Summer celebrations aren’t complete without these easy Duncan Hines lemon bars! Lemon cake mix, lemon zest, and coconut make this the best lemon bars with cake mix recipe!
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While I much prefer something like this easy chocolate chip brownie cheesecake to lemon bars (chocolate wins over fruit every time), I’m not going to turn down a yummy lemon bars with cake mix recipe.
We usually make this delish lemon bar recipe. And no lie, they are to die for!
But they’re also a bit of work, and sometimes you don’t want to work that hard for a dessert.
That’s where these easy Duncan Hines lemon bars with cake mix come in. And like a lot of the other cake mix recipes on my site, doctored cake mixes can be unbelievably good.
Did I mention they’re also unbelievable easy??
These easy lemon bars using cake mix (a.k.a. sunshine lemon bars) require only five ingredients, but I added some lemon zest (a good zester like this Deiss zester is a must!) and coconut for kicks and giggles.
And those additions totally paid off!
Well, for me anyway—Olivia doesn’t like coconut and that meant I could eat her share.
I served these cake mix lemon bars for Father’s Day because Nathan loves citrus-flavored desserts. My easy key lime pie is a total favorite!
He and everyone else at the gathering raved about these Duncan Hines lemon bars. And then my neighbor raved after we dropped off a plate to her home later that day.
And guess what? I totally loved these easy lemon bars too! This from a girl who is all about crunchy peanut butter no-bake cookies and salted caramel bars.
These Duncan Hines lemon bars with cake mix are sure to become your new favorite lemon dessert!
Easy Lemon Bars with Cake Mix
Summer celebrations aren't complete without these easy lemon bars! Lemon cake mix, lemon zest, and coconut make this the best lemon bar recipe!
Ingredients
- 1 box lemon cake mix (preferably Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe)
- 1/2 cup salted butter, melted
- 1 egg
- 1 (14-oz) can sweetened condensed milk
- 1/2 cup lemon juice
- 1/2 T lemon zest
- 1/4 cup sweetened shredded coconut (or to taste)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking pan with cooking spray; set aside.
- Combine lemon cake mix, butter, and egg in a large bowl; mix until thoroughly combined. (Batter will be thick!) Spread mixture evenly into bottom of baking pan.
- Whisk together sweetened condensed milk, lemon juice, and lemon zest in a medium bowl. Pour over top of cake mixture. Sprinkle with coconut.
- Bake 25 to 28 minutes or until set. Cool completely before cutting into squares.
Notes
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 24 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 179 Total Fat: 7g Saturated Fat: 4g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 1g Cholesterol: 22mg Sodium: 172mg Carbohydrates: 25g Fiber: 0g Sugar: 19g Protein: 2g
Julie
I’ve never had lemon bars like these before – I particularly loved the topping!
Emily Hill
I love them because they’re so easy!
Sarah
We are team no coconut as well but these were amazing with out the coconut.
Emily Hill
We can still be friends even if you’re team no coconut. :)
Allyson
These look so tasty! What a great idea to use box mix!
Emily Hill
It definitely makes them easier but still full of yummy lemon flavor. :)
DiNo
When is the coconut added ?
Emily Hill
Good catch! I sprinkle it on top before baking. I’ll update the recipe. Thank you!
MARY ANN
can i freeze these ahead of time
Emily Hill
I’ve never tried freezing ahead of time. Wish I could be of more help! I bet you could freeze after baking, though!
Patty
Do you have to use the lemon zest? I would like to make them tomorrow and have all ingredients except real lemons for the zest. I plan on using lemon juice from the bottle for this recipe.
Thank you!!
Emily Hill
Nope! You can totally make these without the lemon zest. Let me know how they turn out!
Ashley F
The lemon flavor is out of this worl!
Emily Hill
I think so too!
Lisa
I like to substitute apple sauce for eggs when baking. Can I bsubstitute apple sauce for the egg in this recipe?
Emily Hill
I haven’t tried it in this recipe so I can’t be certain. But it’s worth a shot!
Yvette
I just made these today without the coconut and they’re cooling now. But they don’t look like your picture the top is not white? I of course haven’t cooked them yet but I don’t see that don’t be a layered look. Am I missing a topping other than the condensed milk lemon and lemon zest I poured on top of it before I baked it?
Emily Hill
I’m sorry they don’t seem to be working out. You mentioned that they’re cooling but then later say you haven’t cooked them yet, so I’m a little confused. Did you mix the cake mix, butter, and egg first and spread it into the pan and then whisk together the sweetened condensed milk, lemon juice, and lemon zest and pour on top before baking?
Yvette
Sorry voice text got the Best of me. I meant I haven’t cut them yet. They are baked and are cooling. They do not at all look like the picture. I followed the recipe exactly except the coconut. The top is not white and although not cut yet, doesn’t seem to be a layered look. Did you put some type of icing on them?
Pat Mentel
Some people sprinkle powdered sugar on top….
Emily Hill
That sounds so delish!
Colleen
Do you know if any changes need to be made for high altitude?
Emily Hill
I live in Utah at a pretty high altitude and haven’t tweaked it, so I think you’d be safe. I wish I could be sure, though. Sorry I’m not more help!
Emily
I made these for a bake sale fundraiser at my daughter’s high school and they were such a hit that I’m now asked to make them for every home game! I omit the coconut and add a graham cracker crust. It’s a little tricky to spread the batter over the graham crackers but I find that if I spoon on the batter in clumps then heat it up slightly, I can smooth the batter over the graham better. When they are cut and cooled I fold parchment paper squares around each one.
Emily Hill
Oh my gosh, the graham cracker crust sounds like a delicious tweak! Love it!
Pam
After baking should these be refrigerator?
Emily Hill
We’ve never refrigerated them but they haven’t lasted longer than a day or so on our counter. They’re just too good!
Donna
Do you grease your pan before spreading batter?
Emily Hill
You can but I don’t very often with this one. There’s some good butter in the batter that seems to help keep it from sticking to the sides of the pan. :)
Sandy Gilbertson
Is the frosting a cream cheese frosting?
Emily Hill
Nope. There is no cream cheese listed in the recipe. It is a combination of sweetened condensed milk and a couple other ingredients. :)