Gluten free lemon bars will be your new favorite treat! There is something about warm weather and impending backyard barbecues that make me want something light and lemony. I want something refreshing and summery that has the sweet tangy taste we all love.
Ok story time… when I was living in Philadelphia, I dreamt of the day that I’d have a lemon tree. I imagined I’d go out, pick lemons as I need. Squeeze it into my water. Squeeze it into some lemonade or a salad and bask in the tangy freshness of just-picked lemons.
Turns out, lemons are more seasonal than I expected…
It’s not the year-round casual lemon picking that I was envisioning. It’s more of a burst of lemon excess and then a dry spell of trying to keep my lemon tree alive. I love it, though.
If you want to browse recipes by flavor, check out my lemon recipes, blueberry recipes, strawberry recipes, and raspberry recipes!
Ingredients for the shortbread layer of these gluten free lemon bars:
- refined coconut oil, melted
- agave nectar (honey or maple syrup works too)
- vanilla extract
- blanched almond flour
- sea salt
Ingredients for the Lemon Custard Layer:
- agave nectar (honey or maple syrup works too)
- ghee (butter also works)
- eggs
- tapioca flour
- lemon juice
How to make gluten free lemon bars:
Make the crust. First make the crust. In a medium bowl, whisk together the melted coconut oil (butter or ghee works too), agave nectar, and vanilla. Once combined, add the almond flour and sea salt. Whisk until completely combined.
Bake the crust. Line a square 9×9 inch pan with parchment paper. Spread the crust out across the bottom in an even layer. Bake for 13 minutes.
Make the lemon layer. SUPER IMPORTANT!! The order that you add the ingredients will determine if the lemon filling looks good or looks terrible. So! Order is important!
In a medium bowl, whisk together the agave nectar, ghee, eggs and egg yolk. Once combined, add the tapioca flour and whisk until combined. Next, slowly drizzle the lemon juice into the bowl while you’re whisking. You want the mixture to be smooth and not separate.
Gently pour. Pour the mixture on top of the crust and bake for another 15 minutes.
After the 15 minutes, pull it out of the oven and allow it to sit in the pan to come to room temperature.
Chill. Once room temp, chill in the fridge for a few hours.
Serve. Slide a knife on any sides of the bars that are touching the pan. Pull the edges of the parchment paper up. and cut into bars. I sprinkled mine with some powdered sugar, but you can use regular powdered sugar if you wish!
More lemon recipes:
- Gluten Free Lemon Poppy Seed Bread
- Lemon Zucchini Burrata Pasta
- Blueberry Lemon Bundt Cake
- Blueberry Lemon Breakfast Bake
- Lemon Poppy Seed Scones
Recipe
Gluten Free Lemon Bars
Gluten Free Lemon Bars have a delicious shortbread later topped with a sweet and tangy lemon custard. Perfect for any brunch or potluck!
Ingredients
Shortbread Crust:
- 1/2 cup refined coconut oil, melted
- 1/4 cup agave nectar (honey or maple syrup works too)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups blanched almond flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Lemon Layer:
- 1/3 cup agave nectar (honey or maple syrup works too)
- 2 tablespoons ghee (butter also works), melted or room temp
- 3 eggs + 1 yolk
- 2 tablespoons tapioca flour
- 1/2 cup lemon juice (about 2 large lemons)
- 2 tablespoon favorite powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the melted coconut oil (butter or ghee works too), agave nectar, and vanilla.
- Once combined, add the almond flour and salt.
- Fold together until completely combined.
- Line a square 9×9 inch pan with parchment paper.
- Spread the crust out across the bottom in an even layer.
- Bake for 13 minutes until golden brown.
- While the crust is baking, whisk together the lemon filling.
- SUPER IMPORTANT!! The order that you add the ingredients will determine if the lemon layer looks good or looks terrible.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the agave nectar, ghee, eggs and egg yolk.
- Once combined, add the tapioca flour and whisk until combined.
- Next, slowly drizzle the lemon juice into the bowl while you’re whisking.
- You want the mixture to be smooth and not separate.
- Gently and slowly pour the mixture on top of the crust. If you pour it too fast onto the crust it may break through the crust so do this step slowly and gently.
- Bake for 15 minutes.
- After the 15 minutes, pull it out of the oven and it to sit in the pan to bring it to room temperature.
- Once room temp, chill in the fridge for a few hours.
- When you’re ready to serve, slide a knife on any sides of the bars that are touching the pan.
- Pull the edges of the parchment paper up. and cut into bars.
- I sprinkled mine with some powdered sugar, but you can use regular powdered sugar if you wish!
Nutrition Info:
- Serving Size: 1 bar
- Calories: 149
- Sugar: 10.2g
- Sodium: 83mg
- Fat: 10.7g
- Saturated Fat: 7.7g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 11.3g
- Fiber: 0.5g
- Protein: 1.7g
- Cholesterol: 4mg
Enjoy!! xo
Is there anything one can use instead of tapioca flour? and butter?
Hi!! You can use coconut flour instead of the tapioca flour and you can use ghee or coconut oil instead of butter. Enjoy!! xo
melted butter/ghee? How will it incorporate into the liquid if not melted?
yes! it should be melted or room temp. Sorry about that! xo
I baked the base for 13 minutes and the edges were slightly browned, but it was unclear how the base as a whole should be. When I added the top layer and baked it, the top layer completely seeped through the base layer, leaving most of the lemon flavor on the bottom. Overall, the bars tasted more almond-y than lemon-y. Do you have any advice on maybe using a different flour to avoid the overpowering almond flavor?
Hi Kate,
I think maybe your shortbread base wasn’t cooked enough. The whole bottom should be golden brown and not wet looking. I’m surprised the almond flour made such an overwhelming almond flavor for you, I find it to be usually pretty mellow. You can definitely use another nut flour like hazelnut or a gluten free oat flour if you’d prefer!
Hope you can get them to work next time! xo
Looks great! Baking tonight! Once done do they need to stay refrigerated ?
Yes I keep them refrigerated to be safe 🙂 Enjoy!!
O
M
GGGGGGGGG!!!
I’m a chocolate chip cookie kinda girl…I was certain there was nothing you could make that could compare to your chocolate chip blondies but ladies and gentlemen, we have a contender!!! These are amazing!!! Some cooking notes from me:
* I left the base in the oven for 15 mins instead of 13 based on the review above – so definitely just eye it after 13 and wait until the crust is uniformly brown (really just a light tan!) all over, not just the edges
* I baked the filling for 18 mins instead of 15 because after 15 it hadn’t set…so again, just eye it after 15 and check every minute or two until it’s set
Another winner recipe, Lindsay! Can’t wait for the cookbook!!
one more thing – I subbed coconut flour for tapioca flour because it’s what I had on hand…
Like someone said before, I also had to leave the crust and the filling in the oven for a bit longer but OH MY GOODNESS!! I’ve had such a hard time with gluten free baked goods but y’all…this is to die for!! I used oat flour for the base and it turned out perfect. Will be adding to the rotation of desserts in the future for sure
Ah I’m so happy you loved them!! xo