These gluten-free lemon oat bars have a buttery, chewy oat crust, a thick and creamy lemon filling made with fresh lemon juice and zest, and a golden crumb topping that makes them nearly impossible to resist. They are made with simple ingredients, including gluten-free flour, lemon juice, condensed milk, gluten-free oats, sugar, and butter. There is also an easy dairy-free version!
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our Disclosure Policy.
Made this recipe for our coffee group (12 women)-VERY big hit, everyone loved em!!!
nina, blog comment
Easy to make. Oatmeal adds just the right texture and chew. Creamy lemon filling is just delicious!”
Ever since I made these Gluten Free Strawberry Oat Bars, they have received incredible reviews. I decided to use that recipe’s crust as a base for this new gluten free lemon oat bar recipe.
They are easy to make. All you need are a few simple ingredients that you can find at the grocery store. These delicious bars are easy to transport to a cookout or picnic. You can substitute orange or lime to make these bars more citrus-flavored.
I have lots of gluten free lemon recipes, mostly due to our prolific lemon tree. It is full of big lemons most of the year, which makes it easy when I need a lemon for a new recipe. Check out all of my lemon recipes and find some new favorites like this Gluten Free Lemon Pound Cake recipe.
Ingredient Notes:
For the full list of ingredients and amounts, please go to the recipe card below.
- Gluten Free Flour Blend – I tested this recipe with Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Flour Blend. Other blends should also work well.
- Gluten Free Oats – It is critical to use certified gluten free oats. Some brands are labeled gluten free but not certified, so you must look for the gluten free symbol. I use Bob’s Red Mill GF Oats.
- Brown Sugar – Light or dark brown sugar.
- Condensed Milk – Use regular or coconut-based condensed milk.
- Heavy Cream – Do not use half and half.
- Butter – Use unsalted butter.
- Lemons – Fresh is best, so you can use the zest too.
- Egg Yolks – Use large eggs and separate the yolks from the egg whites.
Substitutions:
- If you prefer to make these lemon bars without oats, use this gluten free shortbread crust.
- To make this recipe dairy-free, use coconut condensed milk and non-dairy butter.
Why Gluten-Free Oats are Important:
Always use gluten free oats. Regular oats are easily cross-contaminated with wheat during processing, so you need to be extra careful. Gluten free oats are grown under the purity protocol, which means the manufacturers take extra steps to prevent this contamination. I prefer using Bob’s Red Mill GF Oats and One Degree Foods (Farmers We Know) brands.
Note that gluten free oats are not available in Australia.
How to Make Gluten-Free Lemon Oat Bars (Step-By-Step)
Email This Recipe To Me!
I will email this recipe to you, so you can come back to it later!
Step 1: Add the oats, brown sugar, gluten free flour, and baking soda to a large
Step 2: Melt the butter in a microwave-safe dish for 30 seconds. Add the melted butter to the oat mixture. Mix it well.
Step 3: Add the lemon juice, condensed milk, and heavy cream to a bowl and whisk until it is creamy. Zest the lemon and add to the mixture.
Step 4: Use an egg separator and add the egg yolk to the lemon mixture. Whisk.
Step 5: Line an 8×8 pan with parchment paper and pour 1/2 of the crust mixture into the pan. Use a large spoon to press the crust down firmly.
Step 6: Pour the lemon mixture over the crust. Spread it out evenly over the crust.
Step 7: Add the crumble (remaining oat mixture) over the lemon filling. Spread it out evenly over the lemon mixture.
Step 8: Bake for 25 minutes at 350º F, then remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack. When the bars reach room temperature, refrigerate them to chill, then slice when they are cool.
Store these lemon oat bars with condensed milk in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. You can also freeze the bars in a large freezer-safe zip-style bag.
If you love fruity flavors, try these Gluten Free Strawberry Cream Cheese Bars. You will also want to try these Gluten Free Apricot Jam Bars.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Cutting lemon bars cleanly can be tricky. These bars should be cooled before slicing. I recommend rinsing the knife and drying it between each cut. This will prevent the lemon mixture from sticking to the knife, making the bars have rough edges.
If your bars fell apart, ensure you used a gluten-free flour blend with a binder like xanthan gum, guar gum, or psyllium husk. It is also important that the bars be chilled so they firm up and hold together.
These bars freeze well! They should keep fresh for up to 4 months in the freezer.
More Gluten Free Lemon Recipes:
- Gluten Free Lemon Pound Cake – One of my more popular lemon recipes.
- Easy Gluten Free Lemon Tart – This lemony tart is perfect for summer.
- Gluten Free Lemon Sweet Rolls – Easy, decadent rolls like cinnamon rolls.
- These delicious Gluten Free Lemon Brownies – Topped with lemonade icing!
Love This Recipe?
If you made and enjoyed this recipe, I would be incredibly grateful if you could leave a comment below. Please include which flour blend you used. This will help others know this recipe is delicious. Thank you!
Creamy Gluten Free Lemon Oat Bars
Ingredients
Crust:
- 1 cup gluten free flour blend Bob's 1:1 use 146.7 grams
- 1 ½ cups gluten free rolled oats 152.9 grams/see note
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda aluminum-free
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted
Lemon Filling:
- 12 ounces condensed milk coconut or dairy
- 1 egg yolk
- ½ cup lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350º F and put the oven rack to the middle position.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the 1 cup gluten free flour blend, 1 ½ cups gluten free rolled oats, ¾ cup brown sugar, 1 teaspoon baking soda, melted ½ cup unsalted butter, and ¼ teaspoon salt and mix well.
- Add the ½ cup lemon juice, 3 tablespoons heavy cream, 1 tablespoon lemon zest, and 12 ounces condensed milk to a bowl. Whisk until creamy.
- Separate 1 egg yolkfrom the egg white and add the egg yolk only to the bowl with the lemon mixture. Whisk it.
- Grease an 8×8 pan, or line it with parchment paper. Add 1/2 of the crust mixture. Press it down firmly.
- Pour the lemon mixture over the crust.
- Add the remaining crust crumbles over the lemon mixture.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes. Remove from the oven to a cooling rack.
- Let the bars cool to room temperature, then cover the pan and put it into the refrigerator for an hour to chill.
- Slice when the bars are cool.
Notes
- I tested this recipe with Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten Free Flour Blend. Other blends should also work.
- Add one teaspoon if your blend doesn’t contain xanthan or guar gum.
- It is critical to use certified gluten free oats. I used Bob’s Red Mill Certified Gluten Free Rolled Oats.
- To make this recipe dairy-free, use plant-based butter and coconut condensed milk.
- Store the bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Freeze the bars in a freezer-safe zip-style bag.
Email This Recipe To Me!
I will email this recipe to you, so you can come back to it later!
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, my rule of thumb is to add more flour if your dough or batter is wet and add more liquid if the dough or batter is too dry!
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.
I truly hope you enjoy this recipe. I have been testing and creating gluten-free recipes for over 15 years. Creating gluten-free recipes that do not taste gluten-free is my goal for every recipe. Sometimes I only have to test a new recipe a couple of times, and others it takes multiple times. I do this so you get reliable, delicious results every time!
what non dairy heavy cream works best?
So Delicious makes a great dairy-free heavy cream.
This recipe was so delicious and easy! The crust was a great texture with the GF oatmeal, kind of like a “crisp”. But the creamy, citrus-y, curd-like middle stole the show! We loved the balance of the sweetened condensed milk, the heavy cream and egg yolk with the lemon juice and zest. Will be making this on repeat!! I used dark brown sugar and 3 juiced lemon halves (1 1/2 large lemons).
I am so glad you loved these oat bars, thank you so much for coming back to let me know!
Is this recipe for quick oats or are rolled oats ok? wondering whether they’d cook enough.
Hi Andrea, I used rolled oats. I will clarify in the recipe. Thank you! (And yes, they will soften enough.)
Hi Sandi,
These were soooo delicious! I made enough for a thick bar in a 9×13 pan. Thank you for the recipe, will definitely be making these again. I also used your oatmeal base to make apple cream cheese bars, a real hit!
I am so glad you loved the recipe, Agnes!! I love you made them thicker!
Made this recipe for our coffee group (12 women)-VERY big hit, everyone loved em!!!
Easy to make. Oatmeal adds just the right texture and chew. Creamy lemon filling is just delicious!
I am thrilled everyone loved these lemon oat bars. Thank you so much for coming back to let me know they were a hit.
Absolutely delicious! We love lemon, and we all devoured these. I’m going to keep sweetened condensed milk in my pantry just for these. Thank you for another great recipe.
I am thrilled everyone loved this lemon bars recipe! I appreciate your coming back to leave a review. Thank you!
So delicious!! Will make again and again.
I am so glad you loved the recipe, Laurie. Thank you!
I am interested in making this dairy free version. You offer alternatives for butter and condensed milk but not for the heavy cream. I am not sure if coconut milk or creamer would work Please include an alternative. Thanks
Hi, So Delicious and a couple other brands make dairy-free heavy cream. It works great.
Okay. The verdict for the lemon filling with no sweetner is that it does seem to need some. I think for future bars I’ll try a traditional lemon curd. The oatmeal crust was so easy to put togther and worked beautifully, so thank you for that. I’m also going to experiment using a cheesecake/berry filling.
I believe we chatted on Facebook about this. You used evaporated milk and not condensed. I look forward to hearing how it turns out when you use the condensed milk.