These Sugar Free Lemon Bars are light, summery and easy to make. The filling is thick and creamy and sits on top of a sweet almond base. They're the perfect blend of sweet and tangy and ideal for picnics, afternoon teas, BBQ's, baby showers and more.
Why This Recipe Works
- Easy to make with just 7 ingredients
- These bars are naturally sweetened with no added sugar
- They're packed with protein
- They're light , sweet and tangy all in one
- They'll keep for 5 days in the fridge
- Its a great way to use up excess eggs!
For a berry infused flavoured bars, check out these Blueberry and Lemon Crumb Bars which come together quickly in around 20 minutes.
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
- Lemon: Fresh lemon juice is best for this recipe. Look for one that is medium to large in size, is free from blemishes and spots and feels heavy when you hold it.
- Granulated Sweetener: I use Lakanto Monkfruit Classic, however you could use any granulated sweetener that measures like sugar such as granulated stevia.
- Powdered Sweetener: The brand I use is Lakanto Monkfruit Icing Powder (similar to icing sugar, powdered sugar). Dusting a little on top adds a little additional sweetness to the zesty tang of the lemon bars.
How To Make Baked Lemon Bars
- Blitz the base ingredients in a food processor until a dough is formed. (if you don't have a food processor, you can still make this using a bowl and spoon to make the base)
- Press the dough into a large loaf int lined with baking paper/parchment paper. Making sure to press the dough all the way to the edges, smoothing over the top with your fingers.
- Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to make the filling.
- Mix thickened cream and cornflour/cornstarch together to form the basis of the lemon custard filling.
- Add the eggs, lemon, and sweetener into the cream and whisk to combine.
- Strain the lemon filling over the cooled based, using a fine metal strainer.
- Bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let it cool in the tin.
- Refrigerate for 3 to 4 hours, then slice with a sharp knife. Dust over powdered sweetener to serve.
Recipe Tips
- Lemon: using bottled lemon juice is certainly convenient, however using fresh lemons with give the bars so much more taste and flavour. Its definitely worth using fresh lemon.
- Straining: Using a metal strainer to straining the lemon filling over the base does make a difference as it makes the filling super smooth and velvety.
- Lining the baking tin: don't skip this step as it will make it difficult to remove the lemon slice in one piece. If you don;t have baking paper/parchment paper, you could use foil.
- White spots/bubbles: If you notice white bubbles, marks or air pockets on the top of the slice after baking that's normal and is caused by the air in the eggs rising to the surface. Dust some powdered sweetener on top to cover it up!
Your Questions Answered
Do lemon bars need to be refrigerated?
Lemon bars are best kept in the fridge as they are essentially a custard. Keeping them in the fridge ensure they retain their firmness and stay fresh. If serving as part of an event, they are fine to be out of the fridge for an hour or so whilst guests are eating them.
How long can you keep lemon bars?
5 Days. Store lemon bars in an air tight container in the fridge. Discard after 5 Days.
How do you cut lemon bars neatly?
If you've lined your loaf tin with baking paper/parchment paper they will be easy to remove by pulling up the sides of the paper. Place slice onto a board (with paper intact). Cover and refrigerate slice for 3 to 4 hours before slicing. Use a sharp (unserated) knife and slice lengthways down the middle first, then cut widthways in half so you have quarters. Slice each portion twice more so you have 12 slices. Trim sides if you wish.
More Sugar Free Baking Recipes
- Chocolate Oat Granola Bars (Naturally Sweetened)
- Ginger Carrot Loaf Cake with Walnuts
- Moist Orange and Almond Cake
- Easy Dairy Free Banana Bread
- Raw Caramel Slice
- 5 Ingredient Chewy Amaretti Biscuits
Sugar Free Lemon Bars
These Sugar Free Lemon Bars are light, summery and easy to make. The filling is thick and creamy and sits on top of a sweet almond base. They're the perfect blend of sweet and tangy.
Equipment
Ingredients
Base
- 1 ¾ cups (200 grams) Almond Meal
- 4 tablespoons Granulated sweetener that measures like sugar - (see note 1)
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 large egg white
Filling
- 2 teaspoons Cornflour
- ½ cup Thickened Cream
- 5 medium Eggs - (room temperature)
- ½ cup Granulated Sweetener that measures like sugar - (see note 1)
- ½ cup Fresh Lemon juice
Other
- Powdered Sweetener to dust on top - (see note 3)
Instructions
Base:
- Put all the ingredients for the base into a food processor and blitz until combined.
- Line a large rectangle loaf tin with baking paper/parchment paper with the paper coming an inch above the sides of the tin (so its easy to remove once cooked).
- Press into a baking tin lined with baking paper. I recommend using a rectangle loaf tin. (it might look like there is not enough dough but keep gently pushing it too the edges and it will be enough)
- Bake in preheated FAN oven at 160 degrees C [250 degrees F] for 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Set aside and make the filling.
Filling:
- Add cornflour and cream to a bowl and whisk using a hand whisker until smooth and combined.
- Add in the eggs, sweetener and lemon juice and whisk until combined, but not frothy.
- Use a metal strainer to strain the lemon filling over the base.
- Put back in the oven for 35 minutes at 160 degrees C [320 degrees F]. (Once removed from the oven the lemon custard filling will continue to cook a little).
- Once cooked, remove from oven and let cool to room temperature for 30 minutes. Leave in the tin, cover with foil and refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours.
- When it is cold, slice into 12 bars and store in an air tight container in the fridge. Bars will keep in the fridge for 4 to 5 days.
- To serve, dust a little powdered sweetener over.
Notes
- Granulated Sweetener: I use Lakanto Monkfruit Classic, however you could use any granulated sweetener that measures like sugar such as granulated stevia.
- Lemon: Fresh lemon juice is best for this recipe.
- Powdered Sweetener: The brand I use is Lakanto Monkfruit Icing Powder (similar to icing sugar, powdered sugar). Dusting a little on top adds a little additional sweetness to the zesty tang of the lemon bars.
Nutrition
Serving: 1sliceCalories: 166kcalCarbohydrates: 12gProtein: 8gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 4gSugar: 1g
Note: Sugars contained in this recipe are from naturally occurring sugars in fruits, vegetables or other natural sweeteners.
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Marg
Is it possible to substitute coconut yoghurt instead of cream?
Kim
I haven't tried this recipe using coconut yoghurt instead of cream. I'm not too sure how coconut yoghurt would go setting in the oven sorry.
Jo Hill
Can you use limes instead?
Kim
Hi Jo,
I haven't tried this with lime before, but it would be interesting to see how it went. It should work, you might just need to check the sweetness level and add more stevia if needed. Love to know how it goes.
Thanks,
Kim