Healthy Lemon Bars (Vegan + Gluten-Free)

Healthy Lemon Bars (Vegan + Gluten-Free)

Healthy and delicious lemon bars with minimal prep time! They're also made healthier with a few simple swaps, making them only 208 calories for 9 squares or 117 calories for 16 squares.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Diet Vegan

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 10

Chilled 1

Total Time 1 20

Servings

Calories 208kcal

Author Rachel

Equipment

Food Processor or Blender

Ingredients

For the crust:

⅔ cup rolled oats or oat flour
1 cup raw almonds
4-5 small dates pitted
2 tablespoons ground flax seeds
3 tablespoons water
⅛ teaspoon salt

For the filling:

¾ cup lemon juice about 4 large lemons
⅓ cup pure maple syrup
⅓ cup coconut sugar
1 13.5-oz can coconut cream or full-fat coconut milk
4 tablespoons cornstarch
¼ teaspoon turmeric optional for color
2 tablespoons powdered sugar optional for topping

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

For the crust:

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
To make the crust, add all ingredients to a food processor and blend until the mixture comes together.
Line an 8x8 baking dish with parchment paper, press the mixture flat and bake for 10-12 minutes in the oven until it starts to golden. Remove and set aside.

For the filling:

In a medium saucepan or skillet, add the lemon juice and cornstarch and whisk together until a slurry forms and no lumps remain. Turn the heat up to medium and add the additional filling ingredients except for the optional powdered sugar topping.
Whisk constantly and bring to boil for a minute, then turn down heat to a simmer until the mixture thickens; about 5 minutes.
Pour the filling over the crust and smooth out with a spatula or spoon as needed. Allow to cool at room temperature for 20-30 minutes, then cover and transfer to refrigerator for 1-2 hours or overnight to set.
When ready to serve, use a sifter to evenly distribute a thin layer of powdered sugar over top if desired and slice into bars. This recipe as written makes 9 large bars or 16 smaller bars.

Notes

If you only have one of the sweeteners you can substitute with the other. For example, if only using coconut sugar, double the amount to make up for the maple syrup and vice versa. You can also use regular white table sugar as well.

These lemon squares are subtly sweet. If you like your desserts sweeter, you can increase the sweetener by half. For example, if using 1/3 cup maple syrup and 1/3 cup coconut sugar, add an additional 1/3 cup of the sweetener of your choice for a total of 1 cup sweetener.

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week or freeze for longer. To freeze, make sure they're completely cool, then individually wrap them in parchment and store in a freezer-safe bag or container. Let them thaw in the refrigerator before enjoying.

The powdered sugar will melt, so if you're making this recipe ahead of time, hold off adding it until just before serving.

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