Lemon Crumb Bars made gluten-free, egg-free, and refined sugar-free with a dairy-free vegan option. These luscious zesty lemon bars are a beautiful combination of shortbread and creamy lemon curd for a wildly tasty treat!
If you’ve tried my Paleo Blueberry Crumb Bars or my Strawberry Oatmeal Bars, buckle up for the latest lemon version!
This delicious dessert is quicker and easier to make than lemon pie or traditional lemon bars, yet will surely make your mouth water uncontrollably!
If you love classic lemon bars and shortbread cookies, these easy Lemon Crumb Bars are for you!
The shortbread crust and crumble topping have rich buttery flavor with lovely flaky texture. A creamy lemon layer that’s nice and gooey and seeping with lemon flavor makes the whole experience positively divine!
For those who enjoy shortbread cookies or creamy lemon cookies, these lemon bars will be your ultimate treat.
Plus, the best part about these delicious creamy lemon crumb squares is they don’t require any fancy equipment to make. There’s no need for a pastry cutter, stand mixer, or sweating to mix cold butter into flour. There’s also no tempering egg yolks, or whipping egg whites, as this recipe is entirely egg-free.
If you follow a low-carb diet or a ketogenic diet, be sure to check out my Keto Lemon Bars! They have received rave reviews from my low-carb friends.
Let’s discuss the simple ingredients needed to make these delicious lemon oatmeal crumb bars.
Ingredients for Lemon Crumb Bars:
For the Crumb Topping and Crust: Gluten-free all-purpose flour, old-fashioned oats, coconut oil (or unsalted butter), pure maple syrup, and a pinch of sea salt are all we need for the most delicious shortbread crust and buttery crumble topping.
All of the ingredients together make a shortbread like texture with lovely buttery, oaty flavors.
For the Lemon Curd Filling: Full-fat canned coconut milk, fresh lemon zest, fresh lemon juice, pure maple syrup, gluten-free all-purpose flour (for thickening) and a pinch of sea salt.
The end result of this concoction is a creamy lemon filling that is huge on lemon flavor and is lightly sweet. You can use regular lemons (as I do) or meyer lemons for the creamy filling. Just be sure to use plenty of lemon zest (I zest three large lemons), as it’s the lemon zest that brings the most lemon flavor.
These gluten-free lemon bars are only subtly sweet, which I prefer. You’re left with a treat that is full of amazing flavor, but doesn’t put you into a sugar coma.
Recipe Adaptations:
- For sweeter bars, add an additional 2 to 3 tablespoons of brown sugar to the crust mixture and/or another 2 to 3 tablespoons of regular cane sugar to the creamy lemon filling.
- Make this recipe grain-free by omitting the gluten-free all-purpose flour and the rolled oats. Instead, use 2 ½ cups of almond flour for the crust and topping. Leave all the other ingredients for the crumble mixture the same (or make it dairy-free too by using 6 tablespoons coconut oil instead of butter). Use tapioca flour in the creamy lemon filling for thickening.
- If you have vanilla extract on hand, add 1 1/2 teaspoons to the crust mixture.
- Substitute key lime juice and zest to make key lime pie bars.
- To make dairy-free lemon crumb bars, use 6 tablespoons of melted coconut oil instead of the melted butter.
Now that we’ve covered the basic ingredients list for these creamy lemon bars, let’s bake this delicious lemon dessert!
How to Make Lemon Crumb Bars:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a 8” x 8” baking pan with parchment paper.
Mix together the all of the ingredients (both the wet ingredients and the dry ingredients) for the crust and crumb topping in a large bowl until well-combined. Measure out ⅔ cup of the mixture and set it aside to be used as the crumb topping later.
Press the rest of the crust mixture into the parchment-lined pan in an even layer. I find it’s easiest to do this using my hands.
Bake the crust for 15 minutes, just until the edges begin to turn slightly golden brown.
While the crust is baking, prepare the lemon filling.
Add all of the ingredients for the lemon filling mixture to a small saucepan and whisk together while heating over medium-high heat.
If you don’t own a citrus zester to zest the lemons, you can use the fine end of a box grater or small cheese grater to grate the lemon peel. Continue whisking constantly until everything is well combined and the mixture is thick and creamy. This should only take about 1 to 3 minutes.
Once the crust is out of the oven, immediately pour the lemon filling over the crust and spread it into an even layer. Crumble the reserved crumb mixture over top of the lemon filling.
Bake lemon bars for 15 to 20 minutes or until it appears as though the filling has set up and the crumble topping is slightly crispy.
Allow bars to cool to room temperature before slicing and serving. For the best results, cover the baking dish with plastic wrap or foil once it has cooled off and transfer it to the refrigerator to chill completely.
These bars taste even better after they have sat and chilled in the refrigerator, so if you have the time, I recommend making them in advance of when you need them.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. I recommend using a container with a lid instead of a zip lock bag for storage because the lemon filling is slightly gooey. When stored in a bag, the bars can get easily mashed, unless stored securely on a flat surface.
These gluten-free lemon crumb bars freeze very well! For freezing, I recommend storing the bars in a freezer bag for up to 3 months.
And that’s it! A fabulous treat for those who love lemon desserts!
Make this lemon crumb bars recipe for every day enjoyment or for special occasions! I see this particular recipe being a fabulous treat for Easter and baby showers.
If you love these lemon crumble bars, also try out my other versions using different fruit.
More Crumb Bar Recipes:
- 5-Ingredient Blackberry Pie Bars
- Vegan Peach Pie Bars
- Healthy Pear Crumb Bars
- Paleo Apple Pie Bars
- Vegan Strawberry Crumb Bars
Enjoy this rich, creamy, zesty adventure!
Lemon Oatmeal Crumb Bars
Ingredients
Crust and Topping:
- 1 ¼ cups gluten-free all-purpose flour*
- 1 cup gluten-free rolled oats
- 6 Tbsp coconut oil melted**
- 1/3 cup pure maple syrup***
- Pinch sea salt
Creamy Lemon Filling:
- 1 cup full-fat canned coconut milk
- 1 Tbsp lemon zest
- 1/2 cup lemon juice
- 5 Tbsp pure maple syrup***
- 3 Tbsp gluten-free all-purpose flour****
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a 8” x 8” baking pan with parchment paper.
- Mix together the all of the ingredients (both the wet ingredients and the dry ingredients) for the crust and crumb topping in a large bowl until well-combined. The mixture should be thick and resemble regular cookie dough. If it appears too crumbly, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of additional melted coconut oil.
- Measure out ⅔ cup of the mixture and set it aside to be used as the crumb topping later. Press the rest of the crust mixture into the parchment-lined pan in an even layer. I find it’s easiest to do this using my hands.
- Bake the crust for 15 minutes, just until the edges begin to turn slightly golden brown.
- While the crust is baking, prepare the lemon filling.
- Add all of the ingredients for the lemon filling mixture to a small saucepan and whisk together while heating over medium-high heat. Continue whisking constantly until everything is well combined and the mixture is thick and creamy. This should only take about 1 to 3 minutes.
- Once the crust is out of the oven, immediately pour the lemon filling over the crust and spread it into an even layer. Crumble the reserved crumb mixture over top of the lemon filling.
- Bake lemon bars for 15 to 20 minutes or until it appears as though the filling has set up and the crumble topping is slightly crispy.
- Allow bars to cool to room temperature before slicing and serving. For the best results, cover the baking dish with plastic wrap or foil once it has cooled off and transfer it to the refrigerator to chill completely.
- These bars taste even better after they have sat and chilled in the refrigerator, so if you have the time, I recommend making them in advance of when you need them.
Notes
Nutrition
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Gluten free flour cannot thicken, best to use cornstarch, likely 1-2 tablespoons.
Julia, too!
Hi Julia! What type of gluten-free flour are you using to thicken the lemon filling? I use Bob’s Red Mill’s gluten-free 1-to-1 and it works perfectly 🙂
If I use cornstarch instead of gluten free flour for the filling, do I still use 3 tbsp? And can this be cut small for a ladies tea? Or is it too crumbly? Thanks!
Hi Laura! I would start with two tablespoons of cornstarch, let the mixture heat up for a minute or so, and if it still seems very runny, add the third tablespoon. You’re going for a fairly thick mixture 🙂 You can definitely cut the squares smaller – just be sure to let the bars cool all the way. I like putting them in the refrigerator to let them chill after they have cooled to room temperature. They’re easier to cut this way. Let me know if you have any other questions, and I hope you enjoy!