These Paleo lemon bars are incredible!
Paleo lemon pie bars
Please note: Even though I have made this recipe multiple times with success, it seems others have tried it and they haven’t turned out well. I haven’t been able to figure out what makes it work for some, and not others. Please proceed with caution!
Do you love lemon bars? I don’t. Well, at least I didn’t until I made these. And now? Well, now I do. These Paleo lemon bars will melt in your mouth!
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Ingredients
Crust:
- 4 cups almond flour
- 1/2 cup tapioca flour or arrowroot starch
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup or honey
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup coconut oil melted
Lemon Topping:
Ingredients
Crust:
Lemon Topping:
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Instructions
Crust:
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees and grease a 9×13 pan with coconut oil. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, then press into the greased 9×13 pan. Bake in oven for about 30 minutes, until golden brown. While that’s cooking, prepare lemon topping:
Lemon Topping
- Beat together all ingredients. Let crust cool for about 15 minutes, and when crust is ready, pour lemon topping over crust (note: it will be liquid–it’s ok!), then bake another 20 minutes or so, until set. For best results, chill before eating.
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Alex Boake says
I would like 2 or 3 of these ASAP! Looks delicious!
tereza crump aka mytreasuredcreations says
I would love to make this but I am afraid that I would it the whole pan by myself in one sitting. 🙁
tereza crump aka mytreasuredcreations says
correction: I would EAT the whole pan..
Laura says
Made these last night. AMAZING!!!!!!
radlandon says
Yay!
Jaime says
After chilling in the fridge, how long can these bars sit out? And for how many days are they still considered “good”?
radlandon says
These should be stored in the fridge and served chilled. They could be left out for a little bit, but serving them chilled is the best idea. They should last for 5 days or so if stored in the fridge, covered.
E. Elliott says
These were great! Everyone loved them!! Thank you 🙂
Life Made Full says
Glad you liked them!
Rob says
Not sure where we’re going wrong. We’ve baked this twice following your instructions to the letter. They don’t look anything like your photo, and they certainly don’t look like “regular” lemon bars (though that’s to be expected).
It’s almost like we mixed the crust and filling ingredients together as one, but we didn’t. Maybe we shouldn’t bake as long for part 2.
That aside, they taste good, so maybe that’s all that really matters. I’m just a stickler for accuracy I guess! 🙂
Life Made Full says
Hmmm…I guess it’s time to try this again to see what’s going on! Thx for letting me know!
Rob says
I’ll look forward to your follow up! We’d like to try it again, but would love to get it right (and more lemon-bar-esque!)
trg says
The key is not beating the eggs until frothy. Then add all other ingredients
trg says
Beating until frothy.
Tara Brelinsky says
Ditto what Rob said. I made this for my hubby for his birthday today and it looks NOTHING like the picture. The liquid ingredients combined into the dry base ingredients even though I followed the instructions. He said it still tastes good, but I am disappointed because it looks nothing like a lemon bar. Any thoughts on where it went wrong?
Shanti Landon says
I haven’t been able to figure out the discrepancy in success, Tara. =( I’m so sorry!
Lanette Dykman says
I haven’t tried this yet, but there is a secret I’ve used on pie crust to keep the fruit from getting the crust soggy. After the crust is out of the oven, brush it work beaten egg whites and let dry before you put the filing on. The brand of almond flour you use will also make a huge difference, just fyi…
Donna says
It’s best to bake the crust for 15 min prior to adding the filling, then bake as directed. They will turn out great!
Ashleigh says
I just made these and when I poured the lemon mixture over the crust, the lemon mixture went through the crust. I’ve never made lemon bars before, but I thought the lemon mixture was supposed to sit on top? I looked back over the instructions 3 times, but I’m not sure where I went wrong. Why would this happen?
Thanks!
Life Made Full says
Hmm. I’m not sure, Ashleigh. Did you cook the crust before pouring the topping on it?
Ashleigh says
I did. Are you supposed to let it sit for a while before you pour on the lemon mixture?
And even though they ended up reverse lemon bars, they tasted SO good! Definitely going to try it again.
Lianne says
The same thing happened to me! I cooked the crust according to the directions and when I poured the lemon topping over the crust it mixed together. It is baking in the oven right now, so i’ll find out how they look. I’m suppose to take this to a cookie exchange. Hopefully they at least look somewhat presentable???
Shanti Landon says
Hmm. Are you at high altitude? It seems that there is some variance here with ovens…I will retry the recipe again and see if there is something off? I’ve made it a few times, and haven’t had a problem…wonder if my oven is cooking hotter than others?
Krista says
Same thing happened to me! The picture looks like the lemon topping sits on top? Mine mixed right into the baked bottom layer… are you supposed to let the bottom layer cool first? I didn’t.
Shanti Landon says
Hi, Krista! I really need to remake this recipe to see why so many peeps are having problems. I hope to get back to you guys in the next week or two!
Ashleigh says
Success!!! I just re-made these and they turned out PERFECT. Last time, I took the crust out of the oven and a couple minutes later poured on the lemon mixture, resulting in the lemon mixture going through the crust and resting half on bottom, half on top.
This time, I let the crust sit for about 15-20 minutes before I poured on the lemon mixture and it worked! These lemon bars look like real lemon bars! I’m so excited because last time they tasted amazing but looked funky, and this time around they’re bound to come out perfect!
Thanks so much for putting up this recipe, it’s one of my favorite Paleo desserts!!!
Melissa says
Are you using the honey or the maple syrup?
Shanti Landon says
I’ve used both, but usually use maple syrup.
Nancy says
I am so upset right now… I Just wasted $25+ dollars in ingredients and the better part of an evening making this recipe. I usually make a different Paleo Lemon bar recipe that has always come out excellent. But with my in-laws coming to town tomorrow, I wanted to make a bigger batch and yours always looked so good on Pinterest. I read your instructions thoroughly, as well as all of the comments. I saw that your recipe had failed for many people, as the lemon soaks into the crust making goopy mess. I even followed another reviewer’s tip and let the crust cool for 20 minutes before adding the lemon liquid and baking again. You’d think if so many people had a problem with your recipe you would invest the time to figure out the problem, instead you’ve just wasted my time and money, and probably many other readers.
Shanti Landon says
Hi, Nancy. I am sorry you did not have success with this recipe. I can’t for the life of me figure out why some people do great with it, and others don’t. I have made it multiple times since receiving comments of people having problems, and it hasn’t failed yet. As a busy mom of five, I hope you understand that I do my best to make recipes that everyone has success with. Again, I am sorry that you wasted your money. Please send me your email address and I will send you a $25 gift certificate to Tropical Traditions so you can at least purchase something to restock your pantry. Again, I apologize.
Lisa says
I’m wondering if the problem is who uses arrowroot and who uses tapioca? Arrowroot holds up to acidic foods and tapioca tends to break down maybe making it more liquid, therefore soaking through the crust.
Roxanne says
Wow, Nancy, that was really rude. I think whenever you try a new recipe there is the chance of it not working out – that’s a given. Based on other reviews people have made, you were able to see that some were a success and some were not. She didn’t make you use the recipe, and she even stated she didn’t know why it works for some and others it doesn’t. It’s not her fault your recipe failed. The fact that she’s sending you a $25 gift card is beyond me. I thought her apology was good enough – yet still unnecessary. You should really consider others before blaming them for things that are clearly not their fault.
Many blessings.
Jessica says
I also had my recipe not work the way I thought it would-even though it didn’t work would I write an angry comment to someone who graciously shares their recipes/experiences freely, and who takes the time to respond to each comment? NEVER…
I will try and let them cool longer the next time and maybe i’ll try with honey…They still taste good 🙂
Thanks for the recipe!
Shanti Landon says
Thanks, Jessica!
Evil Dickie says
will try this recipe with some changes
since Im allergic to tree nuts, I can not use almond or coconut products
i will use sweet potato flour instead of almond flour and grassfed butter instead of coconut oil
Anissa says
I just made this, this morning and it turned out wonderful. My changes are: To the lemon filling I added a little more lemon, and added 3 tbsp of melted coconut oil. I cooked the filling on the stove top until it began to thicken. I then poured onto the crust and let it cool. No need to bake again, as the egg has already cooked. Next time I will make more of the lemon filling. The true test will be to see if the hubby likes it.
Wayne says
My crust cooked great, I poured the lemon filing on top and it stayed on top. Once I cooked it again for 20 Minutes the filling mixed into the crust. Not sure what happened. Maybe I’ll try cooking the lemon filling on stove top. Still can’t figure out why it mixed into crust after I cooked it.
Lori Roth says
i had the same results…no lemon gel sitting on top of the cake/cookie base. I think it may have to do with the tapioca flour timing to the lemon mixture. I let the cake base rest/cool for 30 minutes before adding my lemon mixture on top. When pouring it in I noticed a thickened portion on the bottom of the bowl. Did I not mix it well enough? Did I prepare the filling too soon before the cookie base was fully baked? Well I’m going to try it again. Just thoughts as to why it went wrong.
Joao Koepke says
Hi all, I have a doubt, does the coconut oil is used only for grease, or for crust mix too? – tks –
Shanti Landon says
Hi, Joao! It is for the crust mix. =)
Sarah says
Oh my goodness! These were delicious!! After carefully reading the comments, I let the bottom cool for about 45 minutes before adding the lemon filling (I was also multi-tasking and making paleo coconut flour chocolate cupcakes…). I used all maple syrup and arrowroot flour/starch. Needed much longer than 20 minutes to set up the lemon filling, closer to probably 30+, in which the last 5 or so minutes I bumped it up to 350 because I was impatient. I live right on the border of high altitude needs, and all baked goods for me need more time (and sometimes more eggs!). Really great recipe! I sprinkled a little powdered sugar on the top after they cooled slightly as a nod to traditional lemon bars of my childhood (not paleo, but thry looked so pretty!).
RM says
Mine also ended up leaking into the crust. It’s a shame, it looks fantastic on your picture! But I’m sure it tastes just as good. 🙂
Kylie says
Hi everyone, am just making these lemon pie bars and so looking forward to them. Just wondering if anyone knows if you can freeze them?
Thanks,
Kylie
Shanti Landon says
Hi, Kylie! Did these turn out for you?
Anja says
Thank you soooo much, they were absolutely amazing! We all loved them. I had never seen a lemon bar before, and neither had my family (we’re Dutch) so nobody even knew that the topping wasn’t supposed to mix in with the rest. And I got compliments saying it tasted just as good as a cake from a shop, so really, for the taste it doesn’t matter. (Yes, your recipe really tastes that good)
I did do some thinking about why it didn’t stay on top.
Do you perhaps use a different kind of oven? I used a convection oven. So it might be that I need to adjust the temperature based on that. Also, do you cover the pan (not that I did, but that might be it). Or did you use extra large eggs?
Anyway, my family made me promise I try a lot more times until I get it right, so even if we don’t find what went differently (not wrong, just differently) they’ll be happy 🙂
Thanks again for this wonderful examply of how Paleo can still be delicious and sweet 😀
Lisa S says
I just made these and I had the topping soak through. I used Kirkland brand almond flour which isn’t as fine as Blue Diamond. I live in high altitude. And I used Arrowroot flour. My crust was more fluffy and cake like instead of a dense cookie crust. So I’m going to experiment with another crust recipe I’ve found that doesn’t use baking soda and not as much coconut oil. Perhaps it will be denser and the topping will not soak through.