 g (1/4 tsp) fine salt
- 200 g granulated sugar (for filling)
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 60 ml 100% pure bottled yuzu juice
- 60 ml freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 15 g all-purpose flour (for filling)
- 10 g powdered sugar (for dusting)
Equipment
20x20 cm (8x8 inch) square baking pan- Parchment paper
Whisk
Fine-mesh sifter
Instructions
Heat the oven and line the pan
Preheat your oven to 175°C (350°F). Line a 20x20 cm square baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two sides to act as handles.
Mix and press the shortbread dough
In a medium bowl, stir together the all-purpose flour for the crust, melted unsalted butter, granulated sugar for the crust, and fine salt until a soft dough forms. Press the dough evenly across the bottom of the prepared pan using the back of a measuring cup.
Bake the crust
Bake the crust at 175°C (350°F) for 15 minutes, until lightly golden around the edges.
Whisk the citrus filling
While the crust bakes, prepare the filling. In a medium bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar for the filling and the large eggs until pale and completely smooth. Whisk in the pure yuzu juice, freshly squeezed lemon juice, and the all-purpose flour for the filling until completely blended and free of lumps.
Fill and bake the bars
Carefully pour the citrus filling directly over the hot, par-baked crust. Return the pan to the oven and bake at 175°C (350°F) for 18 to 20 minutes, until the center is set and jiggles only slightly when nudged.
Cool, chill and slice
Place the pan on a wire rack and allow about 30 minutes for the bars to cool until they are no longer hot. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours (120 minutes), until the filling is cold and firm enough to slice. Using the parchment handles, lift the slab onto a cutting board, dust with powdered sugar through a fine-mesh sifter, and cut into 16 squares. Serve cold.
Estimated calories 160 kcal
Nutrition portion: 1/16 of recipe · Original yield: 16 square bars
Source & assumptions
Ingredient-based estimate using CoFID 2021, USDA household-measure references, representative labels for 100% Shiromi Yuzu Juice. About 160 kcal per nutrition portion (1/16 of the recipe). Includes all crust, filling and powdered sugar. Uses a representative 100% bottled yuzu juice, with no added sugar. Actual ingredients and preparation affect the estimate.
Recipe notes
Original recipe notes
These notes describe the original recipe. Quantities mentioned here do not change when you adjust servings.
Yuzu sourcing: Look for 100% pure unsweetened yuzu juice in Japanese grocers or specialty culinary suppliers. Avoid yuzu syrups containing added sugar or salt.
Slicing technique: For clean square cuts, wipe a sharp chef's knife with a warm, damp towel between slices.
Storage: Keep chilled at 4°C (40°F) or below in an airtight container for up to 4 days. If preparing ahead, wait to dust with powdered sugar until just before serving, as moisture will dissolve the sugar over time.
Timing: Allow about 3 hours 25 minutes from preparation through chilling. The estimate includes 30 minutes rack cooling and at least 2 hours in the refrigerator; allow longer if the bars need more time to cool or firm up.
Read the scaling guide. Times, temperatures and equipment need their own consideration. Open the recipe tool to review and correct individual amounts.
Recipe details
- Cuisine
- Other / International
- Browse category
- Baking & Desserts
- More details
- yuzu lemon barsshortbread crust