by 
These No-Bake Vegan Lemon Bars are incredibly smooth and creamy, with a bright and tart lemon flavor. They are gluten-free, paleo, and vegan, and they come together quickly and easily in a blender.
So, I’ve got a lemon bar curse. Despite having a baking blog for over seven years and baking for many years before, lemon bars have always eluded me. I’ve successfully made lemon tarts, lemon cookies, lemon cakes, but lemon bars? No go.
It’s frustrating for both me and my mom, who has always loved lemon bars. And trust me—I’ve tried SO many recipes. I’ve tried the classics, like Ina’s, which always worked for my mom. I tried making my own recipes, and I tried making them paleo lemon bars and/or vegan lemon bars.
Yet somehow, I’m cursed with the bizarre phenomenon of the crust somehow ending up on top of the lemony filling. Sometimes, it’s a giant bubble, and sometimes, it looks like someone flipped the bars over because the crust is ALL on top. It’s so weird, and it’s been happening to me for so long, that I accepted lemon bars just weren’t in the cards for me.
But recently, I decided enough was enough. I was going to make lemon bars, and they were going to be successful and delicious. The solution? NO BAKE VEGAN LEMON BARS. Without any time in the oven, there was no time for them to go horribly wrong.
No-Bake Vegan Lemon Bars!
And they were a big hit! They’re creamy, sweet, and delightfully tart. Yes, they are different from the more traditional baked lemon curd lemon bar, but they’re a delicious lemon bar of their very own. Now, let’s talk about how to make them!
The almond flour crust is super simple to make with just a few ingredients: almond flour, coconut butter, coconut oil, and a tablespoon of maple syrup for a little sweetness and stickiness. You can substitute more coconut oil for the coconut butter if necessary, but it really helps the crust firm up nicely without getting too oily. You can always make your own coconut butter if you don’t have any!
We make the creamy dairy-free lemon bar filling with a base of soaked raw cashews. Soaking the cashews in filtered water for many hours helps them soften, so they’ll blend into creamy perfection with the rest of the ingredients. Coconut milk helps with the creaminess as well, and we blend in some coconut oil too, which helps the bars firm up nicely.
Maple syrup is added to sweeten—you can use any other liquid sweetener if you prefer. A touch of vanilla extract is added, and of course, the lemon. We add a hearty dose of lemon juice because I like them tart! I used 1/3 cup of lemon juice and a full tablespoon of lemon zest. You can use less lemon juice if you don’t want a super tart lemon bar.
The ingredients are poured over the gluten-free crust, smoothed out, and frozen until firm before cutting and serving. The resulting lemon bars are a delightfully tart and creamy take on a classic! They’re definitely simpler to make, too—at least for me. I hope you’ll give these refreshing bars a try. Enjoy!
More lemon dessert favorites
Soft u0026 Chewy Vegan Lemon Cookies
u003cpu003eu003cemu003eThese Gluten-Free Vegan Lemon Cookies are soft in texture, sweet, and tangy, thanks to the fresh lemon juice and zest. If you’re a lemon dessert lover, these are for you!u003c/emu003eu003c/pu003e
Gluten-Free Vegan Lemon Cake
u003cpu003eYou’ll love this easy-to-make u003cstrongu003eGluten-Free Vegan Lemon Cake!u003c/strongu003e It is simple and elegant, with a beautiful light and airy crumb. To top it all off, we drizzled this paleo and refined sugar-free cake with a tangy lemon drizzle.u003c/pu003e
Gluten-Free Vegan Lemon Poppyseed Pancakes
u003cpu003eu003cemu003eThese u003cstrongu003eVegan Lemon Poppyseed Pancakesu003c/strongu003e are made in a few minutes in the blender with minimal gluten- and dairy-free ingredients! These oat-based pancakes are lemony, loaded with flavor, and easy to make.u003c/emu003eu003c/pu003e
No Bake Lemon Bars
Ingredients
For the crust
- 1 cup almond flour
- 2 tablespoons coconut butter
- 2 tablespoon coconut oil
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
For the cheesecake
- 2 cups raw cashews, soaked for at least four hours or preferably overnight, drain and rinse before using
- ¼ cup full-fat coconut milk, shaken
- ¼ cup coconut oil, melted and cooled slightly
- ⅓ cup pure maple syrup
- ⅓ cup fresh lemon juice, use ¼ cup if you want it a little less lemony – you can always add more!
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Line an 8” square pan with parchment paper for easy removal, and grease well with coconut oil. Set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, stir together the almond flour, melted coconut butter, melted coconut oil, and maple syrup. Press the dough evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan.
- In a high-powered blender (I used my Vitamix, but most powerful blenders should do the job), combine all of the filling ingredients and blend for about 2-3 minutes, or until the mixture is silky smooth and creamy.
- Once it’s smooth, taste the mixture and adjust the sweetness/tartness levels, if desired. Pour the filling into the prepared pan over the crust and smooth the top. Hit the pan hard against the counter a few times to get out any air bubbles.
- Place in the freezer to set for at least 3 hours or until completely firm before slicing and serving.
- When serving, I recommend running your knife under hot water to warm it up before cutting the lemon bars with the still-hot (dried) knife. Serve frozen or let them thaw at room temperature for 10-15 minutes before serving. Store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to three months.
43