These Paleo lemon bars have a soft but sturdy shortbread-like crust and the filling is super creamy with the perfect combination of sweet and tart.
Admittedly, when choosing a dessert I usually pick something that's super-rich & chocolaty.
However, lately, I've been craving something a little lighter and more spring-like and these Paleo Lemon Bars are perfect!
These bars have a soft but sturdy shortbread-like crust and the filling is super creamy with the perfect combination of sweet and tart.
I dusted the top with tapioca flour just to be pretty because powdered sugar isn't very Paleo-like, but I won't judge you if you decide to use powdered sugar.
Can I make paleo lemon bars ahead of time?
Yes, you can!
They actually need to be made ahead of time so they can have enough time to set up properly. They can be made and stored in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days.
Also, to help with the prep, the crust can be made and stored in the fridge for 2 to 3 days before using it. Simply wrap the dough in plastic wrap and store in the fridge until you're ready to use it.
Shortbread crust
In the bowl of a food processor, add almond flour, coconut flour, and sea salt. Give it a good whirl to combine.
Next, add in ¼ C of coconut oil and pulse until it's combined. After that, mix in 2 tablespoon of honey, an egg, and ½ teaspoon vanilla. It should form a ball in your food processor.
Press the dough into the bottom of a greased 8 x 8-inch baking dish.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. While the oven is preheating, place the crust in the freezer.
Bake the crust for 8 - 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Set aside.
Lemon bar filling
For the filling, juice the lemons until you reach ½ C. Then whisk together the lemon juice, zest, honey, eggs + egg yolk, coconut flour, and tapioca or arrowroot flour.
Pour the filling into the baked crust. Place back in the oven for 15 - 20 minutes, or until the center is set but slightly jiggly. Cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes.
Then, refrigerate until chilled to finish setting up and then enjoy your luscious lemon bars!
Looking for more lemon desserts?
If you love lemon desserts, you might also like my Paleo & Keto Lemon Poppyseed Energy Bites, Keto Lemon Poppyseed Bundt Cake, or this Gluten-Free Lemon Cake!
Or if you follow a Keto or Low-Carb diet, check out my Keto Lemon Bars!
💭 Top tips
- A word of caution: all coconut flour isn’t the same! Some coconut flours are much more absorbent than others. I recommend using either Bob’s Red Mill or Arrowhead Mills because these are 2 brands I know will work. If you need to use another brand, make sure it has a super soft and fluffy texture, not gritty or grainy.
- If you don’t have a food processor: Whisk together the dry ingredients, then cut in the coconut oil with a pastry cutter or 2 forks. Next, add in the egg, honey, and vanilla until well combined.
If you’ve tried these Paleo Lemon Bars any other recipe on the blog please let me know in the comments below!
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📖 Recipe
Paleo Lemon Bars
Ingredients
Crust:
- 1 C Blanched Almond Flour
- ⅓ C + 2 tablespoon Coconut Flour
- ¼ teaspoon Sea Salt
- ¼ C Refined Coconut Oil - solid state
- 2 tablespoon Honey
- 1 Large Egg
- ½ teaspoon Pure Vanilla
Filling:
- ½ C Fresh Lemon Juice - about 4 Lemons (PLEASE don't use the stuff in a bottle, its not the same!)
- Zest of 1 Lemon
- ½ C Honey
- 5 Large Eggs
- 1 teaspoon Coconut Flour - sifted
- 1 tablespoon Arrowroot or Tapioca Flour + more for dusting if desired
- 1 Large Egg Yolk
Instructions
- For the filling, juice the lemons until you reach ½ C. Then whisk together the lemon juice and zest, honey, eggs, and egg yolk, coconut flour, and arrowroot or tapioca flour. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a food processor, add the almond flour, coconut flour, and salt. Give it a good whirl to combine. Next, add coconut oil and pulse until it's combined. After that, mix in the honey, egg, and vanilla. It should form a ball in your food processor.
- If you are making the crust ahead of time, simply wrap the dough in plastic wrap and place it in the fridge until you are ready to use it. It can be kept in the fridge for up to two days. If not, press the dough into the bottom of a greased 8 x 8-inch baking dish (see notes below). Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and prick the bottom of the crust a few times with a fork (do not go all the way through the crust). While the oven is preheating, place the crust in the freezer.
- Once the oven is preheated, bake the crust for 8 - 10 minutes or until lightly browned.
- Slightly press the crust down if it puffed up during baking, then immediately pour the filling into the baked crust. Place back in the oven for 15 - 20 minutes or until the center is set but slightly jiggly.
- Cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes then place in the fridge until chilled to finish setting up, about 2 or 3 hours.
- Dust the top with tapioca flour, arrowroot flour, or powdered sugar 🙂
Notes
- A word of caution: all coconut flour isn’t the same! Some coconut flours are much more absorbent than others. I recommend using either Bob’s Red Mill or Arrowhead Mills because these are 2 brands I know will work. If you need to use another brand, make sure it has a super soft and fluffy texture, not gritty or grainy.
- If you don’t have a food processor: Whisk together the dry ingredients, then cut in the coconut oil with a pastry cutter or 2 forks. Next, add in the egg, honey, and vanilla until well combined.
- A glass or ceramic pan is preferred. While this has never happened to me, a metal pan can occasionally leave a metallic aftertaste.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is approximate and may vary.
Looking for more information on the keto diet? Check out these resources:
M says
Turned into a quiche. Not totally sure what happened, but if you use this recipe, definitely beat eggs for a loooong time and don't bake past 20 min, even if still extremely wet.
Tina Vaz says
I made this today and mine had a strange, almost metallic like aftertaste. I’m wondering if I cooked mine for too long/if this is a result of the egg in the filling cooking for too long, or perhaps this is just something only some people pick up on, flavor-wise?
Cassidy Stauffer says
Oh no Tina, I don't know!! I've never had a metallic aftertaste before, I don't know what caused it - sorry!!!
-Cassidy
Tina Vaz says
It might just be a tastebud thing because a few of my family members tried it and did not pick up on that flavor. They enjoyed it fully (: thank you
Cassidy Stauffer says
Hi Tina,
I did some research on this, and found that if you make this in a metal pan, it can sometimes leave a metallic aftertaste! Thanks so much for bringing this to my attention! I will add a note to the recipe card 🙂
XO,
Cassidy
Liz says
From looking at the top I thought it would be too edgy but it was sooo good. Thanks for the recipe!
Pixie Martinez says
5 stars - Yummy, yummy, yummy. I did add 1/2 tsp lemon extract as my meyer lemons are not very tart! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. It is going to be my most of the time go to snack!
Cassidy says
Oh YAY, I'm so excited you like them!!!! Lemon extract is a good idea 🙂
-Cassidy