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: 179Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 22mgSodium: 172mgCarbohydrates: 25gFiber: 0gSugar: 19gProtein: 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!
Cheryl Anderson
I plan to zest a lime and see how that turns out.
Emily Hill
That sounds amazing!!
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!
Sheri Fahy
Emily, I don’t see your answer to this question. Between the custard and the shredded coconut on top, there IS a layer of white. What is it?
Emily Hill
The yellow layer is the cake mix. The white layer is the sweetened condensed milk with lemon juice and lemon zest!
Rani Kuppusamy
Did you use her recipe for the cake part? The recipe she posted creates a very thick almost crust. Then, the milk layer sits nicely on top even before baking.
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. :)
Christin
I love this recipe. I’d like to try this recipe for charity bake sale, but i dont have the exact size baking dish as yours. Mine is 3.8cm (H) x 19.5cm (W) x 28.5cm (D). I assume the cake mix won’t rise much, Will it be to thick with my pan size?
Emily Hill
That’s about an 8×11-inch pan. While it’s a little smaller, I think it could still work! It will take a little longer to bake, though, so keep an eye on it. I imagine it will need 5-10 more minutes. Good luck!
Donna
I love these! They are just the right amount of sweet and tart. I’m going to make them again and try it with lime juice and zest.
Emily Hill
That sounds absolutely delightful!
Steph
We love anything lemon …
Only a half a cup of butter seems like not enough…they’re cooling, but the crust kind of burst thru the topping in a couple of spots. .. it cooked 26min.
Hope it’s turns out well for Easter!
Emily Hill
The recipe should be correct. I hope they turn out!
SSW
Dying to try but I dislike sweetened condensed milk . Any substitute, please?
Thank you.
Emily Hill
I’m sorry! I don’t know a substitute for that. :(
Dee Dee
Can you use unsalted butter? That’s all I have on hand
Emily Hill
Sure! I would add just a pinch of salt to the recipe and you should be fine!
Renée
These were amazing! And they also freeze well!
Emily Hill
I haven’t tried freezing them so that’s good to know!
Lori
I was gonna make these this morning on my to realize I don’t hav way more lemon juice. Do you think lemon extract could be used?
Emily Hill
I’m not sure but I feel like lemon extract is a bit more concentrated. I did find this post: https://www.purewow.com/food/substitute-for-lemon-juice. Maybe that will help?
Victoria
This is such an easy recipe! I am looking forward to making them but wanted to know if the sweetened condensed milk topping is overbearingly sweet? If so what other options could we do instead? Thanks in advance :)
Emily Hill
I don’t think it is but I tend to like sweeter things. Not sure what another option might be–sorry! I do have another recipe for lemon bars but they’re definitely a bit more work: https://www.halfscratched.com/lemon-bars/.
Lisa R Dorsey
Could you top these with crushed graham crackers? Not fond of coconut. If so should they be added before or after baking?
Emily Hill
That sounds like a great option! I would say add it when you do the coconut, otherwise it may not stick to the top of the bars.