These Healthy Lemon Bars have almond flour shortbread crust and bold, tart lemon filling. Gluten free, naturally sweetened and made with only 7 ingredients!
Unlike traditional lemon bars filled with more butter, refined sugars, and white flour, these healthy lemon bars use unrefined maple syrup, almond flour, and lower quantities of sugar and butter. They are so good, everyone who tries them, loves them!
Reader’s Review
LOVED IT!They turned out perfectly beautiful and delicious! It was so easy to make them. I actually had to make a second batch because the first one was gone in 30 minutes 😂
Kitti
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Easy: All you need is 7 ingredients, including vanilla extract, to make this healthy lemon bar recipe.
- Healthy dessert: Refined sugar free, gluten free and 6 grams of protein per bar.
- Flavorful: They are bursting with fresh lemon flavor!
- Great make ahead dessert: You have to chill lemon bars after baking, so it’s a great recipe to make the day before you want to serve it.
Ingredients for Healthy Lemon Bars
- Almond flour: You can use store-bought almond flour or here is quick and easy almond flour recipe. You may be able to use almond meal. I do not recommend to use all-purpose flour, oat flour, coconut flour etc. because any other flour will act quite differently.
- Cornstarch: This will help absorb extra moisture in the dough. Arrowroot powder or tapioca starch will also work.
- Butter: Acts as a binder. You can use melted coconut oil instead for dairy free lemon bars.
- Eggs: You need large eggs. No need them to be at room temperature. I do not recommend to use any egg substitutions as this recipe relies on a custard like light lemon filling the eggs produce.
- Lemons: You’ll need fresh lemon juice and zest, not bottled juice. I love to use Meyer lemons but regular lemons work as well. You will need 4-5 lemons but I recommend to buy an extra one in case they turn out less juicy.
- Maple syrup: Feel free to swap it out with another liquid sweetener like agave or honey but keep in mind bars will have a stronger flavor of it.
- Vanilla extract: I use pure vanilla extract for the best results.
- I also use Misto cooking spray.
How to Make Healthy Lemon Bars
- Prep and make the crust: Line an 8 x 8-inch baking dish with parchment paper, leaving a slight overhang. Stir well all crust ingredients and press dough into the pan. Then bake for 15 minutes and let crust cool a bit while preparing the filling.
- Make the lemon filling: Meanwhile, as the crust cooks, whisk gently the eggs, lemon zest and juice, maple syrup and cornstarch until there are no white lumps left. Do not overmix to avoid air bubbles.
- Bake: Carefully pour lemon mixture in one corner of the pan while the crust is still warm, and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the filling is firm with a slight jiggle in the middle. Do not overbake!
- Chill and slice: Let the bars cool for 30 minutes, then refrigerate for 1 hour or until firm. Cut into 12 or 16 neat squares with a sharp knife, wiping it down between each cut. Dust with icing sugar and serve.
Tips for Best Results
- Don’t use glass baking dish: In order to prevent your crust from burning, I recommend to use ceramic or metal baking square dish.
- To prevent white specks in the filling: Make sure to whisk the eggs better as white specks are cooked egg whites.
- To avoid crust mixing with the filling: Make sure to check the baked crust for cracks. Also pour lemon filling slowly in the corner of the pan and while the crust is still warm.
- Don’t over bake: When overcooked, the tops of healthy lemon bars can crack. All ovens vary and I tested this recipe in 2 ovens and baking time varied from 15 to 20 minutes.
- About the air bubbles: Little air bubbles are normal. It’s just air releasing and rising from the eggs.
How to Store
Store: You can store healthy lemon bars in a cool, dry place for 1-2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Freeze: Place them on a baking tray, not touching, and freeze until solid. Then transfer to a freezer-safe bag or airtight container for up to 3 months and just pop one onto the counter to thaw.
More Healthy Recipes to Try
- Healthy lemon poppy seed bread
- Healthy lemon zucchini bread
- Healthy lemon poppy seed muffins
- Healthy lemon cookies
Healthy Lemon Bars
Healthy Lemon Bars with almond flour shortbread crust and bold, tart lemon filling. Gluten free, naturally sweetened and made with only 7 ingredients!
Video
Ingredients
For the Crust:
- 1 3/4 cups almond flour
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1/4 cup butter, melted
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For Lemon Filling:
- 4 large eggs
- 1 lemon, zest of
- 1/2 cup lemon juice , from 3 large lemons (I used Meyer lemons)
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- Cooking spray, I use Misto
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line square 8 x 8 baking dish with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, add almond flour, 1 tbsp cornstarch, melted butter, maple syrup and vanilla extract. Stir with spatula until well mixed, transfer to prepared baking dish and flatten with hands and spatula into an even layer. Bake for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a large bowl, add eggs, lemon zest, lemon juice, maple syrup and cornstarch. Whisk very well until no white strands.
- Remove crust from the oven and very carefully pour filling on a side on top (abrupt pouring will lift the crust). Place back in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until firm but still a bit jiggly in the middle.
- Remove from the oven and let cool on the counter for 30 minutes. Then transfer to the fridge to firm up for another hour.
- Cut into 12 squares, dust with icing sugar (if you wish) and serve.
🎉 Last step! If you made this recipe, please leave a review and let us know what you think!
Notes
- Store: In a cool dry place for a few days or freeze for up to 3 months.
- Freeze: I like to freeze lemon bars on a baking tray (not touching) until solid and then transfer them to a freezer safe bag for up to 3 months. Whenever you want one, just pop it out onto the counter or within the fridge to thaw.
- Honey: You can use honey but lemon bars will have more overpowering taste of honey. It is personal preference.
- Cornstarch: It thickens the filling and absorbs the moisture in the dough. You can substitute with arrowroot powder.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 bar, Calories: 238kcal, Carbohydrates: 22g, Protein: 6g, Fat: 15g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 72mg, Sodium: 28mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 15g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did you make this recipe?Mention @ifoodreal or tag #ifoodreal!
HELP! The lemon bar filling soaked through the crust and dissolved into it. It’s still warm, so I cannot comment on the taste just yet. Any idea why the filling got dissolved into the crust? My crust was room temperature before I added the filling.
Hmm. My thoughts are you either didn’t press the crust well too the sides to form an even square and filling got under it when you poured. Or crust was under baked.
Some thoughts: Were you sure to bake the crust and pou the filling on while warm? I’ve sometimes missed a step in a recipe & been perplexed at the results.
Also, I’m wondering if your oven is running hot and maybe causing the oven to rise.
Hi Olena,
I’m going to make them today. Can I use medium grind corn meal ( Bob’s Red Mill brand) instead of the corn starch? It’s a bit coarser than the corn starch but would it work? Or should I grind the medium to a fine one?
Thanks
Sen
I think I would grind it into fine one in a blender or food processor. Then I think it should thicken the bars. Hopefully. 🙂
These healthy lemon bars turned out amazing!
So glad you enjoyed them!
The lemon bars were really really good but it tasted like there was something missing which probably was sugar. But for a healthy snack this is really good. You can freeze them after and they are soft enough right out of the freezer.
So glad you enjoyed your healthy snack!
Looks yummy. My sister made these and highly recommends.
I’ve got all the ingredients, oven preheated and pan prepped. But I’m not seeing how much for most of the ingredients.
Please advise. And Merry Christmas.
Hi Sandra, if you scroll to the recipe card at the bottom, each ingredient amount is listed there and step by step directions. Enjoy!
Delicious! Made them tonight. Will make them again.
Note to self: don’t use loose bottomed tin! (Lemon mixture leaks through base!!)
I’m so happy to read this! Thanks for your positive feedback!
Is there a way to use a powdered sweetener like Swerve instead of the maple syrup?
Hi Olena,
These look amazing! I’d love to make them for Mother’s Day but my Mom is allergic to almonds. Do have any replacement suggestions for the almond flour? Thanks for sharin!0
Be well, Jamie
I like the COOKING MODE, next on my list is to try the lemon bars
Awesome, happy to hear. I like it too!
OMGoodness! These lemon bars are AMAZING! They are decadent yet so easy to make and best of all they are healthy!!! It was a great dessert following your instant pot chili that I made for supper! Thank you again for another great recipe!
That is so amazing to hear! Glad you enjoyed my recipe!