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When I’m craving something bright, tangy, and sweet—but not heavy—these WW Low-Fat Lemon Bars are my go-to dessert. I first discovered them in the Weight Watchers New Complete Cookbook (affiliate link) and immediately fell in love.
They’re everything a lemon bar should be: a tender, buttery crust topped with a tart, silky lemon layer that practically melts in your mouth. Nobody will ever guess they’re lightened up!
I often bake a double batch in a 9×13-inch pan to take to potlucks or parties, and they disappear fast. Rod devoured two before I could even pack them up!

Why I Love This Recipe
- Tart, fresh flavor — real lemon juice and zest make these taste bakery-fresh.
- Light and low fat — all the flavor of classic lemon bars with less butter and sugar.
- Crowd-pleasing — a party favorite that even non-WW guests love.
- Make-ahead friendly — they chill beautifully and slice cleanly when cold.
- Perfect for spring and summer — bright, citrusy, and refreshing!
How Many Calories and WW Points in these Lemon Bars?
According to my calculations, each serving has:
- Calories: 113
- WW Points: 6
To see your WW Points for this recipe, track it in the WW App!
(You must be logged into WW on a smartphone or tablet.) - Old Points: 3 PointsPlus

Ingredients and Substitutions
- All-purpose flour, divided – forms the base and helps thicken the filling. You can use white whole wheat flour for extra fiber.
- Cornmeal – adds subtle texture and a golden crust.
- Baking powder – helps the crust rise slightly and stay light.
- Salt – enhances all the flavors.
- Eggs and egg white – give the filling structure without extra fat.
- Water – keeps the crust tender.
- Butter, softened – use light butter or a blend for fewer calories.
- Granulated sugar, divided – sweetens both crust and filling.
- Lemon zest – don’t skip it! Adds intense lemon aroma and flavor.
- Fresh lemon juice – about 4 lemons. Bottled juice just doesn’t compare.
- Confectioners’ sugar – for a pretty finishing dusting.
How To Make WW Lightened Up Lemon Bars
Step 1: Gather and Prep your ingredients.
Step 2: Prepare your pan. Position an oven rack in the center of the oven. Heat the oven to 350F degrees. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with foil, allowing the foil to extend over the rim by 2 inches. Spray the foil with non-stick spray.
Step 3: Make the crust:
- In a small bowl (affiliate link), whisk together 2/3 cup of the flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt until well blended; then set it aside.
- In another small bowl (affiliate link), beat together the eggs and egg white.
- Take 1 tablespoon of the egg mixture and place it in a cup, along with the teaspoon of water, and stir it together. Set aside both egg mixtures.
- With an electric mixer (affiliate link) on low speed, beat the butter in a medium bowl until creamy. Add 1/4 cup of the granulated sugar and beat until blended. Beat in the egg-water mixture. Add the flour mixture and beat until blended. (The dough will be crumbly.)
- Press the dough mixture evenly onto the bottom and 1/4-inch up the sides of the foil-lined pan. Bake until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes.

Step 4: Make the filling while the crust bakes:
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the remaining 1/3 cup flour and 3/4 cup granulated sugar. Whisk in the remaining egg mixture until blended. Add the lemon zest and lemon juice and whisk until well blended.
- Remove the crust from the oven and place on a rack. Reduce the oven temperature to 300F degrees. Pour the lemon mixture over the hot crust. Bake until the filling is set, 20 to 25 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Refrigerate until cold, at least 1 hour and up to 8 hours.
- When ready to serve, sprinkle the chilled bars with confectioners’ sugar. Use the foil to lift the slab of bars from the pan. Cut into 16 even squares.
These WW Low Fat Lemon Bars would be perfect whenever you want a special light and luscious dessert.

Serving Suggestions
- Serve chilled for a firm, refreshing treat.
- Sprinkle with powdered sugar or a few fresh raspberries.
- For a fancier dessert, top with a dollop of light whipped cream.
- Pair with coffee or tea for an elegant afternoon pick-me-up.
Storage and Leftovers
- Refrigerator: Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
- Freezer: Freeze individually wrapped squares for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before serving.
- Tip: Dust with confectioners’ sugar after thawing or serving for the best look.
If you like these WW Low-Fat Lemon Bars, be sure to check out my other easy, healthy Weight Watchers friendly recipes: Lemon Coconut Tea Cake, Low Fat Lemon Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins, Lightened Up Lemon Cream Cheesecake Bars, Savory Lemon Rosemary Blueberry Bread, No Bake Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake, Pink Lemonade Bundt Cake, Slow Cooker Lemon Cake and Slow Cooker Lemon Poppyseed Cake
If you’ve made this Low-Fat Lemon Bars, please give the recipe a star rating below and leave a comment letting me know how you liked it. And stay in touch on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for the latest updates.

WW Low Fat Lemon Bars Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, divided use
- 1/4 cup cornmeal
- 1/8 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 large egg white
- 1 teaspoon water
- 2 tablespoons butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar, divided use
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1/2 cup lemon juice (about 4 lemons)
- 1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar
Instructions
- Position an oven rack in the center of the oven. Heat the oven to 350F degrees. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with foil, allowing the foil to extend over the rim by 2 inches. Spray the foil with non-stick spray.
To make the crust:
- In a small bowl, whisk together 2/3 cup of the flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt until well blended; then set it aside.
- In another small bowl, beat together the eggs and egg white.
- Take 1 tablespoon of the egg mixture and place it in a cup, along with the teaspoon of water, and stir it together. Set aside both egg mixtures.
- With an electric mixer (affiliate link) on low speed, beat the butter in a medium bowl until creamy. Add 1/4 cup of the granulated sugar and beat until blended. Beat in the egg-water mixture. Add the flour mixture and beat until blended. (The dough will be crumbly.)
- Press the dough mixture evenly onto the bottom and 1/4-inch up the sides of the foil-lined pan. Bake until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes.
Make the filling while the crust bakes:
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the remaining 1/3 cup flour and 3/4 cup granulated sugar. Whisk in the remaining egg mixture until blended. Add the lemon zest and lemon juice and whisk until well blended.
- Remove the crust from the oven and place on a rack. Reduce the oven temperature to 300F degrees. Pour the lemon mixture over the hot crust. Bake until the filling is set, 20 to 25 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Refrigerate until cold, at least 1 hour and up to 8 hours.
- When ready to serve, sprinkle the chilled bars with confectioners’ sugar. Use the foil to lift the slab of bars from the pan. Cut into 16 even squares.
Notes
(You must be logged into WW on a smartphone or tablet.) 3 PointsPlus (Old plan) More tart than sweet, tangy and refreshing, these are definitely my go-to lemon bars from now on. Nobody will ever guess they are low fat.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Source: Weight Watchers New Complete Cookbook, Fifth Edition (affiliate link)
For a quicker, easier option, check out this healthy lightened up 5-ingredient lemon bars video from Mind Over Munch:
More Weight Watchers Friendly Lemon Recipes
If you like these WW Low Fat Lemon Bars you’ll love:
- Lemon Blueberry Bars
A soft, fruity bar with just the right balance of sweet and tart. - No Bake Lemon Strawberry Pie
Cool, creamy, and bursting with flavor—no oven required! - WW Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Yogurt Bark
A high-protein frozen treat that satisfies any cheesecake craving. - Lightened Up Lemon Cream Cheesecake Bars
Creamy, dreamy lemon cheesecake flavor in a lighter bar form that uses a cake mix. - Creamy Lemon Triple Berry Fool
A quick and elegant layered dessert of creamy yogurt and berries.





Instead of foil, can I use baking parchment?
Sure, parchment should work fine.
Thank you, Martha for this reduced fat lemon bar recipe. Lemon is one food item that I really love so I look forward to making this recipe.
Hi
I wanted to know if these could be made in a slow cooker ? If so how much time do you think the crust n second time with filling would take?
Hi Nimisha, I’ve never tried them in the slow cooker so I can’t really advise you about time. ~Martha
Hello Martha-I have to say I was skeptical. I have tried making reduced fat/sugar lemon bars in the past with horrible results. Not the case with your recipe! YUM a perfect tartness, easy to assemble, great texture and flavor. I will be making these again and again. Wondering if anyone has tried freezing the bars, and if so, their results? Thank you
Hi Debby, Glad you liked them! I felt the same way when I first made them 🙂 Haven’t tried freezing. If you do would love to have you let us know how it works! – Martha
Wanted to let you know I finally had some lemon bars to freeze (froze some before we ate them all this time). They tasted just fine after being frozen.
Thanks for letting by know Debby. ~M
Has anyone ever tried a sugar free or reduced sugar like Truvia or Stevia baking mix? I love lemon bars but am diabetic and was just wondering.
I used Splenda and it works fine.
Thanks for letting us know Rhonda. ~Martha
These lemon bars are absolutely delicious, nice and tart! I did add about a teaspoon of additional water and the left over egg yolk to the crust so that it would be more moist and pressable.
Hi Star, Thanks for letting us know!
Any idea what the calories and carbs drop to by using Splenda instead of sugar? Thanks!
I punched the stats into the Weight Watcher’s calculator and come up with 5 Smart points per square if anyone is interested. I do love lemon bars!
Thanks Laura!
not certain if the added teaspoon of water should be put in the cup or the bowl.
Hi Barb, You add the teaspoon of water into the cup with the tablespoon of egg, which ultimately gets added to the crust mixture. I’ve updated the instructions so hopefully they are more clear. Hope this helps.
Oh dear I did it the other way around for the crust! Just caught it and am adding extra egg to the top.
Hi Martha
Thank you for sharing. Love to make this recipe. Just one question, could I use Lemon Curd for the topping of the base?
Many thanks
Sabine
Hi Sabine,
I’ve never tried it with lemon curd. Since it’s already cooked, I think you might be able to bake the crust and then spread it with the lemon curd and let it cool, no second bake required. This is only a thought. Let me know how it works, if you try it. – Martha