These gluten free lemon oat bars have a delicious sweet oat crust and creamy lemon filling. They are topped with a thick crumb topping. There is also an easy dairy-free version!
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Ever since I made these Gluten Free Strawberry Oat Bars, they have received incredible reviews. I decided to use that recipe’s crust base to create this gluten free lemon oat bars recipe. If you are looking for an awesome lemon dessert recipe, this is a tasty 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 flavors.
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. Check out all of my lemon recipes and find some new favorites like this Gluten Free Lemon Pound Cake recipe.
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!”
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.
- Baking Powder – Use aluminum-free baking powder.
- Condensed Milk – Use regular or coconut-based condensed milk.
- Butter – Use unsalted butter.
- Lemons – Fresh is best, so you can use the zest too.
- Egg Yolk
- Heavy Cream
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.
Tips For Success:
- Always use certified gluten free oats. If you do not see a certification seal from a reputable agency on the bag of oats, don’t buy them. Oats are easily cross-contaminated in the processing, so you need to be extra careful.
- Do not try to cut these bars before they are cooled and chilled. After they cool to room temperature, I cover them with plastic wrap and put them in the refrigerator.
Step-By-Step Photos and Directions:
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.
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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. Remove from the oven to a cooling rack. When the bars come to room temperature, put them in the refrigerator to chill—slice when the bars are cool.
If you love fruity flavors, try these Gluten Free Strawberry Cream Cheese Bars.
Storage/Freezing Instructions:
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 these gluten-free lemon oat bars, you will also want to try these Gluten Free Apricot Jam Bars.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Cutting lemon bars cleanly can be tricky. 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 a xanthan, guar gum, or psyllium husk binder. It is also important for the bars to be chilled so that 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:
- The Best 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.
- 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 certified gluten free 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
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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 certified gluten free 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.
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.
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.