Lemon Bars low carb gluten free delicious treats!
These luscious lip smacking bars have all the flavors you are familiar with, but these can be enjoyed by those watching their carb and sugar intake.
Just in time for Mother’s Day I’m bringing lemon bars that you’ll want to make for all the special ladies in your life!
Grandma, Madre, your neighbor that you carpool with that helps shuttling the kids from one event to the next; your best friend that never had children, but looked after yours like they were her own.
Yeah, ALL the women that have shown their love and support in your life deserves lemon bars!
As I mentioned when I made these Low Carb Cheesecake Brownies I am experimenting with the technique of baking with gluten-free, low-carb, and low sugar ingredients and I love the results!
For a long time I have limited my sugar and refined carbs because my body doesn’t burn those off like it used to (sucks big time!).
I don’t eat treats very often, but I still need to satisfy my sweet tooth (teeth!), so why not challenge myself and turn my favorite sweets into a healthier snack?!
Plus, I also want to have a collection of gluten-free treat options at my finger tips since there are so many people that avoid wheat in foods.
Ironically, when I share altered recipes no one notices that I didn’t use granulated sugar or wheat in the recipe!
These bars have a creamy filling with a little zesty tang from the fresh lemon juice that’s followed up with sweetness. I used coconut oil in the crust, but you can substitute it for the same ratio of butter if you would like.
Lemon Bars {Low Carb & Gluten Free}
Ingredients
Crust
Lemon Filling
Instructions
Adapted from Coconut Oil Cooking, Healthy Lemon Bars (Now I can’t find the exact link).
Ludmilla
I used the Truvia Baking Blend Natural Sweetener to bake muffins, peanut butter cookies and several sweet breads for Christmas to give to some friends that can’t have sugar.
Sandra Shaffer
I’ve added Truvia in place of sugar only a couple of times and am pleased with the flavor and the fact that it doesn’t raise your sugar level like regular sugar! I’m also going to try some other brands to see which I like best!
Sherrie P
Just an FYI…. Trivia baking blend has regular sugar in it! The carbs in this blend are the same as if you used regular table sugar.
Sandra Shaffer
If you are avoiding sugar completely then a different sweetener should be used. Truvia blend has half of the carbs of granulated sugar with the help from stevia leaf extract and erythritol. https://www.truvia.com/faq Have you tried Swerve? I just purchased the powdered sugar to test.
Suchi @elegantmeraki
I love lemon bar, never thought they could be made low carb.
Lisa Ho
I hear you about burning out sugar at a very snail pace! aarrrgh…
Nice to come across a recipe with low sugar.
Thank you 😀
Tania @ The Cook's Pyjamas
I am a bit of a sucker when comes to lemon bars, and I love the use of the unrefined flours in the base. Yum!
Natalie Tamara
How gorgeous do these look!? I absolutely love lemon cake and the fact they’re a healthier version. The challenge of turning desserts in healthier ones is surprisingly fun and so satisfying when it turns out better than the original 🙂
April J Harris
Your lemon bars look gorgeous and sound really tasty too! Love that they are also gluten free.
Smitha
Lemon bars look delicious creamy soft and the very look of it is tempting. Its so heavenly to have such lemon bars
Bam's Kitchen
I love lemon even more than chocolate so these are right up my alley. Love the fact that these little treats are low carb and lovely. Don’t you just long for the days you could eat a whole pizza and then just go for a run and not gain an ounce… 🙂 Sharing everywhere!
Linda Dixon
I am in the process of making these, the dough for the crust is very runny, more like a thin cake batter. I read and reread the instructions several times, what could be wrong??? Too much coconut oil for the amount of flour??? Just stuck it in the oven, we’ll see what happens!
Sandra Shaffer
Did you melt the oil. My oil was solid when I made it. It was a thin batter, but not runny. Let me know! I did refrigerate before cutting/serving and kept them covered in the refrigerator.
Twyla
This just happened to me too. I’m putting it in the fridge to try and thicken it up. In the directions, younsya that you melt the oil but in that comment you said it was solid…
Sandra Shaffer
Twyla, once cooked this is a soft bar. I keep them in the refrigerator. The oil starts as a solid, but then you melt in the microwave. Hope that helps!
Twyla
I just wanted to follow up and tell you what happened with ,Inge since it was so runny. I put the crust in the fridge to firm up and pressed it into the cake pan. I baked it, and left it in longer because it didn’t seem to be baking right, it almost sort of raised like a cake lol. Then I put the lemon portion in after it was baked and cooled down. Well, that crust separated and I was left with some lemon on the top, a three tiered crust in the middle of the lemon bar, and then most of the lemon custard on the bottom!
It didn’t taste too bad but man was the texture strange lol. Lemon, three tiers of “crust”, and topped with lemon. I will try again one day ? I was wondering if maybe the fact that I used Swerve confectioners sugar contributed? Looking forward to trying your other recipes. Thanks for the response
Twyla
And PS, I’m sorry for my really bad iPad typing skills!
Sandra Shaffer
Thanks, Twyla! I appreciate your time! The Swerve shouldn’t be an issue. It bakes up just like granulated sugar, so I’m at a loss for why yours came out so different!
AJ
The same thing happened to me last time….I didn’t let the crust cool enough before putting on the topping. Like you said, still tasted great.
Karen Argo
mine too! Hoping for the best.
Krystal Dy
Hey there these look yummy. Do you happen to know the carb count on this recipe? And also what kind of powdered sugar did you use?
Sandra Shaffer
I used regular powdered sugar, but I also have used Swerve, and you can make your own! Blend 1 1/2 cups of sweetener of your choice (xylitol, erythritol) with 1 tablespoon of cornstarch or arrowroot. Measure the amount you need and store the rest for another recipe! I do not know the carb count, but it’s easy to figure out if you have an app like My fitness Pal or you can go on the web and use NutritionData.com
Alice May
Thanks for sharing info❣
Nora
What else could you use as a sweetener in place of Truvia? I have tried it and find that tastes too much like Aspartame. I love lemon so these look delightful!! 🙂
Sandra Shaffer
If you want to stick with a sugar alternative, there is another brand that you might like called Swerve. Sometimes it’s just a matter of finding the right mix that suits your taste.
Tara
Do you have nutrition facts for these?
Sandra Shaffer
Hi Tara, I recently put these in My Fitness Pal to look up the macros – 158 calories, 6 grams carbs, 16 grams fat, 4 grams protein. Hope this is helpful, but please note that the type of brands you use will yield different results. These numbers takes into consideration the following: Swerve for the base and Truvia for the lemon filling.
Brandy
What brand of almond flour did you use? Mine was a little dark and my lemon bars didn’t look as nice as yours in your recipe (they didn’t have that bright yellow coloring) they looked more like the almond flour. I am waiting for them to cool to taste, love the recipe and they smell great, hopefully they taste as good as they smell! But next time I would like to make them look more like your picture!
Sandra Shaffer
Hi Brandy! I use Bob’s Red Mill and also Simply brand from Target. Was your flour light colored? If you use almond meal, the dark skins are left on when processed. Almond flour is made from blanched almonds with the skins removed. That’s the only difference I can think of. Most almond flours I’ve seen are a light cream with hints of yellow. Let them cool well so they set, and keep them in the refrigerator.
Tara
Hi Sandra!
Using Swerve in place of the 3/4 c of sugar is 180 carbs total, just over 17 per serving. I hope I am missing something?
Thanks!
Sandra Shaffer
It would depend on your serving size and brand of ingredients you use. I often use Happy Forks to analyze recipes, but I hear My Fitness Pal is a good resource. I’m still looking for the best analyzer to add to the site.
Anna
@Tara there are technically carbs in Swerve but if you read about what Swerve actually is, and is made up of you’ll find out that the carbohydrates are not actually digestable… So yes, Swerve has carbs but your body can’t use them so they won’t add to your waistline but may cause some temporary bloat for people with sensitive tummys.
Sandra Shaffer
Thanks for those details Anna! I’ve only recently started to use Swerve (love it!), and it hasn’t given me tummy issues – yay! Tara and I have emailed back and forth trying to bring the carb count down and I suggested subbing some stevia. It’s a science project 😉
Matea
Hello, English isn’t my native language so could you please explain me what does “fold in the almond flour” exactly mean? Couldn’t figure it out and this seems like a great dessert to me. ^^
Sandra Shaffer
Hi Matea! It means to gently combine the ingredients. I use a large rubber spatula scooping the ingredients from the bottom of the bowl into the center until the ingredients are mixed. Hope that is helpful.
Jessica Walker
Since a lot of people who are trying to follow the Atkins Diet need to count their carb intake every day, I think it would be great if you could record the Net Carbs per serving of your meals. Because this looks really good but since I don’t know how many carbs are in it per serving I can’t make it without worrying that that there are more carbs in it then my phase of the diet allows.
Dottie Fisher
I’m too sensitive to any artificial sweeteners but everything else in this recipe looks awesome! I’m grain-free (and soy-free, etc.) so I’d like to try these. Any idea if alternate sweeteners? Coconut sugar? A bit of raw sugar (you’ve already got the powdered sugar after all). Any ideas? Thank you!
Sandra Shaffer
I think coconut sugar is a good alternative as well date sugar, although you may taste a hint of caramel using those options. Swerve is made with natural alcohol sugar, erythritol, but if you are sensitive to erythritol you may want to try stevia instead.
Lynn McCandless
I am in the middle of making these Lemon Squares and have a disaster, not exactly how I wanted to start my morning off. ¾ cup of coconut oil, REALLY!!!! I have soup for a crust rather than a shortbread base. I have added another ½ Cup almond flour and 2 tbs coconut flour and more sweetener and it still isn’t thick enough to press as a shortbread base should be. There is obviously a mistake in this recipe or your coconut flour is way different from ours in Canada. I would think that ¼ Cup Coconut oil would be plenty or even ⅓. HELP!!!! I need an answer quick!
Sandra Shaffer
Hi Lynn! Oh goodness this isn’t how I like to start my morning either. Perhaps you need to let the ingredients sit so the flours absorb the liquid. Did you start with solid coconut oil? Yes, different brands of ingredients can make a difference. It’s impossible for me to give instructions of every type. The recipe listed reflects the photos.
Alice
I made these last night, they came out great! I read in some of the comments that the batter does not set well. I added 2 tbs of ground up quick cooking tapioca. Adds a few carbs, but the batter set up perfectly. I also exchanged the coconut oil for 1 stick of melted butter. I really was delighted at how good the tasted. I will definitely make them again! Thank you!
Sandra Shaffer
Thanks for commenting, Alice! It’s tricky to bake grain free. Adding psyllium husk might also thicken up the crust if the coconut oil isn’t absorbing well enough.
Kathryn
My sister in law and I both made these and ended up with a runny batter for the crust. Are we supposed to use softened coconut oil instead of melted? If using butter, should it just be softened? Also, can you share what brand of coconut flour and almond four you are using? Thank! They still held up but I think they’d be even better if I can figure out the crust issue.
Sandra Shaffer
Hi Kathryn! Not all coconut and almond flours are created equal! I have used the brands Bob’s Mill, Mementa Organic, and Target Simply, as well as Honneyville. You added the coconut oil correctly, so add an additional teaspoon of coconut flour and see if that is enough to absorb the coconut oil. You do need to wait about 5 minutes as it absorbs. It is a soft bar and I keep these in the refrigerator which will firm up the crust.
Laura
HI! I cooked mine as suggested and my crust turned out wonderful. I cooked the crust at night till light golden brown and then let it set overnight to cool. The next day I made the lemon and it turned out great too. My only thing I’m going to “tweak” is I used 2/3 cup fresh lemon juice and I felt it was a bit to sour for my liking (and I love lemons) so that’s just personal taste. Other than that it turned out just like yours (pictures) above.
Sandra Shaffer
Thank you for commenting! That’s a great idea to let the crust settle before filling. Hope you enjoyed the bars 🙂
Nancy Hackett
I think you had a good idea letting the crust sit overnight. I thought I hasd let mine cool enough but the crust came out very wet.
Amanda
My crust ended up on top and my filling on the bottom lol. Either way it was delish!
Sandra Shaffer
What? That’s odd! Glad it tasted delish 🙂
Kristanna
How many total carbs does this have? I’m counting carbs and have reread this article and comments several times but I don’t see it!! Thanks!
Sandra Shaffer
Hello Kristanna! I just updated my recipe plugin to calculate the macronutrients. With the ingredients I used each piece is 8.3 carbs. Traditional recipes with granulated sugar and flour will be about 39 carbs per square. Low carb is the way to go 🙂
Cheryl
I don’t quite understand the cooking time. At the top, it says 20 minutes cooking time. In the instructions, it says 20 minutes for the crust, then another 20 minutes when the filling is put in. Is the total cooking time 20 minutes or 40 minutes?
Sandra Shaffer
40 minutes total time.
Vicky
This recipe was a disaster! I love lemon, but this was so running. I even made it twice just so I could beat the eggs longer on second batch because I wasn’t sure what smooth meant. Too much lemon …it was overwhelming and the crust was soggy maybe from too much coconut oil,,I don’t know! Truly sorry to leave a disappointing comment, but that was my experience,,,sad face.
Sandra Shaffer
I’m so sorry this didn’t turn out for you Vicky. There are a lot of things that could have contributed, but difficult to pin-point exactly what could have gone wrong
Becky
I couldn’t wait to make these! The crust was perfect and not runny at all, actually very thick. (And I melted oil like recipe said)
Used 4 lemons for the juice but used Stevia powdered sugar for the recipe instead of one in recipe. They were very bitter/sour tasting. Hard to eat that way. Is there a big difference in using the Stevia verses Swerve, etc.?
Sandra Shaffer
Hi Becky! Plain Stevia can be very bitter. It’s hard to find what suits your tastebuds without experimenting a bit. The erythritol stevia blend like Swerve takes much better to me. You can also experiment with Monk Fruit Sweetener.
Sara
Is anyone else getting a crazy high fat amount from all the coconut oil and almond flour? I calculated 148g of fat for the whole recipe and that was using egg beaters instead of whole eggs?
Josephine B
I’m wanting to try these out as I’ve only been on “Keto” for 8 weeks now and have avoided ALL sweet things in that time also have lost 7kg in 9 week (a little under my goal weight) but this gives me “play room” now. Since I live in Australia we don’t have Swerve here, so I’m going to try Xylitol instead because I don’t like the bitter after-taste of Stevia. Thank you such a lovely treat recipe.
Sandra Shaffer
Congratulations on your weight loss success! Enjoy every bit of this lemon bar treat 🙂
Pamela O'Keefe
This was an expensive disaster for me BUT I think I know what went wrong and will share in hope that it may be helpful to others. It’s the coconut oil quantities I found confusing as this was my first attempt at using coconut oil in baking.
My crust was runny too but I used 3/4 cup liquid coconut oil. I think 3/4 cup solid oil melted down would be much less and the bottom layer would form more of a base. I’m crazy for lemon and will try the recipe again. One day.
Sandra Shaffer
It also depends on they brand of coconut flour. The consistency can vary.
Carol
Hi just about to make this but just need to clarify with you the oven temperature in the recipe says 350 is that correct as my seems too high and my oven doesn’t go that high.
Sandra Shaffer
325 is fine if that works for you. It may take a few minutes more, but that’s fine!
Carly
Thanks for sharing this recipe. Looking forward to trying, however, when I poured the filling into the crust, it broke right thru the crust and sank to the bottom and the crust sat on top… maybe it wasn’t cool enough? I’m baking it anyway to give it a shot… it may not be pretty but I’m hoping it tastes good!
Sandra Shaffer
Oh no! Hmmm, I honestly don’t know why that would happen. Sounds like it might have turned into a crumble dessert!
Brenda
I used an 8 x 8 pan and the crust is 3/4″ thick. Seems crumbly too.
michele
Wow! These were fantastic! I still cant get over how good they were. I used butter because I didn’t have enough coconut oil … and the texture was perfect. Another plus? My husband had NO IDEA that it was sugar free using the swerve sweetener… what a great recipe!
debi at Life Currents
These are perfect for Easter! Something a little lighter and still delicious! Thanks for the recipe.
Julie Menghini
Such a beautiful bar and we love lemon. I can’t wait to try it.
kylee
We loved these, made with butter!! So crumbly and delicious! I love a good lemon bar, and am so glad I can have them again! (We use swerve too)
Jennifer Stewart
Your lemon bars look awesome and sound really tasty too!
[email protected]'s Dinnertime Dish
We’re eating low carb at my house and I’ve been looking for some sweet recipes to try. These bars are perfect and I can’t wait to try them!
Brandi Burgess
Never would have guessed these were low carb!!! They are AMAZING!
Deb
These are so fantastic! I took your advice and after slicing, popped them in the freezer and they kept so fresh. We’ve been enjoying these bars for the last week!
Deanna
I love anything lemon! and this being low carb, oh my!!! THis on my to-do list!
Lynn McCandless
By adding the extra almond flour (ours here is very, very fine) and coconut flour & sweetener I ended up with a thicker crust but it looks like it turned out. Yes, I did start with solid coconut oil. I did let it sit for quite some time so the oil would be absorbed. I am going to adjust the quantity of oil, perhaps it is different here in Canada. I used Costco coconut oil. The filling set up nicely. Can’t wait until they cool so I can test them. I plan on taking them to a luncheon tomorrow.
Sandra Shaffer
Good to hear. Be sure to keep them refrigerated as long as possible before serving. They are soft. In fact, you might want to freeze so they can be out at room temp longer for guests.
Cheryl Hoerner
Very runny crust – hoping it turns out. Any updates?
Sandra Shaffer
Hi Cheryl – you need to let the coconut oil/butter get absorbed by the coconut flour for about 5 minutes. The brands of coconut flour differ, so you may need add an additional tablespoon of flour. Gluten-free baking definitely takes some getting used to. I hope this turns out great for you!
Angelica
Just popped this into the oven! My crust seemed runny before I cooked it, but when I took it out after 20min of baking it appeared set like a soft cookie. I made the filling using Myer lemons and Swerve… smells wonderful! I added a bit of almond extract to the crust. I was also thinking of adding a bit of coconut flakes to the top. I will chill before serving for dessert tonight! Thank you for an easy keto recipe!
Sandra Shaffer
That almond extract in the crust sounds tasty! I’ll try that next time too!