A perfect spring or summer treat, these vegan Lavender Lemon Bars are infused with a subtle lavender flavor. With plenty of fresh lemon juice and an easy shortbread crust, they are sure to be a hit!
My Vegan Lemon Bars are one of the most popular recipes on my site, and recently I had the idea to pair them with lavender. The results are even better than the original, in my opinion! I hope you love them.
Lavender and lemon are a match made in heaven! The lavender flavor is subtle and not overpowering, but definitely there. In the last few years I’ve fallen in love with lavender, like lavender lemonade and lavender lattes. SO GOOD.
To make these lemon bars, we are infusing the sugar with dried culinary lavender. Unlike regular lemon bars, these are vegan so they aren’t made with eggs or dairy. This also means they are easier to make, as the lemon curd filling is made easily on the stovetop in a matter of minutes.
Check out my basic recipe for Vegan Lemon Curd here. It’s perfect on toast, scones and more!
Ingredients you need
- Vegan butter – For the shortbread crust. Any brand will work, there are a ton of options these days!
- Sugar
- Flour – May use gluten free al purpose flour if needed.
- Culinary lavender – One bag will last you ages. I ordered from Amazon as I couldn’t find any in my local stores.
- Lemon zest and juice – From a few fresh lemons, around 3-4 lemons.
- Plant milk – I used unsweetened soy milk, but another plant milk will work. Try to use unsweetened so the flavor/sweetness doesn’t overwhelm.
- Cornstarch – For thickening the lemon filling.
How to make lavender lemon bars
Find the complete recipe with measurements in the recipe card below.
First, add the culinary lavender and sugar to a food processor or blender and blend/pulse until the lavender is in tiny pieces and well integrated into the sugar. It should smell very fragrant!
Next, make the easy shortbread crust by mixing the melted vegan butter, sugar, flour and salt together, then press into the prepared pan. Bake for 18 minutes, then remove from oven and set aside.
Prepare the filling on the stovetop by whisking all ingredients and heat until bubbly and thickened. Spread the filling over the crust and let cool at room temperature for about 30 minutes, then transfer to the refrigerator for a few hours.
Once they are set, chilled and ready to serve, dust with powdered sugar.
How to store leftover lemon bars
Store leftover bars in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. They don’t freeze well. The powdered sugar will disappear in the fridge, so dust just before serving. They still taste great without any powdered sugar, but they look prettier with it.
Want more lemon desserts?
- Vegan Lemon Cake
- Lemon Poppyseed Cake with Whipped Lemon Buttercream
- Lemon Blueberry Bread
- Lemon Crinkle Cookies
- Vegan Lemon Meringue Pie
- Lemon Blueberry Lavender Cake
Lavender Lemon Bars
Ingredients
Shortbread Crust
- 1/2 cup vegan butter, melted
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Lavender Lemon Filling
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon dried culinary lavender
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 3/4 cup lemon juice fresh squeezed only
- 1 1/4 cups unsweetened soy milk or oat, coconut, almond
- 6 tablespoons cornstarch
- tiny pinch of turmeric for color
For Serving
- powdered sugar, for dusting
- more lavender, optional
Instructions
- Prepare the lavender sugar: You can do this as the crust is baking, or a few days ahead of time for more flavor! Add dried culinary lavender and sugar to a food processor and pulse/blend until the lavender is finely ground and mixed into the sugar, about 20 seconds. Set aside until ready to use.
- Preheat oven: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line an 8×8 inch or 9×9 inch pan with parchment paper, leaving a little overhang for easy removal.
- Make the crust: In a medium bowl, mix together the melted vegan butter, sugar and salt. Add the flour and stir until combined. The dough will be thick. Press it into the pan with your hands, evenly and firmly. Bake for about 18 minutes until the edges are very lightly browned. Set aside.
- Make the filling: In a medium saucepan, add the lemon zest, lemon juice, lavender infused sugar, milk, cornstarch and a tiny pinch of turmeric. Whisk well to dissolve the cornstarch and turn the heat to medium-high. Whisk frequently, until the mixture bubbles and and thickens. Once it thickens, remove it from heat. You don't want to over cook it.
- Spread filling and let cool: Spread the filling evenly over the cooked crust. Let it cool at room temperature for 30 minutes, then transfer to the refrigerator for an additional 1-2 hours, or overnight. The filling will set and firm up.
- Serve: Lift the bars out of the pan with the parchment paper, dust generously with powdered sugar and sprinkle a few lavender leaves on top, if desired. Cut into 16 squares and serve. Enjoy!
Notes
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Leftovers should be kept in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. They can be frozen as well.
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May use full fat canned coconut milk for the milk. I prefer soy or almond milk.
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For gluten free, use a quality gluten free flour mix in the crust.
I realized after 6 hours in the fridge that I did not cook the filling enough. I had really been craving these and didn’t want to give up. I stuck the whole pan in the oven at 375 for a while (maybe 15 or 20 mins?) hoping it would fix the filling issue, then chilled. It’s been 2 hours, my idea worked, and I have these delicious lemon bars!
This is AMAZING! My partner and I have made this recipe twice now and it turned out perfectly the second time (after we added more lavender) but both times we finished the entire thing within a couple of days. I’m not vegan personally and used to make lemon bars constantly and the taste is almost indistinguishable if not better than the non-vegan version
Hi Madz. I’m so thrilled that you and your partner are loving the bars! They are so beautiful and delicious for summer! Your great feedback and review are so encouraging! Thank you! Happy cooking!
This tasted really good, but similarly to another comment, my bars didn’t really set like in the photos provided. I followed the recipe as closely as possible. When I cut my bars after refrigerating they were a bit runny and falling apart. I stopped cooking the curd when it got thick and bubbled for a bit but didn’t want to overcook – maybe I could’ve let it cook even longer? However, I love the crust and how the bars aren’t too sweet. I would personally add more lavender next time because the lavender is quite subtle, which is like described 🙂
Same as previous comments. The taste was great, but even when following the recipe exactly my bars did not set like in the pictures. I think you need to continue cooking for a minute or so once it starts to bubble and thicken but I removed right away as I didn’t want to over cook.
Hi, can you sub the sugar for coconut sugar?
For sure!
These turned out very well and set just fine after 2 hours in the fridge. I thought that I overcooked the lemon filling but texture is perfect! The lavender is very subtle and next time I will do slightly less lemon zest and more lavender. I find the crust a bit dry/crumbly, but may have overcooked. I dyed my crust purple for some fun lemon lavender pizazz!!!
Do you let the filling chill in the fridge covered or uncovered?
It should be fine uncovered but you can cover it with a layer of plastic if you’re letting it chill overnight.
Hi! I was so excited to try this recipe because I love all things lavender and lemon! So I made this and it taste delicious but the filling won’t harden, it’s still loose.. what did I do wrong?
Did you make any substitutions at all in the filling? Did you use 6 tablespoons of cornstarch? You also have to make sure to cook in in the pot/pan for long enough, until it’s thick and glossy. And then it needs a few hours to chill in the refrigerator to firm up. It won’t be super hard, but firm enough to cut into squares without falling apart or anything like that. Hopefully I can help you figure out what went wrong here.
Are there any changes for high altitude?