Trader Joe’s Lemon Bars Review

Trader Joe’s lemon bars are well-balanced and tasty, but they don’t punch you in the face with lemon flavor. All 10 taste-testers agreed, these were good but not the best.

Trader Joe’s Lemon Squares

I love a good pucker! And these do not deliver.

When I eat a lemon bar, I want BIG lemon flavor with that sweet-tart magic. These left me wanting more lemon. Since I tend to like my treats a little TOO tart, I brought these to a family party and had everyone try them.

Everyone agreed. These were okay, but nothing to write home about. My sister described them as gelatinous. The kid-friendly rating is higher because the kids liked them with no complaints.

• Rating: 6.5 out of 10
• Kid-friendly rating: 7.5 out of 10

The recipe changed a while back and not for the better! It used to be very lemony and delightful. The new recipe contains lemon oil, which can have an off-putting “medicinal” flavor to it.

Ingredients:

At the time of writing, 12/11/2023, the ingredient list is as follows:

• Lemon Puree (Lemon Juice, Cane Sugar, Lemon Pulp, Lemon Juice Concentrate, Lemon Peel, Lemon Oil)
• Wheat Flour
• Salted Butter (Cream, Salt)
• Cane Sugar
• Sweetened Condensed Milk (Pasteurized Milk, Cane Sugar)
• Fructose
• Sugared Egg Yolks (Egg Yolks, Cane Sugar)
• Powdered Sugar (Cane Sugar, Cornstarch)
• Water
• Cornstarch
• Egg Whites
• Xanthan Gum
• Invert Sugar Syrup
• Coconut Oil
• Natural Flavors
• Baking Powder (Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Sodium Bicarbonate, Cornstarch, Monocalcium Phosphate)
• Sodium Bicarbonate

Always check the label to see if the ingredients have changed, especially if you have food allergies!

Nutrition Facts:

Because the lemon bars are on the smaller side, the calorie count isn’t super high. There’s 6 servings per container with 2 bars per serving.

One 2-bar serving contains:

• Calories – 180
• Total fat – 7 grams
• Saturated fat – 4 grams
• Trans fat – 0 grams
• Cholesterol – 65 mg
• Sodium – 60 mg
• Total carbohydrates – 27 grams
• Dietary fiber – 0 grams
• Total sugars – 20 grams (Includes 10 grams of added sugars)
• Protein – 2 grams

Where to find them:

You can find them in the frozen foods aisle, near the ice cream and frozen treats. They’re in a simple, small white box. Bigger than a baking soda box, but smaller than a box of crackers.

If you can’t find them, they may be out or not restocked yet. I had to ask an employee and she opened a large box from the back for me.

Are they worth it?

A box of Trader Joe’s lemon squares will set you back 4.99. It’s not a bad price, but certainly not the cheapest either.

They’re small and handheld so they’re great for parties, birthdays, baby showers, and bridal showers.

5 out of 10 taste testers said they would buy them again. I personally won’t. I’ll make my own and freeze them.