Creamy Vegan Lemon Bars (GF)

Thanks you so much for this delicious recipe! It was very well received by my family and friends. I read through the comments and made a few minor adjustments. I wanted more filling so I added about 2 more Tbsps of lemon juice and maple syrup. I used coconut cream, not the creamy part of coconut milk. I added 1/4 tsp turmeric for richer color. I used 1/2 tsp xanthum gum instead of the arrowroot powder. I definitely intend to make these lemon bars again and again!

I thought I had followed the recipe exactly, but 15 minutes into the baking I realized I had left out the arrowroot/cornstarch. I feared it would remain a tasty but gloppy mess. No, it firmed up just fine after a night in the fridge! I kept them chilled until just before serving–I didn’t want to take my chances letting them come to room temperature. Everyone, of all dietary preferences, LOVED them. I don’t care for powdered sugar as a topping, and with the pale color they looked a bit “naked”, so I think next time I’ll make extra crust to crumble over the top, along with some extra zest.

These bars are amazing! My entire family love them. I didn’t have almonds so used walnuts and sunflower seeds for yhr crust, other than that followed recipe exactly. Will make again and again ! Thank you

These lemon bars were absolutely divine! The crust was the best and the creamy lemon topping – yummy! I wanted to freeze, but you did not have any recommendations beyond the eat within two days or first four days!

This was so good. Nice and lemony!!

Creamy & Delicious. Time consuming recipe but the results are well worth it. My boyfriend couldn’t stop eating them.

I discovered that “Thai Kitchen” brand coconut milk had the nice layer of cream on top of liquid. “Caribbean Rhythms” coconut milk was thoroughly blended, so no layer of cream on top. Made it for my grand-daughter’s birthday tea party.

Delicious! Just made this tonight. I’ve been in a rut with dessert, eating the same things, mainly chocolate. I had bought a bag of lemons and wanted a lemony dessert. And this was it. And again, so good!!

These bars are amazing! I’ve made them twice already for my sister who can’t eat eggs or dairy, and she said it’s the best vegan dessert she’s ever had. I make a different crust though, because I prefer a more shortbread-like one.
Recommendations:
– You can usually find Arroy-D brand coconut cream in Asian grocery stores (or well-stocked other stores), so you don’t have so much of the coconut milk liquid left over.
– I highly recommend making candied lemon peel for the topping, it takes these bars next level.
I have a big bag of oranges to use up so I’m going to try and orange variation on these and report back.

I made this for my adult daughter’s birthday, she can’t eat dairy but loves cheesecake. I thought this would be a great option as a substitute, and she and her husband loved it! I didn’t make any modifications at all…it was perfect as written! I put it in a round 8” Pampered Chef pan and it came out of the pan nicely and looked pretty sliced in wedges. She had some fresh strawberries that we sliced on top…tasted very good with the light lemon flavor! Thanks once again for your awesome recipes, I haven’t found one yet that I haven’t liked! I can’t have gluten or dairy and love how many options you provide.

Thanks for this recipe! I’ve made this three times now, and in my opinion, the filling-to-crust ratio is off — there’s a little too much crust. for others, I recommend making about 75% the recommended crust, or 30% more filling (ish). Also, these aren’t gooey – but they are very creamy and nice while chilled. I added a little vanilla, and more zest and maple syrup. Do not overbake, *do* heed the instructions about taking them out when the edges start to look dry. I overbaked them once and they were very chewy – oops. I want to try a gooey recipe next! These would probably be great with whipped cream on top. Also, one of the times I made them, I just used the whole can of coconut milk, watery bits and all, and it was fine.

Easy to follow recipe! I think it definitely needs more lemon and/or citrus zest. I followed the recipe exactly and after baking, it was beige in color and not appetizing looking for my guests. IMO non-vegan lemon bars are far superior but this is an okay alternative – Just needs some tweaks to the recipe. I subbed some walnuts for almonds in the crust which turned out nice!

I made this but realized after starting that I was missing a few ingredients. Here’s my subs:
Tapioca flour instead of arrowroot (used 2TBS)
Pecans, almonds, and walnuts in the crust. The walnuts were pretty oily so I used half the amount of coconut oil.
Limes instead of lemons! Same amount of juice.
So good! As someone else commented it is a little jelly like instead of creamy, but very delicious.

I made these for some vegan friends and they were just ok. It would be more accurate to describe them as lemon cheesecake-ish adjacent. Blended them to the death and still didn’t love the texture…just a personal preference.

For a vegan option, they’re a fine dessert, but they taste nothing like actual lemon bars. The texture and punch of traditional lemon curd is what makes a lemon bar and these don’t have that.

I think for next time, I’ll try a vegan lemon curd from another website, but pour it over this crust and top with a little powdered sugar.

The search for vegan lemon bars is indeed elusive…and still ongoing!

I made these lemon bars for my sister’s birthday, and they were amazing! I followed the recipe as written. My can of full-fat coconut milk only yielded about 3/4 cup of cream. Using ~1/4 cup of liquid did not negatively impact the creaminess of the bars. These were perfect, and I will make again!

Can these be frozen?

It is important to use a coconut milk that does not contain emulsifiers. The emulsifier prevents the coconut water from separating from the coconut fat and therefore you cannot skim off the coconut “cream”.
Buy coconut milk that is only coconut milk and water.
Excellent lemon bars!

Wow!! These came out perfectly. I subbed walnuts for almonds due to an almond allergy and it worked great. So delicious and rich!

I made these last night for my mom’s birthday and they are so lemony and creamy and delicious! They were easy to make and everyone loved them!

This was yummy, not the usual eggy heavy lemon bar.!I couldn’t get enough from cream from the coconut cream can so I did add a bit of potato starch in there. I didn’t love that, but if I had to do it again I would just put more coconut cream. Loved it and my guests loved it too. Ooh and I doubled the zest.

Oh my gosh. DELICIOUS! I doubled the recipe and prepared it in a 9×13. I extended the second baking time by about 8 minutes to accommodate the extra filling. The bars were devoured at the omnivore party I took them to. Will *definitely* be making these again. My picky kids even loved them.

Absolutely delicious!
I made the recipe as it was, it’s just the perfect summer treat.
I decided to put them in the freezer and took one out at a time. Just letting it thaw for a few minutes.

I LOVE these lemon bars. I’ve made them twice now and they are always a hit. I call them lemon cheesecake bars because that is what the texture reminds me of. Each time I replaced the almonds for pecans in the crust. Amazing!!!

I made this recipe with a couple modifications and it is AMAZING! I used regular brown cane sugar instead of coconut sugar and agave syrup instead of maple syrup, same quantity as suggested. I did use lime but I will try with lemons to experience the difference.

I also used a smaller container so both my layers where thick giving it a cheesecake-like feeling.

These are BY FAR the best lemon bars I’ve tried. I cut it in small sample squares for my coworkers and some of them are willing to even buy. Recommended 100%!

These. Are. Phenomenal.

I did add extra lemon juice and zest but otherwise followed the recipe exactly and they are so delicious.

I love all your recipes but so sad about this one I think the crust baking time should be less, my entire crust burn and I followed the directions to the letter. it was too much to raise the temp to 375 and I baked for 5 mins and just burned it, then baking again with the filling.

I made these lemon bars for mothers day and they were absolutely wonderful. I substituted almond flour for the oats 1:1 to make them even lower carb and grain free and the results were excellent. Like another post, I cut them into 16 bars which I found totally satisfying. Such a great recipe, I will definitely be making them again and again.

Loved these so much that I want to use this crust everywhere else I’ve been using graham cracker crumbs! I had to make one change based on what I had on hand (greek yogurt for the coconut cream) and added one more lemon’s with of juice and zest in the end. A few drops of natural food coloring got me closer to a classic lemon bar color. I found the kcal in the nutritional info for 1 of 9 bars a little off-putting but an 8×8 pan makes, IMO, 16 good size bars. Completely hit the spot for a summer dessert — and my partner, who doesn’t like traditional lemon bar texture, loved them too. Thanks!

These bars are delicious! They taste like 40% lemon meringue and 60% cheesecake and it is incredible. The only bad thing is that I want to make them all the time and then eat the whole lot at once right away. >_<

These bars are incredible! The recipe is simple, healthy, and by far the best cheesecake alternative I’ve ever made. This tops my list of WOW recipes to make for potlucks, special treats, and making plant-based vegan look sexy to the doubters and haters out there. When life hands you lemons, just make these lemon bars…

This recipe is fantastic!! I used a mix of walnuts and almonds for the crust and blended in some vanilla extract to the filling. I also topped it with toasted coconut – delicious!

this is so good! thank you very much

I’ve made these twice now and they’re amazing! I served them to group of people and they had fun guessing what they were made of. Most said “graham cracker crust” and “cream cheese filling”. They were shocked when I disclosed the true recipe :)
Thanks for creating such a wonderful recipe!

These were really quite extraordinary. Pretty simple ingredients and didn’t take up very much time. I did add more zest and juice and a little turmeric powder for color. So good!

Absolutely love these! I’ve tried making them a couple times in the past, but I didn’t have a blender and tried using a food processor for the filling. It sort of worked if I strained the cashew bits out (I think I used So Delicious Coco Whip once instead of coconut cream), but now that I have a NutriBullet Select it’s a game-changer! I soaked the cashews in cool water for 6 hours and it did the trick to make the filling so smooth and silky. To the filling I added some extra zest of 1 lemon and juice from 1/2 a lemon, and 1 tbsp extra maple syrup. For the crust, I actually used your recipe from your 7 layer bars – I find the dates/maple syrup combo help it stick together well. My bars baked in the oven for an extra 10 minutes to get to the “jiggly” consistency. These bars truly melted in your mouth! The filling was perfectly set and the crust held together well that you could pick them up like bars. The next day, the filling was a little firmer but still soft, like cheesecake. So delicious and an amazing recipe with wholesome ingredients!

**For the lemon lovers who like the extra zing in all lemony recipes: I think I found the perfect proportion! I added the juice AND all the zest of three large lemons, and it satisfied my tang-seeking palate :) **

These are truly a treat! I can’t stop opening the fridge to munch on them some more….for breakfast, snack, dessert—they satisfy at any time of day. We love that they are not overly sweet and pack just the right among of tang. Added a bit of ground turmeric too and they came out a nice yellow color. No more non-vegan lemon bar cravings!

Not sure if others had this issue, but for me I found that after the 15 min at 350 F for the crust, my crust was done! I put it in for an extra 3 min at 375 F just to watch it and see if it needed more time, but it got a little burned at the edges.

I love this recipe. I’ve made this as the lemon bars. But I have also used it to make a key lime pie. I just used a pie dish, no parchment. And added enough lime zest and juice for the zing we like.
Wonderful recipe! :D

These are next level 😍 next time I’ll double the lemon and maybe add a lime for a different kick. Otherwise they were perfect, better than non vegan lemon bars!

Interesting recipe!! I made a few changes: oatmilk instead of coconut cream, applesauce for coconut oil and 1/3 of the almond grounds for protein powder. I had to add also more cashews and cornstarch to make it creamier but it was still quite liquid. I was worried it wouldn’t have worked but it actually firmed up in the oven really well!! I also added more lemon juice and the taste was perfect. Maybe not my favourite recipe here (the healthier changes come at a price!!), but I really enjoyed these bars :)

I love this recipe! It came out perfectly the first time making it! Have you ever tried limes? I bet it would be delish too.

The was absolutely delicious!!! Super easy and super tasty! I really do recommend everyone try this recipe (I added a bit more lemon and some tumeric for color)
Great recipe, I‘ve already sent it to my friends! :)

Made exactly as described, and as always with these recipes, it came out great! Perfect for my gluten free son and vegan husband! Ooh, there was one addition that I made… I wanted them a bit more yellow, so I added maybe 1/4 tsp of turmeric. Didn’t affect the flavor, but they are a beautiful yellow now ❤️

So incredibly good!! I made a few modifications: half pecans/half almonds, vanilla, vegan becel instead of coconut oil, and a bit of shredded coconut in the base, then extra vanilla and maple syrup in the top. Served them slightly frozen (oops, left them out in the Canadian winter too long), and they were a hit with the whole family! Even my brother who only likes things that include whiskey and steak thought they were amazing.

Everyone hated it. My mom was disgusted and my dad said it was mediocre. I thought it was ok. And my family made me cry because the said it was bad and I spent 2 hours making this

These bars are super tasty. I’ve made these a few times with lots of success. Thanks for the great recipe!!

These were disappointing to me. They were good but not amazing (and usually MB recipes are amazing). I would describe these more as a lemon cheesecake bar. I wish they were 3x as lemon-y, and that’s after increasing the lemon juice and doubling the zest after an initial taste of the filling. The amounts were a bit off to me; it took me an entire bag of Trader Joe’s (small) lemons to get the 1/2c juice, and my full-fat can of coconut milk from Trader Joe’s only yielded half a cup of coconut cream. The crust, however, was amazing. I would make them again with adjusted expectations of what they are and way more lemon.

I really enjoyed these bars, and they were pretty quick and simple to make. My only downfall was the crust- it was delicious, but super crumbly for me. The filling holds its shape when I pick up a bar, but the crust fell all over the place. I didn’t think about this in advance, but the filling tastes a lot like lemon cheesecake filling! Yum.

These bars were so delicious and super easy to make!!

These were delicious !
That’s it, thats all I have to say!
Thank you for bringing us this recipe!!

I have come to really trust the Minimalist Baker and know that even if I’m trying a recipe here for the first time it will be great.
No exception here. These bars were so easy to make. I made them on Sunday and now it is Thursday and I have to say, they are every bit as delicious today and the texture is still excellent. The bar is creamy and the crust is still a little crunchy (I used ghee). I also froze a small piece to see how it freezes and it thawed perfectly. Even gluten and dairy loving people would love this!

Absolutely delicious. Couldn’t wait for it to cool down for 4 hours. It’s like an Italian lemon torte.

Sooo delicious! I LOVE lemon so I knew I had to make this. The recipe is perfect and I don’t feel guilty after eating 3 squares…ahem, I mean 1 square ;) I added extra lemon zest just because I like them super zesty.
Thank you for this new addition to my favorites!

It was easy to make and turned out delicious. Next time I would put more lemon zest.
Thank you for the recipe.

These were amazing and very easy to put together!
I made them for dessert for a friend who is very allergic to dairy and he was so excited he hadn’t had a lemon bar in years.
Thanks for the recipe!

Absolutely delicious and easy!!! Next time I might even add a little more lemon zest. So good :)

I doubled the lemon zest in this recipe hoping for extra lemony flavour.. and even with double, and I was disappointed that they still came out with a very mild lemon taste. The bars themselves have a great cheesecakey texture and are delicious, but it just wasn’t exactly what I hoped for. I was concerned about upping the lemon juice and having the filling be too liquidy. How much lemon juice could be added next time without affecting the texture of the bar?