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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!

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Low Fat Lemon Bars sprinkled with powdered sugar,
Easy Low-Fat Lemon Bars

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.
Making weight watchers low fat lemon bars
Making Lemon Bars

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.

Homemade Low-Fat Lemon Bar for dessert on a stack if white plates topped with powdered sugar.
Low-Fat Lemon Dessert Bar

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.

Weight Watchers Low Fat Lemon Bars
3.87 from 111 votes

WW Low Fat Lemon Bars Recipe

Light and luscious, these low fat lemon bars are a winner. More tart than sweet, each bar has just 113 calories and 5 WW Points – an ideal WW dessert.
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 50 minutes
Total: 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 16
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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

Serving size: 1 lemon bar
WW Points: 6
Check the WW Points for this recipe and track it in the WW app.
(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

Serving: 1lemon bar, Calories: 113kcal, Carbohydrates: 22g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 2g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Trans Fat: 0.1g, Cholesterol: 27mg, Sodium: 46mg, Potassium: 37mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 13g, Vitamin A: 78IU, Vitamin C: 3mg, Calcium: 8mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Tried this recipe?Mention @simplenourishedliving or tag #simplenourishedliving!

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:

About Martha McKinnon

Weight Watchers Lifetime Member, Yoga Practitioner and Blogger who loves to share her passion for trying to create a happy, healthy, balanced life in what often feels like an overwhelming out of control world.

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3.87 from 111 votes (106 ratings without comment)

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28 Comments

  1. 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.

  2. 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?

    1. Hi Nimisha, I’ve never tried them in the slow cooker so I can’t really advise you about time. ~Martha

  3. 5 stars
    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

    1. 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

      1. 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.

  4. 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.

  5. 5 stars
    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.

  6. 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!

    1. 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.

  7. 5 stars
    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

    1. 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