Easy Coconut Lime Bars with Shortbread Crust
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
These tropical-inspired coconut lime bars are such a treat. Bright and citrusy with an irresistible flavor, it is perfect whenever you need to bring a dessert or crave the delicious flavor of tangy, sweet limes. And the pairing with coconut? Oh my, it’s heavenly!
Want to save this recipe?
Enter your email, and we’ll send it to your inbox. Plus, you’ll get delicious new recipes from us every Friday!
Why This Recipe Works
Here are a few reasons this Lime Bars recipe works. Let me share:
- Shortbread crust is easy to make, providing a tender yet dense base for the custardy lime bar filling.
- The lime filling is sweet and tangy, custardy and creamy, and easy to make in one bowl with a spoon.
- Servings are easy to garnish with a thin quarter slice of lime and powdered sugar.
- The flavor is all bright, delicious… and sunny!
Why I Love This Lime Bars Recipe
I love limes any time of the year, especially in food with ties to the Southwest or Mexican cuisine. It’s just a must-have ingredient—and an irresistible one at that!
Limes are well known for their pucker-inducing flavor and acidic taste, which is zesty yet vibrant. How do they compare to lemons? Someone once said that lemons are sour and limes are bitter.
But when you add sweetness (or I might also argue savory flavors), the limes come into their own, bringing a bright and incredible taste to the dish.
And that’s true with these lime bars. I will always be a fan of lemon bars (forever and ever), but lime bars are a totally different dessert altogether. And utterly irreplaceable.
Ingredients for Lime Bars
Here are the ingredients you will need for both the shortbread cookie crust and the lime bar filling. Ingredient measurements are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
For the Shortbread Crust
- All-purpose flour: I’ve not yet tested this recipe using gluten-free flour, but I would imagine that all-purpose GF flour would work well.
- Powdered sugar: While you can use granulated sugar, powdered sugar helps give this cookie layer an irresistible soft, melt-in-your-mouth texture!
- Shredded coconut: You can use coconut flakes, sweetened or unsweetened. I’m using sweetened coconut flakes because that’s what I have on hand, and I love the sweetness it brings to the cookie layer.
- Butter: Both salted and unsalted butter work in this recipe. However, I love the flavor of salted butter for baking, and there isn’t any added salt in the cookie layer.
Lime Bar Filling
- Eggs: I’m using large eggs in this recipe. They bring structure and texture to the bars.
- Granulated sugar: Limes can be a little tart, so sugar helps balance that sweet-tart flavor.
- Shredded coconut: A small amount of coconut flakes adds a depth of flavor to these bars. Use your favorite coconut!
- Baking ingredients: all-purpose flour and baking powder are used for structure and to help the bars set.
- Limes: Both for zest and juice. While you can use bottled juice, the bars benefit greatly from the zest, so you might as well use fresh lime juice. You’ll be so glad you did!
Should I use key limes or regular limes in this recipe?
Either one works equally well. Key limes are delicious and have a more distinctive tart flavor than regular or large limes. However, they are also smaller, requiring more limes to juice and zest. I’m using large, regular limes in this recipe, and they are delicious! To answer the question, use whatever limes you want!
How to Make Lime Bars
Full step-by-step instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post, but this will give you a brief overview of how to make these lime bars.
It begins with the shortbread crust. The batter is easy to make, much like shortbread cookies, and then it is pre-baked for a few minutes to give the bars structure.
Step 1: Make the shortbread
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Then, Combine the flour, powdered sugar, coconut, and butter using a stand or electric mixer. Mix until crumbly, then press into an ungreased 13 x 9-inch baking pan. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until light golden brown.
Step 2: Make the lime filling
Mix the eggs, granulated sugar, coconut, flour, baking powder, lime zest, and juice in a bowl until smooth. Then, pour the filling over the warm, partially baked crust.
Step 3: Bake the bars
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the top is light golden brown. Cool completely for about 1 hour. Before serving, sprinkle powdered sugar over the bars and cut into 36 servings (6 rows by 6).
More Recipes You May Also Love
SAVE THIS AND PIN IT FOR LATER!
If you are not already, you can follow me on Pinterest and keep up with me on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. If you make this recipe, I would love it if you would tag me in your photos and leave a star rating below!
To be notified of new recipes, subscribe to my e-mail list. It’s free, and you’ll also receive a free e-book of our reader’s favorite recipes.
Tropical Lime Bars
Ingredients
Shortbread Crust
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup shredded coconut
- 1 cup butter at room temperature
Lime Filling
- 4 large eggs
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup shredded coconut
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons lime zest About 1 large lime
- 1/4 cup lime juice About 1 large lime
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉.
Shortbread Crust
- In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, mix the flour, powdered sugar, 1/4 cup coconut and butter until crumbly. Press into an ungreased 13×9-inch baking pan. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until light golden brown.
Lime Filling
- Beat the eggs with the granulated sugar, coconut, flour, baking powder, zest, and juice until smooth.
- Pour the filling over the warm, partially baked crust.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the top is light golden brown. Cool completely for about 1 hour. Before serving, sprinkle with powdered sugar and cut into 36 servings (6 rows by 6 rows).
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
I usually try out new recipes before serving them, and this one proved to be a winner. My next tea will be only a few ladies, and theoretically I should have plenty of Tropical Lime Bars left to serve them, but I don’t think that will be the case. These are disappearing fast, and I think I’d best plan on making a second batch!
Hi Erlene! Thank you for trying the lime bars! I’m so glad everyone loved them. I actually made a batch for this weekend as well and like you, they didn’t last long.