The most incredible Vegan Lemon Bars, made with just 8 ingredients and lots of tangy lemon flavor! The buttery shortbread crust is absolutely perfect.
Classic lemon bars without any eggs? Yup! Today I’m sharing what I think are the best vegan lemon bars, with the perfect balance of shortbread crust to tart lemon filling. And of course, a generous dusting of powdered sugar on top!
If you are a lemon dessert fan, you will love these little squares of sunshine. And while you’re at it, you might want to try my vegan lemon cake, lemon loaf or 1 bowl lemon cupcakes.
How to make Vegan Lemon Bars:
First, make the crust. In a medium bowl, mix together the melted vegan butter, sugar and salt. Add the flour and stir to combine. It will be thick. Press it into the prepared pan (lined with parchment paper) evenly and smoothly. Bake for 16-18 minutes at 350 degrees F until lightly golden on the edges.
While the crust bakes, make the lemon filling. In a medium saucepan, add the lemon juice, lemon zest if using, sugar, coconut milk and cornstarch (+tiny pinch of turmeric if desired for color). Whisk well to dissolve the cornstarch, and heat over medium heat until the sugar dissolves and the mixture thickens. It should look like the photos below, and can take 5-10 minutes.
Remove from heat, and spread lemon mixture over the crust, evenly, using a spatula if needed. Bake for 15 minutes. Let the bars cool for about 30 minutes at room temperature, then transfer to the refrigerator to cool another 1-2 hours, or overnight.
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Can I make these lemon bars gluten free?
I haven’t personally tried these gluten free, but I think it would work with a quality all purpose gluten free flour mix, such as Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Baking Flour.
How long will vegan lemon bars keep?
They will keep for about a week in a covered container in the refrigerator. They also freeze really well! The powdered sugar will melt into the bars though, so add some fresh when you want to eat or serve them.
Can you make these a day ahead?
Yes, these are the perfect dessert to make a day in advance, as they slice better when they have a lot of time to cool. That being said, they can also be ready in an hour or 2, but they may not be as firm as if you left them overnight.
I hope you LOVE these easy Vegan Lemon Bars! If you are looking for more delicious vegan dessert recipes with a Summer vibe, check these out:
- Vegan Lemon Loaf
- Vegan Lemon Cake
- 1 Bowl Vegan Lemon Cupcakes
- Vegan Strawberry Pie
- Vegan Smores Cookie Bars
Vegan 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
Lemon filling:
- 3/4 cup lemon juice from about 4 large lemons
- optional: 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 1/4 cups full fat coconut milk, using mostly the white part
- 6 tablespoons cornstarch
- tiny pinch of turmeric, optional for color (1/8th teaspoon)
For serving:
- powdered sugar, for dusting the tops
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line an 8 by 8 inch pan with parchment paper, leaving a little overhang for easy removal.
- Make the crust: In a medium bowl, add the 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 16-18 minutes until the edges are very lightly browned. Set aside.
- Make the filling: In a medium saucepan, add the lemon juice, lemon zest if using for even more lemon flavor, sugar, coconut milk and cornstarch + tiny pinch of turmeric for color, if desired. Whisk well to dissolve the cornstarch. Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly until the sugar dissolves and the mixture thickens. (see photos in post above for reference)
- Spread the filling over the crust evenly, using a spatula if needed to smooth. Bake for 15 minutes, then remove from the oven and let cool at room temperature for 30 minutes. Transfer to the refrigerator for an additional 1-2 hours, or overnight, until set.
- Lift the bars out of the pan with the parchment paper, dust generously with powdered sugar and cut into 16 squares.
- Leftover bars will keep for up to 1 week in a covered container in the refrigerator. They freeze well, too. Enjoy!
Notes
- For gluten free vegan lemon bars, use an all purpose gluten free flour, such as Bob's Red Mill 1:1 Baking Flour.
Nutrition
I tried these as bars and they.are.wonderful. I was wondering if the filling could be used in a tart pan as well. If so,would I double the ingredients to fit a 10 inch tart pan? Great recipe!
I believe it would work, but I haven’t tried it. Sounds delicious! I don’t really think you would need to double it, but maybe. If you double and have extra you could always just eat it separately. 🙂
Hello! Making these for a friend but I find myself without any parchment paper. How much do you think this will affect the recipe? Thanks!
It should be okay, just grease the pan well so they come out easily. Thanks!
Great basic vegan (egg free) lemon bar recipe! I substituted 1/4 c. Coconut flour for regular flour. I also ran out of granulated sugar so I substituted with 1/2 c powdered sugar. It turned out great although you have to watch the saucepan carefully with this combo – it congealed a little and so I removed it quickly to pour onto the crust. Turned out fine, just a few clumps.
I’m so glad it turned out great!! Thanks for the comment!
Can you substitute eagle brand milk in place of coconut milk? Allergy related!
I’m not sure, the coconut milk does help the bars firm up, but it might be okay. Hard to tell without testing it myself.
Update***I subbed equal amounts almond milk for the coconut milk and used 3/4 cups arrowroot starch and they came out perfect! It takes quite a few minutes for it to thicken up, I almost gave up. Then it was a beautiful thing! I could’ve cut it out of the fridge and I did cut 1 bar to test but its easier when they’re a little harder so I froze for 1 hour then cut. Clean perfect lines!
looks good, I’ll definitely make it gluten-free version
TKS
You’re welcome!
Can you use almomd milk instead of canned coconut milk or would it curdle(like vegan buttermilk does)? I ask bc I’m making it for someone who absolutely hates everything coconut and I can only seem to hide the flavor when a recipe calls for a miniscule amount…and its her birthday so I’d rather avoid coconut if I can?
I haven’t tried using almond milk but it might work. The bars might not get as firm though without the coconut milk.
Hi I’m 13 years old and I love too bake, and I have to say, these lemon bars were delish!! The recipe was super easy to follow and since my family is trying to be vegan, it worked out wonderfully. Thank you and please continue to make more vegan recipes. ??
I’m so glad you enjoyed the lemon bars, that is awesome! Thank you so much for letting me know.
Im not vegan but I want to try because its eggless
So can I use regular milk instead of coconut
Actually the coconut milk helps the bars firm up, so I’m not sure if regular milk will work the same at all.
These I’m sure would be perfect the way they are, however food allergies and avoidances required some modifications. I use my own vegan butter since my partner and I don’t do soy or canola and used potato starch instead of corn. They turned out glorious and tasty AF. First time making them and am pleased with the result.
I’m so glad they came out great!!
Note: I tried to give 5 stars but it would not let me click the 5th one! But 5 stars all the way!
Made these today! I actually used the gluten-free flour & swapped out the white sugar for 3 tablespoons of maple syrup and they were FAB! Super easy to make and delish. Will make again and again. Thank you for sharing! 😀
One quick question….wondering how I would do a new calorie count considering I used the maple syrup which is 210 calories per 1/4 cup. I used 3 tablespoons in the recipe. Omg this is so confusing!
My star ratings were acting up for some reason but it’s all fixed now so I was able to fix it here. Thank you so much! I’m so glad you enjoyed the lemon bars. I’m not sure what the new nutrition information would be, you would have to enter all the ingredients into some sort of online calculator to figure it out. 🙂 I like cronometer.
Hi there,
Quick question. Can you suggest a substitute for the cornstarch? Was thinking about equal parts arrow root…
Love your site and wonderful energy as well.
Thank you so much for your comment, that means a lot to me! 🙂 It might work, but I’m not totally sure. Arrowroot thickens in a similar way, so hopefully it will work.
Would these travel well?
They would travel best in a cooler, because if they get too warm they will get melty.
When you say full fat coconut milk, is that just canned coconut milk (not sweet and very white) or canned cream of coconut (very sweet and off white)? I used the white part of cream of coconut and I think I may have overcooked it because the color was more brown in the oven and after chilling and its really hard now. I’m sure I did something wrong but I want to re-make them correctly today for a BBQ, if you have any suggestions 🙂
I am referring to the coconut milk that comes in a can (not a carton, like almond or soy milk comes in), and that is full fat instead of light coconut milk. Coconut cream that comes in a can works as well, it just contains more of the creamy white part rather than clearish liquid. If it got brown I think you may have overcooked it, I’ve never had that happen but it sounds like it’s kinda burnt. Or maybe you cooked it too much on the stovetop and burned the filling there?
These are absolutely perfect! What a great treat for a hot (almost) summer day.
I’m so glad you enjoyed them!!
If I could rate 10 stars I would. The best recipe ever! I added extra lemon zest and it was delicious. Will definitely be making again
Wow, that’s so great to hear! Thanks!!
Mine did not thicken up like in
your pictures …..if I add more cornstarch I’m wondering if that would be The solution?
It tastes really good though… I just need to eat mine with a spoon ??♀️??♀️?
Hmm, you could add a bit more cornstarch, but I think what may have happened is you might not have cooked the lemon mixture enough on the stove. If it’s not cooked enough, it may not thicken as much in the refrigerator either. Hope that helps!
I made this yesterday and it was absolutely delicious! I put less lemon juice in it and less sugar, but I did put some blended up strawberries in it and it was a big success! It was such a great mix between the lemon and strawberries!
That sounds delicious! Glad they were good!
Is using canned unsweetened coconut milk ok?
Yes, that works. Try to use mostly the creamy white part.
Am I able to use (Normal) almond milk Instead of full fat coconut
It may work but they probably won’t get as firm when they cool.
These are so good! I was a little nervous that they wouldn’t turn out well, for no real reason other than sometimes it can be hard to get the consistency right on these kinds of things. Plus I was concerned that my filling was a little TOO runny and didn’t firm up enough in the cooking stage. But I was wrong! I chilled them for almost a full 2 hours (very impressive for us to be that patient) and they were PERFECT! The recipe is really easy too. I just whipped them up simultaneously while cooking dinner. I also thought they might taste very coconut-y but I didn’t notice any coconut at all, and my boyfriend had no idea there was coconut in them. I love that there are no whacky ingredients either. Awesome recipe!! Thank you for this!!
Thanks for the wonderful comment! I’m glad you enjoyed them!
these were so fun to make and turned out so good! the perfect tart and summery treat to brighten up our moods during this dark time.
So glad to hear that!
These have a wonderful flavor and were really fun to make, thank you for sharing!
While my first batch tasted great they had an almost gelatinous texture. Is this just the nature of the beast when replacing egg with corn starch or did I do something wrong like over cook/bake? Thanks again for the recipe!
I’m not quite sure what you mean by gelatinous, they have a similar texture to lemon bars made with eggs. Perhaps you over baked them, or didn’t let the bars cool long enough to get more firm? Thanks!
What is vegan butter
You can find it at the store. Earth Balance is a common brand. It acts like butter, but it’s vegan, made from plant oils.
hi quick question: does it matter if coconut milk from a can or from the carton?
The full fat version from a can is better here, but the carton might work as well. I used canned.
Perfectly lemony and they freeze amazingly for easy snacking later!