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.
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.
Which types of lemon recommended for this recipe? Is eureka lemon too sour to use?
I think it will be good. I just use regular lemons I can buy at stores near me.
Hi Nora! I am excited to make this because I have tons of meyer lemons right now, but no coconut milk.
I have coconut cream and almond milk. Do you think either one of those would work instead? Or maybe a mixture?
Coconut cream would be the best option and will work well! Enjoy!
Hi Nora,
I only have 9″ square pan, would the recipe work? If not, what kind of adjustments should I make to the recipe and baking time?
Thank you.
A 9-inch square pan will work just fine. Perhaps bake for a few minutes less in the oven, about 5 minutes less I’d say. Enjoy!
Hi Nora,
Made the bars for a friend who can’t have dairy and eggs, she loved them. My husband and I loved them, too. I ended up increasing the recipe by a third because I wanted a thicker bar and it turned great! Thank you so much for the recipe.
J
You are welcome! How kind of you to make for your friend! I’m glad that they were a hit with everyone! Thank you for sharing your recipe experience and wonderful comments! Happy cooking!
Love this recipe. I accidently overbaked it by 45 minutes!!!! They looked brown and I thought I’d have to throw them out but the coconut milk kinda caramelised while the lemon flavour was still there and still strong and everyone loved them! People (non vegans) even wanted the recipe. Next time I’ll make them and NOT bake them for over and hour and they’ll be even better. Thank you from Australia!
Hello Desiree from Australia! I’m so glad that the lemon bars turned out wonderful, even though they baked a bit longer than required! Thank you for taking time to share your terrific review and comments! Wishing you lots of happy cooking!
Hi would this work for a 12×18 sized pan? Do you think the crust can handle being lifted out of that big of a pan?
Well, you’d have to double the recipe most likely and I’ve never tried that. So I’m not sure on bake times, it would take longer in the oven. If you lined the pan with parchment paper and very carefully transferred them, it might work but it will be a bit tricky.
Thank you for your quick response! I might be better off baking in 4 separate 9×9 pans as I have those on hand too. I need to make about 6 recipes worth but not sure if I should risk the big pans… I’ll let others know how it turns out if I end up doing it!
I ended up making the crust slightly thicker and it lifted out of the 12×18 pan just fine! Thank you!
Started to leave a review before but the ads make the page refresh too often, so I can’t give too much detail. Using shorthand instead. Made two batches at the same time. Used arrowroot starch instead. One batch good, other bad— didn’t thicken. Started to caramel sugar, I cooked so long. I did the bad batch in a smaller pot, so part of my guess is heat not distributed evenly? Also I created a slurry with the second bad batch instead of just putting the powder directly in. I also had more of the coconut can gray sludge vs the white part in the bad batch. I recommend using a wider pot, watching the coconut part you put in, and not doing a slurry to add the starch in… also not to go tooo long because apparently arrowroot loses its bonds if you cook too long? Maybe that’s what happened too?? Anyway. Tips for the next person. I just pulled them out of the oven and hope the bad batch will ‘’find itself’’ and make itself beautiful in the fridge as it chills.
These are great- they were a big hit at my party last night.
These are amazing! I don’t know that I had ever had lemon bars before – vegan or otherwise. I have now made these 4 times in the last few months. The only change I make is that I add about 2 tablespoons of lemon zest instead of 2 teaspoons. I like it lemony. It usually takes just about 10 minutes of stirring on the stove to to make the lemon mixture thicken. Thank you for a delicious recipe!
You are welcome, Rebecca! I’m so thrilled that you are loving the lemon bar recipe! Thank you for sharing your awesome review and feedback! I appreciate you using my recipes!
I’m looking forward to trying this recipe? I love every recipe I used of yours Nora! Can I assume that using Arrowroot powder will work to replace the cornstarch?
I hope you love the lemon bars! I’ve never tried these with arrowroot, but I hope it works. Let me know how it goes!
Yesterday I tried this out for my sons birthday next week. And he is going to LOVE this.
It’s so easy to make and so delicious.
Thank you for this recipe, I already know I have to make this more often for the kids.
Greetings from the Netherlands!
Hello Angela, from the Netherlands! Great to hear from you! I’m thrilled that you loved the lemon bars recipe! It’s a yummy idea for a birthday treat! Thanks for sharing your awesome review and feedback! Happy birthday to your son! Wishing you happy cooking!
Looking forward to making this! I’m just wondering about how big the portions are, I’m making them for a dessert table for 50 people and I’m thinking I can cut them small since there will be other desserts, just not sure if I should double or triple the recipe. Thank you!
The portions are pretty big, you could probably double the recipe and have plenty if you cut them into small squares. Hope everyone enjoys them!
THE BEST! My kids host a lemonade stand for charity every summer and I double the recipe….everyone always raves about how good they are!
Hi Nora – I have tried many of your recipes and have loved EVERY. SINGLE. ONE. I am excited to try these for my sister’s birthday…I’m not sure what you mean by “mostly the white part” for the coconut milk. Does that mean I should scrape the “solid” part out and leave the watery part? Thank you so much for all your wonderful recipes!
I’m so glad you’ve been enjoying my recipes, thank you! Yes, when you open a can of coconut milk, usually there is the thicker, white parts and a clear liquid. Often they are separated in the can. If they aren’t separated, do not worry about it. If they are separated, use all of the thick, creamy white parts and a little clear liquid if needed to measure 1 1/4 cups. I hope that helps clarify and you enjoy the lemon bars!
Nora, I’ve been making these for years now. This is my go-to recipe for lemon bars, I don’t even need to try any others.
I’ve even used just the crust in other recipes, like cheesecake. I love it so much!
Thank you for posting your recipes, I love so many of them.
Hi Victoria. Your support and encouraging feedback are wonderful! Thank you for sharing your stellar review, and for using my recipes! Wishing you lots of happy cooking!
Could I use your lemon curd recipe for this dessert?
Could I change up the juice to say, orange or lime just to make it different? Would any measurements need to change?
Sure! No changes needed, just replace the lemon juice/zest with lime or orange.
Do you think I could use coconut oil instead of vegan butter for the crust? Thank you!
Yes, I think that will work fine. Enjoy!
I make these all the time. I use slightly less cornstarch, but that’s just a personal preference (I use 4 tablespoons). Everything else I follow closely. One of my favorite ways to use up lemons.
Hi Kirsten, I’m so glad you are loving the recipe! This is one of my favorites as well! Thanks for sharing your awesome review and feedback! Happy cooking!
Does it taste starchy at all with the cornstarch? And can I use lactaid instead of coconut milk? I want to make these for a family gathering and one of my family members doesn’t like coconut
No, you can’t taste the cornstarch. I’m not sure lactaid will work, and the recipe won’t be vegan anymore if you use it. I have found other milks to work okay, such as almond or oat milk, but coconut does work the best and I really can’t taste it.
Okay, thank you! I mostly just needed it eggless since my gma is allergic to eggs, but i do like almond milk too!
Nora, this recipe is excellent! I will be cooking more of your recipes. Well done. My husband loves these lemon bars. Thanks again.
You are welcome, Donna! I’m thrilled you are finding recipes of mine that you and your husband love! Thanks for sharing your stellar review and feedback! Happy cooking!
Word to the wise, absolutely use white refined sugar. If you only have raw sugar that’s brown in color in your pantry don’t use it to make lemon curd 🫠 The flavor was still very delicious but there was no way I could present brown lemon bars to get together
I made these with organic cane sugar which has a brown tint when melted and can confirm that the tumeric made them the perfect shade of yellow. A little goes a long way here.
Good morning,
Will these taste anything like coconut since using the coconut milk? My mom loves lemon stuff but abhors anything that tastes like coconut. Could I substitute a different type of plant milk? Thank you!
You can use a different kind of plant milk if she doesn’t like coconut. 🙂 It works quite well.
Thanks for including comments that find alternatives to coconut milk work. I, unfortunately, hate coconut and I can definitely taste it. So nice to have alternatives. I will try this recipe with a high fat oat milk or cashew milk then, if you think it would work.
These are insanely delicious!!!
As I will make this with vegan butter and digestive biscuits do I need to bake it when I put filling on top of crust
You don’t necessarily have to, no.
Oh my gracious! You need to put a warning label…hehe 🤣. Absolutely wonderful!
Love your recipes.,
😂 I love it! They are total goodness! Thanks for your awesome review and feedback! Happy cooking!
I love these! I’m doubling the recipe for a party. I’m thinking of using a 9×13. Any thoughts on cook time?
Hi Abby. I’m so glad you are loving the lemon bars! So do I!!! To double, use a 9×13 inch pan and increase the baking time to 20 minutes. Happy baking!
Can I use Coconut Cream instead of the milk? I got a bunch of cartons of Costco Calahua Coconut Cream for crazy cheap and need to use them up!
Yes, that will work just fine. Enjoy!
These turned out so yummy! When I was making the filling, it wasn’t thickening up. I added another tsp of corn starch and it did the trick! Nora, I have made several of your recipes and they are some of my favorite. Thank you for sharing your talents with us! (:
Hi Jamie. You are very welcome! I appreciate you using my recipes and am glad you are loving them! Thanks for your stellar review on the lemon bars! Wishing you happy cooking!