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 was a bit skeptical about how the texture of the filling would come out, but these came out perfectly. I added about a 1/2 teaspoon of lemon extract and they were perfectly lemony. I also liked how I couldn’t really tell there was coconut milk in the filling. Definitely saving this recipe and remaking again in the future.
I’m glad you were pleased with the outcome of the lemon bars, Amanda! Thank you for taking your time to share your review! Happy cooking!
I made these, how I ended up putting them in small Mason jars instead having makinf bars. YUMMY & ? WAS ON POINT
I’m glad you like them! Thank you!
I made these today and while the filling was delicious, my crust did not cook at all in the pregame. I’m not exactly sure where I went wrong.
The dough was not thick at all when I made it.
I’m not sure I completely understand what went wrong here. Did you mean to say pregame? The crust gets pre-cooked for 16-18 minutes after being pressed into the pan, then you add the filling bake it for 15 more minutes. Then let it cool for a few hours or overnight before slicing. If you used an 8×8 inch pan there should be enough crust there.
Amazing. I was skeptical about the filling but super tasty. The filling takes a bit to thicken so be patient. Nora, I think a Tumeric measurement would be helpful. I definitely did a lot more than a pinch.
Thanks Tanya, I’ll consider that. I just use a tiny pinch, but perhaps I’ll measure it next time and add it in here. Probably 1/8th of a teaspoon. Glad you enjoyed the lemon bars!
I’d give this recipe more than 5 stars if I could! Super duper tasty and easy to make. I used almond milk instead of coconut milk and it turned out great! Thanks for the awesome recipe!
Thank you, Emma! I’m glad you love my lemon bars! Thank you for sharing!
I made this recipe today & the flavor is amazing. The little hint of coconut is sooo good & not overbearing. I’m just wondering if I may have overcooked the filling on the stove? The consistency once they were fully set was a bit like jello & it threw me off. I was also thinking it may have been due to the amount of cornstarch? I’m just weird when it comes to textures ? regardless, I love them! Thank you.
Thanks Katrina! I’m glad you enjoyed the flavor! It sounds like you may have overcooked it on the stove, I’m not sure. It should thicken on the stove top somewhat, then you will spread it on and bake, then cool. After that it should be quite firm actually, not real jiggly like jello. Hope that helps!
Can you substitute the cornstarch for arrowroot powder? What would be the best substitute for the cornstarch and how much would I use?
I honestly haven’t tried using anything else so it’s hard for me to know for sure. Arrowroot might possibly work and be your best bet.
If I could give more than 5 stars, I would. I’ve made this twice, in one week! I did use a 9″ round pan as that’s all I had. The first one I made was lemon lime, the second was orange and lime. SO. GOOD. The crust is to die for. I can’t get enough. We ate the first one in under 12 hours (yikes!)
I did over cook the first one a bit and it was jello like, but I watched for that on the second one and it came out great.
I did mix the citrus with the cornstarch before putting it in the pot.
I think I might get crazy and try this with grapefruit… We’ll see!
Thank you for posting.
Hi Victoria. Orange and lime sounds so delicious! I’m glad you love the bars! Thank you for using my recipe, and for sharing your comments! I appreciate them!
Hey Victoria, I overcooked mine to a Jello consistency too, but I can’t tell if I overcooked the filling on the stove or if it over baked in the oven. How did you watch for over baking? Thanks!
Great recipe! I risked it and added some cubes of vegan butter into the curd at the end of cooking, the same way you would add butter to an egg-based curd. Added some great richness and silkiness.
Great idea! Glad you enjoyed the lemon bars!
The flavour of the lemon layer was good, quite tart, but I couldn’t get the curd-like consistency shown in the pictures. For me, the cornstarch didn’t properly dissolve and I spent a lot of time trouble shooting. The result was a lemon layer whose consistence was unappetizing. Pre-baking and then baking the shortbread crust again once the lemon layer was on it meant that mine was over-baked. Overall, flavours weren’t bad but all of the consistencies were off. I bake pretty regularly, have been vegan for years. I might try again if I can solve for the consistency issues. It’s easy enough to bake the crust for less time.
Hi Maya! I JUST made these again last night, as it had been quite awhile. Let me see if I can help. First, you need to add everything to the pot, and whisk quite a lot to get the cornstarch dissolved. If you are having trouble with this, you could stir the cornstarch into the lemon juice first, until dissolved and THEN add it to the pot. But I had no trouble getting it to dissolve right in the pot with everything else. Second, if you are seeing some small chunks of cornstarch, use an immersion blender to smooth it out. The cornstarch needs to dissolve so it can thicken the curd properly. Bake the shortbread crust in the center rack of your oven, and if you want a softer crust, don’t pre-bake the crust or bake it for only 10 minutes. I like a crisp crust myself, but that’s fine. If you try again and get the cornstarch problem solved, I think you will be surprised how much they taste like the non vegan ones. Hope that helps!
Hi, I want to make these but I don’t understand how you use only the white part of coconut milk. Should I refrigerate it before using, to separate the fat from the liquid? Or just let it sit in a bowl until it naturally separates? I’m an excellent baker (not to brag), but I’m really confused by this.
Thanks, Ashleigh
Hi Ashleigh. There is no need to refrigerate it first. Usually when you open a can of full fat coconut milk, there will be some separation, with the clearer liquid on the bottom. Just use mostly the white, creamy part and it will be fine. If some clear liquid gets in there, it’s really okay. If you happen to have a can that it’s not at all separated, that’s fine, too. I hope that helps!
They came out great! Can I use another fruit besides lemons? Like Cherry?
Thanks! I’m not totally sure how you would use cherries, but I guess it’s possible! Lime would definitely work though, or even orange.
oooo – cherry lime would be divine <3
For those who said the mixture didn’t set…I added the cornstarch just a little bit at a time after the other ingredients mixed. Then after adding all the cornstarch, I turned up the heat just a bit, and it quickly thickened. I have yet to try the bars, but hope this helps!
Hey,
I stood in the kitchen stirring the filling for at least a half hour and still only slightly thick. Then started adding more corn starch–still same runniness, then flour through a sieve–same, then turning up the heat–this stuff was deterninerd to stay runny. Finally I just gave up and poured the mess onto the crust to bake. I was hoping that refrigerating might help. But other comments have indicated not. One question–I used raw turbinado sugar, as I do for all of my recipes. I wonder if that is the culprit.
Hi Mary. I’m afraid the turbinado sugar may be part of the problem here, but I’m not sure. I’ve never tried using that sugar here, but it is certainly grainier, won’t melt as quickly and could cause problems. Also, the lemon filling does not get super thick on the stovetop, just slightly thickened. Due to the cornstarch and the coconut milk, it will firm up a lot as it chills. So maybe it was perfectly fine and you just needed to let it chill overnight or at least for several hours. I hope they work out once chilled!
I made these and the filling was so tasty, however they did not set. I’m not sure what I did wrong. I even let them set in the fridge over night. I did use
canned coconut cream so maybe that’s why. I couldn’t even cut through them because they were so soft.
Excellent! Perfecto for my egg-allergic son. Can we freeze them?
Yes, they freeze very well. So glad you enjoyed them!
Hi, Nora! I just want to start by saying how much I love all of your recipes! I have a quick question about these bars. Do you think that a can of coconut cream would work in place of the full fat coconut milk? I can’t wait to make these. Thank you!
Thank you so much Ava, that is great to hear! Yes, a can of coconut cream will work here. Hope you love the lemon bars!
My coworkers have been requesting cookies, your lemon curd thumbprints specifically, but I didn’t feel like baking a double batch of cookies. I found this recipe and decided it’d be easier. I played a little too fast and loose with the cornstarch and then poured it onto the crust because I didn’t notice the consistency wasn’t right. I ended up overbaking everything in an attempt to get the filling to set. I was so bummed out because I’d doubled the batch and made these in a 9×13. They set a bit in the fridge but were still kind of runny and I considered just throwing them away. Brought them to work and these absolute vultures devoured them. Less than 24 hours later, all these bars are gone. Thanks!
I’ve made these twice and had to give some away to keep from devouring them all. So tasty.
Thank you, great to hear Angela!
Can almond milk be used instead of coconut milk?
It might work okay but I haven’t tried it. The coconut milk does help them firm up somewhat, so they might not get as firm but I haven’t tested it so I’m not sure, sorry!
I used almond milk, but the recipe still came out great!
These look like perfection and I am excited to try them! Thoughts on replacing granulated sugar with coconut sugar for folks who avoid cane sugar? Thanks!
It might work, but the bars will turn a dark color. Not sure as I haven’t tried it. If you do, let me know how it turns out!
Thank you! I’m going for it and will report back 🙂
Is it okay to use bottled lemon juice instead of the juice from fresh lemons?
I wouldn’t. They won’t taste nearly as good! But if you must, it might work.
Another winner! These lemon squares were delicious and so easy to make.
I made this recipe x4 for the co-op that I live in and everyone loved them! I am very happy with how they turned out. I used margarine for the butter and canned coconut milk, separated best I could. I also omitted the lemon zest but added the turmeric.
Hi! I wanted to make these, but just wanted to know if I could swap out the vegan butter for something else?
Thanks!
You might be able to substitute coconut oil. Thanks!