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Keto Lemon Bars (VIDEO) Easy Low Carb Dessert

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Learn how to make the best keto lemon bars recipe! This easy recipe makes the perfect tart and tangy low carb dessert. Everyone will enjoy these bars!

This post is sponsored by BUBBL’R.

Keto Lemon Bars

These lemon bars are so good that people won’t even be able to guess they’re low carb. Plus, they’re so easy to make that they’re basically foolproof (if you’ve been here before, you know foolproof desserts are basically my favorite).

There’s an almond flour shortbread bar crust (oh my gosh – the crust!), topped with a creamy sweet lemon filling. This is one dessert you’ll definitely enjoy!

If lemon isn’t your thing – can I suggest just making the crust and skipping the filling. I’d probably bake it on a lower temperature for a bit longer. But, seriously, that keto shortbread crust is all the good things I love in my dessert life.

I’m partnering with BUBBL’R to bring you this healthy and homemade dessert recipe. Pomegranate and lemon are one of my favorite flavor combinations, so I love enjoying one of these bars with an ice cold can of BUBBL’R pomegranate acai refresh’r. The flavors pair so well and the combo is the perfect energizing afternoon boost! You can find out where to buy BUBBL’R here.

A stack of keto lemon bars on a small plate.

How to Avoid Cracking in Keto Dessert Bars

Keto lemon bars are, in general, very prone to cracking.

If you follow the cooling instructions for this carefully, there will likely still be some small cracks, but you should be able to avoid the large deep cracks. I think that they still look beautiful, and the cracks are easy enough to cover with a bit of powdered Swerve and a strategically placed lemon wedge or two!

If you really want to avoid all cracking, this is what I’d recommend:

Bake the bars for 20 minutes instead of 25, then turn the oven off and without opening the oven at all, let the bars both finish cooking and begin to cool in the off oven for an hour. Then open the oven a crack and allow it to slowly cool for another hour. Cool at room temperature for a bit if necessary, then move them to the refrigerator and allow them to set at the cold temperature for at least 6 hours.

This method is a lot more time intensive, but it may be worth it to you depending on how much you dislike cracks!

Here’s another pro tip: If your lemon bars do crack, as long as the cracks are small, there’s a quick fix! Just mix a bit of almond flour with a bit of lemon juice and fill the crack with it. It will only work with small cracks, but it’s a great trick to have up your sleeve.

Keto lemon bars fresh out of the oven before cutting into squares.

How to Store Low Carb Lemon Bars

These bars should be kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator and they will last for about 2 – 3 days. I think they taste best at room temperature, so I like to let them sit out before eating them, but Shane loves them cold, so he eats them straight out of the fridge.

Since these bars keep well in the fridge, they’re a perfect make ahead dessert recipe!

Can you Freeze Keto Lemon Bars?

Definitely! These will freeze the best if you wait until they’re completely cool before cutting them. Spread them out on a large baking sheet and place the baking sheet in the freezer. Once they’re frozen you can individually wrap them and store them in a freezer friendly bag or container. They should last for about a month in the freezer, if you don’t eat them before then!

A process collage showing the ingredients for keto lemon bar filling before and after mixing.

Optional Flavors and Add-Ins

There are a few flavors that would pair so well with these bars! These are the ones that I think would be the best:

  • Raspberries
  • Blueberries
  • Poppy Seeds
  • Additional Lemon Zest

If you add raspberries or blueberries, just know that because of the baking time, they will bleed into the bars (but they’ll still be delicious)!

Adjustments for a 9 x 9 Pan

If you use a 9 x 9 pan, you will need to subtract a bit of baking time from both the crust and the filling.

The crust should be just starting to turn golden brown in some areas before removing to cool (about 10 minutes), and the filling should look set and not soft in the middle (about 20 minutes, be sure to look through the glass rather than open the oven to check – it’s important not to shock the bars with cold air quickly).

Also, while I have tested this in a 9 x 9 pan and it does work, there will be barely enough crust to fit a pan that size – you’ll have to really press it out to get it into every nook and cranny without any spots that are too thin (if there are spots that are too thin, the filling can seep through to the bottom).

Dairy-Free Lemon Bars

To make this recipe dairy-free, the only substitution you need to make is using coconut oil in place of the butter.

To make this naturally gluten free recipe vegan as well, you’d also need to make it with no eggs. I think the best replacement for the eggs in this recipe would be ½ teaspoon xantham gum mixed with a scant ½ cup of water. I haven’t tested this, so I can’t vouch for how it will turn out, but I think it would work well.

What You’ll Need

The baking pan is so key! Make sure the baking pan you’re using has a completely flat and sturdy bottom. If you’re using a pan that has a bulging bottom, the bars will crack a lot when you pull them out (speaking from experience on this one).

You’ll also need super-fine almond flour (almond meal is not the same thing and the results will be way different and not as good), and you need to use both Granulated Swerve and Powdered Swerve. 

Different low carb sweeteners (like Stevia) and flours behave very differently, so it’s important to make this recipe with the ingredients listed for best results.

For example, coconut flour has a completely different taste and ability to absorb liquid than almond flour does, and the crust would likely be inedible if made with solely coconut flour.

Also, some keto sweeteners will be more or less sweet than Swerve, so the amount needed would change by sweetener. Swerve’s main ingredient is erythritol, so the flavors of this keto dessert bar would change if you use a sweetener without erythritol.

If you try this recipe, please let me know what you thought in the comments or on Instagram! @keytomylime #keytomylime

Be sure to pin this recipe for later!

A Pinterest pin image with two pictures of keto lemon bars separated by title text.
Yield: 16 bars

Keto Lemon Bars

An overhead image of keto lemon bars on parchment paper.

Learn how to make the best keto lemon bars recipe! This easy recipe makes the perfect tart and tangy low carb dessert. Everyone will enjoy these bars!

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Rest Time 6 hours
Total Time 6 hours 45 minutes

Ingredients

Crust:

  • 1 â…“ cups super-fine almond flour (140 grams)
  • ¼ cup Swerve sweetener (55 grams)
  • ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt (1 gram)
  • ¼ cup unsalted butter (57 grams, melted)

Filling:

  • Juice of 2 lemons
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • Pinch fine sea salt
  • 2 large eggs (room temperature)
  • ¾ cup powdered Swerve (106 grams)
  • ¾ cup super-fine almond flour (105 grams)

Instructions

Keto Dessert Crust:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 F (177 C).
  2. To a large bowl, add the super-fine almond flour, Swerve sweetener, and fine sea salt. Whisk to fully incorporate.
  3. In a small pot, melt the butter (being sure not to boil or brown).
  4. Pour the melted butter into the almond flour mixture and stir to combine. It should look and feel crumbly, similar to a shortbread cookie dough.
  5. Grease an 8 x 8 square metal baking pan. Line with parchment paper.
  6. Press the crust tightly into a packed and even layer.
  7. Bake for 10 - 12 minutes, or until the crust is starting to turn golden brown in some areas. 
  8. Remove the crust from the oven and set to the side to cool for 10 minutes.
  9. While the crust is cooling, make the filling.

Keto Lemon Bar Filling:

  1. Keep oven at 350 F (177 C).
  2. To a large bowl, add the zest of one lemon, the juice of two lemons, a pinch of fine sea salt, and the two room temperature eggs. Whisk until fully combined and the eggs have taken on a creamy consistency.
  3. Add in the powdered Stevia and whisk until it has fully dissolved.
  4. Add in the super-fine almond flour and mix until combined.
  5. Pour over the crust and bake for 25 minutes, or until the middle has set.
  6. Turn the oven off, and crack open the oven. Allow to cool slowly in the slightly open oven for 30 minutes.
  7. Remove from the oven and cool at room temperature before placing in the fridge to fully set (preferably overnight, but a minimum of 4 hours).

Notes

If you prefer your bars on the sweeter side, dust them with a light coating of powdered Swerve before serving.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

16

Serving Size:

1/16

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 125Total Fat: 11.3g

Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.

DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?

Tag @KeyToMyLime on Instagram so we can see your delicious meal!

Try making these keto lemon bars the next time you’re craving a sweet lemon dessert!

An overhead image of keto lemon bars on parchment paper.

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