These dairy free lemon bars are made with a soft shortbread base and a creamy, tangy lemon curd. They come together easily and are perfect for any occasion. This recipe also includes a simple gluten-free option!
I love anything with a lemon flavour. It’s one of my all-time favourite cake flavours, and I always have lemons in the fridge as they add so much extra flavour and freshness to a range of foods.
These dairy free lemon bars are a complete celebration of this tangy citrus fruit. If you love my dairy free lemon butter, then you’ll love this recipe, as essentially what we have is a layer of that over a buttery, shortbread base with a hint of coconut.
The method for making these lemon squares couldn’t be simpler, as everything gets mixed together, and then the oven does the rest. It’s a great recipe when you’re short on time but looking for something delicious and impressive.
A dusting of icing sugar over the top hides any imperfections and also adds a little extra sweetness to balance the tartness of the lemons. It also makes them look very pretty!
Key Ingredients
You only need a few pantry staple ingredients to make these easy lemon bars, making them a great option to use up any excess lemons!
Note: All ingredients and their quantities are laid out in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Sugar – Plain white sugar is used in both the base and the filling. You can also substitute it with caster sugar, but I didn’t find a difference with this recipe.
- Plain flour – Also known as all purpose flour in the US. Feel free to substitute with a good quality gluten-free plain flour such as Bob’s Red Mill to make gluten-free lemon bars.
- Almond meal – Adds a delicious nutty flavour to the base. You can use any ground nuts, such as hazelnut meal.
- Desiccated coconut – Make sure to use desiccated coconut, not shredded coconut, as the latter contains additional water which may leave the base soggy and undercooked.
- Dairy free butter – Use a good quality vegan butter alternative for the best ‘buttery’ taste in the base. I use Nuttelex to replace butter in most of my recipes, but the closest US alternative is Earth Balance.
- Eggs – Essential for the filling. Eggs are crucial to achieve the texture of the creamy lemon curd layer and cannot be substituted.
- Vanilla extract – Just a little is added to the creamy lemon filling to enhance the flavour, but you can leave it out if you prefer.
- Lemon – Of course, it wouldn’t be lemon bars without lemon! We’re using both the juice and zest for a strong and vibrant lemon flavour.
Step-By-Step Instructions
To make this easy lemon slice, you’ll need a couple of things. First, a square 23×23 cm (9×9 inch) cake pan. You could also use a rectangular slice pan if that’s all you have. Second, I like to make the filling using a blender because it takes just 30 seconds to mix everything together. However, you can simply do this step in a bowl with a whisk.
Start by making your base while the oven preheats. Combine dairy free butter that has melted and cooled with the sugar, flour, almond meal, and coconut. It should be a crumbly texture that holds together when pressed.
Press this mixture into the base of the baking pan lined with baking paper. This will ensure that the bars are easy to remove. Make sure it’s pressed in firmly. To do this, I like to use another sheet of baking paper and a glass.
Bake the base in the oven for about 15 minutes or until lightly golden. This step is called blind baking and is important to ensure that the base cooks, similar to if you were baking a pie or tart.
While the base is in the oven, add all of the filling ingredients to a blender and mix just until creamy and combined. As I said, I find this the easiest way to mix the eggs completely, but if you don’t have a blender, simply whisk everything together well.
Once the base has come out of the oven, pour the mixture over the baked base and bake for an additional 20-25 minutes or until the filling is set. The filling mixture will be quite thin, but that’s okay, it will set in the oven!
Let the lemon bars cool completely in the pan before carefully lifting them out using the overhang of paper. Similar to making brownies, if you don’t let them cool then you won’t get clean cuts. Cut into bars, dust with icing sugar, and decorate with lemon slices if desired.
Recipe FAQs
This is completely normal as the lemon bars bake. It’s not an issue and does not affect the taste or texture of the bars at all. Simply dust the tops with icing sugar and you won’t even see them!
Unfortunately not. Eggs are a key ingredient in ensuring the filling has the correct taste and texture, and an egg replacer will not work the same.
If you do make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating below! And tag any of your creations on Instagram with @eightforestlane as I would love to see.
More dairy free lemon desserts:
Vegan Lemon and Raspberry Loaf Cake
Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins (Dairy-Free)
Pistachio Cardamom and Lemon Loaf Cake
Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Cake
Dairy Free Lemon Bars
Equipment
Ingredients
For the base:
- ¼ cup white sugar/granulated sugar
- ½ cup plain flour/all purpose flour
- ½ cup almond meal
- ½ cup desiccated coconut
- 60 grams (¼ cup) dairy free butter melted and cooled
For the filling:
- 4 eggs
- ¼ cup plain flour/all purpose flour
- 1 cup white sugar/granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Zest of 1 lemon
- ½ cup fresh lemon juice
To finish:
- Icing sugar to dust
- Lemon slices optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and line a 23×23 cm (9×9 inch) square cake pan with baking paper, allowing the sides to overhang for easy removal.
- In a small bowl, combine the sugar, flour, almond meal, and coconut. Add the melted dairy free butter and stir until well combined. Press the mixture firmly into the prepared pan and smooth the surface. Bake for 15 minutes or until lightly golden.
- While the base is in the oven, add all of the filling ingredients to a blender and mix just until creamy and combined. If you don’t have a blender, simply whisk everything together well. Pour the mixture over the baked base and bake for an additional 20-25 minutes or until the filling is set.
- Set the lemon bars aside to cool completely in the pan before carefully lifting them out using the overhang of paper. Cut into bars, dust with icing sugar, and decorate with lemon slices if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as a guide only and is calculated using automated online tools, therefore we cannot guarantee the accuracy. We encourage you to make your own calculations based on the actual ingredients used in your recipe.
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