If life gives you lemons, make this gluten-free lemon bar recipe!
Lemon bars are one of those treats that everyone loves. Just ask! We have yet to find anyone who would turn down a lemon bar, with all its balanced tart and sweet goodness, creamy texture, and delicious shortbread crust. And now that you have a recipe at your fingertips for the perfect gluten-free lemon bars, (plus an option to make them dairy-free lemon bars), even more people can enjoy this heavenly baked good that’s so easy to make. We think this easy lemon bar recipe is just right for Easter and Mother’s Day, year-round family gatherings, baby and bridal showers, or taking to a friend, bringing to the office, and just to make any week better.
Ingredients to make gluten-free lemon bars
Gluten-free flour – we like Bob’s Red Mill One-to-One Gluten-Free Baking Flour or King Arthur Measure-for-Measure Gluten-Free Flour. You can also use regular all-purpose flour if you don’t need or want lemon bars that are gluten freeGranulated sugarFresh lemons – you’ll need 5 to 6 lemons total that you’ll use for the juice and zestButter – you can also use coconut oil to make these dairy freeEggsCornstarch – can substitute arrowroot powder
That’s it! If you want to make the lemon whipped topping (which we highly recommend), then you’ll also need heavy cream and powdered sugar.
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How to make gluten-free lemon bars
Start by making the shortbread crust. Ours is incredibly simple. The hardest part, really, is having patience for the dough to come together in your hands. When you first mix the flour, sugar, salt, lemon zest, and butter it will be quite crumbly. You need to keep working it with your hands until it forms a dough ball, which WILL happen. The warmth of your hands melts and helps distribute the butter. Next, press the shortbread crust into the pan. Again, this takes some patience as you gently work the dough to the edges of the pan in an even layer. Bake the crust for 5 minutes, just enough time for it to start to set before you add the lemon filling. The filling is made by mixing eggs, sugar, lemon juice, cornstarch, and lemon zest. Pour this filling over the par-baked crust and then return it all to the oven for 30 minutes.
Tips for making perfect lemon bars every time
The pan: You can make these lemon bars in an 8-inch square or 9-inch square glass or ceramic pan. We don’t recommend using a metal baking dish as that can make the crust too dark and can impart a metallic taste. If you have one, we think the 8-inch pan is better because it will make your filling taller and achieve a 2-to-1 filling-to-crust ratio. The filling: To get a perfectly smooth filling layer, we recommend straining the filling mixture through a fine-mesh sieve to remove any bits of egg or sugar that are too large. Then, after straining, stir in the lemon zest so you still get all that lemony good flavor in there. The edges: To get perfect edges and uniform squares, it helps to line the pan with parchment so you can lift the entire slab of bars out of the pan and onto a large cutting board. Then, use a Chef’s knife to cut the very outer edge off of each side (about 1/8-inch per side) of the slab before cutting into 16 even lemon squares. The topping: This recipe also includes an option for making homemade lemon whipped topping, which adds a nice finish and light, creamy balance to the lemon bars. To make the topping, infuse heavy cream with lemon zest for several hours in the refrigerator, then whip the cream into soft peaks and add a dollop on top of each bar. You can also top these perfect lemon bars with a dusting of powdered sugar or a small slice of lemon.
How to store this lemon bar recipe:
The baked bars will store well in the refrigerator for up to one week. The whipped topping can be made up to 24 hours ahead and refrigerated, then re-whisk before serving. However, we do not recommend freezing lemon bars as the filling will break down over time.
Other delicious lemon desserts to try
Paleo Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies Raspberry Lemon Coffee Cake No-Bake Lemon Cheesecake Gluten-Free Lemon Shortbread Cookies
Pin It Now, Make It Later!
1 cup gluten-free flour* 6 tablespoons granulated sugar Pinch of salt Zest of 1 lemon (about 1 tablespoon) 6 tablespoons butter, softened**
For the Filling
4 eggs 1 cup granulated sugar ¼ cup cornstarch ½ cup fresh lemon juice (from 3–4 lemons) Zest of 1 lemon (about 1 tablespoon) Optional toppings: Lemon Whipped Cream, powdered sugar, thin lemon wedges, or lemon peels
For the Lemon Whipped Cream (optional)
1 cup heavy whipping cream Zest of 1 lemon (about 1 tablespoon) 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
**To make these lemon bars dairy free, skip the whipped topping and sub 6 tablespoons solid coconut oil for the butter in the crust. You’ll need to work the dough a little more with your hands, because it will be crumbly at first, but it will eventually come into a dough ball with patience. If using coconut oil, press the dough into the pan and then chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes before baking. Also, par-bake the crust for 10 minutes instead of 5 minutes. All photos and content are copyright protected. Please do not use our photos without prior written permission. If you wish to republish this recipe, please rewrite the recipe in your own unique words and link back to the source recipe here on The Real Food Dietitians. Thank you! Photo Credit: The photos in this blog post were taken by Jess of Plays Well with Butter.
