Easy Healthy Lemon Bars with delicious shortbread almond flour crust and a zesty light lemon filling! These lemon squares are also naturally sweetened for a perfect spring treat!
We also love these healthy lemon cookies and healthy lemon poppy seed bread!
Table of Contents
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.
If you love lemon desserts, check out this healthy lemon zucchini bread, healthy lemon poppy seed muffins, and lemon zucchini muffins as well.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Easy to make: All you need is 7 ingredients and that is including vanilla extract.
- Healthier: This healthy lemon bars recipe is naturally sweetened and gluten free.
- Decadent taste: Even with all ingredient swaps, these lemon squares taste creamy, sweet, and like most decadent lemon dessert!
- Year round crowd pleaser: Healthy dessert that’s a wonderful addition to any potluck, game day, BBQ, Mother’s day or Easter. Just keep in mind they taste best when chilled, so plan ahead.
Ingredients for Healthy Lemon Bars
Here is a breakdown what you will need:
- Almond flour: You can use store-bought almond flour or here is quick and easy almond flour recipe. You may also be able to use almond meal.
- Cornstarch: This will help absorb extra moisture in the dough. Arrowroot powder or tapioca starch would 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.
- Lemons: You’ll need lemon juice and zest. I love to use fresh, juicy Meyer lemons and not bottled juice! Regular lemons work as well and you will need 4-5 lemons. Buy an extra one in case they turn out less juicy.
- Maple syrup: It is healthier and refined sugar free. Feel free to swap it out with another liquid sweetener like agave or honey (will have a stronger flavor).
- Vanilla extract: I use pure vanilla extract for the best results.
- I also use Misto cooking spray.
How to Make Healthy Lemon Bars
This bar recipe couldn’t be easier to make. Alternatively, you could make 12 or 16 lemon squares, depending on how big you want them. Or bite-sized little lemon slices, just chop each square into four smaller pieces for 32 pieces.
Here is what you have to do:
- Prep the pan 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 into a pan. Then bake it for 15 minutes.
- Make the lemon filling: Meanwhile, as the crust cooks, whisk lemon filling ingredients until there are no cornstarch lumps and egg strands left.
- Bake the bars: Carefully pour the filling in one corner of the pan while crust is warm, and bake for a further 15-20 minutes, or until the lemon bar filling is firm with a slight jiggle in the middle.
- Chill and slice: Let the bars cool for 30 minutes at room temperature and then about an hour in the refrigerator until firm. Then cut the square into 9 equal pieces, optionally dust with icing sugar, and serve!
Baking Tip
Don’t over bake them! When overcooked, the tops can crack a bit and lemon custard can curdle, so be careful not bake longer than suggested or check on them if you know your ovens runs at lower temperature. All ovens vary and I tested this recipe in 2 ovens and baking time varied from 15 to 20 minutes.
Tips for Best Results
- To avoid crust mixing with the filling: Make sure to check the crust for cracks after baking. Then pour filling immediately while the crust is hot and do so slowly in the corner of the pan.
- Don’t use glass baking dish: In order to prevent your crust from burning, I recommend to avoid using a glass baking dish. Use ceramic or metal baking square dish.
- To cut easier and less messy: If you have difficulty cutting through these lemon bars, it’s a good idea to wipe the knife down between each cut.
- To prevent white specks in the filling: Next time make sure to whisk the eggs better. White specks are cooked egg whites.
How to Store
Store: You can store these healthy lemon bars in a cool, dry place for 1-2 days or in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Make ahead: You can also make them the day before, refrigerate and slice before serving. If you want to dust them with powdered sugar, then only do so right before serving. Otherwise, the sugar will melt into the bars.
Freeze: Place them on a baking tray, not touching, and freeze until solid. Then transfer to a freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months and just pop one onto the counter to thaw.
FAQs
I do not recommend to use a different flour. I developed this recipe to use almond flour and any other flour will act quite differently.
Unfortunately, no. I do not recommend to use any egg substitute as this lemon bars recipe relies on a custard like filling the eggs produce. You will end up with a completely different texture and flavor.
If you have little air bubbles at the top of your baked lemon bars, don’t panic. This is normal and is just air releasing and rising from the eggs. Also don’t whisk too much air into the filling.
More Healthy Dessert Recipes to Try
- Healthy key lime pie bars
- Healthy pecan pie bars
- Healthy strawberry cheesecake bars
- Healthy strawberry oatmeal bars
- Healthy carrot cake bars
- Blueberry oatmeal crumble bars
Healthy Lemon Bars
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 9 squares, dust with icing sugar (if you wish) and serve chilled.
Video
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.
Omg! Best lemon dessert ever!!!
wonderful!!!!
Hi Olena, I love your recipes and your approach to cooking & baking. Each recipe covers a question so I never wonder…like ‘ can I freeze this?” Or “ can it be made in an instant pot?” The answer is usually already included.
Before I make this (so Please consider I’ve not tasted them), I can see where the crust is probably more soft/moist than I want. Can I take the maple syrup out and substitute a tablespoon of sugar. I know that is not considered healthy but I’m not a purist and more “things in moderation“ person. Besides, almonds are naturally sweet. (I do have some dry maple sugar on hand…hmmm). My other thought was to substitute a quarter cup of chickpea flour or something similar. But I think they are more moist due to the maple syrup…which is surely delicious. I just prefer to have a more dry crust.
Absolutely! I am not purist by all means anymore myself haha. Yes, and 1/4 cup chickpea flour will be fine. I know what you mean by dry crust. Let me know how it goes, I love these kinds of experiments. And I am so happy you find my recipe posts helpful!!!
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 😂
I tried to upload a picture but the platform doesn’t let me.
Do you have any IG I could follow?
Yes, follow and tag @ifoodreal on Instagram! Would love to see the pictures, so glad they were enjoyed!