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.ย 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.ย 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
If I double the recipe should I cook it longer?ย
I haven’t actually doubled it before, but you might need to bake the bars for an extra 5-10 minutes, as well as the crust. Hope that helps.
I made these last night and everyone raved about them! I made them gf using bobs 1 to 1 gf flour. I also multiplied the crust recipe by 1.5 as I like a nice noticeable crust on my bars. Other than that, I followed the recipe exactly and they were delicious! Very tart but no too tart. Some of the best lemon bars Iโve had in ages! Thank you!!
I’m thrilled that you loved the lemon bars! Thank you for sharing your review and comments!
Wanting to make these tonightโฆfor the coconut milk, are you referring to the canned kind or the refrigerated carton kind? ๐ Thanks!!!
Definitely the canned coconut milk. I hope you enjoy the lemon bars!
I can tell these are going to be amaaaazing! Have you ever made them as individual tarts by chance? Like in a muffin tin? Thanks as always!
I haven’t tried it yet, but it sounds so fun!
Iโll have to give it a try & report back! Iโm making these right now for my Dads birthday ?
Just made these and they are incredible! Thanks so much for the recipe!ย
You are welcome! So glad you love them! Thank you for sharing your review and comments!
I know what I’m bringing to the office next week!
Can I substitute Arrowroot starch or potato starch for the cornstarch? I am sensitive to corn
I have not tired arrowroot with this recipe, so am not sure. I donโt have much luck substituting arrowroot in most recipes. Some have reported this works for them in the lemon bars recipe, others have said it doesn’t. I wouldnโt think it would work as well.
This recipe is very easy to execute and I got good results. Based on reviews, I used only a cup of sugar and half cup of lemon juice. It was sweet enough and the overall taste was good. Thanks๏ผ
Thank you for sharing your review! I’m glad the bars turned out good for you!
This has become my favourite go to recipe!! People absolutely love it and canโt under how itโs vegan ?ย
Do you think itโll work as a lemon pie? I mean, will the dough hold or maybe should I switch to a different base but with the same filling? I want to make it for a dinner thatโs a bit fancier ๐ย
I think you could make the filling into a pie, but I haven’t tried it. Have you seen my Vegan Lemon Meringue Pie? I would use pie crust for sure. Thank you so much, glad you enjoyed the bars!
These are great. Very lemony, with crisp buttery shortbread base. ย Yum! ย Easy to make. ย I increased the recipe by one and a half times and baked in a 8ร13 pan for same amount of time. ย I also added 1.5 tsp coconut oil and 1/8tsp turmeric to the filling at the end of boiling it. ย I did have to run it through a fine sift as I had a couple lumps but the sift took care of those. ย Absolutely delicious! ย Even our non- vegan family loves them! Thank you!
I’m glad you and friend enjoyed the lemon bars! Thanks for sharing your review and comments!
These were delicious. Made them for a small gathering and all my non vegan friends loved them.
I’m so glad they were a hit! Thanks for sharing your review!
Can I use oil in place of vegan butter in the crust? Thanks
I’m not sure, maybe coconut oil but I don’t think regular oil will work very well.
Can I use other plant based milk or only coconut milk works?
It works okay with another plant based milk, though coconut milk helps the bars firm up a bit more.
Just a note for anyone else questioning substituting arrowroot powder for the corn starchโฆ DONโT!
I ran out of corn starch and figured arrowroot powder would work, but they didnโt set. They tasted great, but were an absolutely gooey mess that was not cut-able.
Just an FYI!
Yes I don’t have much luck substituting arrowroot in most recipes. Some have reported this works for them in the lemon bars recipe but I wouldn’t think it would work as well. Hope you can make them again with corn starch, thanks!
Making for a friend’s party tomorrow – husband and I are the vegans and I want to bring something tasty for 1. everyone and 2. us, haha.
SO lemony – I used a lemonsish worth of zest because I like getting the squidgy bits in a lemon bar. The mix thickened FAST when it went. It’s in the oven now but I did sneak some of the mix that was on the spatula after smoothing. Delicious! I can detect a bit of coconut, not surprisingly, but I used a can of coconut cream instead of full fat coconut milk so it might be my ‘fault’… I saw it next to the milk and I thought “well, a dessert’s a dessert, right?” It’s still good with a hint of coconut though.
The turmeric was perfect for coloring as well; I’m really happy with the level of yellow I got in the mix and I don’t taste it at all (not that I would mind it, I do like turmeric).
Can’t wait to have a proper slice tomorrow!
Thanks for sharing your review and comments! I hope everyone enjoyed!
I followed the recipe exactly and it was excellent, very lemony with a good shortbread crust. The second time I made I increased the crust because I liked the combination of textures with a little more shortbread.
Thanks for sharing your review and comments! I’m glad you loved the lemon bars!
This was toooo delicious!ย
These look fabulous and Iโd love to make them! Do you refrigerate the coconut milk to get only the white part? I also have a can of coconut cream, would it be better to use this?
I don’t refrigerate it first. Coconut cream is probably best if you have it.
Do use use the whole can for example mix the water with the coconut in coconut canned milk or just use the creamy part at the topย
Hi Chanti. I just use mostly the white part. If some clear liquid gets in there, itโs really okay.
Is it okay if I use flour instead of cornstarch in the curd?
I don’t think that would work well, sorry! You might be able to use arrowroot instead.
Mine have the taste of cornstarch, even though I mixed it while cold with liquid and cooked to the appropriate temperature. What can I do to eliminate that? I didnโt make any changes to the recipe.ย
I’m not sure, the cornstarch should dissolve and you should not be able to taste it at all.
Cornstarch needs to boil to get rid of the taste. It takes a little time but if you taste it before you turn the heat off then youโll know for sure.ย
We loved these lemon bars and am pretty sure guests would love themtoo! I just reduced some sugar because don’t like too much sweet. Thank you
So glad you loved them! Thanks for sharing your great review!
Hi!
These look AMAZING.
I know this is a core part of the recipe so changing it alters the recipe fundamentally…but everything you’ve posted that I’ve made has absolutely been so freaking delicious, so I want your input!
If I’m making lemon bars for someone allergic to coconut, what adaptation would you recommend? Can the milk be substituted directly? Would homemade cashewmilk work due to similar fat content, or does the particulate suspension get in the way? Or should I just find a different recipe…
Hi there! I actually think they will turn out quite well using another milk, like almond or cashew. I don’t think you need to use homemade cashew milk. If anything, they might not set quite as well, but the cornstarch helps so they may be fine. Hope that helps and thank you so much!
SO GOOD!! I made them gluten free using an almond flour blend for a ladies luncheon at our church. RAVE reviews and people asking for the recipe! Thank you for these!
Hi Linda! I’m so glad the lemon bars were a hit! Thanks for sharing your wonderful review, and for sharing the recipe!
I have never seen vegan butter in my area. ย What do you suggest as an alternative? ย coconut oil?
You could try coconut oil. Where do you live? In the U.S. there are so many brands available at nearly every grocery store these days, like Earth Balance, Melt, etc.
Made these over the weekend exactly as per the recipe. They were delicious! Another boldly flavorful recipe from Nora. I used fresh lemons, so the sugar balanced the tartness quite well. If you like lemon flavor in your desserts, you are going to fall in love with this one!
I really love the lemon bars as well! I’m so glad you enjoyed them! Thank you for taking your time to share your terrific review! Thank you for using my recipes!
Hi! I really loved the recipe! I was liking the whisk after making the lemon filling! I was wondering if there was a way to make the dough less sticky? I was having a hard time spreading it evenly because it stuck to everything. Thanks!
I’m glad you loved the lemon bars, thanks! The dough shouldn’t be that sticky, but if it is simply flour your hands a bit, or use a floured spatula to press it into the pan evenly. Hope that helps!