Sweet, tart, with a chewy yet delicate crust, these keto lemon bars are irresistible and well worth the little bit of time it takes to put them together.
Low carb lemon bars are perfect any time of the year, and they are just 4 grams net carbs per serving.
If you've enjoyed my other keto desserts, like Keto Cheesecake and Keto Pumpkin Bars, you'll definitely love this one.
WHY YOU'LL LOVE THIS RECIPE
This recipe is so good, I cannot wait to share it with you.
The perfectly buttery, chewy crust is made with coconut flour and almond flour so that it is thick and perfect. The sugar-free crust is topped with a smooth filling that is filled with fresh lemon juice and zest. This creates the most amazing lemon flavor and texture.
Sugar Free Lemon Bars are made possible using alternative sweeteners, and you won't miss anything while eating these. These are the best ever - sweet, tart, buttery, and just like you remember.
Take these to a cookout, a birthday celebration, or a potluck dinner. Everyone will love them, and they really do taste just as good, or maybe better than traditional lemon bars.
For this recipe we've broken it down into two instructions sections. It's not a difficult recipe, but there are two baking steps, so it makes sense to do them one at a time.
If you don't need to eat keto, try this Magic Lemon Pudding Cake.
CRUST INGREDIENTS
Grass Fed Butter- Start with your butter at room temperature so it's easy to blend. I like grass fed butter for its nutritional value and extra buttery flavor.
Granulated Erythritol - A small amount of erythritol adds sweetness to the crust.
Almond Flour - This low carb flour is my favorite for Keto baking. Look for finely milled almond flour for best results.
Coconut Flour - Often I blend both almond and coconut flours together to improve the texture of gluten free and keto baked goods.
Salt - Just a pinch of salt is needed in the crust to balance the flavors.
If you have any questions about this recipe, please leave a comment below and I will get back to you.
CRUST STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS
The crust is super simple to make. Just stir everything together! Bake the crust separately and let it cool while you make the filling.
- In a large bowl, using an electric hand mixer, beat together the butter and erythritol until creamy and well combined.
- Add the flours and salt.
- Mix until a dough forms.
- Press the dough evenly into the prepared pan and bake until just lightly golden brown. Allow to cool.
These numbered steps match the numbered photos above and are for illustration purposes. For the complete list of ingredients and instructions, please see the recipe below.
FILLING INGREDIENTS
Lemon Juice - You'll need the juice of 3-5 lemons, depending on how juicy your lemons are.
Granulated Erythritol - For sweetness and bulk, erithritol is my go-to keto sweetener.
Eggs - Large eggs are needed for this recipe. Allow them to come to room temperature for best results.
Lemon Zest - Zest one of your lemons well before juicing it. There is so much flavor in the outer skin of lemons.
Liquid Stevia - Stevia adds more sweetness to the lemon filling. I don't like using all stevia, but a combination of stevia and erythritol works well.
Vanilla Extract - Lemon and vanilla is a classic flavor pairing.
Coconut Flour - This acts as a binder to help the lemon bar filling set up firmly. Traditional recipes might use cornstarch or another carb-heavy thickener, but we don't need that here.
STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS
After your crust has been partially baked, you can start making your filling. Get excited! You're so close to having the best keto lemon bars ever!
- In a small saucepan set over low heat, add lemon juice and erythritol. Heat just until dissolved, then remove from heat and cool.
- In a large bowl, add eggs, the cooled lemon juice mixture, lemon zest, stevia, and vanilla.
- Whisk together until combined.
- Stir in coconut flour and allow to thicken for about 5 minutes.
- Get your prepared crust ready. It should be cooled before you add the filling.
- Pour the lemon bar filling into crust. Then bake as directed.
These numbered steps match the numbered photos above and are for illustration purposes. For the complete list of ingredients and instructions, please see the recipe below.
EXPERT TIPS
Use Fresh Lemons for this recipe. You want to use fresh lemon juice, not bottled or frozen juice. Your lemon just won't taste as good if you don't use fresh lemons.
When zesting your lemon, you want to be careful not to zest any of the white part of the lemon. That part is bitter. Use just the bright, shiny, yellow skin. Add extra zest if you want an extra lemony bar. The best tool for zesting a lemon is a Microplane grater.
To make your bars easy to remove from the pan, spray or brush the pan with cooking oil and line with parchment paper. Allow the parchment to go over at least two sides of the pan, creating handles to lift the bars out after they've cooled.
It's important to chill after you bake them. This will allow everything to finish setting. You'll have a difficult time trying to cut the bars if they aren't cold. They are also best served cold.
Sprinkle with powdered erythritol. A powdered sugar dusting is traditional for lemon bars. You can also serve them topped with Keto Whipped Cream.
STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS
You can store in the fridge for up to 5 days. If you'd like them to last a bit longer than that, put them in the freezer in an air-tight container for up to three months.
VARIATIONS
Adjust the crust: Try using a different nut flour to change the flavor a bit. Hazelnut flour would be delicious here. For a nuttier, less like shortbread crust, use half nut flour and half very finely chopped nuts (along with the coconut flour) to add texture.
Use different citrus: Can you get your hands on key limes or Meyer lemons? try using them in this recipe! Regular limes can also be used, or try a combination of juice from both lemons and oranges.
Sweetener Options: Use your favorite keto-friendly granulated sweetener in this recipe. Options include Allulose, Xylitol, Erythritol, or monk fruit sweetener. I prefer using Erythritol or monk fruit sweetener in dessert recipes.
HOW TO MAKE DAIRY FREE
Replace the butter in this low carb lemon bar recipe with your favorite vegan butter substitute and this recipe will be low-carb, gluten free, and dairy free.
FAQS
CAN I EAT FRUIT ON KETO?
Some folks ascribe to the notion that fruit is off limits on keto, but I can almost always get some to fit into my macros! All fruits have some sugar, but citrus fruits and berries are much less sugar than other fruits like apples and bananas.
A whole lemon has just 3.4 net carbs per fruit, making it a great low carb option for making dessert.
HOW DO YOU MAKE LEMON BARS LESS TART?
We all have different ideas about how tart lemon bars should be. I think this recipe has the perfect balance of sweet and tart flavors, but If you find that you'd like to make yours sweeter, don't add extra sweetener.
Swap out some of the lemon juice for sweeter orange juice instead. This will keep the bars just tart enough, but less sweet than if you used all lemon juice. Note that oranges have more carbs than lemons, so your carb count will be a bit higher if you choose this route.
WHY DO I HAVE TO PAR COOK THE LEMON BAR CRUST?
In order to have a crispy crust that is fully cooked, we need to partially cook it before adding the wet filling. If we didn't, the crust would absorb liquid from the lemon filling and stay soggy.
ARE LEMON BARS BEST SERVED COLD OR WARM?
You should definitely serve cold. I prefer them straight out of the refrigerator. They are ok at room temperature, but I like the texture and mouthfeel of cold best.
WHY DID MY LEMON BARS CRACK?
It's common to get cracks on the top, and nothing to worry about. I don't really know of a way to make them not crack, plus I like the way it looks!
MORE EASY LEMON KETO RECIPES
Keto Lemon Cake - is a classic white cake made bright and citrusy with the addition of lots of lemon flavor.
Keto Lemonade - simple to make and can be adjusted for those who prefer a tart keto lemonade recipe vs. a sweeter low carb lemonade.
If you have extra lemons, try making a low carb Lemon Vinaigrette for your salads.
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📖 Recipe
Keto Lemon Bars
Equipment
Ingredients
CRUST:
- ½ cup grass-fed butter at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons granulated erythritol
- ⅔ cup almond flour
- 2 tablespoons coconut flour
- Pinch of salt
FILLING:
- ⅔ cup lemon juice 3-5 lemons
- ⅓ cup granulated erythritol
- 4 large eggs
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 10 drops stevia
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons coconut flour
Instructions
FOR CRUST:
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line an 8x8 inch pan with cooking oil and parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, using an electric hand mixer, beat together the butter and erythritol until creamy and well combined. Add the flours and salt and mix until a dough forms.
- Press the dough evenly into the prepared pan and bake until just lightly golden brown, about 10 minutes. Allow to cool for 30 minutes.
- Lower oven temperature to 325 degrees.
FOR FILLING:
- In a small saucepan set over low heat, add lemon juice and erythritol. Heat for 2-3 minutes until dissolved, then remove from heat and cool.
- In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, cooled lemon juice mixture, lemon zest, stevia, and vanilla, mixing until well combined. Stir in coconut flour and allow to thicken for about 5 minutes.
- Pour filling into crust, then bake for 15-20 minutes until the center is slightly wobbly.
- Remove from oven and let bars cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate 5-6 hours, or overnight.
- Sprinkle the top with powdered erythritol.
Mary
Delicious! I made these exactly as written and they came out perfectly. I love the tip about using parchment paper to line the pan so that they are easy to lift out. Genius!
Virginie
The best bars I have ever made. Only thing I changed was instead of vanilla, I used pure lemon extract. Now my only problem will be not eating the whole pan at one sitting. 🙁