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Real Balanced

A food blog dedicated to sharing easy and delicious low-carb, keto, paleo, and nut-free recipes and resources.

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Keto Lemon Bars

Net Carbs:4.1g
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Created for a variety of diets, these keto lemon bars are gluten-free, grain-free, nut-free, sugar-free, vegetarian, paleo, and primal. Plus, there’s even an option to make these bars dairy-free!

hero shot of keto lemon bars stacked on top of each other on a plate atop a marble kitchen counter

I am sharing this post in partnership with Lakanto. As always, all opinions are my own. I appreciate you supporting both me and the brands that allow me to create quality content for you!

These keto lemon bars are the perfect treat to add to your daily food line up. After your first bite, you’re going to want them all the time!

The best lemon bars EVER

I’ve always been a fan of fruity desserts and treats, and this lemon bar recipe is no different. These tasty treats are bursting with lemony flavor!

keto lemon bars cut into squares

The easiest lemon dessert recipe

Preparing these nut free keto lemon bars is as simple as whisking together the crust ingredients then prepping the lemon filling and baking it all up! After that, they simply need to sit in the oven for 1 hour before chilling in the refrigerator for 2 hours.

In no time, you will have mouth-watering treats suitable for everyone. Even kids will love these!

Each pan yields 16 lemon bars, so you’ll have plenty if you decide to bring this as a dish-to-pass to an upcoming party!

Net carbs in keto lemon bars

This delicious lemon treat only contains 4.1 grams of net carbs per serving. It seems too good to be true, doesn’t it?!

Yummy and delicious thanks to monk fruit sweetener

1 bag of classic monk fruit sweetener by Lakanto

These lemon bars are super sweet and tasty, but they’re low in carbs. You’d think that being so yummy, the carb count would be higher, right? Well, to keep the carb content as low as possible, I use Lakanto Monk Fruit Sweetener. They have two types of granulated monk fruit sweetener, Classic and Golden, and this recipe uses the Classic version.

I use it in all of my dessert recipes, especially my fat bomb recipes, because of how easy and tasty it is!

If you’d like to try out monk fruit sweetener for yourself, use code “REALBALANCED” for 20% off your Lakanto order!

Nut free keto lemon bars

Most keto baked goods call for almond flour, but these lemon bars are free from almond flour! They also do not require the use of coconut flour! Instead, in this recipe, we use ground sunflower seed meal!

I’ve come to reaaaalllly love this ingredient as I have serious allergies to peanuts and tree nuts, but I can safely eat sunflower seeds!

If you’ve never tried ground sunflower seed meal, you can purchase it directly from Amazon!

How to keep your lemon bars from cracking

Much like when cooking a keto cheesecake, we want to do our best to avoid the tops of these lemon bars from cracking. If they do, it’s not a big deal at all as it won’t affect the taste whatsoever, but they will look nicer if the top of the lemon bars stays intact!

One of the major steps to prevent cracking involves the cooling process:

  • After baking, allow the pan to sit in the oven with the oven door cracked for 1 hour. By doing this, the dish is able to slowly cool, which keeps the top layer of the lemon bars from cracking.

When you move a hot dish straight from the oven to the refrigerator, the extreme temperature changes make it much more likely to crack!

Why a water bath is important for keto lemon bars

Water baths are a great way to ensure that your dish will evenly cook. Simply place your baking pan into a baking sheet deep enough to allow for 1″ of water, and place it in the oven. The water adds moisture to the air, allowing the dish to cook more successfully than if you skipped the bath altogether.

Easy substitution ideas

  • Melted butter: If you’re interested in creating a dairy-free version of these delish lemon bars, you’re in luck! To do so, simply swap out the melted butter for melted coconut oil! Your dish will be yummy and totally dairy-free.
  • Monk fruit sweetener: For this recipe, I use the Classic version of Lakanto’s monk fruit sweetener. Feel free to swap in their Golden version at a 1:1 ratio! Similarly, you can also opt to use erythritol, Swerve, or Truvia, also at a 1:1 ratio. I would not suggest using stevia here, as you will need MUCH less of it, which may change the texture and bake time of the lemon bars.

Storing your delicious gluten-free lemon bars

When it comes time to storing your keto lemon bars, have no fear! When you follow these guidelines, your bars will maintain their flavor, texture, and deliciousness.

Refrigerator: Store your lemon bars in the refrigerator inside an airtight container with a paper towel set gently on top. The paper towel absorbs moisture, keeping your lemon treats from getting soggy. Enjoy within 3 days.

My favorite kitchen tools:

Make these deliciously tart Keto Lemon Bars today!

Preheat oven to 325 degrees and line 9×9″ baking pan with parchment paper, allowing the paper to overhang all edges of the baking sheet. Then in a mixing bowl, whisk together sunflower seed meal, shredded coconut, monk fruit sweetener, and salt.

keto lemon bars dry crust ingredients in a stainless steel mixing bowl

Add melted butter, egg, vanilla extract and whisk again until fully combined.

butter, egg, and vanilla extract whisked in with the dry crust ingredients in a stainless steel mixing bowl

Transfer mixture to prepared pan and, using fingers, press into even layer. Transfer pan to oven and bake until edges of crust are golden brown, about 20 minutes.

crust mixture transferred onto baking dish lined with parchment paper

Meanwhile, to a food processor, add monk fruit sweetener and pulse until powdered.

monk fruit sweetener pulsed until powdered in a food processor

Transfer powdered monk fruit sweetener to mixing bowl and add sunflower seed meal, eggs, lemon, juice, and lemon zest and, using an electric mixer on lowest speed mix together until well-combined.

stainless steel mixing bowl with sunflower seed meal, eggs, lemon, juice, and lemon zest mixed together using an electric mixer

Remove pan with crust from the oven.

baked lemon keto bars crust in a baking dish

Pour filling atop crust. Place pan in center of large baking sheet. Pour enough water into baking sheet to fill ~1 inch of water. Place baking sheet with pan in oven and bake until filling has set, about 35 minutes.

lemon bars batter poured atop crust in a baking dish

Turn oven off and, using a wooden spoon, crack the oven door open just slightly. Allow pan to sit in the cooling oven for 1 hour. Remove baking sheet with water bath and pan from oven. Take the pan off the water bath.

baked keto lemon bars whole in a baking dish lined with parchment paper atop a marble kitchen counter

Transfer pan to the refrigerator to chill uncovered for 2 hours before cutting and serving.

baked keto lemon bars stacked on a plate atop a marble kitchen counter

Compliant with a wide variety of diets!

  • Keto and Low-Carb: These lemon bars contain 4.1 grams of net carbs per serving, making them perfect for keto and low-carb diets.
  • Nut-Free: Like all RB recipes, nuts are not used in this dessert.
  • Primal: This recipe follows primal diet rules.
  • Paleo: Keto lemon bars are totally paleo-friendly.
  • Gluten-Free: Gluten-containing products are not used within this recipe.
  • Grain-Free: This recipe does not call for any grain products.
  • Dairy-Free: Easily make this recipe dairy-free by replacing butter with coconut oil.
  • Vegetarian: These low-carb lemon bars are vegetarian-friendly.
  • Sugar-Free: Through using monk fruit sweetener, this recipe is totally sugar-free.

Craving some more low carb fruit desserts?

You will love these keto fruit desserts:

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hero shot of keto lemon bars stacked on top of each other on a plate atop a marble kitchen counter

Keto Lemon Bars

★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews
  • Author: Sara Nelson
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 55 minutes
  • Total Time: 4 hours, 15 minutes
  • Yield: 16 lemon bars 1x
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Bake
  • Cuisine: American
Print Recipe

Description

These Keto Lemon Bars are made without almond flour and are gluten-free, grain-free, sugar-free, vegetarian, can easily be made dairy-free, and are bursting with citrus flavor.

Ingredients

Crust:

Lemon Filling:

Instructions

  1. Crust: Preheat oven to 325 degrees and line 9×9″ baking pan with parchment paper, allowing paper to overhang all edges of baking sheet.
  2. In a mixing bowl, whisk together sunflower seed meal, shredded coconut, monk fruit sweetener, and salt. Add melted butter, egg, vanilla extract and whisk again until fully combined.
  3. Transfer mixture to prepared pan and, using fingers, press into even layer. Transfer pan to oven and bake until edges of crust are golden brown, about 20 minutes.
  4. Lemon Filling: To a mixing bowl, add powdered monk fruit sweetener, sunflower seed meal, eggs, lemon, juice, and lemon zest and, using an electric mixer on lowest speed mix together until well-combined.
  5. Remove pan with crust from oven and pour filling atop crust. Place pan in center of large baking sheet. Pour enough water into baking sheet to fill ~1 inch of water. Place baking sheet with pan in oven and bake until filling has set, about 35 minutes.
  6. Final Steps: Turn oven off and, using a wooden spoon, crack oven door open just slightly. Allow pan to sit in cooling oven for 1 hour. Remove baking sheet with water bath and pan from oven. Remove pan from water bath. Transfer pan to refrigerator to chill uncovered for 2 hours before cutting and serving.

Recipe Notes:

Ground Sunflower Seed Meal Substitution: Make ground sunflower seed meal by pulsing raw sunflower seeds in a blender or food processor until they turn into flour (be careful to not over-blend, as doing this will lead to making sunflower seed butter, which has a consistency similar to that of peanut butter or almond butter). If you can eat nuts, you should be able to substitute in almond flour at a 1:1 ratio substitution.

Unsweetened Shredded Coconut Substitution: Unsweetened coconut flakes can be used in place of shredded coconut in this recipe, but you will need to pulse them in a food processor in order to get the right consistency for the crust.

Where Can Monk Fruit Sweetener Be Purchased: I purchase mine from Lakanto and have it delivered. If you want to do this, you can use discount code REALBALANCED at checkout for 20% OFF your Lakanto order. If you’d rather purchase monk fruit sweetener in a store, many grocery stores, especially specialty stores and Costco, carry Lakanto’s monk fruit sweetener.

Classic Monk Fruit Sweetener Substitution: Golden Monk Fruit Sweetener, Swerve, or erythritol can be used here at a 1:1 substitution ratio. I would not use powdered stevia or liquid stevia.

Butter Substitution: Coconut oil can be subbed in for melted butter at a 1:1 ratio, which would make these lemon bars dairy-free. If you use oil in place of butter, the crust may be denser than the original recipe intended.

Powdered Monk Fruit Sweetener Substitution: Powder ½ cup of Classic Monk Fruit Sweetener, Golden Monk Fruit Sweetener, or erythritol in a food processor to yield a substitution for powdered sweetener.

Lemon Juice Substitution: Lime juice can be substituted for lemon juice at a 1:1 ratio. If you opt for this trade, however, you will end up with keto lime bars.

Lemon Zest Substitution: Lime zest could be substituted for lemon here as well, but would change the flavor profile.

How To Avoid Lemon Bars From Cracking: After baking, allow the pan to sit in the oven with the oven door cracked for 1 hour. By doing this, the dish is able to slowly cool, which keeps the top layer of the lemon bars from cracking.

Why Use A Water Bath: Yes, water baths are a great way to ensure that your dish will evenly cook. Simply place your baking pan into a baking sheet deep enough to allow for 1″ of water, and place it in the oven. The water adds moisture to the air, allowing the dish to cook more successfully than if you skipped the bath altogether.

Net Carbs: Per serving, these lemon bars contain 4 grams of net carbs. Net carbs are calculated by taking total carbs, subtracting fiber, and subtracting sugar alcohols. A serving size is 1 bar and the recipe, as written, yields 16 bars.

Refrigerator Storage: Store bars in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Before putting on the lid, set a paper towel gently on top. This will lessen any condensation build-up in the container, and help prevent the lemon bars from getting soggy.

Freezer Storage: After being cooked, cooled, and sliced, the lemon bars can be stored in the freezer for up to 2 months. Place individual cakes into an airtight container or storage bag, then take out, and thaw in the refrigerator.

Keywords: keto lemon bars, lemon bars keto, coconut lemon bars

Recipe Card powered byTasty Recipes

This is a sponsored post written by Sara Nelson on behalf of Lakanto.

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9 Comments

  1. Louise Brandt says

    My husband is also allergic to nuts. I’m grateful I finally found your site!

    I want to grind my own sunflower seed flour. Should I grind RAW or TOASTED UNSALTED sunflower seeds or would either work?

    Reply

    • Sara Nelson says

      Hi, Louise! So happy to have you here! I haven’t tried this, but I think either raw or toasted/unsalted would work just fine! Let me know how it goes!

      Reply

      • Louise Brandt says

        Do you provide a link to the sunflower seed meal or flour you prefer? Does it vary as much as coconut flour? Which I’ve read is highly variable by brand.

        Is there a difference between sunflower seed MEAL and FLOUR?

        Reply

        • Sara Nelson says

          The exact product is linked right in the recipe card. There is sometimes a difference between sunflower seed meal and sunflower seed flour (typically if the seeds are blanched or not), but often the terms are used interchangeably.

          Reply

  2. Sarah says

    Can these be frozen. They look delicious but with 2 people in my household, 16 servings, and lasting 3 days I see either overeating carbs or wasted food. Both of which are criminal in my book.

    Reply

    • Sara Nelson says

      I bet they can be! Be sure to allow them to fully chill before wrapping them individually in plastic wrap then tucking them in a container or freezer bag and freezing. Unthaw in the refrigerator overnight. Enjoy!

      Reply

  3. Jeffrie Schultz says

    Would these work with almond or coconut flour. Just hate to add another flour to the cabinet.

    Reply

    • Sara Nelson says

      Based on my understanding, almond flour can be subbed in for ground sunflower seed meal at a 1:1 ratio. I bet this would work here, but cannot say for sure (and cannot test it for you) due to my allergies. If you try it out, let me know how it goes!

      Reply
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