Bright and tart vegan gluten-free lemon bars - made with an egg-free lemon curd filling and a crisp gluten-free shortbread crust. No one will be able to resist the lusciously vibrant no-bake lemon filling. These lemon squares are perfect for potlucks, parties, or bake sales!
This post is sponsored by Andronico's Community Markets, a year-long partner of Snixy Kitchen, but the opinions are all my own.
If there was a quintessential summer dessert podium, lemon bars would be sharing the top spot with strawberry shortcake. These vegan gluten-free lemon bars are gold medal worthy.
A crisp almond flour shortbread crust topped with a refreshingly bright eggless vegan lemon curd. Each bite is a perfect balance between tart and sweet - the creamy texture giving way to a sturdy but tender crust.
Lemon squares are a classic potluck or dessert table treat. And for good reason. These tangy handheld bars are sure to add sunshine to anyone's day. Here we're taking a vintage classic and making it vegan and gluten-free friendly without sacrificing even an ounce of that sunshine.
Inspired by my friend Alanna's lemon bars styling, get funky and decorate each bar differently if your heart desires. It's a scientific fact* that the whimsy adds to the amount of sunshine in each bite.
*Science = I just said that, but it sounds right.
Ingredients for Vegan Gluten-Free Lemon Bars
If you're in the Bay Area, you've likely got a lemon tree (or a very generous neighbor who shares their crop!). So all you need to do is head over to your local Andronico's Community Market to grab everything else you need! Andronico's carries a variety of gluten-free flours and organic baking ingredients - they even have their own store-brand plant butter and coconut oil, both of which work in this crisp gluten-free crust. And if you don't have lemons, they've got those too.
Here's a list of all the recipes I've made in partnership with Andronico's this past year and a half.
For the vegan gluten-free lemon bars crust, you'll need:
- Superfine blanched almond flour
- Sweet rice flour (also called "Mochiko" - distinctly different from brown rice flour or white rice flour!)
- Corn starch
- Sugar
- Salt
- Cold plant butter or refined coconut oil
- Vanilla extract
For the eggless vegan lemon curd filling, you'll need:
- Sugar
- Corn starch
- Fresh lemon juice
- Full-fat canned coconut milk
- Salt
- Turmeric (for color)
- Lemon zest
- Optional, for serving: powdered sugar and lemon slices
How to make vegan gluten-free lemon bars
With no need to bake the lemon curd filling, these lemon bars are super simple to assemble.
- Bake the vegan gluten-free shortbread crust: Mix together the crust until it turns into crumbles that hold together when pinched, then press it into your prepared metal baking pan, bake, and cool.
- Make the lemon curd filling: When the crust has cooled for at least 20 minutes, prepare the lemon curd. Whisk and cook the curd ingredients (minus the turmeric and lemon zest) in a saucepan until bubbling, then cook 3-4 more minutes until thickened to the consistency of runny yogurt. Whisk in the turmeric and lemon zest.
- Assemble: Pour the filling into the crust and chill for at least 2 hours until set.
- Serve: Remove from the pan and with a sharp knife, slice into 16 bars, wiping the knife between cuts. Just before serving, dust generously with powdered sugar if desired, or top with decorative lemon slices.
Vegan gluten-Free Shortbread crust
This vegan gluten-free shortbread crust works with either plant butter, such as Open Nature's Plant-Based Buttery Spread, or coconut oil. For the latter, I recommend using refined coconut oil, which has a mild neutral flavor and won't overpower the lemon flavor. The difference is subtle, with the coconut oil version being ever-so-slightly more delicate and crumbly when sliced than the plant butter version. And if you're not vegan or dairy-intolerant, unsalted butter works too.
For a sturdy yet tender and crisp gluten-free lemon bars crust, this recipe uses a trio of flours.
- Almond flour: Almond flour creates a crumbly texture and subtle nuttiness that's reminiscent of traditional shortbread. As a high-protein flour, it helps hold the dough together, while also browning and crisping in the oven.
- Substitution: I would only recommend subbing in hazelnut flour by weight in place of the almond flour, but note that your crust will have a stronger nutty flavor that might compete with the tangy lemon curd filling.
- Sweet rice flour: Sweet rice flour helps bind the shortbread together so it doesn't fall apart when sliced or picked up. Also called "Mochiko," sweet rice flour is the most difficult flour to substitute in gluten-free baking and I don’t recommend it. It’s the magic weapon for gluten-free baking as its stickiness helps to bind your baked goods together. Despite its name, sweet rice flour is not sweet. Rather it's the same flour used to make mochi, thus it's ability to help bind your crust together. Note: Sweet rice flour is different than white rice flour or brown rice flour - using either of these will result in a grainy crumbly crust.
- Substitution: In a pinch, you can substitute the sweet rice flour by weight with tapioca flour or Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 baking flour, but your results will vary.
- Corn starch: Corn starch ensures the crust stays crisp and tender to the bite. Traditional shortbread cookies are made with white rice flour rather than corn starch to give them that light snappy texture. I've tested the recipe both ways and they were nearly identical, so I kept cornstarch as it's more readily available.
- Substitution: Feel free to substitute the corn starch with white rice flour by weight.
Graham cracker crust option
Want to keep it even simpler? Swap out the crust for this gluten-free graham cracker crust - with vegan and dairy-free options. Rather than pressing into a pie pan, press it into the bottom of a parchment-lined metal 8x8 square baking pan, baking for just 8 minutes as directed in the graham cracker crust recipe. Let cool then fill as you would the shortbread crust!
Eggless Lemon Curd
The idea for these vegan lemon bars came from Hawaiian haupia pudding. I've baked haupia as a coconut tart filling before, so I replaced some of the coconut milk with lemon juice for an eggless lemon curd recipe. The result is even better than I expected - a zesty lemon filling with a just-set creamy texture.
Do these bars taste like coconut?
Nope! The tangy sweet lemon flavor is the shining star here. My kid is a coconut-flavor hater with a super-taster ability to detect it in just about anything, but she devoured these lemon bars without even noticing!
Can you make these lemon bars in advance?
These gluten-free vegan lemon bars can be made a few days in advance. Since they need to chill to set up anyhow, leave them in the pan in the fridge, covered with plastic wrap, until ready to serve. These lemon bars are best served within the first two days, when the crust is most crisp, but they'll keep up to a week in the fridge. Alternatively, you can also store the cut lemon bars (see below).
Additionally, the unfilled crust can be made in advance and stored, sealed, in the fridge or freezer either unbaked or fully baked until ready to bake or fill with the lemon curd. Store in the fridge if only making it 3-4 days in advance or store in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Wait until ready to serve before dusting with powdered sugar or topping with lemon slices, however, because the moisture from the bars will melt the powdered sugar.
How to store vegan lemon bars
Store sliced lemon squares in a single layer in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. Serve them straight out of the fridge!
Can you freeze lemon bars?
Lemon bars are great frozen! Freeze in a single layer before stacking in an airtight container to store for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before serving. The texture of the filling may be slightly chewier when thawed, but still very delicious!
Tips to make the best lemon bars
Lemon squares are a vintage dessert that has withstood the test of time. Here are some tried and true tips to follow to ensure you have the very best lemon bars.
Use fresh lemon juice
Bottled lemon juice just won't taste as bright or fresh. You can also adapt this recipe to use fresh lime juice, blood orange juice, or even grapefruit juice!
Line baking dish parchment paper
Lining the baking dish with parchment paper is not only essential to prevent the crust from sticking but also to help remove the bars from the pan. Make sure you leave enough overhang to help you lift the lemon bars out of the pan to be sliced.
Use a metal baking pan
For an evenly crisp shortbread crust, I recommend using a metal baking pan. Glass pans are more insulating, and thus more likely to create a much darker crust bottom and edges, potentially to the point of burning, before the center is able to brown and bake fully.
If you only have a 9x9 baking pan, scale the recipe up to 1.25x.
Chill the bars completely until the curd sets up
The chilling step is essential. No matter how delicious the bars look and smell, you must be patient. The bars need to chill completely for at least 2 hours before you can remove them from the pan. At that point, you can do a jiggle test to see if they're fully set or carefully tap the center with your finger. The filling should not stick to your finger when they're ready to slice.
How to cut clean squares
To cut perfectly sharp clean lemon squares, use a clean knife, cutting in one straight-down movement. Be sure to wipe the knife with a paper towel between each cut.
Recipe
Vegan Gluten-Free Lemon Bars
Ingredients
- 98 g (¾ cup + 2 tablespoons) super-fine blanched almond flour
- 50 g (¼ cup + 1 tablespoon) sweet rice flour, Also called "Mochiko" or "glutinous rice flour," sweet rice flour is different from brown rice flour or white rice flour
- 16 g (2 tablespoons) cornstarch
- ¼ cup (52 g) granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅓ cup (75 g) plant butter or refined coconut oil, cut into ½-inch cubes/pieces and frozen for just 5-10 min
- ¾ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1¼ cups (460 g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (34 g) cornstarch
- 1 cup fresh lemon juice, from 7-9 lemons
- 1 cup full fat canned coconut milk
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest, from 3-4 lemons
- Optional for serving: powdered sugar and lemon slices
INSTRUCTIONS
- Prepare the crust. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a 8x8 metal baking pan with parchment paper, leaving at least 2 inches of overhang to help remove it from the pan later. If you haven't already, freeze the plant butter or coconut oil for just 5-10 minutes (any longer and the coconut oil will be hard as a rock and you'll need to let it sit out before mixing).
- Add the almond flour, sweet rice flour, corn starch, sugar, and salt to a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a food processor) and mix to combine Add the plant butter or coconut oil and vanilla. Mix or pulse, beginning on low and gradually increasing the speed to medium-high until the filling begins to clump together and the plant butter or coconut oil is fully incorporated. The dough should hold together when gently pinched with your fingers. This might take a few minutes - it will appear dry at first, but it will eventually clump into a coarse meal.
- Dump the dough clumps into the bottom of the parchment-lined 8x8 baking pan. Press the dough evenly into the pan. Prick the bottom all over with a fork, and bake for 25-27 min until the crust is golden. Remove from the oven and while the crust is still hot, use a cup bottom or the back of a spoon to gently press down on the sides and bottom to help hold it together as it cools. Let cool for at least 20 minutes before adding the filling.
- Prepare the filling. Whisk together the sugar and corn starch in a medium saucepan. Whisk in the lemon juice, coconut milk, and salt. Cook over medium heat, whisking until bubbling. Continue cooking for 3-4 more min until thickened to the consistency of runny yogurt.
- Whisk in the turmeric, a little at a time, until completely combined and the desired vibrant color (it will brighten up as it cools). Remove from heat and whisk in the lemon zest.
- Pour the filling into the cooled prepared tart crust and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours until the filling is completely set before serving. After 2 hours, do a jiggle test to see if they're fully set or carefully tap the center with your finger. The filling should not stick to your finger when they're ready to slice.
- To serve, gently lift the lemon bars out of the pan using the parchment paper. Use a sharp knife to release the lemon curd from the parchment paper. Wiping the knife between cuts, slice into 16 bars (4 x 4). Just before serving, dust generously with powdered sugar, if desired, or top with decorative lemon slices.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge.
Notes
9x9 pan
If you only have a 9x9 baking pan, scale the recipe up 1.25x: Vegan Gluten-Free Shortbread Crust- 122g Superfine Blanched Almond Flour
- 63g Sweet Rice Flour
- 20g corn starch
- 65g granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 94g plant butter or refined coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 575g granulated sugar
- 43g corn starch
- 1¼ cups fresh lemon juice, from 7-9 lemons
- 1¼ cups full-fat canned coconut milk
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon lemon zest
Nutrition
Esther -
Love these! They weren’t too sweet and it’s so hard to find a vegan lemon bar recipe.
Susan -
Hi I would like to make these, but is there a substitute for the cornstarch? Thank you!
Sarah Menanix -
You can substitute the corn starch with white rice flour by weight in the crust and with tapioca flour in the filling.
Rihlynn -
This recipe was so good. My parents and my friends loved it.