Vegan Lemon Bars

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Vegan lemon bars

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 15

Chill Time:: 2

Total Time: 2 25

Servings:

Calories: 164kcal

Author: Megan Gilmore

Vegan Lemon Bars have a crispy gluten-free crust and creamy lemon filling you'll love. They are the perfect summer dessert, made without eggs or dairy.

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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.

Video

Notes

Nutrition information is for 1 of 16 bars. This is automatically calculated and is just an estimate, not a guarantee.

Coconut Oil Note: If you're not a fan of coconut flavor, choose a refined or expeller-pressed coconut oil for this recipe. It will add almost zero coconut flavor compared to using virgin or extra-virgin coconut oil.

Update note: This recipe was updated in May 2021 to be bars, rather than just lemon filling in muffin cups. If you miss the original recipe, you can use 1/2 cup cashew butter, 3 tablespoons lemon juice, 2 tablespoons raw honey, 3 tablespoons coconut oil, 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract, a pinch of salt, and 2 teaspoons of lemon zest to fill 12 mini muffin liners. Freeze until firm, and garnish with extra lemon zest, if desired.

(Photos updated in April 2024.)

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