LEMON-ORANGE Bars (Keto & Sugarfree)

Keto LEMON-ORANGE Bars are a healthy, sugarfree twist on the classic lemon bar recipe. A delicious lemon-orange filling fuses with an almond-flour crust made with butter and heart-healthy avocado oil. A true burst of sunshine with only 2.7 grams carbs per bar. This delicious keto dessert is bound to impress friends and family.

If you like citrus, you might also like my Keto Lemon Poppy Seed Angel Food Cake, my Keto Orange Angel Food Cake or my Lemon Bars – all desserts that I love serving in addition to these keto lemon-orange bars.

Initially, I wanted to create lemon bars with an almond shortbread crust. After all, it was a good day for another citrus dessert, since the tree in my garden was raining lemons. But a friend stopped by with a bagful of oranges and everything changed. Suddenly, I had a new idea: I would pair the almond-flour crust with a refreshing lemon-orange filling, so these vibrant keto lemon-orange bars were born.

I honestly can’t decide whether lemon bars or lemon-orange bars taste better. They are both heavenly. I can, however, tell you that I took these keto lemon-orange bars to a dinner party and we had them for dessert. Everyone raved about how great they were and no one could believe they were sugarfree. So if you’re feeling adventurous or just want to change up your lemon bars, give this recipe a spin.

Ingredients for keto lemon-orange bars

• Almond flour – fine, blanched
• 4 oz unsalted butter – Unsalted butter is best because the amount of salt in salted butter varies by brand. So it’s best to add salt separately. If all you have is salted butter, just omit the salt in the recipe.
• 4 oz avocado oil – reduces the butter content and thereby the saturated fat without sacrificing flavor.
• Powdered sweetener – I use powdered monk fruit which has 0 calories, 0 carbs, 0 glycemic index. If you don’t have powdered sweetener, it’s easy to make some: Just pulverize granulated sweetener in the food processor for a few seconds and you’ll have powdered sweetener.
• Granulated sweetener – I use sugar replacements such as monk fruit.
• Eggs
• Orange juice – fresh squeezed. Always use fresh juice for these.
• Orange zest – adds even more orange flavor.
• Orange extract (optional) – enhances the flavor.
• Lemon juice – fresh squeezed
• Lemon zest – adds even more lemon flavor.
• Lemon extract (optional) – enhances the flavor.
• Salt – just a pinch brings out the flavor of the other ingredients.
• Xanthum gum – adds plumpness to the glutenfree filling.

How to make keto lemon-orange bars

For detailed instructions with exact amounts, please see the Recipe Card below.

1. Combine the almond flour, unsalted butter, avocado oil and powdered sweetener to make the crust. Line an 8 x 8 pan with parchment paper. Transfer dough to pan and form an even crust with your hands. Then bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes.
2. While the crust bakes, prepare the filling. Combine granulated sweetener, eggs, almond flour, orange juice, orange extract, orange zest, lemon juice, lemon extract, lemon zest and salt. Mix well. Then whisk in 1/4 tsp xanthum gum. This will make the filling a bit more plump and help it set. Pour onto baked crust and bake at 350 for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick or knife comes out clean. Don’t overbake, since it will continue baking as it cools. Allow to cool in pan for 1 hour. Then transfer to refrigerator and allow to cool for 2 hours. Now remove parchment paper which, at this point, will come off easily, and cut.

Frequently asked questions

• What’s the easiest way to line a pan with parchment paper? Parchment paper can be a bit pesky. If you’re having trouble getting the parchment paper to stay put in the pan, simply crumble it up. Then put it back in the pan. You’ll find that after crumbling it, it’s easy to put it in the pan.
• How do you slice lemon-orange bars neatly? Use a sharp damp knife to cut the bars. Clean and re-dampen between each cut.
• What do you put in citrus bars? Fresh citrus juice, citrus extract, citrus zest, almond flour or glutenfree flour or all-purpose flour, butter, avocado oil (can replace half of the butter thereby reducing the saturated fat), eggs, salt and sugarfree sweetener.
• Which fruits are considered citrus? Blood orange, clementine, grapefruit, kumquat, lemon, lime, mandarin, Minneola tangelo, orange, oroblanco or sweetie, pomelo, tangerine, uglie or Jamaican tangelo.
• Are oranges keto? Oranges have too many carbs to be considered keto. This keto lemon-orange bar recipe is, however, low-carb (2.7 grams carbs per bar) since it only contains a few tablespoons of orange juice.
• How do you make powdered sugar out of regular sugar? It’s easy. Just put granulated sugar in a food processor for a few seconds and you’ll have powdered sugar. This works for regular refined sugar as well as sugar replacements such as monk fruit.
• Is monk fruit better than refined sugar? Yes, monk fruit has ZERO carbs, ZERO calories and a glycemic index of ZERO, so it’s a lot better than consuming normal refined sugar.
• What is the best way to add xanthum gum to ingredients? Xanthum gum tends to clump, so for best results use a whisk or immersion blender.

Kitchen equipment for keto lemon-orange bars

• 8 x 8 nonstick pan
• Parchment paper

Crust variations

To make a gluten-free or all-purpose flour crust – just use the crust in my lemon bar recipe.

How to store lemon-orange bars

To store: It’s best to store lemon-orange bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Eat within a week. Tip: If you layer them in a container, insert a sheet of parchment paper between layers to prevent sticking.

To freeze: Place in a sealed container and freeze for up to 4 months. If you make them with the intention of freezing them, don’t sprinkle powdered sweetener on top. Instead, powder them once they reach room temperature.

Other popular desserts

• Sugarfree Mexican Milk Jello
• Keto Chocolate Bundt Cake
• Sugarfree Strawberry Jello Cake

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