I have been waiting quite a while to post this recipe. I wanted it to be the best that it can be because a good lemon bar recipe is hard to find. A good, healthy lemon bar recipe is even harder to find. I have been on a mission to create it.
When I was eating the standard american diet I never liked lemon bars. I would have chosen cake, cookies or another type of bar. But as I started eating healthier my taste buds changed. I bet many of you can attest to that. Things that were once bitter and sour became just the right amount of sweet and tangy. So I want to encourage you that if you find some of my recipes a little bitter or the taste of stevia not sweet enough, keep on trying them. You will adapt and adjust and pretty soon that will be nice and sweet. Plus, the things that you previously thought were the perfect level of sweet aren’t going to taste good anymore. They will be super sweet and often times you can taste the HFCS and chemicals in the item (if they are processed) and your tummy won’t feel so good after eating that way too. One of my favorite things about my yummy sweets is that I still feel good after eating one (even after eating two). There is freedom in knowing that the foods you choose when you change your lifestyle are going to make you feel better and ultimately build health!
Ingredients
CRUST
1 1/4 cup almond flour
1/4 cup coconut flour
1/2 teaspoon Stevita stevia
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 Tablespoons grass-fed organic butter, melted
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
TOPPING
1/2 cup lemon juice, fresh squeezed from organic lemons
3 eggs
3 Tablespoons raw honey
1 teaspoon Stevita stevia
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup butter, melted
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and butter an 8 inch baking dish
CRUST
- To make the crust, mix the almond flour, coconut flour, stevia and salt. Pour the melted butter into the bowl and combine. I used clean hands because that always works the best. Once mixed, add the vanilla and combine again with your hands
- Press the dough (once again with your hands) into the pan so it is pressed even
- Put in the oven for 17-20 minutes until the crust is starting to turn golden
TOPPING
- While the crust is baking, make the topping
- In a medium bowl add the lemon juice, eggs, honey, stevia and vanilla and mix together well with a hand mixer. You want to mix very well and completely beat the eggs. You don’t want scrambled eggs as the topping to your lemon bars. Slowly add the melted butter into the bowl while mixing. You want to do this slowly because if your butter is still warm you don’t want to bake the eggs.
- Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes until the topping is set and turning a golden brown.
- Let cool on the counter and then refrigerate. Serve cold, there’s something better about a cool lemon bar vs a warm one!
Enjoy!
- CRUST
- 1¼ cup almond flour
- ¼ cup coconut flour
- ½ teaspoon Stevita stevia
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 Tablespoons grass-fed organic butter, melted
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- TOPPING
- ½ cup lemon juice, fresh squeezed from organic lemons
- 3 eggs
- 3 Tablespoons raw honey
- 1 teaspoon Stevita stevia
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup butter, melted
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and butter an 8 inch baking dish
- CRUST
- To make the crust, mix the almond flour, coconut flour, stevia and salt. Pour the melted butter into the bowl and combine. I used clean hands because that always works the best. Once mixed, add the vanilla and combine again with your hands
- Press the dough (once again with your hands) into the pan so it is pressed even
- Put in the oven for 17-20 minutes until the crust is starting to turn golden
- TOPPING
- While the crust is baking, make the topping
- In a medium bowl add the lemon juice, eggs, honey, stevia and vanilla and mix together well with a hand mixer. You want to mix very well and completely beat the eggs. You don't want scrambled eggs as the topping to your lemon bars. Slowly add the melted butter into the bowl while mixing. You want to do this slowly because if your butter is still warm you don't want to bake the eggs.
- Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes until the topping is set and turning a golden brown.
- Let cool on the counter and then refrigerate. Serve cold, there's something better about a cool lemon bar vs a warm one!
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Do you think this would work if I substituted coconut oil for the butter?
I absolutely think that coconut oil would work for the recipe. Or grapeseed oil. Both good dairy free options!
Let me know how they turn out. I would love to know different variations and substitutions.
I’ve been using vegan palm shortening to substitute for butter – for occasions when I just don’t want the coconut oil flavor to seep thru :)
I was wondering on a substitute for the stevia – can’t get used to the flavor. I have been using maple syrup, honey and dates for recipes.
Hi Gigi-
I would suppose that the palm shortening would work for a butter substitute. You wouldn’t need to melt it, but should work just fine.
Also, have you tried the Stevita brand stevia that we have at Revolution? It doesn’t have a bad after-tasete and it’s the only kind I will use too! We have little sample packs, so you’ll need to grab one next time you are in! And for this recipe, you can just add a bit more honey to the filling and about 2-4 tsp of honey to the crust to sweeten that too.
We had the lemon bars over the Labor Day weekend. Fantastic! Very refreshing treat. I highly recommend trying them.
Can you omit the honey? We are completely sugar free, including honey. Also would stevia glycerite work? We use Better Stevia glicerite for a lot of baking it also doesn’t
have the after taste of some stevia.
Valarie-
I have not made this particular recipe honey-free. Although I’m sure you can just add a bit more stevia to make up for some sweetness. My other thought was (which I haven’t tried) is to add 3 Tbs of coconut butter in replacement for the honey. I wouldn’t want them to taste like coconut then!
And I think any brand of stevia would work, just as long as it doesn’t have any bad fillers in it. I’m not as familiar with those brands, but if you are liking them, for sure give them a try!
If you like lemon, you must try these bars! So refreshing and a nice light dessert option. I love them.
Hi there,
I just made a recipe from online for sugar free lemon bars this evening, and not only was it barely lemony, it was bland and more like custard than a true, lemon bar. I was very sad about it, and still need a nice, tangy lemon bar, as good as the sugar-filled variety! I miss them so much.
Then I discovered your recipe, and getting encouraged again, I have two questions:
1) I like a lot of filling on top, and the photos appear to be a thin amount. Would doubling the filling work, or would the lemon knock me down? I just love a seriously tangy, generous filling.
2) I am looking up Stevita stevia, and see more than one variety. I see one called,’Spoonable’, another is ‘Supreme’. Can you please clarify which variety of the Stevita Stevia you used? I’d be ever so grateful, and thank you.
Hi Nat-
This lemon bar recipe is tangy… which it sounds like we are in the same boat with loving the strong lemon flavor. I have never doubled the filling so I can’t let you know exactly how that works. It may work, but also may not cook through enough?? I wish I could help more but I don’t make a lot of different variations for my recipes, I just don’t have all of that time!
With the Stevita Stevia, it’s the Spoonable. That’s my absolute favorite. But Supreme will also work. Just don’t use simply because that is super strong and will over flavor your recipe! Blessings!
Gah! These are so good. Brought them to a social gathering and my skeptical friends who are always “so, is this a healthy version?” really liked them. This will be a regular summer staple!
Lemon bars are one of my favorite desserts on my site. We love them at home (and at Rev). So glad that you found a good summer recipe and your friends loved them too!