Easy Vegan Lemon Bars (Gluten-Free)

Lemon bars topped with powdered sugar spread out on a blue surface.

Easy Vegan Lemon Bars (Gluten-Free)

An easy Vegan Lemon Bars recipe made with a gluten-free almond flour shortbread crust and a fresh lemon juice and cashew cream filling. Whip up your filling right up in the blender!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Diet Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 16

Total Time 36

Servings bars

Calories 192kcal

Author Tessa

Ingredients

Crust

1 ½ cups (174 g) almond flour
¼ teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons coconut oil melted and cooled
2 tablespoons maple syrup (or honey if not vegan)

Filling

1 cup raw cashews
½ cup lemon juice (about 3 medium lemons)
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ cup coconut oil melted and slightly cooled
¼ cup coconut cream*
zest of 3 lemons
pinch or two of ground turmeric for color
3 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons arrowroot starch or cornstarch
organic powdered sugar, for dusting optional

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease an 8x8 pan and line with parchment paper.
Place cashews in a high powered blender and cover with hot water. Set aside while you prepare the crust or for at least 5 minutes.
In a large bowl, whisk together almond flour and salt. Add coconut oil and maple syrup. Stir to combine until dough forms and all dry bits are incorporated. Transfer dough to prepared pan. Press dough into an even layer. Use an extra piece of parchment paper to help smooth it out.
Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside. Keep oven on.
Drain cashews and place back into blender. Place remaining filling ingredients in blender. Blend until smooth. Pour filling into parbaked crust. Smooth with spatula. Bake for 16-18 minutes. The edges should start to turn golden and the middle should be set.
Allow to cool on a wire rack. Then, chill bars in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours or overnight. When ready to serve, remove from pan using parchment handles, dust with powdered sugar, and cut into squares.
Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 3-4 days.

Notes

*Use canned coconut cream or the thickened white coconut cream from the top of a can of coconut milk that has been chilled overnight.

Make sure the melted coconut oil has cooled and the maple syrup is at room temperature, otherwise the combination of hot and cold will cause the mixture to seize.

Adapted from Minimalist Baker.

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