Say hello to the best healthy vegan lemon bars recipe! An easy, gluten free and egg-free take on the classic lemon dessert featuring luscious lemon curd layered on-top of a delicious baked oatmeal crust!
How do baked lemon bars taste?
- Luscious
- Creamy
- Sweet
- Tangy
- Crumbly
- Zesty
- Gooey
Baking Tips and FAQ’s
Classic lemon bars are made from ingredients such as eggs, sugar, butter, flour and lemons. This recipe has been created with no eggs, no refined cane sugar, no dairy or gluten (and they still taste just as delicious!) These ‘healthified’ vegan lemon bars involve a secret ingredient in the lemon curd which gives it a thick, creamy texture and sneaks vegetables into your dessert! See recipe for details*
There is no harm done if you bake these lemon bars for a little longer than suggested, they will just be a little more brown on top, firmer and chewier. However if they are over-baked to the point of being burnt black the taste will obviously not be so pleasant.)
If your lemon bars seem gooey then they are most likely undercooked. Return them to the oven and bake for another few minutes to firm up. (See next point below for more info)
The lemon bars will be done if no indentation remains when touched lightly in center and the outer edges start to turn golden brown. Another way to check if the bars are finished baking is with the “ wiggle test.” When you jiggle the pan, the curd should wiggle like a firm jelly.
How To Store Lemon Bars
Do you keep lemon bars in the fridge?
Since lemon bars involve a custard/curd, they should be refrigerated if they are not going to be served the same day, or if you need to store leftovers. However, this recipe is without eggs so they are fine to keep out at room temperature for a few hours if they are on a serving platter at a party, for example.
How do you store lemon bars overnight?
Allow your baked lemon bars to cool down at room temperature. Place the slice in an airtight container in the fridge overnight to finish setting before cutting into bars. Once you’ve cut your lemon bars, gently layer them in between pieces of baking paper in an airtight container in the fridge.
How long can you keep lemon bars in the fridge?
If stored correctly in an airtight container these lemon bars should last for up to about 1 week in the fridge.
How do you freeze lemon bars?
Place your cut lemon bars on a sheet of baking paper in a single layer and freeze for an hour or so. Stack them on top of each other between sheets of baking paper in airtight container or reusable freezer bag to store in the freezer.
How do you defrost lemon bars?
Place frozen lemon bars in an airtight container in the fridge for a few hours or overnight to allow to fully defrost. Alternatively, you can leave them on the bench to defrost if you’re planning to eat them that day.
Ingredients & Substitutions
Rolled Oats
Ensure you are using are certified Gluten Free Oats if necessary to make these gluten free. Quick oats will also work fine if that’s all you have (they won’t need to be blended for as long since they are already partially processed.)
Nut Butter
Here is the natural peanut butter that I used in this recipe which gives these bars a rich ‘buttery’ taste. If you don’t like peanuts (or are allergic) you can use an alternative nut butter such as almond or cashew butter. To make these bars nut-free use a seed butter such as sunflower seed butter or tahini.
Maple Syrup
You can substitute Maple syrup for another natural liquid sweetener of choice, such as rice malt syrup or agave.
Coconut Cream
If you want to make this dessert without coconut/coconut cream, try substituting it with a thick dairy-free yoghurt instead (this hasn’t been tested this yet so let me know how it goes if you try it.) Here is the Coconut Cream I use in all my recipes!
Cauliflower
Although you can’t even taste it, cauliflower is a key ingredient in these bars! (I gave them to my parents to taste test and neither of them noticed that there was cauliflower involved!) Here’s why cauliflower is such an amazing element in this recipe:
- It gives the curd thick and creamy texture alongside the coconut cream
- Cauliflower is an easy low carb, low calorie ingredient to bulk up the volume of the lemon layer
- It boosts the nutritional benefits and fibre content of these bars and adds a source of vegetables to your dessert! Cauliflower is a great source vitamin C, vitamin K, vitamin B6 and Folate as well as many other essential nutrients and minerals.
Tapioca Flour
You can substitute the Tapioca flour (also referred to as tapioca starch) for 3tbs arrowroot starch or 3tbs cornstarch, although tapioca flour is suggested for this recipe.
Lemon / Lemon Juice
Opt for fresh lemons/lemon juice in this recipe over store-bought lemon juice since you’ll also need the zest for extra flavour. However, if bottled lemon juice is all you have access to that will work fine and you can simply omit the zest. You can also swap the lemon juice for orange juice to create delicious Orange Bars!
For a No-Bake Vegan Lemon Bars recipe try my No-Bake Key Lime Pies recipe!
(Simply swap the lime for lemon juice to make them lemon flavoured of course.)
Want more Dessert ideas?…
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Healthy Vegan Lemon bars (Easy, Gluten Free)
INGREDIENTS
Oatmeal crust
- 1 1/2 cup rolled oats
- 5 1/2 tbsp nut butter
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
Lemon curd
- 1 cup (160g) full fat coconut cream from a can
- 260 g cauliflower steamed until soft
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1/2 cup lemon juice
- 6 tbsp tapioca starch/flour
- 2 tsp lemon zest
- 1/4 tsp turmeric (optional, for colour)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 190 degrees C (fan-forced) and line a 9×9 baking tin with baking paper.
- Add the oats to a food processor or blender and pulse a few times to achieve a rough meal texture. Add remaining oatmeal crust ingredients to the blender and combine until a moist crumbly dough forms (add a dash more maple or peanut butter if it's too dry to hold together.) Press mixture into the base of the baking tin.
- In a blender or food processor, blend the lemon curd ingredients together until smooth. Pour the curd onto the oatmeal crust and bake for 40-45 minutes or until the edges start to turn golden brown.
- Allow the lemon bars to cool at room temperature (atleast an hour or so.) Transfer to an airtight and place in the refrigerator overnight to set (if time allows) before cutting into bars and enjoy!
Notes
Grocery list
- cauliflower
- coconut cream
- tapioca flour
- maple syrup
- lemons
- Gluten free rolled oats
- nut butter
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This sounds delicious! My kids are HUGE fans of lemon but they’ve never had a lemon bar before. They’re going to be soooo excited! I can imagine it now, ‘Lemon in a dessert?! No way!’ they’ll say with excitement! Thank you for your awesome allergen-friendly recipes, I appreciate them so much!
Oh you are most welcome Nicole, thankyou for your wonderful comment! Lemon is such a scrumptious flavour in desserts. hope you and your kiddos enjoy the bars! (Such a delicious way to sneak an extra veg into their day too! 😉 ) Let us know how you go! x
YES PLEASE! I am so excited to try these lemon bars!
YAY can’t wait to hear how they go Lyssa! Hope you love them, enjoy!
These look delicious! As a vegan, I love finding recipes that I don’t need to make substitutions for.
Thankyou Aydela, So happy to provide delicious plant-based recipes for you! Hope you enjoy making all the recipes here!
Cauliflower is such a great and sneaky secret ingredient. I’ve made chocolate cupcakes with cauliflower in it and they were so good! I bet the sane can be said for these lemon bars.
Such a versatile veg hey! Ooo yes I’ve been intrigued to try it in a cake recipe, might have to give it a go next time I make my chocolate cupcakes! Thankyou Cindy I hope you enjoy the lemon bars! https://foodieegee.com/vegan-chocolate-cupcakes/
These sound so wonderful and easy to w. I really appreciate you sharing a healthy option. Thank you for sharing. ☺️
I’m not usually a big fan of lemon bars, but this sounds pretty good. I may have to try this!
I love lemon desserts! These look delicious!