Gluten-Free Vegan Lemon Bars

These Gluten-Free Vegan Lemon Bars have a rich and "buttery" shortbread base topped with a creamy, sweet and tangy lemon custard! They're fresh and fruity, and refined sugar free too. They're perfect for sharing and make an excellent easy make-ahead dessert.

I experimented with so many different ways to make these Lemon Bars, using a whole range of different ingredients, from a base made using walnuts and dates to a lemon custard made using blended cashews.

It was definitely a challenge to get the right taste and texture, but I found the best result was to use a shortbread base inspired by my Shortbread Cookies recipe and a lemon custard inspired by my Lemon Curd recipe.

The shortbread base

The shortbread base is made using a combination of ground almonds (almond meal) and brown rice flour. The ground almonds create a crumbly, melt-in-your-mouth texture, whilst the brown rice flour creates a crispy, crunchy texture.

You need to use brown rice flour, not white rice flour, which creates a soft cookie (like my Sugar Cookies) rather than a crunchy one.

If you can't find brown rice flour in your local supermarket, you'll be able to find it in local health stores or online.

The lemon custard

The lemon custard is made using shop-bought custard powder.

This is my favourite custard powder - it's vegan, gluten-free and sugar-free, and contains just 4 simple ingredients!

Not only does this custard powder act as a thickener, making the lemon custard extra creamy, but it also adds a lovely colour without having to use something like turmeric.

How to make the shortbread base

Scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full recipe.

• Mix together the ingredients for the dough in a glass mixing bowl.

• Transfer into a square baking tin.

Tip: Line the tin with greased baking paper to make it easier to remove the bars after.

• Use your fingers to push the mixture all the way to the edges, then use a spatula to press down on it until the surface is completely even.

• Bake in oven for 20-25 minutes until golden brown and firm to the touch.

• Leave to cool as you make the custard, although it doesn't matter if it hasn’t cooled completely before pouring on the custard.

How to make the lemon custard

• Measure out the rice milk in a measuring jug.
• Pour the milk into a pan, leaving behind a few tablespoons of milk in the jug.
• Heat up the milk.
• Add the custard powder to the remaining milk in the jug and mix well, ensuring it has dissolved completely.
• Once the milk in the pan is steaming, add approximately half of the hot milk to the bowl with the dissolved custard powder, mix well and transfer the custard powder mixture to the pan.
• Mix well and keep stirring on a low heat for around 5 minutes, until thickened.
• Add the lemon juice and maple syrup.

How to assemble

• Pour the lemon custard over the shortbread base until it’s completely evenly covered and make sure the surface is smooth.

Tip: Tap the dish gently on the counter a few times to get rid of the air bubbles.

• Leave to cool then place in the fridge for at least 4 hours until it firms up - may take slightly longer depending on the type of custard powder you use, the temperature of your fridge etc.
• Cut into squares once it’s completely firmed up.

How long do these Lemon Bars keep for?

They keep covered in the fridge for up to a few days. They make an excellent make-ahead dessert for entertaining and parties!

Substitutions you can make

• You can replace the coconut oil with coconut butter.
• You can use any type of liquid sweetener: maple syrup, agave syrup, brown rice syrup etc.
• The ground almonds (almond meal) can be substituted with ground walnuts.
• For a nut-free version, use ground sunflower seeds instead of ground almonds and use a nut-free milk.

Substitutions to be careful of

• The brown rice flour CANNOT be substituted with white rice flour or any other gluten-free flour - it is essential for the shortbread base to keep its shape and texture.
• If you can't get hold of a shop-bought custard powder, you can replace it with the same amount of cornflour (cornstarch) or arrowroot, which will result in a similar texture, though the colour will be considerably less yellow.
• If not using custard powder, I would suggest adding a tiny pinch of saffron for yellow colour. I much prefer using saffron to turmeric, as it has a much milder flavour.
• You can use any type of plant-based milk for the custard, though results do vary depending on which you choose: cashew, oat or coconut milk make the creamiest and thickest custard, whilst almond milk will be less creamy. I personally prefer to use rice milk as it creates a just-set lemon curd-like consistency which I love.

More vegan dessert recipes

• Chocolate Lava Cake
• Apple Crumble Bars
• Coconut Macaroons
• Strawberry Trifle
• Sugar Cookies
• Strawberry Shortcake
• Baked Pumpkin Cheesecake
• Yule Log
• Blueberry Crumble Bars
• Lemon Crumble Bars
• Lemon Poppy Seed Bread
• Vegan Baked Cheesecake
• Lemon Cheesecake Crumble Bars
• Churros 

If you try out this recipe or anything else from my blog, I’d really love to hear any feedback! Please give it a rating, leave a comment, or tag a photo @rhiansrecipes #rhiansrecipes on Instagram! Thank you.

Watch how to make it

Gluten-Free Vegan Lemon Bars

These Gluten-Free Vegan Lemon Bars have a rich and "buttery" shortbread base topped with a creamy, sweet and tangy lemon custard!

3.60 from 15 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: gluten-free lemon bars, vegan dessert, vegan lemon bars

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Servings: 16 bars

Calories: 206kcal

Author: Rhian Williams

Ingredients

For the shortbread base:

• ▢ 30 g (⅛ cup) coconut oil  (or sub coconut butter)
• ▢ 10 tablespoons maple syrup  (or sub any other similar sweetener)
• ▢ 1 tablespoon unsweetened almond milk (or any other plant-based milk)
• ▢ 150 g (1 ¼ cup) ground almonds (almond meal) *
• ▢ 150 g (1 cup) brown rice flour **
• ▢ Generous pinch salt to taste

For the lemon custard:

• ▢ 900 ml (3 ¾ cup) rice milk *** (see notes)
• ▢ 70 g (⅔ cup) custard powder **** (or sub cornflour/cornstarch or arrowroot)
• ▢ 15 tablespoons lemon juice
• ▢ 6 tablespoons maple syrup

Instructions

For the shortbread base:

• Preheat oven to 170 degrees Celsius (340 degrees Fahrenheit).
• Place the coconut oil in a large bowl and melt over a saucepan of boiling water or in the microwave.
• Add the maple syrup, milk, ground almonds, brown rice flour and salt and mix well - add an extra splash of milk if it’s looking too dry to combine.
• Transfer the mixture into a square or rectangular baking tin lined with greased baking paper – I used a 23cm/9inch square baking tin.
• Use your fingers to push the mixture all the way to the edges, then use a spatula to press down on it until the surface is completely even.
• Bake in oven for 20-25 minutes until golden brown and firm to the touch.
• Leave to cool as you make the custard, although it doesn't matter if it hasn’t cooled completely before pouring on the custard.

For the lemon custard:

• Measure out the milk in a jug or measuring container.
• Pour the milk into a pan, leaving behind a few tablespoons of milk in the jug.
• Heat up the milk in the pan.
• Add the custard powder to the remaining milk in the jug and mix well, ensuring it has dissolved completely.
• Once the milk in the pan is steaming, add approximately half of the hot milk to the bowl with the dissolved custard powder, mix well and transfer the custard powder mixture to the pan.
• Mix well and keep stirring on a low heat for around 5 minutes, until thickened.
• Add the lemon juice and maple syrup.
• Taste and add extra lemon juice or maple syrup if desired.

To assemble:

• Pour the lemon custard over the shortbread base until it’s completely evenly covered and make sure the surface is smooth.
• Tap the dish gently on the counter a few times to get rid of the air bubbles.
• Leave to cool then keep in the fridge for at least 4 hours until it firms up (may take slightly longer depending on the type of custard powder you use, the temperature of your fridge etc).
• Cut into squares once it’s completely firmed up.
• Keeps covered in the fridge for up to a few days.

Video

Notes

*You can alternatively use almond flour.

**You MUST use brown rice flour - white rice flour won't create a crunchy shortbread-like texture.

***You can use any type of plant-based milk, though results do vary depending on which you choose: cashew, oat or coconut milk make a super thick and creamy custard, whilst almond milk will be less creamy. I like to use rice milk as it creates a just-set lemon curd-like consistency which I love.

****If you can't get hold of a shop-bought custard powder, you can substitute it with the same amount cornflour (cornstarch) or arrowroot, which will result in the same texture, though the colour will be considerably less yellow. To add yellow colour, I would suggest adding a tiny pinch of saffron, which I much prefer to turmeric as it has a much milder flavour.

Nutrition Facts

Gluten-Free Vegan Lemon Bars

Amount Per Serving

Calories 206 Calories from Fat 72

% Daily Value*

Fat 8g12%

Saturated Fat 2g10%

Cholesterol 11mg4%

Sodium 38mg2%

Potassium 110mg3%

Carbohydrates 33g11%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 15g17%

Protein 3g6%

Vitamin A 9IU0%

Vitamin C 5mg6%

Calcium 60mg6%

Iron 1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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