Simple lemon bars with a shortbread crust, a sweet tea-infused lemon filling, and fresh mint!
A lemony glaze rests on top! A refreshingly simple dessert!
Lemon iced tea is a favorite so it’s not hard to see why these dessert bars would be so special as well. Made with a simple recipe and using a delicious brew of sweet tea, every bite is refreshing and perfect for summer. Serve these up to impress the guests or keep them all to yourself (you know you’ll want to). This recipe makes a lot of delicious squares perfect for that lemon tea craving you’re having.
Made with basic ingredients you will never look at lemon bars or your favorite bottled sweet tea the same way again! This dessert is truly a blend of harmony in every sweet bite.
Easy Lemon Bars
The crust for the bars is a very easy shortbread crust; just like the base of my Chocolate Caramel Shortbread bars. It will look crumbly when you pat it into your pan, but it will bake up perfectly. The filling is all about the tea! I used Pure Leaf with Lemon in place of all lemon juice in traditional lemon bars, then I added an oversized spoonful of fresh mint. While a dusting of powdered sugar on top would be sufficient, I decided to go all out and boost the citrus in these lemon bars by adding a lemony glaze. Each bite bursts with flavor.
Ingredients
Crust
- Butter
- Granulated sugar
- All-purpose flour
Filling
- Eggs
- All-purpose flour
- Sweetened condensed milk
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Pure Leaf Iced Tea with Lemon
- Lemon juice
- Lemon zest
- Fresh mint
Glaze
- Powdered sugar
- Lemon juice
- Lemon sweet tea
For the exact amounts needed, please see the recipe card below.
How to Make Sweet Tea Lemon Bars
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
- Cream together the butter and sugar in a medium-sized bowl. Mix in the flour until combined. The dough will be crumbly as you press it into the bottom of an 8×8 square baking dish.
- Bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until golden in color.
- Remove from the oven and then let cool while you prepare your filling.
- In a small bowl, whisk the eggs and milk together.
- Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt until combined.
- Add in the tea, lemon juice, lemon zest, and fresh mint.
- Pour the filling over the top of the crust.
- Return the bars to the oven and bake for another 18-20 minutes or until set.
- Remove from the oven and let cool completely.
- When the bars have cooled, combine the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and tea.
- Pour the glaze over the top of the cooled bars, spread it out to smooth the top.
- Keep the bars in the fridge until ready to slice and serve.
FAQs
How long are lemon tea bars good for?
These bars can be left stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. I recommend eating them within 2 or 3 days for the best tasting results. You may eat them cold but they taste great after you let them sit for just a few minutes at room temperature to soften so that they are still slightly chilled but not super hard and chewy.
What tea works well for this recipe?
You can use homemade brewed tea or a bottle of your favorite tea. I enjoy using the Pure Life brand as it’s not too strong or too weak and leaves a great but slightly subtle taste in every square. If you home brew your own tea you can adjust how much tea flavor you want or do not want in these bars but I recommend sticking with plain black tea or even plain green tea if you think you would enjoy that taste more.
Can I freeze lemon tea squares?
Yes, these bars can be made and then frozen for up to 3 months. I recommend not adding a glaze until ready to serve as it just makes it less messy but you can freeze it after it’s been glazed if desired.
Check out these other delicious lemon recipes
- Lemon Ricotta Zucchini Pancakes
- Lemon Cucumber Detox Water
- The BEST Lemon Pie
- Blueberry Vodka Lemonade
- Bird’s Nest Lemon Bundt Cake
- Olive Oil and Lemon Zucchini Cookies
- Lemon Crumb Cake Recipe
Sweet Tea Lemon Bars
Simple lemon bars with shortbread crust, a sweet tea infused lemon filling and fresh mint! A lemony glaze rests on top!
Ingredients
Shortbread crust
- 2/3 cup butter, softened
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 1/4 cup flour
Lemon Filling
- 2 eggs
- 3/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
- 2 teaspoons flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup Pure Leaf Iced Tea with Lemon
- juice from 1 lemon
- zest from 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon fresh mint, finely chopped
Lemon Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- juice from 2 lemons (or 2-3 tablespoons)
- 1 tablespoon Lemon sweet tea
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Mix in flour. Dough will be crumbly as you press into an 8 x 8 square-baking dish. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden. Remove from oven and let cool while your prepare the filling.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk. Stir in the flour, baking powder and salt. Add tea, lemon juice, zest and finally fresh mint. Pour over baked crust. Return bars to oven and bake for 18-20 minutes or until set. Remove and let cool completely.
- When bars have cooled, combine powdered sugar, lemon juice and tea. Pour glaze over cooled bars, spreading to smooth.
- Keep bars refrigerated
Nutrition Information
Yield
12Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 302Total Fat 13gSaturated Fat 8gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 4gCholesterol 65mgSodium 184mgCarbohydrates 44gFiber 1gSugar 31gProtein 4g
How to Philosophize with Cake says
Those look delicious! I love lemon bars on their own, but I imagine they are even better with sweet tea added. 🙂
Lemonsforlulu says
The tea was perfect! Thank you!
Lisa @ Garnish with Lemon says
Love these bars! I’m one of those who drinks black coffee and tea, but love the idea of baking with it!
Julie says
I love cooking and baking with tea! What a great idea to use lemon tea in place of lemon juice here!
Lemonsforlulu says
Thank you Julie! I was really happy with the tea!
Becca @ Crumbs and Chaos says
These bars look super, Tanya! I’m a sucker for anything lemon 🙂
Kirsten/ComfortablyDomestic says
I love lemon bars in any form! I can certainly get behind the idea of adding sweet tea to the mix.
Lemonsforlulu says
The sweet tea totally works! Thanks Kirsten!
Marion@Life Tastes Good says
Sweet Tea and Lemon – two of my favorite things! These look delicious, Tanya!! I’m pinning so I can make soon! Thanks for sharing, and I will look for the Pure Leaf Tea in my store. I haven’t tried it yet.
Ami@NaiveCookCooks says
This is such an interesting idea! Sweet tea in lemon bars!! Genius!
Lemonsforlulu says
Thank you Ami!
Marly says
Holy sweet tea, these look fabulous!
Matt Robinson says
First of all, your pictures are always amazing. Really. And these sweet tea lemon bars look incredible, what a perfect treat for summer!
Jocelyn @BruCrew Life says
Drink black coffee and plain tea? No way!!! Give me the sweet stuff all the way 😉 I absolutely love that you added sweet tea to these lemon bars. What a fun twist to a classic!!!
Jaren (Diary of a Recipe Collector) says
I LOVE my sweet iced tea! These bars sound great!
Lemonsforlulu says
Thank you Jaren!
Erin | The Law Student's Wife says
LOVE this twist on lemon bars and what a fabulous cause!
Lemonsforlulu says
Thank you Erin!
Nicole says
This is a really awesome idea, Tanya! Sweet Tea Lemon Bars … Genius!
Lemonsforlulu says
Thank you Nicole!
Jessica @ A Kitchen Addiction says
What a great use for sweet tea! Such a fun bar!
Lemonsforlulu says
Thanks Jessica!
Heather @ Sugar Dish Me says
Okay so you are basically the smartest person alive. I have been making sweet tea my whole life and never thought to put it in
Lemon Bars. You made Arnold Palmer Bars!!!! You get 10 gold stars for that.
I used to live up north and people cracked me up because they all order unsweetened tea (it’s basically all most places serve, but the customers are VERY specific anyway and say they want their tea UNsweet), but THEN they dump like 10 sugar packets into the tea and try to stir it but the sugar all floats to the bottom because it’s cold and that’s science. Sweet tea is WHERE IT’s AT! And these bars are perfect.
Kellyl says
These bars look amazing Tanya! I love anything lemon and adding sweet tea is such a great idea!
Heather @ French Press says
what a creative way to use tea 🙂 love it
Julie @ Julie's Eats & Treats says
Mmmm I have a new found love for Sweet Tea too! I never thought of baking with it. Clever you are! These look delicious!
Cathy@LemonTreeDwelling says
The addition of sweet tea sounds AMAZING….like I need to try these STAT!!
Lemonsforlulu says
Thank you Cathy!