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 bar recipe
With just 6 ingredients, you will fall completely in love with the impossibly smooth and melt-in-your-mouth texture of these low carb lemon squares.
The sweet lemon dessert will remind you of something between a lemon bar and a lemon cheesecake, which basically makes them impossible to resist.
I’ve already made the recipe at least a dozen times, and each batch almost instantly disappears as soon as I set 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 there’s no sugar required.
Just blend everything together, layer it into a pan, and let the oven do the work.
With no eggs or dairy, and with 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 keto diet and want to use regular sugar for the lemon bars, there’s a non-keto version of the recipe as well.
Still craving lemon? Make Keto Lemon Bread or Lemon Sorbet
Above, watch the keto lemon bar recipe video
How to make keto lemon bars
Start by reading through the recipe and gathering all ingredients.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. If you’re using a crust, combine all of the crust ingredients in a mixing bowl. Then smooth the dough evenly into a parchment-lined 8 inch baking pan.
Combine the cream cheese, yogurt, lemon juice and zest, powdered xylitol or powdered sugar, almond flour or cornstarch, and optional turmeric in a blender just until smooth. (Beating too much can cause cracking due to beating in added air.)
Pour the smooth lemon filling into the prepared baking pan. Cook on the oven’s middle rack for 25 minutes.
Once time is up, leave the oven door completely closed and turn off the heat. Let the pan sit in the closed oven for 8 minutes, during which time it will slowly cool down.
Remove the underdone lemon bars and set them on the counter to continue cooling gradually. Once cool, refrigerate 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, over-beating, and sudden changes in temperature can all cause cracking in cheesecake square recipes. But I’ve picked up 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 of the way with water and place it on the lower oven rack. (You’ll bake the cheesecake bars on the middle rack.) The water will add moisture to the oven so that your low carb lemon bars won’t dry out as they bake.
Bring the cream cheese to room temperature before starting so that you won’t have to beat it as long to get the batter smooth.
And avoid rapid temperature changes by letting the bars cool – first for a few minutes in a turned-off oven, and then on the counter – before refrigerating until firm.
Keto lemon bar ingredients
You will need cream cheese, plain yogurt, lemon juice, lemon zest, powdered erythritol or xylitol or sugar, almond flour (or cornstarch for a non keto lemon bar), and an optional pinch of powdered turmeric or natural yellow food coloring for the smooth lemon filling.
Make the bars crustless, or use the simple keto crust below that calls for only almond meal and butter or coconut oil. It’s like a keto version of a graham cracker crust.
Even more than the lemon juice, it’s the lemon zest that gives these fancy dessert bars their bold lemon flavor. So do be sure to include it.
To make your own lemon zest, simply wash a lemon and use a zester or grater to shred the peel. If you don’t have one of these gadgets, use a vegetable peeler. Then finely dice the skin with a sharp knife.
For keto vegan lemon bars, use vegan cream cheese and dairy free yogurt.
Leftover lemon? Use it up in this Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce
If desired, top with sliced lemons and Coconut Whipped Cream.
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Keto Lemon Bars
These soft and creamy keto lemon bars are a super easy keto dessert recipe.
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Print Recipe
Prep Time 8 minutes minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes minutes
Total Time 33 minutes minutes
Yield 12 – 16 squares
5 from 37 votes
Ingredients
- 12 oz cream cheese or vegan cream cheese
- 1 cup yogurt, dairy free if desired
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tsp lemon zest
- 1/2 cup powdered xylitol, or powdered sugar for non-keto
- 3 1/2 tbsp almond flour (or 1 tbsp cornstarch)
- optional 1/8 tsp turmeric for color
Optional Crust
- 1 1/2 cup almond flour
- 4 tbsp melted butter or coconut oil
Instructions
*The lemon zest is important, so be sure to include it. I like to use a water bath (see above for explanation) but it's not required.
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Combine the crust ingredients, if using. Press into a parchment-lined 8×8 pan. Meanwhile, combine remaining ingredients in a blender or food processor until smooth. (Don't over-beat, which could cause cracking.) Pour over the crust, and bake 25 minutes. Do not open the oven door (not even to check), but turn off heat and let sit 8 minutes. Take out the still-undercooked bars and let cool completely, then refrigerate a few hours until firm. Leftover bars can be refrigerated or frozen.
View Nutrition Facts
Notes
The recipe was adapted from this Keto Cheesecake, and the crust was adapted from my Keto Cookies.
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