These gluten free lemon bars will impress even the most skeptical folks in your crowd. Seriously delicious! And they’ll be seriously gone, so you’d better double the recipe!
I don’t know what it is about this easy little treat — maybe the mystery is in its simplicity — but they are universally loved and bring a smile to anyone’s face as they savor the subtle tart/sweetness that is so perfectly blended in a gluten free lemon bar. There’s just no reason not to be able to still enjoy that simple pleasure, gluten free.
Like anything else, the key is in the ingredients. If you use gritty rice flour or funky bean flours, for example, these creamy lemon bars will never bring the delight they ought to.
Use high quality, smooth and light gluten free flours, as in my gfJules™ flour blend. You’ll never look back once your recipes are this delicious!
Gluten Free Lime Bars
Oh, and how pretty are these GREEN lime bars?? Think St. Patrick’s Day or Earth Day or any day you want to add a pop of yummy green to your menu. Equally delicious either way.
Use lemons or limes, and even add a drop of food coloring to make these the perfect treat for St. Patrick’s Day!
Gluten Free Cherry Bars
Or here’s another fun twist: gluten free CHERRY bars! For Valentine’s Day, these are a great way to celebrate!
In place of the lemon juice, add tart cherry juice or cherry liqueur. In place of the lemon or lime zest, add a few diced, frozen cherries.
Reduce the cherry juice by 1 tablespoon if adding the diced cherries since they add their own liquid. You’ll probably also want to add a splash of food coloring to give the red some oomph!
Baking Tips for Gluten Free Lemon, Lime or Cherry Bars
A couple tips on making these treats. They’re super easy, but the first time you make the crust, you may think you’ve done something wrong because it’s very crumby.
Don’t worry! Once you press it into the bottom of the pan and then it bakes, you’ll be good to go! (line the pan with parchment paper for even easier removal and clean-up!)
To recap:
This is how the crust should look when you’re done mixing it. Do not over-mix it!
Then press it into the bottom of an un-oiled or parchment-lined pan (photo below is of a doubled recipe):
The crust is akin to a shortbread cookie, so it should be on the buttery-dry side before baking.
After it bakes, the top will be a golden brown. That’s the way it’s supposed to be!
Once you sprinkle powdered sugar on top, they’ll look and taste like the gluten free lemon bars you were looking for!
Enjoy these springy treats anytime you need a little sunshine in your life!
Gluten Free Lemon Bars Recipe
Gluten Free Lemon Bars Recipe
These gluten free lemon bars will impress even the most skeptical folks in your crowd. Seriously delicious! And they'll be seriously gone, so you'd better double the recipe!
Ingredients
crust ingredients:
- 1/3 cup (5 1/3 Tbs.) butter or non-dairy alternative (e.g. Earth Balance Buttery Sticks®)
- 1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated cane sugar
- 1 cup (135 grams) gfJules™ All Purpose Gluten Free Flour
filling ingredients
- 2 eggs (or egg substitute of choice, such as 1/2 cup extra firm tofu blended with 1 tsp. baking powder)
- 3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated cane sugar
- 2 Tbs. (17 grams) gfJules™ All Purpose Gluten Free Flour
- 2 tsp. finely shredded lemon or lime zest (don't skip this ingredient if making lemon or lime bars!) OR 3 diced frozen cherries
- 3 Tbs. lemon juice or lime juice or cherry juice / liqueuer
- 1/4 tsp. baking powder
- food coloring, if desired (yellow or green)
- Powdered sugar (optional)
Instructions
Crust Directions:
Preheat oven to 350º F.
In a medium bowl, beat butter with a mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add the 1/4 cup of sugar; beat until combined.
Beat in the 1 cup of gfJules™ flour until crumbly, being careful not to over-mix. Press mixture into the bottom of an un-oiled or parchment-lined 8x8x2 baking pan.
Bake for 15 minutes or until golden.
Filling Directions:
Combine eggs, sugar, flour, lemon zest, lemon juice, and baking powder; beat 2 minutes or until thoroughly combined.
Pour filling over baked crust. Bake 20 minutes more or until set and lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack. Cut into bars only when completely cool. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired, before serving.
Notes
This recipe doubles nicely when baked in a 9×13 pan.
*Note: if making cherry bars and using diced frozen cherries as well, reduce cherry juice to 2 Tbs.
Nutrition Information
Yield 20 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 70Total Fat 0gSaturated Fat 0gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 0gCholesterol 19mgSodium 14mgCarbohydrates 16gFiber 0gSugar 16gProtein 1g
Please keep in mind that nutrition information provided is per serving, which may vary. While we have taken care to provide you with the most accurate nutritional values possible, please note that this information may differ significantly depending on the exact ingredients and brands that you choose to use to make this recipe.
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Is it possible to scale this up to a 11 X 16 pan?
Yes Patricia, absolutely. You’d probably need to triple the recipe.
~jules
Made this today with a homemade flour blend because sadly my order of gfjules flour hasn’t arrived yet. I added some fresh passionfruit juice and it turned out wonderfully delicious.
So happy you tried it anyway and enjoyed some sweet success! The recipe doesn’t require a lot of flour, so it’s a good one to go for even if you don’t have my flour. Hope your gfJules Flour arrives soon!!!!
~jules
Would you recommend freezing these?
You certainly could freeze them, Donna, but they also stay fresh for several days when baked with my gfJules Flour!
~jules
Great lemon bars….I made them to supply to a gourmet shop I make desserts for…she asked for something gluten free and lemon. I tried them…thinking oh well I can throw them out if they aren’t successful. My housemate and myself think they are DELICOUS…hopefully the customers will
That’s fantastic to hear, Danie!!! I’m so glad you gave it a whirl. I’m sure the customers will love them too – that’s a VERY popular recipe on my site! Best of luck with the baking!
~jules
Will regular white sugar work in place of cane sugar? (Or maybe what I have is cane sugar and the package just didn’t say it?)
Hi Alison, regular white sugar is either cane sugar or beet sugar — either will work here. Enjoy!!!
~jules
I made these with a different gluten flour which was fine. Upon taking them out of the oven and tasting it, it was hardly tasty. Instead, it was firmly cooked eggs with no taste I was looking forward to the ‘yummy’ part. I am very disappointed. I think the 3T of lemon juice is incorrect, is it?
Hi Tricia, I’m not sure why it wouldn’t have been yummy and tart. Having made these multiple times, and having heard from all kinds of people who swear by this recipe, I know the proportions are correct. Perhaps you measured wrong or the other flour you’re using has a taste that conflicted with those of the recipe? My flour has no taste or gritty texture, so it doesn’t need extra sugar or other flavors to cover up for funny gluten-free flour tastes many other flours have. Beyond that, the description of the texture would lead me to believe that it cooked too long or at too high a temp, so that’s something to consider regarding your oven.
That’s all I can suggest, since I know the recipe is right. Maybe try it again and measure everything exactly so you can be sure? I hope it works out deliciously for you next time!
~jules
Just finished making a double recipe in a 9×13″ pan. Turned out beautifully. Little on the sweet side. Next time I make them I will try cutting down the sugar a bit. Other than that it is a great and easy recipe. Thanks.
Wonderful to hear, JoAnn! Thanks so much for taking the time to share your impressions of the recipe. So glad it was easy and delicious, and that it turned out well when doubled!
~jules
Dear Jules,
If there is a place to click to make it a printable recipe, I can’t find it.
I always have to copy and paste then remove all the extra to have a copy to cook from. Is there a place to click and make a printable recipe copy?
If not maybe you could add one to your recipes. It would be helpful.
Thanks,
Harriet
I finally located the little printer button. Sorry I am not very good on computers. Thank you.
Harriet
So glad you found it, Harriet! I want you to be able to print my recipes so you always have them handy!
~jules
Where do you find Jules gf flour? I live in Surrey,BC Canada. Would love to try some of your recipes.
I do make a mix of gluten free flours but they don’t always work for every recipe.
Thank you for your reply if you have time.
Vivian Ferraro
Hi Vivian, we do deliver to Canada, but it can be super pricey. Check out this article on making your own blend with ratios at the end. Happy baking!
~jules
I have made several of her recipes using he Presidents Choice GF flour. Haven’t had a failure yet.
You may be able to find it on Amazon…that is where I purchase it but I am in the US.
You cannot mess these up–even if you make a mistake like I did!
Because I had been making pies all month and was thinking about pie crust, I guess, I reversed the order of combining ingredients for the bars’ crust. Instead of creaming the butter and sugar, then adding the flour last–I whisked the flour and sugar, then dropped the cut up butter in before mixing. This is a significant difference.
The crust looked really funny after coming out of the oven (before adding the filling)…too spongy and soft on top. I put it back in for another five minutes, then continued normally with the rest of the steps in the recipe.
To my surprise–the finished bars were wonderful and the crust was extra crispy/crunchy. Everyone raved about it. They all want me to screw it up exactly the same way next time!
The lemon bars were a huge hit with everyone.
My husband normally doesn’t like anything gluten free but even commented that they were good enough to sell.
I used coconut sugar instead and they turned out really well.
A real keeper and I will definitely be making them again.
Now THAT’s an awesome review! Congrats, Megan! So happy you have an amazing recipe you can count on any time you need one! Happy Baking!
~jules
Hi Jules the recipe sounds amazing can’t wait to try it I love lemon and they sound amazing!
Any updates on when your flour mix might be back in stock would love to be able to try it?
Trish
Hi Trish – I know you’ll LOVE this recipe! My flour should be back in stock on both coasts next week. Make sure to sign up for my newsletter (top right of every page) so you’ll be the first to know when it’s back in stock!
~jules
Hi Jules I like your recipes but find it difficult using cup to measure the ingredients is there any way you could put them in pounds and ounces for us UK people. I made the Cream Liquor cakes but got the mixture to soft and they sunk in the middle but still tasted fine. Thank you. Joycedh45qd
Hi Joyce, so glad they still tasted good! For future reference, one cup of my flour always equals 135 grams (4.76 oz). Of course, the other variable here is that you may be using a different flour blend. To read more about how different flours behave, check out my article. I hope this information helps for your next recipe! Let me know if I can help in any other way!
~jules
Oh, yum. These bars look great!
Thanks Bethany, I hope you get to try the recipe soon!
~jules
Hi Jules……how many days ahead can I make the lemon bars and or can I freeze them? Thanks
Dot
Hi Dot, yes you can absolutely freeze them. Maybe line the pan with parchment before you make the bars and then you can lift the parchment out and put the whole thing in a freezer bag, or you could cut them first. They will also stay yummy for a few days. I can’t say exactly how long, because they just don’t last in my house — they are always eaten so quickly!
~jules
I love lemon! I made these bars for a card party. They worked out perfectly and were enjoyed by all. My husband really enjoyed the lemon bars.
I made these and they were absolutely heavenly.
Also tried another recipe and just swapped out the regular flour for jules.
Different kind of bar but also excellent…I love how you can just switch to jules’ flour and not worry
I put the link up in case anyone wanted to try!!!
Great job!!!
Thanks, Charlene! I’m so glad you’re having fun experimenting with my flour and that you’re enjoying sweet success!
Hi! These look fantastic – I can´t wait to try them out! Just a quick question though…could I use stevia liquid and leave out the sugar altogether?
Hi Carmen – that’s a tough sub. There is a decent amount of granulated sugar in this recipe, and it’s one reason the crust turns out so well. I’d suggest before you sub in liquid stevia which is highly concentrated, you try baking stevia as a 1:1 sub instead. It’s similar to sugar in its granulated state and I think you’ll have better results.