Holy Toledo! It’s been a loooong time since my last post! I knew it had been awhile but when I did the math it’s officially been 24 days – that’s over three weeks! Definitely a record since I created this space almost four years ago!
So much has changed since then, it’s almost staggering to think about! Hungry Jr. will be eight this summer, we’ve relocated back to the Northeast, and this blog and related projects have become my full time job – not to mention a million other small things. It’s been a lot of hard work, but we’re having a blast!
Also I have to say that in spite of the fact that it’s freezing here and I’m literally looking through my window at guys ice fishing on the frozen lake, it’s STILL good to be back in the Northeast – even if I never imagined I’d be referring to myself as a New Yorker! That’s pronounced New Yaw-kah to you non Yankee folks btw.
We still have a lot of loose ends to tie up (unpacking, registering vehicles, changing licenses, etc.) but this already feels like home. Since we couldn’t quite fit everything in the moving truck on the way up last week, we’re heading to SC next week to get the rest of it. Then we’ll be back here for good the week of the sixth, and I’ll finally be able to get back in the groove of regular posting – which I’m super excited about because I’ve got a LOT of great new recipes to share with you guys!
But enough about my travel schedule, let’s talk lemon bars! One of my absolute favorite desserts, it’s the thing I’m most likely to gaze longingly at through the glass at a bakery or coffee house – and sometimes I give in and have one. I’m never really sorry until the next day when I wake up puffy and bloated from the gluten and sugar. Even then it’s usually worth it if I’m being honest.
I finally decided though that it was high time I came up with a keto friendly lemon bar recipe that would meet my low carb and gluten free criteria (and save me from the morning after bloating.) As an added bonus these are pretty easy to make, and just as good or better than the “real” thing. I’m not just saying that either, I tested these out on crowds of non low carbers at several parties – all with rave reviews and no leftovers.
This low carb lemon bar recipe is basically the love child of my Lemon Almond Shortbread Cookies (crust), and my Sugar Free Lemon Curd (filling) recipes, with a few minor tweaks.
I like my lemon bars a little on the tart side, but you can increase the sugar free sweetener in the curd if you prefer them sweeter – or you can add more powdered sugar free sweetener to the top of them after baking.
I’m confident that you guys are going to love these low carb lemon bars – they simply scream “IT’S SPRING BABY!” and they’ll make you believe it – even if the view from your kitchen window is as cold and unspringlike as mine right now. :/
Can’t wait to hear what you think! Make them and report back STAT! Meanwhile, look for more delicious low carb and gluten free recipes coming to IBIH soon!!!!
Low Carb Lemon Bar Recipe – Keto & Gluten Free
A tasty Keto lemon bar recipe that’s just as good or better than the classic lemon bar – but low carb and gluten free!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 16 bars 1x
- Category: keto Desserts
- Method: baking
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
For the Crust:
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 2 cups superfine blanched almond flour
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar substitute (I used Swerve)
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest
For the Filling:
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar substitute (I used Swerve)
- 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 cup grated lemon zest
- 6 egg yolks
- 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
- 2 tablespoons unflavored collagen powder (or 1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin)
Instructions
For the crust:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Melt the butter in the microwave or a small saucepan.
- Add the almond flour, sweetener, and lemon zest, stirring until fully combined.
- Press the dough evenly along the bottom and 1/2 inch up the sides of an 8 x 8 inch square pan. For best results line the pan with parchment paper or foil first, then you can simply lift out the completed lemon bars.
- Bake for 10 minutes.
- Remove and cool while you make the filling.
For the filling:
- Melt the butter in a small saucepan on low heat.
- Remove from heat and whisk in sweetener, lemon juice, and lemon zest until dissolved.
- Whisk in the egg yolks and return to the stove over low heat.
- Whisk continually until the curd starts to thicken.
- Remove from the heat and strain into a small bowl.
- Whisk in the the xanthan gum and collagen or gelatin until dissolved and smooth.
- Pour the filling over the pre-baked crust and spread out evenly to the edges of the pan.
- Bake the bars at 350 degrees (F) for 15 minutes.
- Remove and cool.
- Sprinkle with Powdered Swerve before serving if desired.
- Cut into sixteen 2 x 2 squares.
Notes
To see a list of my favorite low carb products and brands that I recommend for sweeteners, flours, etc. you can check out the IBIH Pantry Ingredients Page!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 x 2 square
- Calories: 193
- Fat: 19g
- Carbohydrates: 2g net
- Protein: 4g
Keywords: Keto Lemon Bars, Low Carb Lemon Bars, Gluten Free Lemon Bars
Absolutely delishes! My husband loved them (who refuses to admit anything keto is great..lol). He told me to send to his mother who is now on a suger free lifestyle. Enough said. My only question is how would you recommend storing them? I put them in the refrigerator but obviously it changed the texture…I wasn’t sure if they could be left out?
★★★★★
fantastic recipe thank you so much! I made half the recipe in a standard loaf pan (2 lb size). Worked perfectly.
★★★★★
Ho. Lee. Cow! This is really good!! The only tweak I made was about 3/4 TBSP lemon extract for the filling as I only had 3 lemons on hand. For the sweetener I used powdered xylitol. I WILL be making this again! I dolloped a little whipped cream on top to balance the tart per hubby’s request. Personally I don’t need it. Thank you!!! This will be amazing to share with others.
I forgot to rate the recipe. 😝
★★★★★
I made this today for Easter. It turned out fabulous. I didn’t have any lemon zest but used a tablespoon of lemon extract and baked the crust 5 + minutes to make sure it was set but not brown. Hubby asked for lemon bars and this delivered. Thank you.
★★★★★
Thank you for the tip! It helped me as you can see in my review also. 😉
Thanks so much for this recipe! I saw Milk Street last night and they made some cookies with almond flour and they suggested toasting the almond flour for some cookies they were making to add depth. I’ve been making keto desserts since the summer and never heard of this. I tried it with this recipe and the crust was amazing! You should give it a try in some of your recipes and see if you like the flavor. I thought the crust tasted the same as a traditional. Amazing! You just put the almond flour in a pan and toast until the flour darkens and let it cool
★★★★★
This is now one of my new favorites! So luscious and they taste like the out-of-the-box super unhealthy kind! Thank you so much for this delicious family favorite recipe!
★★★★★
It’s been far too long since I’ve made these Megan! You’re comment reminded me about them and I’m adding lemons to my grocery list as we speak – so happy you enjoyed them and thanks for letting me know!
Hi Melissa, I absolutely love this recipe! I work for a huge Children’s Hospital with over a thousand employees and every so often our unit will have a bakesale to benefit the Children’s Miracle Network. So far these lemon bars have made us about $800 in the last year. I make a quadruple batch and sell them for $2 apiece. Well they sell out and about 10 minutes, so the last time I made them I sold them for $3 apiece and they were still gone in 10 minutes lol. I put label them with the nutritional info, and I also give people your website ( I hope that’s okay). Although hmmmm maybe I shouldn’t because then they can make their own! A LOT of people are doing keto apparently, and they all love your lemon bars.
★★★★★
This made my day Shari! How cool to know that my recipe is helping you guys earn money for charity! Thanks for letting me know it’s a hit and I hope they will keep performing for you at the bake sale! 😘
YUMMY!!!! I have always loved lemon bars and was so happy to discover this low-carb recipe. It is just the right amount of tartness for the lemon filling. And the crust is amazing! I could eat it by itself. Everyone who ate it raved about it. I had to grab a couple pieces quickly to save them for myself for later as they were going fast. Absolutely wonderful, whether you are following a low-carb diet or not.
★★★★★