Each bite of these paleo lemon bars delivers the perfect balance of zesty citrus flavor and a delicate, melt-in-your-mouth texture that transports your taste buds to a realm of pure culinary delight. With their guilt-free ingredients and vibrant lemony goodness, these bars are the ultimate treat for those seeking a wholesome yet utterly satisfying dessert.
Jump to:
You are in for a special treat today. I am giving you all the yummy lemon flavor without all of the bad stuff!! These healthy lemon bars are gluten free, dairy-free, grain-free, and refined sugar-free.
Lemons are one of my favorite fruits to use in desserts. If you love lemon desserts as well, check out my popular Gluten Free Lemon Bundt Cake or my Gluten Free Dairy Free Lemon Donuts recipes.
This post was updated from an old April 2018 post with a lot more recipe details.
Our very productive lemon tree grows so many lemons, almost year round. Our lemons are gigantic and often turn out the size of small grapefruits! I have tons of incredible gluten free lemon recipes for you to try!
Why Make This Recipe:
- Not only are these homemade lemon bars full of delicious juicy lemon flavor, but they are also healthier than most lemon bar recipes! For me, that means no guilt :-).
- I used shredded coconut, chia seeds, and almond flour to make this recipe healthier. The almond flour adds some protein, which helps balance the sugars.
- These paleo lemon bars are versatile and suitable for any occasion, from casual gatherings to elegant events, making them a popular treat.
You may also love these Gluten Free Lemon Oat Bars.
There are several gluten free almond flour brands. I really love Anthony's because they blanch their almonds first. This means no peels and less grit texture. The price is also great for four pounds!
Ingredient Notes:
- Cassava Flour is a light and fluffy grain-free flour I loved to use in this paleo lemon bars recipe. It holds up well and helps hold the crust together.
- Almond Flour - I highly suggest using almond flour and not an almond meal. Almond meal is more coarse and will make your lemon bars grainy.
- Chia Seeds - I include these in the crust for a bit more protein. These are totally optional and can be omitted.
- Coconut Sugar - I used a more golden shade of coconut sugar, which is why these bars have a slight golden hue. If you use brown coconut sugar, note your bars will be more brownish-yellow. I would use regular white sugar if the color is important to you and you are okay with sugar.
- Shredded Coconut- I recommend using unsweetened.
- Coconut Oil - You can use other types of oil if you prefer, but coconut oil is best because it becomes solid at room temperature.
- Eggs - Use size large.
- Lemons - Fresh is best for the juice and zest.
Substitutions:
- You can swap unsalted butter or margarine for the coconut oil.
- You can use regular sugar, which will give these bars a more vibrant yellow color. (Coconut sugar is brown and so it changes the color of these bars.)
- You can swap lemons for another type of citrus like orange or lime.
- If you are not on a paleo/grain-free diet, you can swap gluten free flour blends like Bob's Red Mill or King Arthur Measure for Measure for the cassava flour.
Tools For Making Pancakes:
How to Make These Paleo Lemon Bars:
Preheat the oven to 350º F and ensure the oven rack is in the middle of the oven.
Step 1: Add the almond flour, coconut, and coconut sugar to a large
Hands down this non-stick spray is amazing. It is totally inexpensive and it will save your gluten free cakes and muffins from sticking!
Step 2: Use a good gluten free cooking spray (like theone shown above) to prepare your baking dish. Pour the crust mixture into an 8x8 baking pan and flatten with a large spoon.
Step 3: In a smaller
Optional: If you want to remove the bars really easily, you can line the 8x8 pan with parchment paper.
Step 4: Pour the lemon mixture onto the crust and bake.
Step 5: Bake the lemon bars at 350º F for 30 minutes until the lemon mixture has set. Remove them from the oven and allow the bars to cool.
🔑 Sandi says: Once the bars cool to room temperature, I recommend chilling the bars in the refrigerator.
Allow cooling before cutting them to serve. Garnish with lemon slices.
Storage:
Store these bars in an airtight container in your refrigerator. These lemon bars need to be refrigerated because moist gluten free baked goods tend to spoil quickly.
Recipe FAQ:
There are two ways to prevent lemon bars from sticking. Use a good quality gluten free cooking spray, or line your pan with parchment paper.
Yes, you can easily freeze these bars. Ensure the bars are chilled from the refrigerator. Place them carefully in a single layer in a freezer-safe zip bag.
If you prefer a shortbread crust, use the gluten free shortbread crust recipe from my gluten free cranberry bars post.
More Delicious Paleo Recipes to Try:
- Paleo Breakfast Muffins - Easy and delicious.
- Paleo Pear Muffins - You can also sub other types of fruit.
- Paleo Banana Flour Waffles - A fun way to use this specialty flour.
- Paleo Delicata Squash Brownies - Full of yummy hidden veggies.
📖 Recipe
Paleo Lemon Bars
Ingredients
For the Crust:
- ¼ cup blond coconut sugar * see note
- ½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1 cup almond flour * see note
- ⅓ cup coconut oil
- 2 tablespoons chia seeds (optional)
- 1 large egg
Lemon Filling:
- ½ cup lemon juice
- 4 eggs
- ¾ cups coconut sugar
- ½ cup cassava flour * See notes
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350º F.
- In a bowl, add the almond flour, ¼ cup coconut sugar, shredded coconut, coconut oil, chia seeds, and egg. Mix well.
- Pour crust ingredients into a greased 8x8 baking pan. You can also line the pan with parchment paper if you prefer.
- Flatten the crust out so it covers the whole pan. Press it down with a large spoon.
- In another bowl, add wet ingredients for the lemon mixture. Whisk to blend.
- Pour the lemon mixture over the crust. Bake for 30 minutes or until done.
- Remove from the oven and allow the bars to cool to room temperature. Refrigerate the bars for 2 hours to chill before slicing.
Video
Notes
- You can make this recipe nut-free by substituting crushed gluten free graham crackers for the almond flour. This will make the dish gluten free.
- Feel free to swap the cassava flour for any gluten free flour blend.
- I used a more golden shade of coconut sugar, which is why these bars have a slight golden hue. If you use brown coconut sugar, note your bars will be more brownish-yellow. If the color is important to you and you are okay with sugar, I would use white regular sugar.
- I highly suggest using almond flour and not almond meal. Almond meal is more coarse and will make your lemon bars grainy.
- These bars will keep up to 4 days in an airtight container, or up to 4 months in the freezer.
SPECIAL NOTE
Please know that every gluten free flour blend has a different starch to grain ratio. If you use a blend I didn't test, you may need to adjust your moisture levels in your baked goods.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.
Fearless Dining
Looking for more? Get my FREE Gluten Free Lemon Desserts E-Cookbook when you sign up for my weekly recipe newsletter!
Sheila
Hello, I believe this is a typo that could be quite dangerous if fed to a person with celiac disease! “ You can make this recipe nut-free by substituting crushed graham crackers for the almond flour. This will make the dish gluten free.” Regular Graham crackers are loaded with gluten!
Sandi Gaertner
Thank you for your note Sheila; I added the words gluten free.
Janine Harland
Can I use Stevia to reduce the carbs for a LCHF diet?
Sandi Gaertner
I don't bake with Stevia so I have no way to know if this can work in my recipe. If you do try it, please let me know how it turns out.