Vegan Lemon Bars have a crisp gluten-free crust and a creamy lemon filling you’ll love. They’re the perfect dessert for when the weather warms up!
While they don’t look exactly like classic lemon bars, these vegan lemon squares are loaded with delicious lemon flavor. They are a great option for those who need to avoid eggs or dairy.
Featuring an almond flour shortbread crust, these bars are naturally gluten-free, but you can use any other crust recipe you prefer as the base.
Ingredients You’ll Need
All you need to create a crispy crust is almond flour, coconut oil, maple syrup, and salt.
The filling is made with cashews for creaminess, along with plenty of lemon juice and lemon zest for a bright, tart flavor. Use fresh lemons for the best flavor, instead of store-bought lemon juice.
Coconut oil helps these bars firm up in the fridge, but if you want to avoid any coconut flavor you can use refined or expeller pressed coconut oil, which has zero coconut flavor. Vegan butter would also work here!
These lemon bars don’t have a bright yellow color, but you could add a pinch of turmeric to the filling for a naturally yellow hue. (Don’t add too much, or it may affect the flavor.)
How to Make Vegan Lemon Bars
Preheat the oven to 350ºF and lightly grease an 8-inch square baking dish. Press a piece of parchment paper into the bottom of the pan for easy removal later.
In a medium mixing bowl, combine the almond flour, coconut oil, maple syrup, and salt. Stir well until the dough sticks together when pressed between your fingers.
Transfer the crust mixture to the prepared pan and press it evenly into the bottom. It won’t feel like there’s enough crust at first, but it should spread out thinly over the entire bottom of the pan. (I tested this recipe with a 1/4 cup more almond flour and felt the crust overpowered the lemon layer in the finished bars.)
Bake the almond flour shortbread crust for 15 minutes or until the edges are golden. Let it cool completely while you prepare the vegan lemon curd.
To prepare the filling, add the cashews to a high-speed blender and blend until they are finely ground, about 30 to 60 seconds. Use a spatula to scrape the cashews away from the sides and corners of your blender pitcher.
Add the fresh lemon juice, zest, coconut oil, and maple syrup to the blender, then secure the lid and blend again. The filling should be smooth and creamy. Taste it and make any adjustments you see fit. (Keep in mind the flavor will be slightly milder when chilled.)
Pour the lemon filling over the cooled crust and smooth the top with a spatula. Place the pan on a flat surface in your freezer to freeze until firm, about 4 hours.
When the lemon filling feels very firm to the touch in the center of the pan, you can slice the bars into 16 pieces and serve chilled.
Dust them with powdered sugar on top, if you’d like a classic lemon bar look.
Frequently Asked Questions
These will keep well in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Serve them directly from the freezer for the firmest texture. They will soften when you leave them at room temperature, so try to serve them chilled right away.
A combination of cornstarch and coconut milk could also be used to thicken a lemon bar, but I haven’t tested this alternative yet. Agar powder is another popular thickener, which is used in my Vegan French Silk Pie. You’d have to heat either of these options in a saucepan to thicken, or bake the filling in the oven until set. (I’ll report back when I have a cashew-free alternative.)
Try a half batch of my oat flour pie crust. If you don’t keep oat flour on hand, you can blend rolled oats in a blender to make it quickly.
Looking for more vegan desserts? Try Vegan Chocolate Mousse (made with silken tofu), Whipped Coconut Cream, Almond Milk Ice Cream, or Vegan Freezer Fudge.
Vegan Lemon Bars
Ingredients
Almond Flour Crust
- 1 cup blanched almond flour
- 2 Tablespoons melted coconut oil
- 2 Tablespoons maple syrup
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Lemon Filling
- 1 cup whole cashews (not roasted or salted)
- ½ cup lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- ½ cup maple syrup
- ¼ cup melted coconut oil (see notes)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and lightly grease an 8-inch baking dish. Press a piece of parchment paper into the bottom of the dish for easy removal later.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the almond flour, coconut oil, maple syrup, and salt. Stir well until the dough sticks together, then transfer it to the prepared baking dish. Press it evenly into the bottom of the pan. It won't be very thick, but it should create a thin layer that covers the bottom of the pan. Bake this at 350ºF for 15 minutes, or until lightly golden brown around the edges. Let it cool completely.
- To make the filling, add the cashews to a blender and blend briefly. (This way you won't get any big chunks of cashews in your filling.) Add in the lemon juice, zest, maple syrup, and melted coconut oil, and blend again until silky smooth.
- Pour the filling over the cooled pie crust then smooth the top with a spatula. Set the pan on a flat surface in your freezer to set until firm, about 2 hours, or let it chill overnight.
- When the filling feels firm to the touch, use a large knife to slice 16 small bars and serve chilled. (Wipe the knife between each slice for a clean look.) These bars will soften if they sit out at room temperature for too long. For a softer filling, you can serve them from the fridge instead. Store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Notes
Nutrition
If you try these Vegan Lemon Bars, please leave a comment and star rating below letting me know how you like them.
These are so cute!! I really love the idea of putting the graham cracker crust in the bottom too. So light and perfect for summer!
They look so tasty and refreshing! Mmmm mmm! 🙂
Love the post. Looks so good. I will have to try it out. I have a random question I’ve been wanting to ask you. Why don’t you eat beans? The only ones I like are garbonzo beans in my salads. I can’t do cheese because I get rashes from dairy. And garbonzo beans keep me full for a long time. What about quinoa? Just curious about your opinion. Also, do you have an advice for me. I’m getting married on September and would love to tone up and lose 5-10lb. 🙂 I eat pretty good but seem to snack healthy things a lot.
Beans don’t sit too well in my system, so I tend to avoid them for the most part. I do still enjoy them on a rare occasion, like at a dinner out, just not regularly.
My best advice is to not do anything too drastic before your wedding! Brides have a tendency to fall victim to get-slim-quick plans, and can wind up miserably yo-yoing before their big day. Your skin and body will thank you for eating well and being consistent. 🙂
Same for me Megan! I have finally given up on trying to include them in my diet. Thank you for sharing your personal experience, its good to know Im not the only one 🙂
Lemon in summer is so right. This looks fantastic and gives me an excuse to eat cashew butter…Thanks!!!!
Oh my gosh, that batter (mixture? whatever it’s called lol) looks heavenly- I could eat that with a spoon!
However, I would try and refrain so I could freeze it into these morsels- looks like such a refreshing treat for summer!
These look yummy! Do you think I could make my own cashew butter in my food processor instead of buying a jar of it?
Yes, you can definitely make your own! Just make sure you don’t soak the cashews before blending– the water can affect the results.
I tried to make the cashew butter with my vitamix but I only got cashew flour, so the result was a grainy lemon meltaway. Also exchange the honey for liquid stevia. As soon as I’m done with the candida diet 🙂 I will try your original recipe. The flavor is great! Loved it ! Can you help me with the cashew or almond butter? I don’t need any more flour 🙂
LOVE ALL YOUR RECIPES ! And whenever I feel that I am falling off the wagon I start reading your old posts and rapidly get back in track. THANK YOU FOR SHARING AND HELPING SO MUCH !
If the nuts aren’t breaking down into a butter, I add a touch of oil to the blender, to help facilitate blending. Just add a little at a time, until it starts to break down further into the nut butter. Macadamia nut or almond oil are good options!
Hi! Can you tell me how much liquid stevia you used in place of the honey (2T seems like way too much)? I, too, am on a Candida diet and would love to make these sans honey!
Thanks 🙂
Stevia is tricky to give measurements for, because it will depend on the brand you’re using, along with how sensitized you are to the sweet taste of stevia. Those who have been using stevia for a long time will need to add more than a person who just started using it. Luckily, you can just add it a few drops at a time and taste the batter as you go, until it perfectly suits your own taste!
Thank you !
These look delicious!! I totally am obsessed with cashew butter, so these are right up my alley. I may just leave the lemon out since I’m not much of a lemon fan in desserts! And how adorable are these
It’s delicious without the lemon, too! Sometimes I’ll add vanilla instead, and it tastes like frosting. 😉
Do they have a strong coconut oil taste/smell?
I find whenever I make sweets with coconut oil is seems to overpower the other ingredients.
I don’t think the coconut oil taste is very prominent– though, I may be immune to it at this point, since I eat coconut oil so often! The tartness of the lemon is definitely the stronger flavor in this particular recipe.
Also, different coconut oils have different tastes, so you might try experimenting with different brands to see if one has less of a coconut-y flavor for you. (I’ve heard that Tropical Traditions is good in that regard!)
i love this recipe
hi may i know what can i do to cover the weird odor that coconut oil produces in baking? :/
I’ve never noticed a weird odor while baking with coconut oil! Though, I usually add garlic to everything, so maybe that covers it.
Since this recipe is raw, there’s no baking or odor to worry about! 😉
Can you use almond butter instead of cashew butter in this recipe?
Hmm… I have no idea! Almond butter has a distinct flavor, so it may interfere with the lemon taste. I guess you’ll never know until you try!
And please let us know how it works! 😉
I want to try making these. I am allergic to cashews. Do you think sunflower seeds or sunflower butter would work instead of cashews?
What a beautiful light/raw/healthy summer-time treat…making<3
Made these for my wife last night, they came out GREAT!
Thanks, MM.
Wonder how these would be with coconut butter instead of coconut oil…Love the combo of lemon and coconut! Mmmm…so refreshing!
I bet the coconut butter would be delicious, too! Let me know how it turns out! 😉
These are delicious!! I tried them with almond butter, because I didn’t have cashew butter on hand, but they were so good. Thank you so much for all of your easy and delicious recipes!
I’m about to try them with almond butter right now! Bet they’ll be great. Thanks!
oh my, my, my. How do you do it? Genius!
I’m craving something like this right now! Great recipe!
I don’t like lemon, and LOVE anything that tastes like vanilla frosting. What exactly do you use instead of the 3 tbsp lemon juice for vanilla? Extract, of the same volume? I’ve got madagascar vanilla powder, which I haven’t used yet because I have no idea how to use it in place of extract… (I heard extract wasn’t as “good” tasting since it’s alcohol-based so I got a jar of this stuff to try adding to teas and vegan raw chocolate, but it’s just collecting dust so far)
Hmmm… I’d probably increase the vanilla to 1/2 teaspoon to punch the flavor, and maybe just try a couple tablespoons of water instead of the lemon juice? I’ve never tried the vanilla powder, either. I’d love to hear how it goes!
I found this recipe from Pinterest and have had it on my list for a while… it took me a while to find the ingredients. I just made them tonight and mmmm they are delicious!! Once you blend it up, it doesn’t look lemony because of the cashew butter, but then you get a surprise lemony punch when you taste it. YUM! Thanks so much- this is a great way to start trying to eat more raw foods- it shows me that I can have tasty treats too! I can’t figure out how to rate it more than 1 star, but I give it 5!!
Will you please provide nutritional information like grams of sugar,protein, carbs, etc. And what is the calorie count?
Thank you,
Please see my FAQ regarding nutritional info: https://detoxinista.com/frequently-asked-questions/
what can you use in place of walnuts for your recipes? I’m allergic to nuts. I’m excited to try some of your recipes.
There are no walnuts in this recipe, but if you’re allergic to cashews as well, it will be tricky to replicate the exact flavor. You can try using seeds, such as sunflower seeds, or maybe try something like cream cheese? It’ll definitely take some experimenting! Good luck!
What brand of cashew butter do you use? I just made these (delicious!!) but mine are a darker color. More like roasted cashews even though the jar says raw. I used clear vanilla too so that’s not it. I love all of your recipes I’ve tried so far! Thanks!!
I make my own cashew butter in the Vitamix, but Artisana makes a version that is very similar.
These were seriously good! I even had a whole cup of cashew butter and it still came out great! My mum liked them too!
/All the way from Sweden
These are the most delicious treats I have ever tasted. Super easy to make and best of all they were raw.
Mixed some of these up tonight with tahini as im allergic to all nuts and most seeds. Really excited to try them tomorow, supposed to be a hot day here.
Thnk yu for sharing such easy, healthy, adaptable recipes 🙂
hey Megan! Could I sub soaked cashews blended in the vitamix for the cashew butter? Or is the consistency affected significantly?
I would thoroughly dry the cashews in a dehydrator or oven before blending them into cashew butter. Wet cashews create a very strange, gooey texture that I don’t care for in any cashew-based desserts. But, it’s definitely easy to make your own cashew butter in the Vitamix, as long as the cashews are dry. I do it all the time!
Another great recipe from you! Thank you 🙂 WIll try the crust need time and make them into bars 🙂
How much raw cashews should I use to substitute for the cashew butter?
Typically, 1 cup raw cashews = 1/2 cup cashew butter.
Made these tonite… A–MAZING!! So good! I am a lemon lover and these just hit the spot. Soooo good!!
Do you think macadamia butter would be a good substitute? My daughter is allergic to cashews, and macadamias seem like a similar nut to cashews. Maybe too oily? Anyone sub that out yet?
I’m allergic to cashews…any subs?
Would you not recommend omitting the vanilla extract!?! I’ve been dying to make these and now realize I have no vanilla on hand:( should I just wait and go but some?! Ha
This was my 7th or 8th recipe I’ve tried from your website. While most of them have tasted pretty good (I have been making your muffins regularly), not one of my recipes has turned out anything like your pictures. I have no idea how you got your lemon meltaways so pale and yellow like that. :/
Mine turned out brown but that’s because I used regular cashew butter instead of raw cashew butter. Maybe that’s what happened with you as well.
My family loves this recipe! Because cashew butter is not expensive, i’ve been making these with Trader Joes cashew flour. I use either my immersion blender or the food processor and process until smooth. They have a lovely taste!
THanks so much!
These are absoulutely WONDERFUL!!! They really do melt in your mouth, and they are easy, fast, and delicous! Thank’s so much DETOXINISTA!!!
Suggestions for replacements for those with nut allergies? Thanks! (my Son is allergic to Walnuts and pecans & cashews bother him as well but not Almonds)
I have an oversupply of raw almond slices; I think I just found the perfect use for them! Thanks!
Wish I had read all the comments before making these. I didn’t want to spend $19.99 for a jar of cashew butter at Whole Foods so bought the raw cashews that they grind for you. The texture was not as smooth which I should have fixed with some oil, but didn’t realize that until it was too late. I did use the coconut butter instead of the oil and it tasted great. I want to try this next time with limes. Thanks for all your great recipes
I just made these with coconut butter instead of cashew and now I have a new favourite summer treat 🙂 So delicious…
I just made these. YUM!!!
Can I substitute coconut butter for cashew butter??
I haven’t tried that, but please let us know how it works for you!
What about substituting coconut butter for almond butter? Has that been tried yet?
I read your FAQ regarding nutritional information and I don’t blame you for not wanting to mess with the numbers.
Having said that, I do think it should be noted that while these meltaways are small and use raw ingredients, cashews, honey, and coconut oil are extremely high in calories and fat. This should be one of those delicious treats that are eaten sparingly.
This recipe is amazing!!
It is easy, quick and delicious.
I add raspberries and it is just fantastic! Thanks for sharing!
Loved these! I am going to try with half the coconut oil next time to reduce the greasiness a bit. I also made cashew butter for the first time in my Blendtech twister jar, took about 2 minutes…
Nancy
Another great recipe. I doubled it and used maple syrup instead of honey and put it in a pyrex 3 cup rectangle dish so to me it tasted like creamy lemon fudge!
This was excelent. Easy and delicious.
I made my own cashew butter and added more
lemon juice because I love lemon. Otherwise I stick to the original recipe and it was perfect!