These naturally sweetened lemon bars are delicious and full of lemon flavor! They’re also free of eggs and refined sugar, and can easily be made dairy-free and gluten-free as well!
I am a BIG fan of chocolate desserts…chocolate cake, brownies, you name it, I probably love it! But, if you give me the choice between a slice of chocolate cake and a lemon bar, nine times out of ten, I’ll pick the lemon bar!
Lemon desserts are my weakness (which you can probably tell by all of the lemon recipes I have here on the blog!) and lemon bars are definitely on my list of faves!
These lemon bars are naturally sweetened, free of eggs and can be made gluten-free and dairy-free as well!
- Naturally Sweetened: I used a combo of maple syrup and honey in the curd, coconut sugar in the crust. Using all maple syrup will make these vegan friendly. Granulated sugar, although not refined sugar free, will work as well!
- Egg Free: Instead of eggs, I use cornstarch to thicken the curd in these bars. Coconut milk/cream also helps the bars firm up when chilled. I haven’t tried with any other thickeners, so if you give these a try with arrowroot powder or tapioca starch let me know how it goes!
- Gluten-Free: These bars can easily be made gluten-free by using a gluten-free flour blend in place of the all-purpose flour. I like King Arthur Measure for Measure Gluten-Free Flour Blend or Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Flour Blend.
- Dairy-Free: Using dairy-free butter or coconut oil in the crust will make these totally dairy-free!
These bars are not super sweet, but not overly tart either. If you prefer it less sweet, you could omit the additional two tablespoons of maple syrup. Likewise, if you prefer them more sweet, add an additional 2 tablespoons to make it a full cup of maple syrup/honey.
These lemon bars need chill time to fully firm up. Just like full-fat coconut milk hardens in the fridge, the coconut milk in these bars also helps them firm up when chilled. Because of this, I don’t recommend subbing the canned coconut milk/coconut cream for any other milk.
These bars are simple to make and delicious! Please let me know how it goes if you give them a try! Enjoy 🙂
You may also enjoy these similar recipes:
- These Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon Frosting are bursting with citrusy flavor! They’re also vegan friendly and include a gluten free option as well!
- These creamy and delicious Vegan No-Bake Lemon Raspberry Bars are free of eggs, grains, gluten, dairy, and refined sugar. They’re a wholesome treat you can enjoy all summer long.
- This lightly sweetened Lemon Yogurt Bundt Cake is perfectly tender, very moist, and bursting with lemon flavor. It’s also free of dairy and eggs, with a gluten free and refined sugar free option.
- These Healthier Lemon-Blackberry Bars are a perfect balance of tart and sweet. They’re also gluten, dairy, & refined sugar free!
Naturally Sweetened Lemon Bars
- Total Time: 56 minutes
- Yield: 9–16 bars 1x
Description
These lemon bars are delicious and full of lemon flavor! They’re also free of eggs and refined sugar, and can easily be made dairy-free and gluten-free as well!
Ingredients
Crust:
1 cup all-purpose flour or gluten-free all-purpose flour blend
1/4 cup coconut sugar or other granulated sugar
pinch salt
1/2 cup regular/dairy-free butter or coconut oil, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Lemon Filling:
7 tablespoons corn starch
2/3 cup lemon juice (4–5 lemons)
3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons maple syrup and/or honey (I used a combo of both. You can also use 1 1/4 cup granulated sugar)
Pinch of salt
1 1/3 cup full-fat canned coconut milk or coconut cream (firm up more when you use mostly the white cream)
1–2 teaspoons lemon zest, optional
A few drops of natural yellow food coloring or pinch of turmeric, optional
Instructions
To make the crust:
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease an 8-inch square pan and line with parchment paper for easy removal later.
In a medium bowl, stir together crust ingredients—flour, sugar, and salt. Stir in melted butter and vanilla; mix until combined.
Press crust mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven for 18 mins, until lightly browned. Remove and let cool.
To make the filling:
In a medium bowl or large measuring cup, mix together cornstarch and lemon juice until smooth. Stir in sweetener, salt, and coconut milk. Strain mixture through a sieve and into a medium saucepan. Stir in lemon zest and food coloring/turmeric.
Place saucepan over medium heat and whisk until mixture begins to thicken. As it heats up, it will turn into a thick curd, almost pudding like. This process takes several minutes. If it still hasn’t thickened after 5–7 minutes, turn up the heat and stir constantly until it begins to thicken.
Spread lemon curd evenly over crust and bake 18 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack before covering and placing into the fridge to chill completely, at least a few hours, preferably overnight. Bars should be completely chilled before slicing and serving. Makes 9 large or 16 smaller bars.
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 36 mins
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