Last Updated on July 15, 2025 by Jennifer Osborn
Can you freeze lemon bars? Yes and the good news is citrus bars freeze really well. 🍋
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Freezing Lemon Bars
If you’re trying to figure out if a dessert can be frozen, think about its components.
In the case of lemon bars, those usually entail a shortbread or sugar cookie crust or a graham cracker crust.
All of those things can be frozen on their own as can lemon filling.
So you can also freeze them as a dessert.
The USDA says that lemon bars can be refrigerated for up to seven days but frozen for far longer.
Lemon bars can be frozen for two to three months.
How to freeze cookies from raw dough to baked cookies.
Try Lemon Bars with Graham Cracker Crust or Lemon Bar Recipe (Make in One Bowl and perhaps a Lemon Drop Martini (3-Ingredient Recipe with Limoncello) to go with the bars? Or Copycat Panera Lemon Drop Cookies.
If you're in need of lemon bar recipes, you're in the right place.
You might also like Lemon Blackberry Cake or Easy Lemon Dessert Recipes.
Mark your calendars, National Lemon Bar Day is October 15. 🍋
If you’ve ever cruised the frozen dessert aisle at the grocery store, you might remember seeing boxes of frozen dessert like pie or bars.
In fact, Trader Joe’s sells its lemon bars right from the freezer case.
Have you ever eaten a frozen lemon bar? I would rank that experience up near nirvana. Frozen lemon squares are so, so good!
How to Freeze Lemon Bars
Key to freezing citrus bars is to slice them into individual servings first.
Slicing bars that are frozen solid can be difficult.
And this way, if you have individual frozen lemon bars, you can pull out just what you want to serve.
- Slice lemon bars and put them on a parchment or wax-paper lined baking sheet.
- Freeze.
- Once frozen, wrap the individual bars in wax paper or plastic wrap then tuck inside a freezer safe container.
Freezing Already Baked Lemon Bars Successfully
- Slice lemon bars and put them on a parchment or wax-paper lined baking sheet.
- Freeze.
- Once frozen, wrap each bar in wax paper or plastic wrap then tuck inside a freezer safe container.
You can also freeze lemon bars in the baking pan that you’ve used, just be sure to wrap the pan twice, perhaps covering the pan in aluminum foil then sliding that foil-wrapped pan into a large freezer bag.
Can Lemon Bars Be Frozen After Baking?
Yes, in fact you could freeze lemon bar mixture but when lemon bars freeze so beautifully, I recommend baking lemon squares and then freezing them.
You can also freeze brownies that have already been baked.
Most baked cookies and raw cookie dough can be frozen too.
Can You Freeze Lemon Bars with Powdered Sugar?
Yes, you can freeze lemon bars that you've already showered with powdered sugar.
However, keep in mind, the freezer will "eat" some of the powdered sugar so you'll likely have to dust the bars with additional powdered sugar before serving.
These containers have great reviews.
If you are freezing lemon bars, leave off the powdered sugar, if your recipe calls for it.
The powdered sugar will just get absorbed into the lemon filling while it’s in the freezer.
Dust thawed lemon bars with powdered sugar once ready to serve.
How long can lemon bars last in the freezer?
Lemon bars will last well in the freezer, if properly wrapped, for up to three months, according to the USDA.
Use a freezer pen to mark the package with the date you're freezing the bars because you likely won't remember when you put them in the freezer.
Thawing Lemon Bars Safely
Once you're ready to eat a lemon bar, you should know, frozen lemon bars are delicious. I often eat them straight from the freezer.
However, if you'd like to thaw the bars first, pull them out of the freezer, leave them in the container and leave in the refrigerator for 30 to 45 minutes.
Lemon bars are an egg-rich dessert so they shouldn't be left out on a countertop.
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More Baking Help
Are you new to baking? Check out What Should a Beginner Bake?Baking Cookbooks for Beginners or improve your kitchen prowess with Cookie Baking Tools (Better, Faster Baking).
Dee says
I’m making 200 lemon bars and I want to freeze them and do I have to individually wrap them before putting them in the freezing container??