Dessert › Bar

Lemon Gooey Bars

By Amy Flanigan

Published Aug 23, 2025

Read 17 Reviews

Prep 15 minutes mins

Cook 30 minutes mins

Servings 16 bars

By Amy Flanigan

Published Aug 23, 2025

Jump to RecipeShare

These Lemon Gooey Bars get a triple dose of lemon, from lemon cake, lemon zest, and lemon curd. They’re crisp around the edges, and moist, chewy and gooey in the middle. Super easy to make and taste amazing!

Have you ever had a gooey bar? A gooey bar is basically like a sweet, chocolatey cookie bar, but it’s gooey in the center. When they bake, the outside of the bars get golden and a little crisp and the center stays super gooey.

This lemon gooey bar recipe starts with a cake mix and has just a few other ingredients added, including lemon zest and lemon curd, so they’re extra lemon-y and awesome!

More lemon bar recipes we love include our traditional lemon bars with a shortbread crust and lemon blondies with a lemon glaze.

Helpful Tips & Variations

• Use parchment paper. I highly recommend lining your baking dish with parchment paper because the sweetened condensed milk is sticky. It makes removal so much easier.
• Leave a border of the bars without sweetened condensed milk. Be sure to leave a border around the edge of the uncut bars in the pan without and sweetened condensed milk so that it doesn’t bubble up and burn during baking.
• They need to chill. Baked gooey bars need to cool and then chill before you cut them. If you don’t allow them to get cold and set, the gooey part will ooze out and you’ll have a big mess and not pretty bars.
• Boxed lemon cake mix. Purchase whatever brand you prefer. This recipe calls for a 15 ounce box. If all you can find is 13 ounces, this recipe will still work.
• Lemon curd. Make my easy homemade lemon curd or most stores seem to carry it now near the jams and nut butters.
• Lime Gooey Bars. You can easily turn these lemon gooey bars into tangy lime gooey bars by swapping the lemons for limes. Replace the lemon cake mix with key-lime cake mix and the lemon zest with fresh key-lime zest. Keep everything else the same.

5 from 17

Lemon Gooey Bars

Prep: 15 minutes mins

Cook: 30 minutes mins

Total: 45 minutes mins

Servings: 16 bars

Rate Pin Print

These Lemon Gooey Bars get a triple dose of lemon, from lemon cake, lemon zest, and lemon curd. Moist, chewy, and amazing!

Step-by-step photos can be seen below the recipe card.

Ingredients 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• ▢ 15 ounce box lemon cake mix, (just the cake mix)
• ▢ 1 large egg
• ▢ zest from one lemon
• ▢ 1/3 cup lemon curd
• ▢ 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
• ▢ 1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk

Instructions 

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9×9 baking pan with parchment paper that has a slight overhang on 2 sides, then lightly spray with nonstick spray.
• With an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth and fluffy. Beat in the cake mix, egg, and lemon zest until combined and a thick dough forms.
• Press 2/3 of the dough in the bottom of the prepared pan.
• Spread the lemon curd evenly on top of the dough, leaving a 1/4 inch border around the edges bare.
• Sprinkle the white chocolate chips over the lemon curd, then drizzle the sweetened condensed milk over the top of the chocolate (leave a little border bare, without sweetened condensed milk.)
• Break up the remaining dough into 1/2 to 1 inches pieces and sprinkle it over the top of the bars (leave some of the sweetened condensed milk exposed so you have a cobbled look once baked.) Press down on the dough pieces lightly to seal.
• Bake for about 29 to 32 minutes, until slightly browned.
• Cool completely, then make sure to chill in the fridge for a few hours before cutting into 16 small bars.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 215kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 30mg | Sodium: 224mg | Potassium: 52mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin A: 209IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 84mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutritional information given is an automatic calculation and can vary based on the exact products you use and any changes you make to the recipe. If these numbers are very important to you, I would recommend calculating them yourself.

Save this recipe!

Get this sent to your inbox, plus get new recipes from us every week!

Email Post Post

Email *

Save

Did you make this? Leave a rating below!

How to Make Lemon Gooey Bars Step by Step

• Preheat the oven and prep the baking dish. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9×9 baking pan with parchment paper that has a slight overhang on 2 sides, then lightly spray with nonstick spray.
• Make the dough. With an electric mixer, cream 1/2 cup softened unsalted butter until smooth and fluffy. Beat in a 15 ounce box lemon cake mix, 1 large egg, and zest from one lemon until combined and a thick dough forms.

• Press some of the dough into the pan. Press 2/3 of the dough in the bottom of the prepared pan in an even layer.

• Add a layer of lemon curd. Spread 1/3 cup lemon curd evenly on top of the dough, leaving a 1/4 inch border around the edges bare.

• Add the white chocolate and sweetened condensed milk. Sprinkle 1/2 cup white chocolate chips over the lemon curd, then drizzle 1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk over the top of the chocolate (leave a little border bare, without sweetened condensed milk.)

• Top with remaining dough. Break up the remaining dough into 1/2 to 1 inches pieces and sprinkle it over the top of the bars (leave some of the sweetened condensed milk exposed so you have a cobbled look once baked.) Press down on the dough pieces lightly to seal.

• Bake. Bake at 350F for about 29 to 32 minutes, until slightly browned.

• Cool, chill, and slice. Cool completely, then make sure to chill in the fridge for a few hours before cutting into 16 small bars.

Proper Storage

• Storing Leftovers. You can keep these bars at room temperature or refrigerate them. They will last in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 days or in the fridge for 5 days.
• Freeze. Let cool completely. Then transfer bars to a gallon size resealable bag in a single layer. Place a paper towel on top (inside the bag.) Seal and freeze. They will maintain best quality for up to a month. To defrost, let them sit on the counter to reach room temperature (don’t remove the paper towel, which absorbs the moisture as they thaw.)

More Easy Dessert Bars

• Millionaire Bars
• Praline Crunch Bars
• Gooey Butter Cake
• 7 Layer Bars
• Apple Pie Bars
• Snickerdoodle Cookie Bars

I hope you love this delicious and easy recipe – be sure to give it a review below! Also don’t forget to follow Belly Full on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube!