If you’ve never made an easy dessert with just two ingredients, this angel food cake mix recipe is about to become your new go-to. These 2-Ingredient Lemon Bars use nothing but a box of angel food cake mix and a can of lemon pie filling! No eggs, no oil, no butter, no mixer. Just stir, spread, and bake for a light, chewy, tangy-sweet lemon bar that tastes as if it came from a bakery.
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Why This Recipe Works
Angel food cake mix already contains egg whites and leavening, which is exactly why it works so well as a “cheat” base for bar recipes. You don’t need to add any wet ingredients at all. When it’s combined with canned pie filling, the mix soaks up moisture as it bakes, puffing up into a light, slightly chewy bar with a golden top.
It’s a genuinely foolproof recipe. There are no eggs to worry about curdling, and no butter to cream. If you can stir two ingredients together in a bowl, you can make this.
Make It Extra Lemony (Optional)
Want a bigger lemon punch? Here are two easy add-ins that take this from “good” to “wow”:
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest stirred into the batter for a brighter, more natural citrus flavor
- 1–2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice added to the mix for extra tang (add gradually! A little goes a long way with only two other ingredients)
Both are optional, but if you love a bold lemon flavor, I’d recommend at least the zest.
Is This Recipe Weight Watchers Friendly?
This recipe is a longtime favorite in the Weight Watchers community, and it’s easy to see why: there’s no added oil, butter, or eggs, which makes it naturally lighter than a traditional lemon bar recipe. Angel food cake mix already contains egg whites and leavening, so you’re not adding any extra fat to get a light, fluffy texture.
If you follow Weight Watchers, I’d recommend running this recipe through the official WW Recipe Builder with your specific brand of cake mix and pie filling to get an accurate points value for your plan, since points can vary based on product and serving size.
Tips for the Best Lemon Bars
- Use a metal or light-colored pan rather than dark nonstick. Dark pans can cause the edges to brown too quickly before the center sets. I used a 9X13 pan you can grab with my Walmart referral link HERE.
- Don’t overmix. Stir just until the pie filling and cake mix are combined; overmixing can deflate the texture the angel food cake mix is supposed to bring.
- Let them cool completely before cutting. These bars firm up as they cool, and slicing too early will give you a gooey (though still delicious) mess.
- Dust with powdered sugar right before serving for a bakery-style finish.
- Store leftovers in the fridge since the lemon filling stays fresh longer chilled, though they’re also great at room temp the day they’re made.
2-Ingredient Lemon Bars with Angel Food Cake Mix (So Easy!)
🍋 2-Ingredient Lemon Bars with Angel Food Cake Mix
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 30
- Total Time: 40
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1 box angel food cake mix (Just Add Water)
- 1 can lemon pie filling
Optional:
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon zest
- 1–2 tbsp fresh lemon juice (for extra lemon flavor)
- Powdered sugar
Instructions
1️⃣Preheat oven to 350°F and lightly grease an 8×8 baking pan. I used 9X13 pan you can grab with my Walmart referral link HERE.
2️⃣ In a bowl, stir together the cake mix and pie filling (add zest/juice here if using) until just combined. Don’t overmix
3️⃣ Spread the batter evenly into the pan
4️⃣ Bake 25-30 minutes, until the top is golden and the center is set
5️⃣ Let cool completely before slicing (they will flatten and firm up as they cool!).
6️⃣ Dust with powdered sugar and enjoy 🍋
Notes
🍋🫐 I topped mine with yogurt & blueberries.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use a different pie filling? Yes! This is the base recipe! Cherry, blueberry, apple, and pumpkin pie filling all work with the same 2-ingredient method.
Why did my bars turn out dense instead of light and fluffy? This usually means the mix was overstirred, or a dark baking pan caused uneven baking. Stir gently and check your pan.
Do I have to add the lemon zest and juice? No, the base recipe with just cake mix and pie filling is already lemony and delicious. The zest and juice are purely optional if you want more citrus flavor.
Can I double this recipe for a 9×13 pan? Yes, just double both ingredients and adjust the bake time slightly longer, checking for a golden top and set center.
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