Tangy Lime Bars are cooling, refreshing, and not too sweet, — if you love easy lime desserts then you’re going to flip for these, they’re the perfect little capper for a warm day.
These are classic lime bars made with a graham cracker crust and condensed milk.
Citrus has to be one of the great flavors on earth, and lime is one of my personal favorites, (have you tried my Coconut Lime Squares?) Today I’m celebrating this under-appreciated citrus flavor with a simple lime dessert where the essence of lime takes center stage. That wonderful ‘tang’ comes through loud and clear.
how to make easy lime bars
You can count on me to pare desserts down to their bare essentials, I think frills and extras just get in the way and make things necessarily complicated. These come together in no time, and I promise you, you will be so happy to see these pretty green lime bars peering out at you from the fridge at the end of a hot day.
- Mix graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter together until well combined. Press into pan.
- Whisk egg yolks, sweetened condensed milk, and lime juice together.
- Pour over crust and bake until set.
- Chill.
serve chilled…or frozen!
I highly recommend stashing a few of these tangy lime bars in the freezer, they are wonderful that way. They keep their silky texture and they’re super refreshing — love!!
a word about color in lime bars
I did add a drop or two of green food coloring to my lime bars. You certainly don’t have to, but without the coloring they will be a pale yellow. For me the little boost is worth it, especially if I’m going to serve these to guests. When things are beautifully colored the eyes anticipate the flavor and send a message to the brain that actually enhances our experience of that flavor. In other words, you want your brain to anticipate that tangy lime flavor even before you bite into one of these bars. Most of the time I accomplish that through the natural beauty of the food I make, but every once in a while I feel it needs a little help. I just used regular food coloring, but you can also buy all natural food colorings that are made without chemicals or anything artificial, here.
more citrus bars to try
- Whole Meyer Lemon Bars
- Blood Orange Crumble Bars
- One Bowl Pink Grapefruit Bars
- Meyer Lemon Macadamia Crumble Squares
These are AMAZING!!! Definitely a recipe to keep 🙂
~ Jen
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Tangy Lime Bars
Ingredients
crust
- 1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs, 1 sleeve or about 9 full graham crackers, crushed
- 2 Tbsp packed brown sugar
- 6 Tbsp butter, melted
filling
- 4 large egg yolks
- 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
- 1/2 cup fresh squeezed lime juice
- drop or two of green food coloring, optional
Instructions
- Set oven to 350F
- Toss the crumbs with the sugar and melted butter, making sure to get all the crumbs evenly saturated.
- Press the crumbs evenly into the bottom of a 9×9 inch square baking pan.
- Whisk the egg yolks and condensed milk together in a bowl. Add the lime juice and mix well.
- Pour into the crust and bake for about 15-20 minutes, until just set.
- Let cool, then refrigerate for a few hours before serving.
- Serve cold with a dollop of sweetened whipped cream.
Notes
- If you like you can make your lime bars with a shortbread crust like the one I used for my Hibiscus Lemon Bars.
- You can make these with virtually any citrus fruit. Remember fresh squeezed juice is best.
- These are unbelievable good frozen, I think that’s my favorite way to enjoy them.
Sue, I have a big family and I’m wondering if I use a 9×12 dish instead, should I double the recipe? Any advice..?
I think you could do that for sure…just watch the baking, it’s done when the filling is set, which doesn’t take very long.
Sue, we love tangy lime things! And I’m definitely going to try them frozen, though I’m afraid my husband will become addicted to them!
These bars are calling to me, they look incredibly delicious. Sometimes my mom brings me bags of key limes from the produce market, I think they’d work perfectly in this recipe!
Susan, is there any thing that you know of that I could substitute for sweetened condensed milk?
I’ve read that it is food porn.
I honestly don’t know, in this case, Yolie. You can actually make your own, and I am thinking about doing a post on it, the milk gets sweetened and cooked down until it’s thick.
Limes give this classic dessert a French flair. Delicious. GREG
They look delicious and just perfect for the summer ! And the pictures are so great !
Am drooling for this bars, thank u Sue.
These look like a perfect summer dessert! Love the colour and anything that combines lime and sweetened condensed milk 🙂
These are also very good topped with a drizzle of chocolate .
Now you’ve gone and done it Sharon, I’m going to have to make another batch 😉
These look sooo good! Perfect for summer and I love lime anything. Your photo’s are gorgeous like usual too!
Thanks Kathi <3