These soft and creamy keto lemon bars will MELT in your mouth! If you like lemon desserts, this is definitely the recipe for you.
Easy keto lemon bars recipe
With just 6 ingredients, you’ll fall in love with the incredibly smooth and melt-in-the-mouth texture of these low carb lemon squares.
The sweet lemon dessert reminds you of something between a lemon bar and a lemon cheesecake, making them basically impossible to resist.
I’ve already made the recipe at least a dozen times, and each batch disappears almost instantly as soon as I put it down!
Also try the popular keto brownies
Sugar-free lemon squares
The Keto Lemon Squares are great for company or for an easy weeknight dessert. And no sugar is needed.
Just mix everything together, layer in a pan and let the oven do the work.
Egg or dairy free and featuring flourless, sugar-free, gluten-free, low-carb, paleo, and vegan options, these classic homemade keto lemon bars are sure to be a hit with everyone who tries them.
Note: If you’re not on a low-carb or ketogenic diet and want to use regular sugar for the lemon bars, there’s also a non-keto version of the recipe.
Still craving lemon? Make keto lemon bread or lemon sorbet
Watch the Keto Lemon Bar recipe video above
How to make keto lemon bars
Start by reading through the recipe and gathering all the ingredients.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. If using a crust, mix all the crust ingredients together in a mixing bowl. Then spread the batter evenly into a parchment-lined 8-inch baking pan.
Combine cream cheese, yogurt, lemon juice and zest, powdered xylitol or powdered sugar, almond flour or cornstarch, and optionally turmeric in a blender until smooth. (Beating too hard can cause extra air cracking.)
Pour the smooth lemon filling into the prepared baking pan. Bake for 25 minutes on the middle shelf of the oven.
When the time is up, leave the oven door fully closed and turn off the heat. Leave the pan in the closed oven for 8 minutes while it cools slowly.
Remove the half-cooked lemon bars and place them on the counter to gradually cool further. Once chilled, refrigerate for a few hours or overnight, during which time they will firm up considerably.
Leftover lemon squares can be refrigerated or frozen to thaw and enjoy in the future.
Readers also like these Coconut Flour Cookies
Lemon square tips and tricks
In general, high heat, excessive whipping, and sudden changes in temperature can all cause cheesecake recipes to crack. But I’ve learned a few great tricks over the years to make cracked bars a thing of the past:
The best of these tricks is to fill a baking pan about two-thirds full with water and set it on the bottom rack of the oven. (You’ll be baking the cheesecake bars on the middle rack.) The water adds moisture to the oven so your low-carb lemon bars don’t dry out as they bake.
Bring the cream cheese to room temperature before you start so you don’t have to beat it long enough to smooth the batter.
And avoid rapid temperature changes by letting the bars cool — first in a turned-off oven for a few minutes, and then on the counter — before letting them set in the fridge.
Ingredients for Keto Lemon Bars
You’ll need cream cheese, plain yogurt, lemon juice, lemon zest, erythritol or xylitol powder or sugar, almond flour (or cornstarch for a non-keto lemon bar), and optionally a pinch of turmeric powder or natural yellow food coloring for the smooth lemon filling.
Make the bars crustless or use the easy keto crust underneath, which calls for just almond flour and butter or coconut oil. It’s like a keto version of a graham cracker crust.
Even more than the lemon juice, it is the lemon zest that gives these fancy dessert bars their strong lemon flavor. So be sure to add it.
To make your own lemon zest, simply wash a lemon and use a zester or grater to shred the zest. If you don’t have one of these devices, use a vegetable peeler. Then finely dice the skin with a sharp knife.
For vegan keto lemon bars, use vegan cream cheese and non-dairy yogurt.
lemon left? Use it in this Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce
Garnish with lemon wedges and coconut whipped cream, if you like.
- 12 oz Cream cheese or vegan cream cheese
- 1 Cup Yogurt, dairy-free on request
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 tsp Lemon peel
- 1/2 Cup powdered xylitol, or powdered sugar for non-keto
- 3 1/2 tablespoon almond flour (or 1 tbsp cornstarch)
- optional 1/8 tsp turmeric for color
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*The lemon zest is important, so be sure to add it. I like to use a water bath (see above for explanation), but it’s not required. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Combine crust ingredients, if using. Press into a parchment-lined 8×8 pan. Meanwhile, blend the remaining ingredients in a blender or food processor until smooth. (Don’t beat too much, that could crack it.) Pour over the crust and bake for 25 minutes. Do not open the oven door (even to check), but turn off the heat and let it sit for 8 minutes. Remove the undercooked bars and let cool completely, then chill in the fridge for a few hours until firm. Leftover bars can be refrigerated or frozen.View nutritional information
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