Home » Recipes » Dessert » Bars + Brownies » Healthy Lemon Bars
(updated August 23, 2022)
By Dani Spies
Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe
These healthy lemon bars are light, creamy and perfectly tart. The crust is made with whole wheat flour and the light lemon filling is 100% free of dairy and refined sugars. Perfect for Easter, Mother’s Day or a summer cookout, this recipe will be your new best friend.
Healthy lemon bars make the perfect dessert for Easter, Mother’s Day or any time you are looking for a simple, delicious high quality sweet.
Made with everyday, wholesome ingredients; they are surprisingly easy to make and promise to be a crowd pleaser! I didn’t realize how much I liked lemon bars until I made this recipe. They are SO good and I can’t wait for you to give them a try.
How To Make Healthy Lemon Bars
Unlike refined white flours, whole wheat flour includes the wheat germ, the bran and endosperm – so it still contains all of its nutrients, plus its a great source of fiber and has 6 grams of protein per serving.
If you wanted a lighter texture for the crust, you can always do half whole wheat and half white flour. So as always, we’ve got options. Here’s what you do:
Preheat oven to 350 F.
Combine whole wheat flour, coconut oil, maple syrup and salt. Mix until a wet, but firm consistency (like shortbread) is formed.
Line an 8×8 ceramic pan with parchment paper.
Press dough into lined pan, making sure to press it out evenly and into the corners.
Bake for 20 minutes or until fragrant and set through. Let cool.
- In the meantime, combine ingredients for filling and beat until smooth, liquid batter is formed.
- Pour mixture on top of the cooled crust and bake for 30 minutes.
- Cool, chill + enjoy!
Do I need to refrigerate lemon bars?
You can leave your lemon bars at room temperature for a few hours, but it’s important to store them in the refrigerator after that.
How long will they last?
These lemon bars will last up to 5 days in the fridge and up to 3 months in the freezer.
Can you store them in the freezer?
Absolutely! I highly recommend you give frozen lemon bars a try on a hot summer day.
More Clean & Delicious Dessert Ideas:
- Avocado Brownies
- Vanilla Mug Cake
- Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
I’d love to know if you try this (or any) recipe! Tag @clean_and_delicious onInstagramto let me know and be sure tosubscribe to our mailing listto receive more healthy, delicious recipes straight to your inbox.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
3.98 from 207 votes
Healthy Lemon Bars
These healthy lemon bars are light, creamy and perfectly tart. Perfect for Easter, Mother’s Day or a summer cookout!
Course: bars + brownies, dairy free, DESSERT, nut free
Cuisine: American
Author: Dani Spies
Prep Time10 minutes mins
Cook Time50 minutes mins
Total Time1 hour hr
Servings: 16
Calories: 124kcal
Ingredients
Crust
- 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/3 cup coconut oil
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
Filling
- 6 eggs
- 4 tsp lemon zest
- 1/2 cup lemon juice
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 4 tsp coconut flour
US Customary – Metric
Instructions
Crust
Preheat oven to 350 F.
In a large bowl, combine whole wheat flour, coconut oil, maple syrup and salt. Mix well until a wet, but firm consistence (like shortbread) is formed.
Line an 8×8 ceramic pan with parchment paper.
Press dough into lined pan, making sure to press it out evenly and into the corners.
Bake for 20 minutes or until fragrant, lightly browned and set through. Let cool.
Filling
While crust is baking, combine eggs, lemon zest, lemon juice, honey, salt and coconut flour. Beat with a hand mixer until a smooth, liquid batter is formed. It will be runny, but don't worry, this is they way it's supposed to be.
Pour mixture on top of the cooled crust and bake for 30 minutes. Cool completely then chill for 4 hours.
Remove bars from pan, cut into 16 squares and top with a shake of powdered sugar. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- I used a ceramic baking dish lined with parchment for this recipe. I’ve found that glass pans tend to burn more easily.
- The coconut oil can be swapped out for softened butter if you prefer.
- When pressing the crust batter into the pan, make sure to press it all the way out to the edges of the pan and in to the corners.
Nutrition
Serving: 1bar | Calories: 124kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 61mg | Sodium: 100mg | Potassium: 66mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 89IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 17mg | Iron: 1mg
About Dani Spies
Dani Spies is the founder and host of Clean & Delicious; a weekly cooking show on YouTube and a healthy eating blog that celebrates real, whole foods! She takes a holistic approach to health and wellness and is loved for her approachable, down to earth style both in and out of the kitchen.
Learn MoreWork With Me
Reader Interactions
Yum! I love this recipe.
Lee-an says
hello, thank you for sharing can’t wait to try it, never made lemon bars so it will be a first for me.
Big fan love your youtube videos
drinking plenty of your ginger turmeric honey mix love it
stay safeReply
Dani says
That was my first time, too! And I actually enjoyed them so much more than I thought I would. I hope you get to give them a try and I’m so glad you’re enjoying the tea 🙂
Reply
Santiago says
Wow, these look really good Dani. Now that our fave food blogger has revealed to us how ez they’re to make I def will be putting some of these together this weekendReply
Dani says
Awesome! I hope you guys enjoy them as much as we do. Stay well 🙂
Reply
Amanda Atwood says
The lemon bars look yummy! How can you make these gluten-free?
Reply
Dani says
Great question, Amanda! I haven’t tried this out yet with a gluten free crust, but if you decide to experiment, I would love to hear how it goes.
Reply
Val says
Hi Dani. I tried using almond flour inplace of the whole wheat flour and when I put the lemon mixture on top, parts of the crust went into
It :(. I have auto immune issues so need gluten free. Wondering if you have any suggestions. I used 3/4. CUps of almond flour. Only thing I changed in the recipe.Thanks so much for your wonderful recipes.
Reply
Terri says
I think GF oat flour would work as a replacement
Reply
Annette says
I am wondering can I use Bob’s 1:1 gluten free flour for crust??
Reply
Dani says
I am pretty sure that would work Annette!
Reply
Sandra Carter says
I don’t have a ceramic pan. Can I use metal? Maybe with a cookie sheet under it too?
Reply
Dani says
You can, but you may need to adjust cooking times a bit.
Christal says
Hi,
How can you make theses vegan?
Thanks!Reply
Dani says
Because this recipe calls for so many eggs it would be tough to make vegan without really changing things up! I would need to experiment a bit!
Reply
Natalia Sell says
Hi Dani,
My 4 year old and I are so excited to make these today! Baking and new recipes is a great way to keep busy while staying home. I only have olive oil, avocado oil and vegetable oil on hand. Which would be the best substitute for coconut oil? Thanks so much!!! Hope you guys are staying safe and healthy.Reply
Chris Tang from Malaysia says
Hi Dani!
I can’t get whole wheat flour at this time. Is it ok to substitute it with all purpose flour?
I love lemon bars! Can hardly wait to try making some!
Love your healthy wholesome recipes,they are always easy-to-follow!
Thanks so much, Dani!Reply
Dani says
Yes, that would definitely work.
Reply
Beatrice M. says
Holy smokes those look so good. I am going to pick up the ingredients as soon as this quarantine is over!
Reply
Dani says
Awesome!! Enjoy them Beatrice.
Reply
Kim says
Oh dear – my crust floated. What happened? I baked the crust for 20 minutes and let it cool. It had shrunk slightly from the sides of the pan so I carefully poured the egg mixture hoping it wouldn’t run under the crust but it did regardless. I pushed it down and baked it anyway. It’s now cooling the 4 hrs. What did I do wrong?
Reply
Dani says
The first thing that comes to mind is that the crust was not completely cooled? I made this recipe several times and never had that issue – but I see a few readers ran into the same problem!
Reply
Katie says
Mine only started floating during baking. I let the crust cool overnight. There were no big gaps between crust and pan but maybe the tiny tiny spaces were enough
Reply
Anna says
Hi! I made this today and when I was baking the filling with the bottom, the bottom absorbed the filling 🙁 I don’t know what’s the problem. I’m thinking either I didn’t let the bottom let cool completely but I’m not sure because it was just a little warm not hot or anything
Reply
Dani says
That’s SO weird! Was your crust pushed all the way out to the sides of the pan? I also wonder if it was cooked through? That should not have happened.
Reply
Monika says
Hi Dani,
Best dessert recipe yet! My definate favourite! I am so glad I have found your website so I can finally bake. Thank youReply
Dani says
Hi Monika! So glad you enjoyed them. Thanks for taking the time to leave a review!
Reply
EW says
Great recipe! Would almond or coconut flour work instead of white whole wheat flour for a more subtle crust flavor? Thank you!Reply
Dani says
I’m sure there is a way to make it work but it wouldn’t be an even swap. You will have to adjust the ingredients a bit. May take some trial and error.
Reply
Connie says
Can I use a different oil and almond flour in this Healthy Lemon Bars recipe instead of coconut oil and coconut flour? Not a fan of anything coconut flavored.
Reply
laurie says
I’m excited to make these. Thinking of making mini me tarts instead since I have a silicone tray for that.
Thank you for sharing!Reply
Dani says
That sounds good! Enjoy it.
Reply
Nina says
A very late question, I’m sorry, but can I use pastry flour instead of whole wheat four? I have some pastry flour left over that I really want to use up.
Reply
Dani says
That should work just fine!
Reply
Veena says
I made these today and they were soooo delicious!!! I followed the directions exactly and even throw in some ground flax seed into the crust for another nutritious boost and it came out great!
Dani I love your recipes and my 5 yo is your biggest little fan. He’s always saying, “mmm…mmm…MMMM!!!!” whenever I cook something he likes :))Reply
Alex says
I made these and they tasted delicious!However – my crust floated to the top. I saw the comments about the crust floating for others ahead of making the recipe so I followed all the steps I could to prevent it. I pushed the dough mixture right to the edges of the 8 x 8 pan – but when it baked it contracted so there was a gap between the pan and the dough. I made sure to cool the crust completely in the fridge before pouring the filling mixture on top. While baking the crust floated anyways. They were messy to serve, but still tasted great.
Reply
angie says
hey bakers!
while looking at “lemon bar tips and tricks” to ensure i make them correctly so i dont waste ingredients, i noticed all other recipes state to pour the lemon mixture WHILE the crust is still warm, like—fresh out of the oven warm! (which should prevent any rising/soggy issues!) hope this helped 🙂Reply
Connie M Norris says
Researched substituting almond flour for the coconut flour in the filling. Does this sound right to you? “Unlike coconut flour, almond flour is not that absorbent, so you will have to reduce the amount of liquid used in recipes that were created for coconut flour, and you will need to increase the amount of almond flour nearly four times.”Reply
Lupe says
These sound very good. What can I substitute the coconut flour in the filling with? I tried coconut flour before in other desserts, and I didn’t enjoy the way they came out.
Reply
Dani Spies says
That’s a good question! I would have to experiment a bit to know for sure. Coconut flour is different than most flours as it is very absorbent – I so it wouldn’t be an even swap.
Reply
