Lemon Bars – EASY, Sugar-Free, Gluten-Free Option

You’ll love these yummy, bright yellow lemon bars with a shortbread crust and a luscious lemon filling. You can make them with gluten-free or regular flour. Moreover, with half the butter of a normal lemon bar recipe, no one will ever know that these delicious lemon bars are actually sugarfree.

This is the ultimate cookie for lemon lovers but if you also love cake, don’t miss my super healthy Keto Lemon Poppy Seed Angel Food Cake.

Why I love making lemon bars

I love making lemon bars, firstly, because they’re so easy to make. In fact, you’ll have the delicious crust and filling done in no time.

Secondly, I love this recipe because it’s very healthy: avocado oil replaces half of the butter. In other words, this lemon bar recipe is lower in saturated fat than most lemon bar recipes. The recipe also has zero calories from sweetener, since I use monk fruit, a 0-calorie, 0-carb sweetener that ranks 0 on the glycemic index. As for flour, this lemon bar recipe tastes great with either gluten-free or regular flour.

The ingredients for lemon bars

• Gluten-free flour or regular flour – I use Pamela’s Gluten Free + Vegan Flour but sometimes make them with regular flour.
• 4 oz unsalted butter – Unsalted butter is best because the amount of salt in salted butter varies by brand. It’s best to add the 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.
• Powdered sweetener – I use monk fruit which has 0 calories.
• Granulated sweetener – I use sugar replacements such as monk fruit.
• Eggs – 2
• Lemon rind
• Lemon juice – fresh, not from a bottle. Always use fresh lemons.
• Salt – brings out the flavor of the other ingredients.

How to make lemon bars

1. Sift together 1 cup gluten-free or regular flour with powdered sweetener.

2. Add 4 oz melted butter and 4 oz avocado oil to 8 x 8 nonstick pan. I use 4 oz avocado oil to reduce the saturated fat in the recipe. You can also use 8 oz (one stick) butter.

3. Add gluten-free or regular flour mixture to nonstick* pan. Press into pan making sure crust comes up sides of pan, about 1 inch. Then bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes.
* If you aren’t using a nonstick pan, combine the flour and butter mixtures. Then add them to a pan lined with parchment paper and build a crust that comes up sides of pan, about 1 inch.
** If you don’t want a crust, then simply press the dough into an even layer that fully covers the bottom.

4. In a bowl, mix the granulated sweetener, eggs, lemon rind, lemon juice, and salt. Next, pour into baked crust and bake 25 minutes or until a knife or toothpick comes out clean.

5. Allow the lemon bars to cool for at least an hour. At this point, there are two ways to remove them from the pan:

– Use the edge of a silicon spatula to cut the lemon bars in the pan. Then use the spatula to remove them from the pan.
– Or, if using parchment paper, pick up the sides of the parchment paper and lift the lemon bars from the pan and peel away the parchment paper.

6. When cool, sift with powdered sweetener (optional).

Q&As

• Can you freeze lemon bars? Yes, wrap them in plastic or put them in a sealed container. Then put them in the freezer and freeze for a few months, if needed.
• What are lemon bars made of? They consist of flour, butter, lemon juice, lemon rind, eggs, a pinch of salt, and granulated and powdered sweeteners.
• How can you make healthy lemon bars? To reduce the saturated fat in the recipe, simply replace half of the butter with avocado oil. Moreover, use a 0-calorie sweetener such as monk fruit to replace the calories of refined sugar.
• What can I do with a bunch of lemons? The options are endless. You could, for example, make lemon bars, lemon cookies, a lemon angel food cake, lemonade, lemon curd or a lemon tart. You could also juice the lemons and freeze the juice for future use.
• Do I need to refrigerate lemon bars? If you leave them out for more than a few hours, it’s a good idea to refrigerate them.
• Can I make lemon bars with different kinds of citrus juice? These bars can be made with fresh lime juice, fresh orange juice or fresh grapefruit juice. You can also create your own unique citrus blend.
• Do I need to use fresh lemons to make lemon bars? Yes, the lemon is the star of the recipe, so for the ultimate flavor, you want to use fresh citrus juice.

Kitchen equipment for lemon bars

• 8 x 8 nonstick pan
• Parchment paper if you do not have a nonstick pan

How to store lemon bars

To store: It’s best to store these citrus 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.

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